cross bed tool box help

[Shorty Cox]

My work truck has a cross bed tool box attached to the bed sides. My problem, the front bed corners are cracking due to the weight and stress placed upon the bed sides by the weight of the box plus content. Any ideas as to what one can do to prevent additional damage? Do you add any additional support to the bed sides and if so, what and how?

Shorty

[463]

You can use 1 in to 1-1/2 in angle iron on three sides welded to form one piece. Drill and bolt to the truck box to keep in place. (left , front and right) This will spread the load on the truck box walls.

[Shorty Cox]

463, THANKS, THAT IS HOW I HAVE IT NOW. CURRENT TRUCK BED SIDES ARE JUST NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE WEIGHT. I'm THINKING I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SOMEHOW TRANSFER THE WEIGHT AWAY FROM THE BED SIDES AND ONTO THE BED FLOOR. JUST HOPING SOMEONE HAS ALREADY THOUGHT OF A GOOD WAY TO DO SO.

SHORTY

[463]

What about a box frame under the tool box that sits on the floor and holds the tool box just off the box rails?

[special-K]

I'm surprised the tool box isn't falling apart. What do you carry in that thing anyway? What kind of truck? I've never seen this happen from just a saddle box

[Shorty Cox]

The truck is a 2011 Chevy. As stated before, it is my work truck. The box contains tools and supplies for the type of work I do, ie hand tools, specialty tools, and equipment. Also, I'm off road much of the time, which means the truck bed is having to twist and torque in and out of ditches etc. Where I work, all three of the work trucks are experiencing the same issue. Cracking at the front upper corners of the bed.

463, Your idea of a frame below the box is what I'm thinking. Just have to design it.

Shorty

[special-K]

I've done house building all my life using trucks outfitted with various tool boxes, ladder racks, etc. driving rough roads/off road and never saw a bed split up front from a saddle box. That's what I'm saying. That is the strongest part of the bed and even a smooth ride than at the rear. I've never worked out of anything that new, though, or been around as many other tradesmen since the great recession. I guess the newer trucks aren't built so well in that regard. I have seen besides torn up bad in other areas from mounting side boxes and/or ladder racks.

The box is built to span end to end. You don't need to support the center. I would just put wood blocks under each end between the box and the floor. On my '92 I used to have flip-top side boxes with ladder rack. On the one back corner the nut came off a mounting bolt and the bolt ended up sawing through the inner bend over the years. I changed to a Reading steel cap and had problems opening the tailgate because the side started squashing down in that back corner. I just cut a 2x4 to wedge vertically between the bottom of the cap and bed floor. I used it that way for about 7 more years. That had failed because it got damaged and weakened in a vulnerable area, plus that cap with tool bins and rack loaded weighed between 1,000# and 1,500#.