A safe toolbox that won't be blown away by the wind
"What is a good toolbox installation, and what are the pitfalls?"
A good fit keeps the tool box securely mounted on the pallet with minimal modification to the box or pallet and without creating leak points in the box.
All in all, the goal is pretty simple.
Let me provide some examples of pitfalls. The boxes below the pallet are a very specific example, the tops of these boxes must be fixed to the bottom of the ute pallet. A bad way to mount these boxes is to use two carriage bolts that go through the pallet floor and mount to the top of the box. I've seen this type of installation many times where the holes from the floor of the pallet and the channels formed along the length of the bolts allow a small stream of water to completely fill a box mounted under the pallet.
Safety Kits To Another problem arises when bottom pallet boxes are made of thin gauge material and do not have support plates installed or sufficient rigidity at the point of installation. The material around the hole, especially with the full box moving under the pallet, can stretch, and this stretching can loosen the connection and rattle, and maybe the connection gets so bad that the box falls off.
Boxes mounted on top of a pallet are less likely to leak from the mounting point than boxes mounted below the pallet. Top mounted boxes are not constantly being pulled from the pallet. The main reason for boxes leaking on top of the pallet is the quality of the boxes. Weather protection in box design has more to do with preventing water from entering the box. Problems that cause leaks are often the result of poor design and construction, poor quality materials, or the use of piano hinges and/or blind rivets in construction.
Some pallet/box connections that we don't recommend use a handful of pop rivets or TEK screws to secure the box to the pallet. Pop rivets are not a bad fastener per se, but the correct number and hole pattern is critical. It's simpler to keep your distance from these and stick to bolted connections. Another novelty that we don't recommend is to apply silicone beads or construction adhesive to the tray and allow the box to sit on it overnight. This can actually create security fixes. However, the choice of adhesive is influenced by environmental factors which may be specific to your particular application. It also presents major considerations due to maintenance, removal or replacement of assembly boxes.
Practical tips from the security toolbox
how do you protect your toolbox
The easiest and best option is a bolted connection. The best choice for bolted connections are galvanized mild steel bolts and nuts. Not stainless steel, nor unplated bolts. (Galvanized steel has a zinc coating that protects aluminum boxes and trays better than stainless steel bolts. Stainless steel is a poor material choice to mix with aluminum because the material will cause the aluminum it contacts to give up electrons. ie corrosion or " rust")
If the box or tray is made of lightweight aluminum, it is usually worth using large load spreaders or washers on top or below.
We recommend using 4 x 10mm bolts to secure the box. A 10mm bolt is much larger than required. However, without tensioning equipment, bolts of this size can be tensioned without damaging the bolt or damaging the threads, so it is simpler to install with common household equipment. The required 10mm holes can also be drilled using equipment commonly used at home.
(Typically only 4 x 6mm high strength bolts are needed. It is important to ensure these are high strength and not mild steel and use body washers to provide a similar surface area to those used for 10mm bolts. )
Step-by-step implementation of the security toolbox approach
fixed toolbox
Mark your mount point
1: Once the box is in a position you are happy with, look under the pallet and find a suitable mounting point that does not have a stiffener on the bottom of the pallet. Extend this line to the outside of the pallet, and extend this line back into the box to be installed. The goal is to create a line at each end of the box that will safely match the drill bit going through the bottom of the box and the top of the tray. A distance of about 50mm from the front and back of the box intersects these lines to form 4 mounting points.
fixed toolbox
Drill your pilot holes
2: With the box in place, drill a 4 or 4.5mm pilot hole one point at a time. For each hole you drill, insert a 4mm screw or rivet into the hole to ensure the box does not move as you continue drilling the remaining holes.
3 : After drilling all four pilot holes, lay the box flat or take it out completely, and gradually open the pilot holes in the box to the desired final size. Repeat this process for the holes in the tray, now clean/remove all holes and sweep.
how do you protect your toolbox
open pilot hole
4 : The box holes and tray holes will line up and the bolts can now be installed. There is a washer on both the bolt and nut side that feeds the bolt from under the tray into the box. Tighten the nylon nuts on the inside of the box.
This will create a securely mounted box. For extra weather resistance - applying sealant around the nut inside the box before final tightening will provide a weather resistant seal. In most cases this is not necessary,