quick answer? truck tool box on craigslist

[baxtej44]

http://omaha.craigslist.org/pts/1588176415.html

Seems too good to be true? Kobalt is a very reliable brand, and he/she mentions no defects. Obviously I would try and do a physical inspection before buying it, but my real question is:

what could be wrong with it? why are they selling it for only 100? it seems awfully low to me especially for being a pretty darn well known brand name.






and now i'm stuck with 100 for a truck tool box or 100 for a head unit

 

[98Mazda4X4]

there could b a possibility that the tool box has been stolen for that cheap

 

[flyingbrick]

Kobalt is an ok brand, basically for a DD there good, work truck not the best.
The box could have come with a truck and they just want to unload it, i see it a fair bit.

 

[baxtej44]

my truck is definitely a daily driver.

i'd use it to hold my tool bag (few misc tools), some jumper cables, just random stuff that i'd like to carry around with me.

does the box bolt to my bedside rails? how hard is it to steal one of these if it is locked, as I plan to keep mine locked at all times,?



if you had a DD to just carry around a few tools, would you buy it?



COULD i have any complications w/ the law if it is indeed a hot item?

 

[bcost882]

i see plenty of stuff but you need to make sure it is good but 100 if it has been used is fine. g2g bro

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Looks like a deal to me. If they have the keys for it, it may not be stolen - keys are not easy to come by for those, I had to try to get a replacement key for a box I had and ended up selling it before I managed to get a key.

I believe the "proper" way to mount those is with J-bolts to the bed rails (you put a hole alongside the bed rail into the box, then hook the J-bolt on the bed rail with the threaded end up inside the box, and tighten a nylock nut up). Of course, the PO of my F-150 took a different approach and just drilled down into the top of the bed rail and put a 1/4" x 4" lag bolt in.... Idiots....

 

[86 slo-vo]

why is it such a good deal? you can buy the box new for under $250 so i wouldnt expect to see a used box for much over a 100

and the kobalt boxes arent that great...pretty thin materials

 

[TheTopher]

The kobalt boxes are actually built by betterbuilt for lowes. The "proper" way, is to use a mounting kit they sell for another $30. You can find them at lowes next to the truck boxes. The boxes have a big sticker that says "WAIT! Before you drill into your truck buy this extra item instead"

When I bought mine though, the slip-in bed liner made the bed too narrow to fit the bracket between the bed and the box. So I just put some half inch bolts into the sheet metal of the bed. Haven't had any problems so far. I also keep my box completely full and it holds the load just fine.

As for stealing it without the key, I'm sure a very determined person could put a pry bar under the lip that sits on the bed rails. Of course then they'll run into the problem of my full box weighing more than I do, and they would need a key to open and unload it.

The ad lists that they have keys, I wouldn't think they're stolen. That price isn't that ridiculous either, I see them going for that price around here every so often.



Here's a picture, I've had it a little over a year.

you can barely see the better built sticker in the top left corner.

 

[baxtej44]

why is it such a good deal? you can buy the box new for under $250 so i wouldnt expect to see a used box for much over a 100

and the kobalt boxes arent that great...pretty thin materials

well again, it's a DD, i'm not going to be putting like 1000 pounds of materials in it... just little of this and a little of that.

and it's marked down 60%, i'd say that's a pretty worthwhile deal.

The kobalt boxes are actually built by betterbuilt for lowes. The "proper" way, is to use a mounting kit they sell for another $30. You can find them at lowes next to the truck boxes. The boxes have a big sticker that says "WAIT! Before you drill into your truck buy this extra item instead"

When I bought mine though, the slip-in bed liner made the bed too narrow to fit the bracket between the bed and the box. So I just put some half inch bolts into the sheet metal of the bed. Haven't had any problems so far. I also keep my box completely full and it holds the load just fine.

As for stealing it without the key, I'm sure a very determined person could put a pry bar under the lip that sits on the bed rails. Of course then they'll run into the problem of my full box weighing more than I do, and they would need a key to open and unload it.

The ad lists that they have keys, I wouldn't think they're stolen. That price isn't that ridiculous either, I see them going for that price around here every so often.



