Trailer mounted tool box

[Ronnie]

So I just dealt with a trailer problem and now want to develop and install a tool box to my boat’s trailer. So far I’ve heard water intrusion has been a problem that has not yet been resolved.

I plan to mount the tool box on the front of the trailer frame, opposite the trailer jack.

My friend suggested that I look for 7 / 7.5 gallon storage containers similar to the plastic 55 gallon barrels used for commercial purposes. He is a welder and I’m confident that if he says he can fabricate a mount and locking mechanism he can do so. Here are pics of what I’ve seen so far, I also included a few mounts for visual purposes. If I got with two 7 gallon containers I would probably mount them vertically. If I go it’s a single container lager than 10 gallons I will likely mount it horizontally. One hint I was told to consider is the possibility that the air tight container will be so buoyant that it could lift the tail of my tow vehicle when launching or recovering.

A I haven’t purchased anything yet, what do you guys think? Which containers, if anything pictured, should I use? What would you use? Should I be concerned about it lifting the rear end of the tow vehicle? I don’t think so since only a small part of the container will contact the water, at least the way I’m currently envisioning it.

 

[biffdotorg]

If you insist on mounting this on the trailer, why not a waterproof toolbox that is lockable? There are plenty on the market, as we use them on our SXS's. Another option are ammunition cases. They can hold full length tools, are waterproof and easy to bolt down and lock up.

I keep a waterproof ammo box on my SXS for compressor, tire patch, tools, manuals etc.

Any reason you can't throw tools in your tow vehicle? What do you want to carry?

Good luck!

 

[Ronnie]

I thought water proof tool box as well but read and was told that they are not truly water proof especially if you drill the bottom with mounting holes or lid is somehow submerged.

I’d like to carry a floor jack instead of a bottle jack and I don’t want to keep it and other boat trailer related tools in my tow vehicle which also my daily driver every other week.

The bottom line is I hope to never use the tools to be put in this trailer tool box but I never want to be without them and they should be easy to find if I ever need them. I’m still a big advocate of being self reliant to the extent possible.

 

[BigAbe75]

I thought water proof tool box as well but read and was told that they are not truly water proof especially if you drill the bottom with mounting holes or lid is somehow submerged.

I’d like to carry a floor jack instead of a bottle jack and I don’t want to keep it and other boat trailer related tools in my tow vehicle which also my daily driver every other week.

The bottom line is I hope to never use the tools to be put in this trailer tool box but I never want to be without them and they should be easy to find if I ever need them. I’m still a big advocate of being self reliant to the extent possible.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!! Hopefully, it will be something that is easily duplicated.

 

[2kwik4u]

I was thinking a side mount Ammo Box as well. Should get most of what you want, and sealing it up shouldn't be difficult. They're tough as nails too.

They certainly can't leak any worse than a Yamaha Boat does when it leaves the factory. Got 2-3 tubes of silicone into mine at this point and it's still leaky as dammit.

Any reason something like this wouldn't work?
Amazon.com: Dee Zee DZ91717P Poly Triangle Trailer Box: Automotive
Since you're making custom mounts already, I would think you could "nestle" this under the bow.

 

[Jgorm]

Unless you are adding more than 3 50g drums your not going to lift the tow vehicle. I'd add the hf trailer box on little stilts so it never goes in the water.

 

[Dixie Highway]

10 gal of empty container is only 80# of buoyant force upwards, less than the tongue weight of the trailer. You’d have to be in a very shallow ramp to get the trailer that far in the water anyways. My folks have an aluminum car trailer with a diamond plate toolbox on the front, doesn’t leak. My pickup toolbox has seen any weather conditions you can imagine up to and including gale force wind driven rain and snow. Never a trace of water. I think a purpose built box with weatherstripping and a secure latch will do the job just fine.

 

[biffdotorg]

I’d like to carry a floor jack instead of a bottle jack and I don’t want to keep it and other boat trailer related tools in my tow vehicle which also my daily driver every other week.

Honestly, I respect those that want to "prep" for the worst case scenario. But some of this may be just plain overkill. When I traveled 3200 miles round trip, i carried my dewalt impact, a breaker bar and a set of impact sockets as well as gloves and an open end wrench set. There may have been a roll of duct tape.

But the jack and lug wrench that came with my truck was more than adequate to change a tire, which I actually had to do on this trip. The impact was nice to keep the spinning to a minimum. But for the very few times that you should actually get into a rough situation, all this extra stuff is just that, extra. I only did it, as I had no idea of the condition of the trailer I was buying. but the bottle jacks work very well, and are stupid easy to deploy on the side of the road. Maybe your kit is crap, but as you said, the chances of you needing it, are slim to none. But unless you are boating in the boonies, hardware stores or a Walmart are always within spitting distance.

Good luck though. We will all be following.

 

[BigAbe75]

Unless you are adding more than 3 50g drums your not going to lift the tow vehicle. I'd add the hf trailer box on little stilts so it never goes in the water.
View attachment 104436

I looked at these, but couldn’t really figure out how it would fit on the tongue with the winch post and jack up there. So scrapped the idea.

 

[Ronnie]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I don’t think the zippy box or trapezoid shaped box will work as I plan to mount the box to the trailer frame rail opposite the one which the trailer jack is mounted on.

I will ask my friend about mounting a metal and lockable tool box instead, I think I could water proof the box itself if it isn’t already but unless there is an oem rubber seal on the lid I’d have leakage anytime the top of the box is submerged, if ever.

Is this overkill? Absolutely and it’s intentional on my part. Many trailer boaters will never have to change a tire or replace a bearing on the side of the road but I’ve experienced two very serious trailering incidents in the last 5 years. The first being having the trailer detach from the the tow vehicle in the freeway between two major cities. All I needed was a floor jack and aaa didn’t even show up. Fortunately boat us did and with the help of their floor jack I was on my way. The second incident happened just last month, I fried a bearing on the right rear wheel of the trailer, which was also on the axle with the brakes, the wheel actually came off the trailer and I waited 2 hours for a tow truck. I was able to do what I needed to with the suv jack but a floor jack would have been much easier to use.

Again I hope this turns out to be $200 or so for items I never use but the peace of mind the spend and the knowledge that I have the right tools if needed brings me is immeasurable.

 

[Ronnie]

So after considering several alternatives I decided on the easiest solution to implement, that is. revert back to a tool box stored in the tow vehicle. I found one that holds my floor jack and related road side tools like a set of jumper cables, oil gun, duct tape, etc. at my local Home Depot for $45ish. It’s heavy fully loaded but the wheels and telescoping handle make up for that. The stated maximum load is 300 lbs. I have my doubts about this claim. Overall, it’s a great solution for me.