where to store 'the gear' in truck

[FLINT]

Hey guys,

I'm getting ready to sell my 1985 nissan 4x4, and buy a full size truck for hauling wood.

my nissan truck has a 6' bed and is an extended cab, and i currently store all my wood cutting stuff (saw, ropes, chains, winch, maul, cant hook, etc, etc, etc, ) mostly behind the seats in the little back part there. The truck I'm looking to get is a chevy k30 and has an 8' bed which is great, but a regular cab, which will have less storage space.

I'm wondering, where anyone with a similar truck stores all their gear.

I thought about a toolbox in the bed, but that would reduce the room for wood back there and i'd have to stack around it and it might be a pain to get in and out of the box with wood stacked up against it.

i also thought about removing the bench seat and installing two bucket seats to use the space in the middle for stuff - i know the saw would at least fit there.

Thanks

 

[ironpony]

after having several extended cab trucks, I personally
would not even consider a truck without one it is so handy,
everything inside safe, dry and secure
I think you will regret buying it in the long run
your only real option is a saddle box, which will give you storage but will take up
signifigant bed space
good luck in your decision

 

[FLINT]

yeah, i know the extended cab would be better, for storing gear.

but a full size truck with an 8' bed and an extended cab is such a beast to try and maneuver around the woods. I guess life is full of tradeoffs. no such thing as perfection.

 

[smokinj]

I store everything in my tool box.

 

[oldspark]

I put the stuff in the box when empty and on the way home I can get the chainsaws in the back on the wood or up front on the floor, never had a problem getting it all in there, I do have a livestock (wood) rack on my pickup so I can stack the wood higher giving me more room for the gear.

 

[Archer39]

my 372 with a 20" bar fits just fine on the floor of my reg cab with the bar going over the hump in the middle. With the 32" bar the saw goes on the bench seat. I store all my supplies in a milk crate and that either sits on the seat or the floor depending on where the saw is. I cover the seat whenever i put gear in the truck. If i have the chains, cables and ropes along they (also in a 2 milk crates) ride on the seat and serve as a arm rest. This is in a 93 dodge w-250.

 

[oldspark]

my 372 with a 20" bar fits just fine on the floor of my reg cab with the bar going over the hump in the middle. With the 32" bar the saw goes on the bench seat. I store all my supplies in a milk crate and that either sits on the seat or the floor depending on where the saw is. I cover the seat whenever i put gear in the truck. If i have the chains, cables and ropes along they (also in a 2 milk crates) ride on the seat and serve as a arm rest. This is in a 93 dodge w-250.

Where does the dog ride when you have all that gear in there? Big Puppy!

 

[smokinj]

my 372 with a 20" bar fits just fine on the floor of my reg cab with the bar going over the hump in the middle. With the 32" bar the saw goes on the bench seat. I store all my supplies in a milk crate and that either sits on the seat or the floor depending on where the saw is. I cover the seat whenever i put gear in the truck. If i have the chains, cables and ropes along they (also in a 2 milk crates) ride on the seat and serve as a arm rest. This is in a 93 dodge w-250.

My 880 just fits in the bed of my truck the bar slides in under the tool box...One more inch on the bar and it would not fit!

 

[FLINT]

milk crates are a good idea. I'll keep that in mind.

also my biggest saw right now is the 08s with 21" bar - that should fit in there no prob.

 

[Flatbedford]

With a regular cab truck, saddle box is about your only choice. After 18 years with two different long bed, regular cab F250s I have tried just about everything. I don't like to have tools, especially sharp ones in the cab with me. In an accident of even a sudden change of speed or direction the tools could become lethal weapons. Two years ago I bought and long bed, supercab F250. While the extra room in the cab is great, the nearly two more feet of wheelbase sure does hurt maneuverability. Since I bought the old flatbed 4 years ago I learned just how much more useful a flatbed is than a pickup box. I built this box for my flatbed last year mostly out of lumber left over from other projects.

I'd like to put some boxes under the bed too. That way I wouldn't have to climb over the load to get to the box. I guess life is a bunch of compromises.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Hey Flint- I have an '83 K-30. 8' flat bed right now, and the reg. cab. Easy answer is, there isn't one. I can put everything on the bed going, but it has to ride with me coming back. So, I'm building an over-cab headache rack, large enough to hold all my crap and saws. Plus I'm going to modify the tongue on my trailer to hold a Greenlee job box, big enough to hold my crap and saws. These are winter projects. I'm not willing to give up bed or trailer space, 'cause I like being able to haul 2 cord combined. Get creative! :coolsmile:

 

[oldspark]

What a bunch of Nancys, afraid of a couple of chain saws flying around in the cab with you. :cheese:

 

[FLINT]

Hey Flint- I have an '83 K-30. 8' flat bed right now, and the reg. cab. Easy answer is, there isn't one. I can put everything on the bed going, but it has to ride with me coming back. So, I'm building an over-cab headache rack, large enough to hold all my crap and saws. Plus I'm going to modify the tongue on my trailer to hold a Greenlee job box, big enough to hold my crap and saws. These are winter projects. I'm not willing to give up bed or trailer space, 'cause I like being able to haul 2 cord combined. Get creative! :coolsmile:

great ideas Beetle, I think either of those would be good solutions. ps. what engine do you have in that truck? is it the 6.2 diesel?