Here's a picture, I've had it a little over a year.



you can barely see the better built sticker in the top left corner.

i too have a slip in bedliner, but want to put a spray in eventually. (but i'm stuck on if i should hire it out to a line-x liner or just do it myself with herculiner?) however the liner is not in right now because i took it out to clean underneath it in the fall and never got around to putting it back in before it snowed.

my bed rails already have holes in them from the topper that was put on, it warped and distorted and ripped my bed rails, so i'd have to do almost complete replacement on the bed rails or something along those lines anyway, so if i have to put bolts through the bed rails again, at least these would be fresh new holes, and i could hopefully somehow rig them up so they wouldn't distort my bed rails like the PO did with the topper. maybe they were just so tight that it caused the holes to slightly rip over time and distort my bed rails into a jagged rusty mess.


i think i'm gonna go ahead and go forth with it. it's more of a practical use right now than the $100 head unit i was going to buy instead.

 

[Tdbo]

The kobalt boxes are actually built by betterbuilt for lowes. The "proper" way, is to use a mounting kit they sell for another $30. You can find them at lowes next to the truck boxes. The boxes have a big sticker that says "WAIT! Before you drill into your truck buy this extra item instead"

When I bought mine though, the slip-in bed liner made the bed too narrow to fit the bracket between the bed and the box. So I just put some half inch bolts into the sheet metal of the bed. Haven't had any problems so far. I also keep my box completely full and it holds the load just fine.

As for stealing it without the key, I'm sure a very determined person could put a pry bar under the lip that sits on the bed rails. Of course then they'll run into the problem of my full box weighing more than I do, and they would need a key to open and unload it.


I
The ad lists that they have keys, I wouldn't think they're stolen. That price isn't that ridiculous either, I see them going for that price around here every so often.



Here's a picture, I've had it a little over a year.

you can barely see the better built sticker in the top left corner.

I have the exact same box on my 2003 Ranger and had the exact same problem with the "mounting" kit. Took it back and bought 4 J hooks and just put one in each corner of the box. Works just fine. Overall, not a bad box for the price. Now, if you want junk, go to Home Depot and special order one of their boxes. Their "Tradesman" series is a fine box if you can overlook both gull doors flying open simultaneously on the highway if you hit a bump at over 55 MPH. I was so impressed with the quality of this $325 box, I took it back and demanded a refund and ended up buying the Kobalt for less money. Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of choices for the compact trucks like there used to be.

 

[baxtej44]

I bought it. Looks great, works great, he conned me out of a key, which i was pissed about, but a copy can be made. (he gave me two keys, and one doesn't even fit the lock, what a con artist, but like i said oh well, i've actually got a coupon for a free key anyway)

The only thing I don't like about it, but didn't want to try and wait for another one of that price with the dual lid, is that you have to grab both handles to open it.
Is there any way to mod this so I don't have to? Either like disconnect one of the handles, or cut the lid down the middle?

Having to press both is a pain in the butt unless i move it towards my tailgate and keep it there. and then it would look stupid.


but then again, i thought that most likely i won't be getting in it more than say twice a week at max most likely (i'll be using it as more storage, not a trunk) so is that double handle thing really a big issue or just a minor set back?

 

[Tdbo]

I bought it. Looks great, works great, he conned me out of a key, which i was pissed about, but a copy can be made. (he gave me two keys, and one doesn't even fit the lock, what a con artist, but like i said oh well, i've actually got a coupon for a free key anyway)

The only thing I don't like about it, but didn't want to try and wait for another one of that price with the dual lid, is that you have to grab both handles to open it.
Is there any way to mod this so I don't have to? Either like disconnect one of the handles, or cut the lid down the middle?

Having to press both is a pain in the butt unless i move it towards my tailgate and keep it there. and then it would look stupid.


but then again, i thought that most likely i won't be getting in it more than say twice a week at max most likely (i'll be using it as more storage, not a trunk) so is that double handle thing really a big issue or just a minor set back?

If it is like the one in the picture above, it should open both latches with the drivers side handle (mine does.) You might want to check the mechanism in yours to make sure that it is complete or check one in the store to make sure that the mechanism is not missing any parts.

 

[TheTopher]

With mine I actually had to "convince" the passenger side peg just a little bit with a hammer to make it open with just one handle.

 

[baxtej44]

If it is like the one in the picture above, it should open both latches with the drivers side handle (mine does.) You might want to check the mechanism in yours to make sure that it is complete or check one in the store to make sure that the mechanism is not missing any parts.

i can try taking some pictures of it? idk how i would find like an exact model number to make sure though?

With mine I actually had to "convince" the passenger side peg just a little bit with a hammer to make it open with just one handle.

lol... well at least there is a way!

 

[Tdbo]

The model # is 73011279 (obtained from the Lowes website) for the box shown in the picture. Pulled the literature that came with the box I have and it is not of much help. It is a BetterBuilt box, perhaps you could contact them for more information off their website @ dawsbetterbuilt.com.