Raising a Truck Tool Box off the Bed

[rusty99]

Hi Guys, I need some advice mounting my new tool box in my truck and raising it up slightly so I can put things underneath..

The box is a chest style box with a flat bottom. It occurred to me after buying it that I should add some "feet" or sit it on some rails to raise it up about 4 inches off the truck bed.

This would allow me to slide longer items like skiis or ATV ramps under the tool box and lay flat.

Does anyone has suggestions or designs how to do this? I can't get me head around how I secure the box to the feet or raised rail and then secure the feet to truck bed.

I thought I using a 4" x 4" fence post at first... not sure I like that idea. I can't weld... hmmmm....

looking forward to your feedback. Pictures of your chest style truck box mounted would be great!

[coreya3212]

Perhaps if you post a pic of the box in your truck as it sits, you would get some ideas ?

[EZM]

A 4 x 4 fence post would be perfect. Why not? you could secure it to the underside of the box with a few lags and a washer through the bottom of the tool box.

That's what I'd do.

[fish_e_o]

you can buy tool boxes that aren't as deep and have space under them


wood is bad it holds water

[flint guy]

Is the tool box aluminium or steel? I recommend no wood, it will promote corrosion. Spray on gasket maker helps on the metal surfaces if you have to go wood. My suggestion not seeing the box would be head to metal supermarket they will cut to length any material you may need, and with some design pre planning, you could bolt the sub frame together and to the tool chest, not having to drill the truck at all. You may even be able to incorporate a few d ring tie downs

[rusty99]

Perhaps if you post a pic of the box in your truck as it sits, you would get some ideas ?

Here is a pic of the box from the side. Give you an idea of how flat the bottom is. It is a Weatherguard box.

[rusty99]

Is the tool box aluminium or steel? I recommend no wood, it will promote corrosion. Spray on gasket maker helps on the metal surfaces if you have to go wood. My suggestion not seeing the box would be head to metal supermarket they will cut to length any material you may need, and with some design pre planning, you could bolt the sub frame together and to the tool chest, not having to drill the truck at all. You may even be able to incorporate a few d ring tie downs

The box is aluminum. I will check out the Metal Supermarket for sure.

I'm not sure if I completely follow what you are saying about not having to drill my truck at all if I use a sub frame. Can you elaborate?

[Sooner]

Go to the lumber yard, buy some 4x4 or larger pressure treated square posts. Build up a perimeter frame to match the bottom of the box, then add as needed pieces to the sides to get the height you want. Lag or carriage bolt them together. Frame carries the weight, sides give you the height. Just have to figure out how to secure it to the bed. The wood won't rot for a long time.

[rusty99]

Go to the lumber yard, buy some 4x4 or larger pressure treated square posts. Build up a perimeter frame to match the bottom of the box, then add as needed pieces to the sides to get the height you want. Lag or carriage bolt them together. Frame carries the weight, sides give you the height. Just have to figure out how to secure it to the bed. The wood won't rot for a long time.

Good suggestion, however I'm now leaning away from using wood now that the rot issue has been mentioned. I agree that pressure treated wood should last a long time.

Maybe its time I learned to weld aluminum, lol. :)

[saddleup]

I see your in Calgary, go to any metal fab shop and get them to make you 2 aluminum brackets to bolt to bottom of tool box, no rust, your good to go.

[Sooner]

I see your in Calgary, go to any metal fab shop and get them to make you 2 aluminum brackets to bolt to bottom of tool box, no rust, your good to go.



The place you bought it from may have mount brackets you can buy, they sure sell a lot of those boxes, you can't be the first one wanting to raise it up.

[EZM]

$ 12 for a cedar 4 x 4 and $ 4 for zinc coated lags. The cedar will take 20 years to rot .... I wouldn't suggest this is a major issue at all. You can spend another $12 in another 20 years I guess.

Pressure treated may react with the aluminum - cedar won't and it's fairly rot resistant. Zinc coated lags also shouldn't react with the aluminum.

I don't think worry about rot would anywhere near the top of my list keeping me up at night.

[fish_e_o]

I don't think worry about rot would anywhere near the top of my list keeping me up at night.
it's not the rot of the wood anyone cares about

wood holds moisture and moisture + steel = rust

[Xbolt7mm]

It says you live in Calgary, If you buy the steel ill stick it together for you so you dont have to go all "farmer" with the 4x4's

[rusty99]

So I went out to Metal Supermarket to get some ideas. Saw some box aluminum measuring 2" x 4" with 1/4" thick wall. They will even cut it to my desired lengths for a small charge ($2 per cut). So will cost me about $25 the aluminum if this is the route I decide to go. Not a bad price if you ask me (however I've never bought aluminum before). I can also get it in 1/8" thick wall. I think 1/8" thickness would be strong enough, right?

