Roller cabnet in a work van

[Reese]

Anyone have experience with removing the casters from a 26" roller cabinet and using it in a work van?

I have a 1 ton van I use in my landlord gig. I probably drive it 100-150 miles per month. I am considering mounting an old Performax 8 drawer in the van for storing hand tools. The Performax boxes are similar in quality to the Husky boxes at Home Depot.

The box is lighter than the typical shelving used in work vans. I am concerned if it will just get beat to death in my van. I also rationalized that since I don't have much in the box I can put it in the van and just see how long it lasts. I assume I'm not the first guy to consider this.

 

[firebox40dash5]

My old boss had a 52" Craftsman in his old stepvan/mobile shop. Casters still on it, just screwed to the wall. I think he only drove it around for a few years, but it was still going after he took it out.

 

[Ratsofftoya]

I figure if you already have the box, why not give it a shot. I'm sure if it was loaded to the gills and you drove tons on gravel or badly potholed roads the slides would eventually give up. But you really have nothing to loose. It sounds like you are putting on less than 2000 miles per year. I don't consider that much for mileage. My neighbor is a John Deere mobile tech. He has had an old 40" top box in the box of his 1/2 ton company truck for the last 2 years. He said he would be lost without it and has had no trouble.

 

[CJM8515]

Remove wheels, bolt it though the floor and screw it into the wall supports. Be careful not to hit anything critical. If you want you can get some 90 degree angle iron and use self tappers to drill it into the floor and then bolt the box to them.

 

[crewchief888]

secure it as best as you can from all directions, not just at the bottom

twisting and racking of the box will lead to failure, as will heavy tools bouncing in the drawers....


ive destroyed every box i've ever had in a service truck...

 

[KnurledNut]

secure it as best as you can from all directions, not just at the bottom

twisting and racking of the box will lead to failure, as will heavy tools bouncing in the drawers....


ive destroyed every box i've ever had in a service truck...

Is the immortal craftsman still ticking?

 

[Brownsfan]

I used to work for a company that used Ford Econoline passenger vans as work vans because they were mor comfortable and quieter. We would remove the seats and bolt in 3 craftsman 26" rollers. 1 on the door side and 2 on the other. They were the heavy duty series with the 75 pound slides. Other than being noisy as hell they held up fine. They were bolted to the floor and the side walls of the van. They held various tools and supplies needed for professional Audio and Video installs in schools and businesses. The main reason for the passenger van use was they were actually more comfortable and quieter. This was because we had to drive very long distances sometimes. And doing that in a cargo van does ****. We lost some utility not going with actual cargo vans and your conventional racks and bins but comfort was much better and the storage was actually better for what we did

 

[j-guenth]

We removed the wheels and built a lower frame of metal to make the top of the box work bench height and bolted it where the wheels were mounted. We also made a bracket to secure the box on top.

 

[rsanter]

One problem is that the drawers are not held that secure and may come open with going over bumps.
If it was me I would add either a bar across the front or one of those security hinge latch thinks that will give a more positive security against the drawers accident ly coming open

Bob

 

[Brownsfan]

One problem is that the drawers are not held that secure and may come open with going over bumps.
If it was me I would add either a bar across the front or one of those security hinge latch thinks that will give a more positive security against the drawers accident ly coming open

Bob

The last couple vans before I left the company I was talking about in my previous post we did the "grip latch" style craftsman boxes. Those were the best by far. Didn't have to lock them to prevent the drawers from opening. For this type of application a grip latch style box would be the ideal box.

 

[avmaine]

We have vidmars and listas in the service trucks. The guys keep foad inserts on top of the contents in the drawers. It isn't form cut, but it keeps them from driving them nuts with rattling. bolted down, reinforced with angle. Should work the same with a cheapy. Just make sure drawers are secure.

 

[ihatelaramie]

My .02...I work out of a van every day, average almost 3k miles a month. I have a 30 year old Dayton branded Waterloo top and bottom in my 1 ton Chevrolet. It's no worse for wear than when I put it in. I pulled the casters off and took to drilling holes to bolt it down. Theven way my van is set up, it has shelves down the same side as the box, and I was able to bolt to that. Honestly, I have none into the floor, but she's solid. Noisy as all hell going down the road, but solid. I don't even bother locking it, because the lid stays down up top and the hanger door down below could never possibly open all the way to release the drawers. Will it last forever? Hell no, nothing does in that environment. Would I do it with a newer, thinner gauge box? No. But it is definitely doable. Just get used to the noise.

 

[taumac]

Yes bolt it down, foam the drawers so tools don't rattle and move all over the place and the box should have a locking system. A addition locking bar ( which might rattle around)or a HD rubber bungee cord can keep drawers in place.

 

[MushCreek]

I did this with my Kennedy while building the house and 'commuting' from SC to FL. I bolted it down facing out of the side door, as the van was often full, and I needed to get to the tools. I had it that way for a couple years, and never had an issue as long as I remembered to lock the drawers.

 

[crewchief888]

Is the immortal craftsman still ticking?

yea it's still hanging in there..

 

[Reese]

Thanks for the input. I have several drawers from one of the van outfitters in the van now that I jamb hand tools into. I was thinking a real tool box would keep me from having to dig through a big pile every time I need something.

I plan to install the box just behind the side doors so I can reach in and grab tools without having to step into the van. I should be able to tie it into the floor, the van wall, and the adjacent shelving.

 

[Hondarancher4435]

I do mobile equipment service out of a van I have one large craftsman box and a few side cabinets they hold up fine when secured down well. Mine are 4 years old and not much worse for the wear 30k miles or more a year traveling.

I'd second the above mentioned grip latch boxes the biggest fight in a van is the drawers flying open when parked at angles or forgetting to lock it and having the drawers fly open going around a turn. The grip latch is the solution to this problem and I wish I had got them instead of the standard drawers

 

[jeffmoss26]

The company I work for does locksmithing and security installs/service...our two trucks have 26" roller boxes bolted just inside the side door. It seems to work out well for the guys.