Truck Bed Tool Box Options FOUND

[rch75]

Anyone else shopping for a truck box that fits between the 53" bed rails and over the wheel wells?

Anybody know any that are a good fit without much over the rail height?

I don't think the market has anything to offer yet but plastic swing boxes, as of April 2022.
Post links if you see something that works.
First one to market with a box that fits tight around the rounded corners at the cab to bed interface, and a low profile, will be the stand out.

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[rch75]

 

[rch75]

Anyone else shopping for a truck box that fits between the 53" bed rails and over the wheel wells?

Anybody know any that are a good fit without much over the rail height?

I don't think the market has anything to offer yet but plastic swing boxes, as of April 2022.
Post links if you see something that works.
First one to market with a box that fits tight around the rounded corners at the cab to bed interface, and a low profile, will be the stand out.

I started with an “in bed box” or “chest” from Tractor Supply Company, that was about 48” wide and had the bottom back edge cropped to fit a full size truck wheel well up against it. It was basically lost space in the Maverick. It also sat on the wheels and when I accelerated it occasionally fell / rotated onto the sloped side so I ran a 2x6 under it in the groves for the horizontal board in the wheel well and bolted it down. that stopped the tipping over.

Then I can across this Husky box from Home Depot that fills out the bed much better and is a couple inches above the wheel wells, so I can slide a couple sheets of plywood underneath. For those reasons I prefer it. so I moved the chest to the neck of the bed and it sits down inside the bed nicely. It can be slid in and out as needed if it’s not loaded too heavy.

I started working on a cover after that.
I got a $20 3’x5’ floor mat from Home Depot that fits great. it’s texture works with Velcro so I put strips of Velcro (adhesive) on the bed rails to keep it down. Only problem is the edge on the box kept falling and it’s really hard to adjust its positioning while it’s sticking as soon as it touches down.
I moved to snaps. Still working on perfecting this as the snaps ripped through the mat. Any suggestions?

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I started with an “in bed box” or “chest” from Tractor Supply Company, that was about 48” wide and had the bottom back edge cropped to fit a full size truck wheel well up against it. It was basically lost space in the Maverick. It also sat on the wheels and when I accelerated it occasionally fell / rotated onto the sloped side so I ran a 2x6 under it in the groves for the horizontal board in the wheel well and bolted it down. that stopped the tipping over.

Then I can across this Husky box from Home Depot that fills out the bed much better and is a couple inches above the wheel wells, so I can slide a couple sheets of plywood underneath. For those reasons I prefer it. so I moved the chest to the neck of the bed and it sits down inside the bed nicely. It can be slid in and out as needed if it’s not loaded too heavy.

I started working on a cover after that.
I got a $20 3’x5’ floor mat from Home Depot that fits great. it’s texture works with Velcro so I put strips of Velcro (adhesive) on the bed rails to keep it down. Only problem is the edge on the box kept falling and it’s really hard to adjust its positioning while it’s sticking as soon as it touches down.
I moved to snaps. Still working on perfecting this as the snaps ripped through the mat. Any suggestions?

Maybe fender washer between snap head and mat. Or maybe thinner metal if fender washer too thick. Could be whole length of mate as you prefer?

 

[rch75]

good idea, I even thought about a piano hinge, but couldn't get it flat against diamond plate. So I got a piece of aluminum flat bar and new set of snaps and a new mat. I'll try drilling the flat bar and installing the new snaps through the aluminum and rubber mat and see if that stops the snaps from ripping through the rubber mats edge.

 

[rch75]

Husky 61.86 in. Matte Black Aluminum Low Profile Mid-Size Crossbed Truck Tool Box 102102-53-01 - The Home Depot $359 shown below

Tractor Supply 48 in. Chest Truck Tool Box, Textured Matte Black, 103408-52-01 at Tractor Supply Co.
This $350 one is in the pic of this box mounted in the bed over the wheel wells, screwed down to a 2x6 running under it to keep it from tipping over. I've used both by turning this one backwards and putting it in the back half of the bed just for more lockable storage.

 

[rch75]

Here’s the Tractor Supply 48” tool chest. I built a hard cover to sandwich over the opening too.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ck-tool-box-textured-matte-black-103408-52-01

 

[Montana]

I've never had a bed this short before lol. I really want a toolbox but I'm not compromising on the potential space on the floor.

Has anyone tried removing the plastic trim pieces and seen if the body itself if also rounded? With the right box that opens gull wing style, it wouldn't need to flip up towards the rear window to open. Can anything be trimmed in that area to accomplish this? I would obviously seal everything back up and clean it up, but saving 2" in this short bed would be preferred.

 

[maverickeric]

I've never had a bed this short before lol. I really want a toolbox but I'm not compromising on the potential space on the floor.

Has anyone tried removing the plastic trim pieces and seen if the body itself if also rounded? With the right box that opens gull wing style, it wouldn't need to flip up towards the rear window to open. Can anything be trimmed in that area to accomplish this? I would obviously seal everything back up and clean it up, but saving 2" in this short bed would be preferred.

Sort of similar situation here as well, I'm coming from a 8' bed so I want to maximize space and have an easy to remove solution. I have a bed rack for roof top long items, and in the bed went with milwaukee packout XL boxes and a mounting plate. When I need my tools I can lock the XL packout in there since it's tight against the tailgate and you can't remove the box without unlocking the tailgate. THe mounting plate is pretty flat so I can still lay stuff in the bed.