I also like the box that steve built that sits high next to the cab - that way you could still stack wood under it.

I think by incorporating one or more of you guys' ideas, I should have no problem storing stuff.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Hey FLINT, I'm running a 454, w/ the 465 4-spd trans and 205 TC. 4.56 gears in the diffies. Slow on the highway, but great for climbing the passes. If you go the route of an over-the-cab rack, just make sure you make it at least 4" high all the way around the perimeter, and have plenty of hooks or tie offs for straps and bungees. Good luck with project, it'll be fun.

 

[Flatbedford]

I'm running a 454, w/ the 465 4-spd trans and 205 TC. 4.56 gears in the diffies.

That truck must be a beast!

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Yeah, when it's empty it looks like either a blue bull dog, or an alarmed skunk. I think the rear leaf packs are 3" thick.

 

[Highbeam]

Buckets. I put all the widgets in buckets and the saw goes into one of those orange stihl cases that keeps the bar oil and saw teeth from doing any damage. Keeps fumes down too. All of this rides in the cab.

The gas can goes in the back with the wood. Just too creepy to ride with it.

 

[Danno77]

One other option that I will likely utilize is that I have one of those $70 (or whatever they are running these days) hitch mount racks that claim to hold 500lbs or whatever. I have a rigid plastic tub that has a lock on it, but giant rubbermaid tub would work too. I'll probably throw that black box into the bed of the truck 99% of the time and it will just always hold my saws and stuff, but when I head out to the timber for firewood i'll throw it onto the hitch rack. I have one of those hitch racks and it's been awesome, but then I was using it in combination with a Jeep, not a pickup.

Right now I just throw that box into the back of the jeep and hook the trailer up, so it's already being used as a gear box. A couple of ratcheting straps could keep it pretty secure in the bed of the truck or on the hitch rack.

One thing to keep in mind is that any rear end collisions could damage your saws and stuff, and potentially lead to a big headache of dealing with insurance. Just a thought, nothing i've really heard of.

 

[FLINT]

I'm running a 454, w/ the 465 4-spd trans and 205 TC. 4.56 gears in the diffies.

That truck must be a beast!

yeah, these trucks are awesome,

the one i want also has the 4.56 gears, dana 60 front w/limited slip - corporate 14 bolt rear w/locker. i think can carry over 3,000 lbs.



a tool box mounted to the rear receiver hitch is a good idea, although I wonder if the stuff in it might bounce around a lot, being way back behind the wheels

 

[Flatbedford]

You could always mount the box on a front receiver hitch. The front hitch is also VERY handy for moving trailers around the yard or driveway. I had one on one of my trucks. I only used it a few times, but when I did it was worth having. It also made for a nice hook up for a strap or chain.

 

[vvvv]

maybe a box on the roof, accessed from standing on the bed, aerodynamic.

 

[Beetle-Kill]

Good idea Steve. A reciever hitch on the front can be invaluable. You can build a variety of accessories for it. Good call.

 

[Flatbedford]

Good idea Steve. A reciever hitch on the front can be invaluable. You can build a variety of accessories for it. Good call.

Yeah like step so you can see under the hood of a 4x4 truck! I always wanted to make/buy one, but I sold the truck before I got around to it.

 

[mayhem]

Buy an extended cab short bed truck and get one of those tube steel bed extenders for it. It allows you to open the tailgate and effectively use that area as a bed extension. Now you've got an effective 8' bed and the fold down back seat behind you for your stuff.

An 8' bed is great, but even on a 3/4 ton truck a properly stacked load of hardwood (especially green hardwood) might get you over your GVWR...the 6.5' bed had been great for me.

 

[Danno77]

I like the Ex cab idea, but keep in mind that adding an Xcab onto a truck takes away (from basic research as I've been looking at super duty fords) 300+lbs, and if anyone cares, adding a crew is another 200lbs (so 500sih total). that can be a lot if you are trying to max payload out.

I'd imagine a half ton would get the same hits. Also, it's been my experience that a SB gets you another 150-200lbs over the LB, so (not that I've looked recently) a SB Reg cab truck should be hauling as much as 700lbs more than a crew cab long bed with the same options. If my numbers are off feel free to post something. I'm just going off of memory. At any rate, the concept is there, More truck= less payload.

I know that adding DRW helps out a lot, too, so best case scenario for payload would be a DRW short bed reg cab truck.