I need some ideas: Quick disconnect mount for storage box.

[MOPWR2U]

I want to mount this storage box in the bed of our GMC Canyon pickup truck.

It is about 30" long and 14" high, and made of aluminum so it is light weight. I want to have this box loaded with tow straps, a portable winch, tools, and spare parts. A quick disconnect mounting system would be ideal, so when I am ready to go into the back country all I have to do is have someone help me put the already loaded box into the bed of the truck. One of us could pick up each end of the box and with the tailgate down just walk along the sides of the truck and lower it onto a quick disconnect mount. Then at the end of the trip just pick up the whole box and take it out of the truck again.

I have thought about using a receiver hitch type mount, but the receiver hitch is going to weigh three times as much as the box does. Help me out with some ideas on mounting this box to my truck bed. Any ideas are welcome.

MOPWR2U

 

[daddy]

I'd mount some rubber feet on the bottom and the back of it and then weld a couple of d-rings to the front to run ratchet strap straps through and secure it to the front of the bed that way. That way, there's no mods to the bed and when it's out, it's just like normal.

It's also be usable in any truck you decide to put it in that way.

 

[OG-TERROR]

Make a rectangular base out of aluminum L shape metal, similar to the on my picture, 30 1/4" wide by ? 1/4 Long so you can place the box in it to keep it in place. Four metal sheet screw will keep the base in place. 4 tinny little holes on the bed of the truck won't hurt the truck or lower the value of it.

 

[dietz4ibanez]

I once had a bed liner that had slots to hold a 2X4.. It was great for this type of box. the box and the 2X4 were easily removable!

 

[MOPWR2U]

Here is what I thought would work. Drill three holes in the bed for bolts to come up from the bottom side. Have a nut on these bolts with about 1/2" of threads showing above the top of the nut. Drill three holes in the bottom of the box to match these bolts in the bed. Then when I want to install the box I could add a large flat washer on top of each of the nuts on these bolts. Then just lower the box down over the bolts, put another flat washer over the bolt inside the box, then use a big wing nut to hold it down, with a pin through a hole in the bolt. The pin would keep the wing nut from coming off, even if it came loose. This way when the box was out of the bed I would only have three bolts sticking up at the minimum height I could get away with. The bolts would be in the middle at the front edge of the box, and at the sides of the bed at the back edge of the box, so they would be reasonably out of the way.

Any other ideas?

 

[txab]

I would avoid having holes in the bottom of the box, if it's going to sit directly on the bed floor. I've had a few company trucks that had TBs mounted bolt through the bottom. The only problem was if debris built up in the bed and plugged the drain holes, the water level during a rain storm could get high enough to seep into the box. You could raise it up on angle aluminum as suggested above. Then your bolts would go through the angle. We used angle steel since all our boxes are steel units. We also had the nuts mounted on the underside of the bed and drop the bolts in and tighten

What I've done in my POV is similar to what daddy suggests. I use one bolt through the back of the box through the front of the bed to secure it in place. Then, since my TB is wider than yours, I have mounted D rings on each end of the box that line-up with the bed rings. Then I add a couple of quality Master locks to keep it from being easily stolen

 

[MOPWR2U]

I never thought about water in the bed, probably because I've never had water in a trucks bed. I live in a desert and the only water my truck bed sees in at the car wash.

I wonder how well those pins that they use to hold race car hoods closed would work? Anyone use them for something like this?

 

[daddy]

What about some high-strength magnets?

 

[MOPWR2U]

The box is aluminum. Magnets no sticky.

 

[daddy]

The box is aluminum. Magnet no sticky.

Mount them to the box with bolts. The magnets will stick to the bed.