tool box for Service Van

[CorvZ961]

I just took on a job as a mobile Forklift mechanic. I'm trying out outfit my van in a sensible way as for as my tools are concerned. I'm supposed to be moving into a new Ford Transit with a built in tool box before the end of the year, 54 vans were ordered middle of last year and we're still waiting on 44 of them, but we've been promised by end of year.

So my current van is a Chevy Express with racking on both sides and a air compressor at the front facing the wrong way but can't be turned to go along the wall. So my option currently is to put the box inside the rear doors and leave the side doors open to get in the back of the van to access my stocked parts are whatever else I'm carrying. The opening that I have is 37" wide by 48" tall. I'm not opposed to purchasing a tool chest from HD or the like, but I'm concerned it wouldn't hold up all that well being in a van and not stationary in a shop. I do currently have 2 boxes at home, an older top and bottom Craftsman, that the bottom measures 30"W by 35" tall and the top would go in my storage building.

I also have a Kennedy top and bottom box that is 29"W and 44.5" tall combined. I'm leaning towards just putting my Kennedy in the Van, the only 'issue' with my Kennedy is that it needs the locks replaced as I broke a key off in the bottom box, it is currently unlocked, though. The Kennedy was my dads box and I'd be heart broken if something happened to it, but it should survive being on the road no problem.

So before I commit to putting my Kennedy in the van, any recommendations of a decent quality affordable box? I've looked at CL and FB Marketplace for used tool truck boxes, but it's more than I'd want to spend at this point in time. Are the HF boxes still decent? what about the new Craftsman 3000 series? I've seen some 36" Husky and Crapsman 3000 series in the sub $400 range.

 

[nadogail]

I have been driving a Chevrolet Express 1500 since I bought it new in '99. My bins and racks were made by Adrian Steel. I have some Plastic Tool Boxes from Home Depot. They sit on the floor of the van and do not slide around on the OEM rubber mat in the back of the van.

The boxes are of different colors and are labeled; Plumbing, Painting, Electrical.

 

[Zeke]

Well you probably don't need a full kit to work on forklifts. I understand the beating toolboxes take while in transit fully loaded. If you take that in consideration you might do well to use more smaller boxes rather than try and haul around a 44" rollaway. In fact, for years I had every carpenter's tool needed in one of these:

 

[John in OH]

I bought one of HF's eight-drawer 26" wide units a couple of years ago and it has held up well in STATIONARY service. I suggest it only because it would fit in your 37" space and at $360 isn't too much of an investment. Another possibility is the Menard's Masterforce 36" wide unit, but it is nearly TWICE the cost of the HF cabinet. Don't have one and have no idea of its durability, but, again, it would fit in your 37" space.

 

[CorvZ961]

Well you probably don't need a full kit to work on forklifts. I understand the beating toolboxes take while in transit fully loaded. If you take that in consideration you might do well to use more smaller boxes rather than try and haul around a 44" rollaway. In fact, for years I had every carpenter's tool needed in one of these:

There are a lot more tools needed for forklifts than you'd expect. Outside of a normal set of hand tools in 1/4, 3/8/, 1/2, and 3/4" you need line wrenches, both standard and metric, full set of crows feet up to 2", diagnostic equipment, and a full range of Cummins and Kubota specialty stuff because I work on everything in the Hyster/Yale fleet from the small electric carts, all the way up to the 70k lb trucks that are Cummins diesel powered. It's pretty insane actually.

 

[CorvZ961]

I bought one of HF's eight-drawer 26" wide units a couple of years ago and it has held up well in STATIONARY service. I suggest it only because it would fit in your 37" space and at $360 isn't too much of an investment. Another possibility is the Menard's Masterforce 36" wide unit, but it is nearly TWICE the cost of the HF cabinet. Don't have one and have no idea of its durability, but, again, it would fit in your 37" space.

The HF 8 drawer is what I was leaning towards, before thinking about possibly just putting my Kennedy box in the van. I have no doubt that it would take the being on the road, but it's a very nice box. I have seen a few Proto 36" boxes in the $800 range used, I'm just not sure how it'd hold up. I know Proto is Stanley owned and so is Mac, so are they the same quality boxes?

