Side Mount Tool Boxes

Side Mount Tool Boxes are the perfect addition to any work truck, allowing you to store your tools, equipment, and valuables in a secure, theft and weather-resistant location. Side mount tool boxes keep your cargo easily accessible from outside of the bed with convenient outward-facing drawers and doors. 

Unlike conventional tool chests and crossover boxes that eat up valuable cargo space near the bulkhead, side mount tool boxes maintain your bed’s total length, allowing you to transport boards, pipes, and other sizable cargo with ease!

When you’re serious about storage it’s time to consider side mount tool boxes for your pickup truck. They deliver greater protection from elements and vandalism and optimize your storage space. Side mount tool boxes are heavy-duty, rust-resistant, and will keep your tools safe from dirt, moisture, and potential thieves. Choose from ABS plastic, durable aluminum, steel, or traditional diamond plate.

Side Mount Tool Box Types

Side mount tool boxes come in several styles, sizes, and configurations, ensuring a perfect fit for every application! We carry several variations of side mount toolboxes on RealTruck, including:

Conventional Side Mount Tool Boxes

Conventional side mount tool boxes, like the Dee Zee Red Label Side Mount Tool Box, feature an L-shaped profile that hugs your pickup’s bedside, mounting both on top and below the bed rail for maximum storage. Most have a relatively low-profile design with a single top-facing lid, ideal for stock height or mildly lifted pickups; with a sizable lift, peering into the tool box from outside the bed may pose a challenge. 

Topside Tool Boxes

Top side tool boxes, like the UWS Single Door Topside Truck Toolbox, are similar to conventional side mount boxes; however, they’re typically taller and feature an outward-facing door for efficient tool access from outside the bed. These toolboxes are ideal for tradespersons that work out of their pickups daily.

Wheel Well Tool Boxes

Wheel Well Tool Boxes, like the Dee Zee Wheel Well Tool Box, mount against your pickup’s inner bedside in the unused space between the wheel well and tailgate. These boxes are typically smaller than other side-mounting options; however, they’re ideal for small tools, recovery gear, and emergency roadside kits; they’re also compatible with most tonneau covers!

Storage Drawers

For small tools, hardware, and other miscellaneous parts, nothing beats a box with storage drawers, like the Dee Zee Wheel Well Storage Drawers. These tool boxes fit in a similar location to wheel well tool boxes; however, instead of utilizing a top lid, they feature several locking drawers that open outwards towards the tailgate.

Storage Pockets

Storage Pockets, like the Access Storage Pocket HD, feature a simplistic, open design similar to a cargo bar. These “tool boxes” are more of a divider than a physical box, ideal for stashing gear, fluids, and other commonly-used items that aren’t susceptible to theft or moisture.

Common Side Mount Tool Box Materials

Side mount tool boxes, like any other tool box, are offered in various materials depending on your needs. Some of the most common include:

• Polyethylene: A rugged, oil and chemical-resistant plastic used in everything from gas tanks to medical implants! 

• Steel: Exceptionally stout and sturdy, but corrosion-prone and heavy. Steel tool boxes are typically coated in heavy-duty paint or powder coating to resist rust. 

• Aluminum: Lightweight and dependable; aluminum offers relatively high strength without adding unnecessary weight. It’s also resistant to rust and corrosion. 

• Diamond Plate: Diamond-plated steel or aluminum is often used to manufacture toolboxes due to the pattern’s effect on rigidity. Diamond plate panels are far more rigid than flat panels, allowing manufacturers to use less metal without sacrificing strength!