I did call Weatherguard who makes the box to ask if they made such a thing. They don't and I'm still surprised that more people don't wish to do the same thing.

For the open ends of the box 2" x 4" I think I will some end "caps" welded on so that a thief can't get a saw blade inside to cut the lag bolts. Anyone here on AO able to help out with a small bit of aluminum welding?

[rusty99]

It says you live in Calgary, If you buy the steel ill stick it together for you so you dont have to go all "farmer" with the 4x4's

That would be fantastic! Can you weld aluminum?

[Xbolt7mm]

That would be fantastic! Can you weld aluminum?

I can but you don't need to. No one can get a hack saw in to cut it. Just use a lock nut and run the bolt right through the bottom of the tool box, through the 2x4 and then through the box of your truck. Long bolt

[chasingtail]

Is it to late to take it back and buy one that sits on the bed rails?
I have the same type of box, when I need to slide something long in the back of the truck I just turn the tool box sideways.

[rusty99]

I can but you don't need to. No one can get a hack saw in to cut it. Just use a lock nut and run the bolt right through the bottom of the tool box, through the 2x4 and then through the box of your truck. Long bolt

I'm able to cut it and bolt it to the aluminum 2"x4" but would like to get some end caps welded onto the open end. I'll bring the beer, lol :)

[rusty99]

Is it to late to take it back and buy one that sits on the bed rails?
I have the same type of box, when I need to slide something long in the back of the truck I just turn the tool box sideways.

Isn't your box bolted down to the bed of the truck? If it is how do you slide it sideways? :thinking-006:

[flint guy]

Lots of ideas, all will work. My personal experience with wood as a frame on a project like this is that it will eventually rub the paint in the box, and hold a bit of moisture, it rusts. Anything you use will cause the rub and rust eventually. What we used to do when I rigged trucks for a living, is hit the backside of the aluminum... The part that touches the steel box with mat tack, an aerosol-spray in gasket sealer. It helps disperse water, and adds a bit if protection from the electrolysis that happens between steel and aluminum. Electrolysis typically reacts the aluminum more, like a boat. The mat tack works on boats too, we used it when I was a comercial diver in BC on steel to aluminum conections. Anyway, I would use the aluminum, then the pressure treated wood if wood is the way you go. Cedar has a tendancy to split in my opinion, on a dynamically loaded frame ( dynamic meaning multi directional loads in a moving vehicle)the 2x4 aluminum bolted through the toolbox, through the aluminum sub frame, right through the bottom of the truck box with long bolts is the best if you wish to drill the truck.

Ill try to elaborate on what I mentioned in post 5 about the bolt together frame. Take your 2x4 with 1/8 wall aluminum, 1/8 is plenty strong, unless your entire payload is in that box. You run the aluminum one on the left one on the right, bolt through the tool box with stainless or galvanised of your choosing, use doubled washers one larger than the other to prevent pull through, carrage bolts will work, but iver time may chatter the aluminum, and spin if you ever need to remove the box. You need a helper with regular bolts, the carriage are nice because of no sharp corners, and you can turn the nut yourself. you decide on the prefered bolt, I prefer stover style lock nuts for a job like this. Now you have two pieces under that lift the box. Now look on the back of the tool box, you should be able to get a piece of angle iron over the box between the cab and truck box, like a hook one face between one face laying flat on the truck box. Take another angle iron down the back of the tool box and flat against the other angle iron. From the side of the truck the angle irons now look like a z sort of.Then make a z shape with another angle iron. Bolt to the toolbox, and then bolt the angle iron faces together.

The idea is the two on the bottom will jam against the side of the truck, no side to side movement. The angle iron will prevent the box from sliding backwards. The problems you may have are the hinges or internals of the toolbox may be in the way. The box may rattle a bit if there is not sufficient weight in it. Somebody could lift the box out of the truck as jts not hard fastened. Nomatter what you do, the bottom of the toolbox may get beat down and concave, as its almost completely un supported, designed to sit flat. Consider a liner inside the toolbox. I would offer to weld the thing for you, but am in edmonton and no longer employed.

Long winded i hope it helped a bit.

[flint guy]

I forgot to mention to check the height an be sure the toolbox lid doesnot hit the back of the truck box and bind when you open it, 4" lift may not be ideal.

[chasingtail]

Isn't your box bolted down to the bed of the truck? If it is how do you slide it sideways? :thinking-006:

Ratchet strap along the front connected to the hooks in the box. Can take it out in 30 seconds.