Bed toolbox security

[Patrick Bateman]

Hi, looking for ideas on how to secure a bed toolbox so Joe Thief can't just pull the box out and take it. I haven't seen any boxes that secure itself to the bed. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough?

 

[97ranger4x4]

My roommate bolted her box into her bed. The only way to access the bolts is to open the toolbox which she keeps locked. She does not have one that sits on the bed rails. its a smaller 3ft wide by 1.5 ft long.

hope that helps

 

[MAKG]

I did something substantially similar on my Chevy.

Drilled holes in the tops of the bed rails and filed them square, and installed rounded carriage bolts with the threaded ends inside the box. I used Nylock nuts to keep the bolts from backing out under vibration.

Frankly, the weak points on the aluminum boxes are the hinges. It's not hard to just crack aluminum.

 

[97ranger4x4]

I was thinking about that and I guess someone could just crawl underneath her truck and could probably unbolt it from there. It would be a lot of work for little reward.

 

[racsan]

when i used to have a bed toolbox, it was oversized enough that i could (in addition to tools and such) have (2) 100 pound tractor weights in it. overall it weighed close to 300 pounds. it was strapped in, but i doubt someone would be walking off with it. maybe with help, but not just 1 person was going to be able to steal that. just had a std padlock on it. these days i have a small homebuilt plywood box behind the drivers seat in the cab with my jumpercables, tow strap and small tool kit. just have no need to carry alot of extra junk around. you could have eyebolts on the box and truck and run a chain between the two points, either bolt the chain together or use a lock.

 

[MAKG]

I was thinking about that and I guess someone could just crawl underneath her truck and could probably unbolt it from there. It would be a lot of work for little reward.

Not with carriage bolts. That was the idea.

The heads are shaped like domes. Nothing to grab.

 

[97ranger4x4]

Yeh your idea would be much better. I was commenting on what her situation is currently. Because I know she doesnt have carriage bolts. If someone wanted to crawl underneath they could probably undo the bolts, but that would take a lot of time to steal a box.

 

[thegoat4]

I haven't seen many thieves take the whole box. Around here they hammer a prybar through the latch assembly and pop it off.

 

[Parsonator73]

i got one that sits on the rails of the bed. and then i drilled 2 holes in each end of the box, where it sits on the rails. then i put "j" hooks up through each of the holes, putting the"j" part under the side or the rail of the bed. then i put a nut on each hook and tightened it down, then another nut on each to keep it tight. its worked perfectly so far.

 

[PaleBlue90]

pop rivets maybe?

 

[built2bashranger]

i got one that sits on the rails of the bed. and then i drilled 2 holes in each end of the box, where it sits on the rails. then i put "j" hooks up through each of the holes, putting the"j" part under the side or the rail of the bed. then i put a nut on each hook and tightened it down, then another nut on each to keep it tight. its worked perfectly so far.

i did the same thing with a peice of angle iron and a cairage bolt works good

 

[Mutant Pony]

I use 4 stainless bolts with nylocks. It is very difficult to get to the bolts under the rail. If you put a wrench on them and try to turn them, the nut just turns with the bolt, It doesn't come off. I use stainless because I take it off in the fall and reinstall it in the spring. I use a topper in the winter to keep my box clean and dry.

 

[GBranger04]

i also used the J hooks. works pretty well. i was climbing a steep muddy/bumpy hill pretty hard and it slid back a couple feet, but you still couldn't lift it out of the box without opening the lid and loosening off the J hooks. it's nice to not have to drill holes in your bed rails too.