 

[Renegade1LI]

This is how I set up my transit 250, I like that it's modular & mobile, easy to swap boxes as needed. If I need an empty van the boxes come out & the brackets fold flat. I really like that the hand truck will rack the boxes individually & can also be used as a hand truck.

 

[crewchief888]

Any box you decide to use will eventually self destruct. The key is to securely mount it bottom back and sides. Even then it's a crapshoot as to low long it will last. CM top I just scrapped after 16 years, and multiple service trucks. My new truck has a box built in.

 

[dfiler2]

Nice setup Renegade1Li, do those wheeled racks lock into the the brackets above them?

 

[CorvZ961]

Any box you decide to use will eventually self destruct. The key is to securely mount it bottom back and sides. Even then it's a crapshoot as to low long it will last. CM top I just scrapped after 16 years, and multiple service trucks. My new truck has a box built in.

Supposedly all of techs with the company I work for will be in new transits with built in boxes before end of year, hopefully that holds true and I'd only need it to survive 8 months max. But that's the reason I don't want to put my nice box in it because I know it would be bad for it, but would it destroy it in 8 months? Use my tool box budget on tools that I need instead.

 

[Wrench97]

I ran a service truck out of a high cube van for a number of years til about 20 years ago, a van will destroy any box you put in it.
I had Snap On, Matco and the last box was a Craftsman all were with the Matco lasting the longest at about 4 years.
The smaller plastic boxes held up the best and allow you do sort tool by task, of course this also makes you buy dups of common stuff.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Any box you decide to use will eventually self destruct. The key is to securely mount it bottom back and sides. Even then it's a crapshoot as to low long it will last. CM top I just scrapped after 16 years, and multiple service trucks. My new truck has a box built in.

Is that the famous one you've posted several times in different threads? Looks like you got every ounce of life out of it!

 

[crewchief888]

Supposedly all of techs with the company I work for will be in new transits with built in boxes before end of year, hopefully that holds true and I'd only need it to survive 8 months max. But that's the reason I don't want to put my nice box in it because I know it would be bad for it, but would it destroy it in 8 months? Use my tool box budget on tools that I need instead.

i wouldnt put a box you "care" about in a service truck/van. last 3 service trucks we bought have toolboxes built in. only because someone else spec'd out the build of the truck/body, every other truck they bought previously were stripped out, no options, cheapest they could find.

 

[CorvZ961]

Looks like I'll be heading to HF or HD today to find a box

 

[mwalsh9152]

Looks like I'll be heading to HF or HD today to find a box

I've worked in the forklift battery industry for 15 years. Ive seen a lot for forklift tech vans. Most of them that I have seen just used 36ish inch wide top boxes.

One of my battery techs has a 36" Husky top box in his transit. He had it in his two previous vans as well. He covers a massive territory, so lots of miles. Better part of 500,000 miles on that box, and it still works perfectly.

I would guess that ANY box that you buy will get you through the year until your new van comes in.

 

[CorvZ961]

HF had a scratch/dent box that was just the right size, it's a cart with no casters. As far as I can tell the missing casters is the o ly thing I can find wrong with it.

 

[egdede]

That looks perfect!

 

[adammmmm1686]

I’m a mobile forklift mechanic like yourself, however I’m from the UK, my company run Volkswagen Crafters for us mobiles, half the mechanics have Snap on, some of us have Mac tools and some have Halfords Advanced, unfortunately we don’t have built in toolboxes, we bolt ours in via plates to the bulkhead and to the floor, we put plates in at the base of the boxes to stop any movement from the base and hold the boxes in higher up in a few places to secure it in place as best as possible, as you know, we use a lot of tools as a forklift mechanic and we also know what we need to use on a daily basis based off the jobs we have for the day, do you think it would be a good idea for there to be inbuilt tool boxes? What do you think the benefits are with an inbuilt toolbox compared to bolted in boxes? And how do you have space for racking and extra space to work out of the van for bigger jobs?

 

[Wrench97]

Back when I had a mobile truck the issue was always with the slides for the drawers, roller slides held up better but are more costly.
Having the employer buy a truck with built in boxes or a utility body with external doors and slides solves the issue.

 

[bb29510]

you need a road box