Anyone have one??? I have a new pickup (thanks Monte) and
was thinking about one of those shiny new diamond-plate
looking toolboxs that fit across the bed up against the cab.

Likes.... Dislikes??? Whats your opinions???

How do they install? Are they bolted in or just sit there to be
stolen? Do they scratch up the bed or the sides of the bed?

Any info will be helpful... prices? where to buy? How much
should I expect to spend?
I saw some at Northern Tools in Bedford the other day. Are
theirs any better or worse than elsewhere???

Thanks for replying. -Sniper

Be careful if you buy a black diamond plate made by Welders Supply. The box I had was good as far as quality but the powdercoat finish started coming off after about a year or so. My neighbor put one on his truck about the same time and had the same thing happen so mine was not a fluke...

Check out the ones at Tractor Supply Company. I bought a black diamond plate box there about 4 years ago and have had no problems with it. They are also a little less pricey than most of your independent outfitters.

Check out these. I have 2 of them and love them for the room they have.

http://www.taylorwings.com/default.tw

I've got a Delta on my truck. Worked out of the truck for 5 years, in the toolbox many times every day. Been on two different trucks since then. It's showing some wear now, but still in good working condition. We've got various brands of boxes on several different trucks at the company I work for. If you're going to use them very much, pay for quality (Delta, Koenig, Etc.). If it's gonna be a weekend warrior box, one of the Northern type brands would suit you just fine. But for daily use, I've seem those Northern boxes not last a year before hinges were popping loose, latches weren't lining up, welds breaking, you name it. But again, that's under heavy use, if not outright abuse.

The only recommendation I have as to style is to get one with a full lid across the box. The styles with the lid on each side absolutely suck when it comes to storage and accessing your stuff.

You should check out Earl Owens truck accessories in Dallas. I think they're on Hall Street (in the Deep Ellum area). They carry several different brands, and have decent pricing.

Or if your looking for something cheap, watch Craig's List.


Jay

I bought a "slim" line tool box from Lowe's and have been real happy with it. It is not quit as wide as a regular size too box, so you only give up a little bed space. Oh it is made by Kobalt.
Lance

i got one in heaqvt dimond plate for a small truck

Have Trail Boss; which I have used the same one on three different trucks. When I first bought it I had it coated with Line-X, outside looks same as it did 5 years ago--no chipping or fading.

I had one on each of the last 2 trucks I had but don't have one on this truck. The first one was ok until the shocks went out. The second one was a Koeing, by far the best of the 2. I was going to have it sprayed when I had the bed done but they wanted another 75 bucks just to spray the box. I bought a couple of rattle cans of the spray liner and spayed the inside with it just to keep the aluminum from oxidizing and getting all over my stuff. I second what psycho said, get one with the full length lid.

As far as how they mount, both of mine bolted down.

got mine at TSC about 7 yrs ago. black powdercoat diamond plate alum. i use it alot. it still looks new. and works great. i agree the one piece lid is the way to go. also, i put some old rubber floor mats on the bottom to keep tools from sliding back and forth. i think i paid less than 300.00 for it. it has a "J" hook connection that holds it to the bed rails, no drilling and it hasent moved yet.

Thanks Guys for all the info.

-Sniper

I really like my UWS single lid toolbox.

http://www.uwsta.com/

The toolbox on my old truck was the gull wing type, the single lid design is much easier to get large objects into.

For mounting, I just drilled a pair of holes in each side of the bottom of the toolbox. The front holes are over the opening for tie-downs at the front of the truck bed. A long J-shaped bolted is hooked into the truck bed, the threaded portion extends up into the toolbox and is secured with a washer, lock washer, and wing nut. The back pair of holes are drilled through the top of the truck bed, I inserted a bolt up into the toolbox and secured it with a a washer, lock washer, and wing nut.

I've driven a truck all my life and I wouldnt' have a truck without one. You'll love the box on the back.

Personally, I like the cross box. Thay way you can slide things underneath. You can drill through the box, through the bedcap and fasten it down with a bolt. Or there is a bracket that you can use to install without having to drill into your bedcap. It's like a hook with threads on the straight end. As you tighten the nut, it pulls the hook end tighter to the bottom of the bedcap.

No matter what kind you get just don't keep all of your expensive stuff in it. And always keep it locked on both sides. Yes, even while parked at home.

i ve got one... it always seems to get full of stuff that i dont remember putting in there

its just extra weight that i carry around now...
if i got a new truck i wouldnt put one in it... but theres no way that i could ever take this one out cause i wouldnt know what to do without it

I've got a Kobalt that I got from my Uncle..It was orginally diamond plated, but I powdercoated it and painted it black. With any tool box, I recommend installing your own locking system..Mine is pretty much impossible to break in to. Also, to protect the top of your bed where it will bolt on, get some rubber strips ( I used some 3" weather stripping) to keep it from scratching the paint.

Everyone has good advice and I would agree that I couldn't imagine having a truck without one. The only thing I could say is that now I can carry tools and equipment without having to worry if it will get stolen out of the back of the truck or having to keep it in the truck and get my carpet or seats dirty.

The only other thing I would say is the locking system on mine keeps giving me trouble. I would just recommend whichever you choose check the locking system to see how it works.