Truck Box / Bed Box / Tool Box - Your suggestions please

GTGallop

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Hey Ranger Guys and Gals,

I'm looking at a box for the back to help with storage and organization. I see a lot of boxes I like on web sited but they are always pictured in the bed of a different truck. Would like to see what you have done and what you like about your bed boxes. What would you have done different?

My situation:
  • Can be metal but prefer plastic for weight savings. Theft is not a huge concern so it doesn't need to be bullet proof, but it can be! ;-)
  • Needs to fit BELOW the rails because I plan on putting a cover of some kind on the back.
    • I am considering maybe one of those that does rest on the rails but barely above the rails - I'll have to modify my expectations of a bed cover at that point.
  • I don't need a TON of storage. Just tools and dirty stuff that I don't want in the cab.
  • I think I want it up against the front wall of the bed over the swing out style but I'm open to suggestions.

Have spent the better pat of the morning searching this forum and didn't find a single thread about the topic (was kinda surprised) but did find a few posts about the topic scattered around various threads. Looking for more consolidated and pointed info here.

If there is an existing thread, post that too, I'm happy to go mine it for data too.
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wickedZ1

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If you want it below the bed rails just go with a sturdy rubber maid container. I purchased 2 from walmart that has locking clips, believe they were $15 each. I have my cleaning supplies in one and various junk in the other. I'm able to remove them whenever I need. I use a load lock it keep them from sliding backwards.
 
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GTGallop

GTGallop

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^^^ Excellent Idea! ^^^

I like the flexibility that offers. Fantastic!
Looked up "Load Lock" and got several hits coming back from tracked systems, bungee cords, and a tension mounted pole.

My guess, unless you offer otherwise, is that you are referring to the tension pole. Correct?
Does that warp or bend your bed any after extended use? Or just be careful to stay reasonable with the tension and you are fine.

Edit To Add ==> I just ran out to the garage and located two 8 gallon Rubbermaid Action Packer (black body, grey lid, red locking handles) that I used to keep in the back of my Xterra. Now they are holding miscellaneous crap but can easily be repurposed. THANK YOU for the great idea!
 
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wickedZ1

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^^^ Excellent Idea! ^^^

I like the flexibility that offers. Fantastic!
Looked up "Load Lock" and got several hits coming back from tracked systems, bungee cords, and a tension mounted pole.

My guess, unless you offer otherwise, is that you are referring to the tension pole. Correct?
Does that warp or bend your bed any after extended use? Or just be careful to stay reasonable with the tension and you are fine.
Yes the tension bar. Just get a decent one and use common sense. Amazon you'll be looking about $30 for a good load lock. I purchased one from Harbor freight for $10, you get what you pay for.
 

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We use these in the bed of my wife's F-150. It will also fit in the Ranger bed. We have the 27 gal. Storage Bin
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Snorebaby

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Also if your bed has a spray in liner, they don't slide around very much.. We don't have a problem with them moving around.
 

Deleted member 1634

This is what I did for the first year of the truck (have since upgraded to a topper for various reasons). Both items are from Truxedo.

There's the Truxedo Expedition Bag which hangs from the bedrails wherever you want it to. I chose to put it up front near the bulkhead so I could still use the rear of the bed. It's also easy to remove and leave the mounts in place.

It also works really well with the Truxedo Deuce Tonneau Cover which can be opened two ways. It rolls up like a normal fabric cover, but the front portion can also fold back to allow access to the bag, or anything else you want to keep up front or slides up front.

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If you're interested, I do happen to still have both items I'd sell to you for cheaper than Truxedo. haha Still in like new condition after 1 year of use, just not needed anymore after the topper upgrade.
 

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I had this one in my Colorado for a while. Got a tonneau for it and moved the box to the Ranger. Fits like it was made for it.

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DocE3Gun

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I travel quite a bit for shooting competitions and wanted something to organize things, as well as further secure them from curious eyes and hands. I traded my ecoboost Escape in when I bought my 2020 Ranger, and was always concerned about things being visible via the side and back windows...which also meant they were only a pane of glass away from stealing from me.

I settled on a Decked bed system to organize everything, and a Diamondback HD bed cover to secure it as much as possible. I would recommend looking at both.

I went with the Decked system based on the drawer system being able of holding an acceptable amount of weight while extended, leaving a flat surface to put things on top of it, and the ability to keep things from being opened while the tailgate was locked. An added benefit has been that the drawers and side cans have kept dust and water both out so far.

I chose the Diamondback HD bed cover with preinstalled tie down points because after looking at multiple bed cover options, it appears to be the most secure. Also, after a friend's truck was broken into while traveling with nearly $50,000 in firearms and gear, the thieves were not able to get past the HD bed cover. A quick call to compare the models, and I was sold on the HD being my best option.
 

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We use these in the bed of my wife's F-150. It will also fit in the Ranger bed. We have the 27 gal. Storage Bin
1592675529899.png
These are great tubs, very durable and cheap. The 50G size fits perfectly under a cover and you can easily fit those paracord tie-downs through the slots in the lid to keep it from sliding around. The downside to these is they are not water proof/resistant so if you don't want to or have a cover then may not be ideal.

I decided to go with the Plano 108 Qt trunk. They have a hinged lid, can be locked and are weather resistant. They are fairly cheap at Home Depot too.

black-plano-storage-trunks-pla108hd-64_1000.jpg


Since I don't always want to have my cover on and will want to secure this in the bed I am thinking about using some coated wire cable like that from a dog run or something and a couple stainless eye strap loops, some stainless one way security screws and a couple pieces of plate steel. The plan is to drill through the side walls on the ends and mount the strap loops with the steel plate on the inside using silicone to prevent water leakage, cut off the excess bolt threads and cover them with tool dip to prevent any injury or damaged stuff from sharp points. Then make a pair of cable loops and lock them to the truck tie-downs. This way I can quickly secure the box in the truck and anyone who wants to get in there will need to take a few min to do.
 

Mustangman02232

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I ordered swing boxes for both sides, have the driver installed and like it so far, I am trying to minimize bed loss, I have the ford retractable cover.
 

armoredpig

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Happy with my Swing Box and at $200 a good deal.

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What kind of clamps are those!? They look *quicker* than quick fists!

On tool boxes, I use two swing cases for my recovery gear and emergency supplies--quick fists mounted behind both of them for my shovel and axe. I also keep a mid size cooler to use as a general purpose crate/grocery box
 
 



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