I'm hoping the packout doesn't get stolen, but I painted it and stickered it up to make it look ugly enough and I just don't leave it in if I go to seedy areas.

 

[GduB]

Here’s the Tractor Supply 48” tool chest. I built a hard cover to sandwich over the opening too.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ck-tool-box-textured-matte-black-103408-52-01

How did you secure this chest to the bed? What size screw/bolt did you use? I’ve purchased this same chest and want to secure it using the predrilled holes that are inside the section a 2x6 sits in. I’m unsure what type of screw/bolt I need to effectively secure it to the bed frame with the 2x6 board on top of the bed liner.

 

[rch75]

I don't think I ever got around to screwing it down. You're right that screwing it to the 2"x6" wouldn't prevent anyone from picking it up. The 2"x6" didn't actually support the weight, the 48" tool chest rested on the wheel wells.

I can't tell you how much MORE I prefer the over the rail box I got from Home Depot by Husky. It has J-hooks to attach to the rails and can't get stolen. It also is better that the TSC chest because the Husky leaves a gap between the top of the wheel wells and the bottom of the tool box. So I can still slide 4'x8' sheets of lumber/sheetrock in between them all the way to the front of the bed.

If you haven't drilled the TSC tool chest yet, see if you can get a refund and buy the Husky from Home Depot.

How did you secure this chest to the bed? What size screw/bolt did you use? I’ve purchased this same chest and want to secure it using the predrilled holes that are inside the section a 2x6 sits in. I’m unsure what type of screw/bolt I need to effectively secure it to the bed frame with the 2x6 board on top of the bed liner.

 

[GduB]

I don't think I ever got around to screwing it down. You're right that screwing it to the 2"x6" wouldn't prevent anyone from picking it up. The 2"x6" didn't actually support the weight, the 48" tool chest rested on the wheel wells.

I can't tell you how much MORE I prefer the over the rail box I got from Home Depot by Husky. It has J-hooks to attach to the rails and can't get stolen. It also is better that the TSC chest because the Husky leaves a gap between the top of the wheel wells and the bottom of the tool box. So I can still slide 4'x8' sheets of lumber/sheetrock in between them all the way to the front of the bed.

If you haven't drilled the TSC tool chest yet, see if you can get a refund and buy the Husky from Home Depot.

I ended up committing to bolting it to the 2x6, with the 2x6 bolted to the truck bed. Doesn’t make it very easy to remove if I need to load bigger stuff, but definitely locks it into the bed.
As far as the Husky box goes, I had to stick with the TSC chest because I have a backrack installed - the backrack bracket doesn’t allow me to have an over-the-rail box without modifying my existing backrack bracket (not willing to purchase a separate backrack toolbox bracket without guaranteed figment of box) I think it worked out better than expected. You’re right about the space below the box though, I only have the couple of feet between the wheel wells now to load things under the tool chest.
If I was a bit more patient I’m sure one of these days there will be several variations of toolboxes specifically designed for the Maverick lol. I appreciate your feedback! I’ll reply with some pics of the finished work when I get around to it, may help others when considering their options.

 

[rch75]

Yea! Let’s see that backrack
I wanted something like a headache rack I could use to lean long it’s over the cab without touching the body, but they all are like yours and occupy the bed rail near the cab.

I ended up committing to bolting it to the 2x6, with the 2x6 bolted to the truck bed. Doesn’t make it very easy to remove if I need to load bigger stuff, but definitely locks it into the bed.
As far as the Husky box goes, I had to stick with the TSC chest because I have a backrack installed - the backrack bracket doesn’t allow me to have an over-the-rail box without modifying my existing backrack bracket (not willing to purchase a separate backrack toolbox bracket without guaranteed figment of box) I think it worked out better than expected. You’re right about the space below the box though, I only have the couple of feet between the wheel wells now to load things under the tool chest.
If I was a bit more patient I’m sure one of these days there will be several variations of toolboxes specifically designed for the Maverick lol. I appreciate your feedback! I’ll reply with some pics of the finished work when I get around to it, may help others when considering their options.

Yea! L

 

[GduB]

This wasn’t the particular headache rack I wanted, but it was the only one I could find with a guaranteed fit on the Maverick before purchasing (also the only black option available at the time) I was skeptical on this toolbox/backrack combo at first but it’s worked well so far. The extra length on the bolts under the 2x6 will eventually be a loading issue, but can always cut them down when the time comes.
Bolted each end of 2x6 to the truck bed through the existing wheel well holes - then put 3 bolts through bottom of tool chest to secure it to the 2x6. I would’ve preferred a slimmer profile toolbox to maximize load space, but I need tools/accessories locked and stored more than I need loading space.

 

[rch75]

This wasn’t the particular headache rack I wanted, but it was the only one I could find with a guaranteed fit on the Maverick before purchasing (also the only black option available at the time) I was skeptical on this toolbox/backrack combo at first but it’s worked well so far. The extra length on the bolts under the 2x6 will eventually be a loading issue, but can always cut them down when the time comes.
Bolted each end of 2x6 to the truck bed through the existing wheel well holes - then put 3 bolts through bottom of tool chest to secure it to the 2x6. I would’ve preferred a slimmer profile toolbox to maximize load space, but I need tools/accessories locked and stored more than I need loading space.

That rack is perfect for leaning stuff forward like ladders. Nice find @GduB !

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