Running around in a F150 doing drivability issues: broken wires, busted hoses, emissions, etc. So I don't need big tools but I'm having a hard time organizing my tools. Tried pack out boxes but the locking feature means they all stick together and I have to unstack it to grab the bottom ones. I'm planning on buying a fiberglass utlity bed insert. It has a slide out drawer and slide out bed tray. Now that everything is enclosed in the bed insert I'm looking for a better way to store my tools. Kinda leaning towards a Snap On road chest for hand tools and totes for grouped tools like electrical diag and another for repair. There was a member on here that I can't find now who talked about doing this work out of a SUV, maybe a land cruiser or range rover, in England? But I can't find any descriptions.
Looks like this
I just like my service body with doors around outside and a bed to haul things, my bed has a sliding cover to keep rain out though. I have to switch to a van sometimes when the truck is down and I do not like the van one bit. But a full box body I would think is too heavy for an F150.
I've got the big Montazuma box in my 2500hd along with a fuel tank. Seems better for what I do than my old road chest.
I started out in a RAM 1500 with a work cap and drawer sliders. Wish I'd had the bed slide out. Pulled out the rear seats and put in a platform that I had a top box bolted to. I never like to recommend Youtube links, but there are a couple of similar style truck walkthroughs. I know one is "Not your average service truck tour" that uses a bed slide out and triangle box and a service truck tour by "Blackfoot Mechanical" that is a pretty cool layout.
I did field service out of a van. I kept my most commonly used tools in a tool bag and had a 26" bottom roller box with the wheels removed bolted in next to the side door. Is your truck a crew cab? Bolting a bottom box in the back seat area might be an option. I was working with a field service guy who flies to most of his jobs last hitch. He had a Milwaukee packout box with drawers. I can't remember if the top had to be open or not.
Marshallpowergen: the blackfoot mechanical video is very close to what I was looking for, thanks. His box is almost exactly what I'm getting just smaller. Barrelroll: I use a tote for my most used stuff too. It is a crewcab but the way it's lined out the drawers won't open out the door so I have to set the box inside how much the drawers open so lots of wasted space and leaning into the truck a lot, that's how the previous tech did it though.
Are you independent now?
Only on the weekends...for now haha.
I spent most of my career trying to answer that question. Milwaukee Packout is what I use and the best solution I have found. Along with a few tool bags.
yup. Won’t be long now and you’ll be speccing out a new IMT service truck.
I've run 150's with hard covers and random top chests, burned thru a lot of top chests, then I sprung for the first Montezuma box. Ran that under a hard cover for quite a while, did a lot of damage with that setup. Finally settled on a full size weather guard box and a Montezuma, then I had a back rack for lights too.
Good point. A weather guard or Protech box and a backrack is a great addition. A lift gate is worth considering, as well and makes a nice workbench.
only problem is cant get one for a year.
Can you park beside your job every time ? I had to have tools at my last job about half the time the other half the job was in the main shop with their tools . I used tool bags it wasnt the best thing and i kept looking. I think the best thing was a guy that had tool trays. I was going to build or buy 3 . One with the stuff you need about every job then the others for the rest of the tools. I didnt mind the work but having to carry my tools around then making sure i had the wright tool was no fun.
I’ve convinced myself, that in the realm of pickups, a flatbed with side mounted tool boxes is the way to go. They almost provide as much storage as a service body and less problems. Then, there is the Spinter/Transit van discussion, but who wants to actually be seen driving one of those? Amirite? Highway Products for the win.
If he ordered it now he’d have a year to get motivated so he could pay for it!
If i won the lottery i would find a big old 60s service truck and rebuild it just to the point were it looked about 20 years old and spend a bunch of time finding used tools to fill it with. I mite never use it but i would have it just in case. I saw a early 60s c600 service truck in a scrap yard . It had a crane that looked like it should have been 10 ton rating with miles of bad hyd hoses allso had a 40.000 pound winch mounted under its bed.
If I won the lottery service trucks would just be a distant memory. Alaska in the summer and someplace warm with great fishing in the winter. Of course I’d have to start playing the lottery to win…
@Old Doug I use a steel tray for job specific and a 4 tray cantilever box for general stuff.
How much do those highway products cost? I'll probably be rocking a used bed for years to come but I do like the general purpose of that. Truck brands be damned haha.
It’s been three years since I’ve had them build anything, but I’m sure their new stuff is stupid expensive in clown world 23.
I'm not vain enough about my appearance to care what kind of van I show up in, but I know several people that use these Sprinters and they have the usual European breakdown problems that nobody can fix. A Mercedes car is bad enough, who needs a Mercedes work van? I have an old E-250 van for a spare and while it runs good, I don't like it. Not nearly as much room on shelves inside as doors outside and where do you load the leaky old junk in the bed? It has a bed of sorts but harder to clean out than service bed. Although I did grab a used BBQ from the side of the road with it, can't resist a good Weber B.
Those things are crazy popular in my area with the “van life” crowd. I guess if business gets slow, I could move into it.
Well, if all you do with it is live in it down by the river, it does not much matter whether Ford or Mercedes.
Lol!
I got quotes on their pickup pack setups pre bat flu, didn't even wanna ask to get new prices after knowing what we're paying for Al stock.
I know a guy with a plumbing company that used to use Sprinter vans. Great mileage but he said the door hinges don't hold up over time when used for commercial service. Now he looks for later model vans, mostly Ford and says they hold up much better.