Bed tool box or cover?

[John303]

I have one of those roll up aluminum bed covers that creates a big roll at the front of the bed. See https://bakindustries.com/revolver-x2 . I would like to get a tool box for the bed big enough for a Honda 2200i generator, and other tools. If I get a chest style tool box, I do not think I will be able to raise the lid enough to get the generator in and out of the tool box, because of the big roll. If I get rid of the cover, then I could find something that would work for my short bed Ram with an Anderson hitch, but the cover has benefits of its own. Currently when we travel, I can slide the generator into a plastic bin with cover that just fits under the bed cover, but I am tilting everything to get past the big roll until it will stand up.

Would a full-timer choose the bed tool box and forego the cover, or keep the cover and just use plastic bins? The main driver is security while the rig is hooked up making a bunch of plastic bins fair game to anyone smart enough to figure out that an RVer might have some valuable stuff in there.

Or is there some other solution that I have not thought of?

[Txfivver]

Look at the Retrax aluminium roll up cover. I have it on mine and the box or drum that it rolls up into is on the inside of the bed. You lose a little bit of storage at the front of the bed but you can still slide stuff under it, even bundles of firewood will slide under it. It does not leak and is very secure. My B&W Companion hitch fits under it also.

[Txfivver]

Here it is on my old truck, I took it off and put on the new F450.

[Txfivver]

Here it is closed, sorry for the triple post!

[traveldawg]

I am not a full timer, but 5 to 7 months a year may qualify an opinion.

I have always had a RollTop cover on my trucks (same kind of canister as your cover). I wouldn't be without it because of the security and privacy it allows when carrying stuff. And I have a short bed - I think your's is longer.

I'm a bit confused by the "...but I am tilting everything to get past the big roll until it will stand up..." comment. I assume you are trying to get the plastic bin in and out with the 5th wheel attached and it is in front of the hitch (between cab and hitch); otherwise I am not sure what the tilting is about.

If I wanted to keep the cover and still carry tools and the generator in the bed I'd probably look for a tool box that is portable, watertight and could be chained into the bed.

As for the generator.... can't you just put the tub it is in behid the hitch (between the hitch and the tailgate) and just leave it there? With the truck locked (including the tailgate) I wouldn't think you could get it out without opening the tailgate. And with the rig disconnected the bed cover closed and locked then the generator (and tools) are still protected.

fwiw... I carry my 2 2000i's in the front bay of the camper (the 'generator' area). My tools are there too. But everyone's situation is different - this just works for me.

so bottom line - cover rules and tool box and gen storage comes in second.

[John303]

Thanks for the feedback. The Retrax looks great, but with the small space between the base of the Anderson hitch and the front of the bed I would not be able get much of a tool box in there. As far as what I mean by tilting, I have a Rubbermaid bin that just fits in the floor space between the Anderson base and bed front, and it is just the right hight for under the cover. Because of the roll in front I have to tilt the bin to the rear and slide the generator in until I can let it roll forward under the cover.

I think I will just keep the cover and make use of plastic storage for the moment.

[arhayes]

I have a long bed f350 with a low profile toolbox. I use a Truxedo brand soft cover. We have full-timed for 6 years all over the US and have never had a problem.


Alan

[chemist308]

Look at the Retrax aluminium roll up cover. I have it on mine and the box or drum that it rolls up into is on the inside of the bed. You lose a little bit of storage at the front of the bed but you can still slide stuff under it, even bundles of firewood will slide under it. It does not leak and is very secure. My B&W Companion hitch fits under it also.

I can't wait to get one of those Retrax covers. They are nice. Wife put one in the 2500 that I gave her. If your tailgate locks, that's what I'd do.

[TheLexx]

I love my Retrax Mx Pro. I feel that it's relatively secure because of the metal and I love that it rolls into its own canister. I've had mine now for 3 years with no issues. I've always felt thieves are less likely to steal what they can't see.

[[email protected]]

Our truck has been through several modification stages. First we had a TonnoPro cover - it worked but was heavy, and would shift around a lot on really rough roads.

Next we had a BakFlip FiberMax. It was much better, and provided good-enough security. We did find that after a few years of Utah winters and summers some water did get in it and started to cause issues. It was a great way to cover our hitch while stopped while we had it.

Then we picked up some really-off-the-grid land that we can get the trailer to when we really want to be away from it all. Since there are no utilities there, we started thinking about the generator and truck, and opted to get a TransferFlow dual refueling tank. It gives us 50 gallons of diesel for the truck (great for extending our range and enabling us to fuel up at the cheaper places), and 50 gallons of Ethanol-Free Unleaded (for the ATV, generator in the trailer, etc.). However, it comes up taller than our bed, so we ended up ditching the Bakflip Fibermax (which would have had to be replaced soon anyway), and have no cover on the bed. Since the usable bed was now shorter than the ATV, we ended up getting an ATV trailer for when we want to take the ATV on shorter day trips without taking the RV. We leave it at our home base site when we are on the road. The ATV is street-legal and is registered as such.

We did get a BedExtender HD so that we can flip it down and make more usable bed space with the tailgate.

Do we miss having everything covered? A little, but the setup we have now meets our needs so well that it's worth it. We haven't had any issues with people stealing things from the bed, but that is always a possibility. Keep in mind that on-the-road your hitch needs to be exposed anyway.

We use a PullRite 4439 multi-piece "picture frame" and a Curt A25 hitch now, so I can easily pull the whole thing out of the bed in minutes with the heaviest piece being about 75 lbs. I have a locked storage shed on our home-base site that I keep it in when we aren't on the road.

You may find that having that toolbox able to open all the way is more worth it than using the bed cover in the long run. It all depends on your needs and the configuration that works best for you now.