Are you wondering what toolbox size would fit on your Ford F-150 truck? Wonder no more, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.
Crossover boxes have a lip that is usually 69 inches long. The lip should be long enough to cross the width of the F-150 bed, to fasten on top of the bed rail. The toolbox width varies from model to model to accommodate F-150 variations. Standard crossover boxes can be 16 inches to 26 inches wide.
Toolbox depth is also a variable. Crossover boxes are installed behind the cab. Low-profile crossover boxes can be 15 inches in depth, while regular ones can have a depth that is more than 19 inches.
However, there are many types of toolboxes that can be installed in a Ford F-150—with each different toolbox having its own set of dimensions based on where they are installed. Learn about the more popular types of toolboxes that you can install on your F-150 in the sections below. Read on!
What is a crossover box?
A crossover box is a toolbox that is installed at one end of the truck bed. It is the most common toolbox installed on trucks. A crossover toolbox is also known as a cross-bed or a saddle box.
It has a wide top that spans the width of the truck bed and a narrow bottom. A crossover toolbox is often suspended on top of the truck bed rail, and its bottom hangs above the bottom of the bed.
Most crossover toolboxes have a universal fit. This means that they can be installed on any similar-sized truck bed—not only on the Ford F-150. Still, there are crossover toolboxes that are made for specific model years.
How is a crossover toolbox installed?
The majority of crossover toolboxes come with mounting hardware and organizer trays that you can install. The mounting hardware hooks the crossover toolbox under the truck's bed rail. The mounting hardware is bolted inside the box.
Different manufacturers and models use different types of mounting hardware, providing different levels of stability. Some manufacturers sell upgraded mounting hardware providing better stability.
Crossover toolboxes rarely come with pre-drilled holes for the mounting hardware. Most crossover toolboxes have a universal fit. Thus, pre-drilling mounting holes could make the box unsuitable for some models and truck bed sizes.
Drilling the hole for the mounting hardware
- Place the crossover toolbox at the center of your truck bed behind the cab.
- Measure the distance from the edge of the truck bed. You do not need to drill a hole in your truck. Crossover toolboxes always have enough space on both sides for the screw to pass through to secure the mounting hardware under the truck's bed rail. This is the distance that you’d want to measure.
- Mark the distances inside the crossover toolbox. These markings tell you where you need to drill.
- Drill the holes for the mounting hardware. Some models need only one hole on each side, while most models have two each.
- Place a rubber layer between the truck bed and the toolbox. Some toolboxes come with a rubber pad for this purpose, while most do not. This will help muffle the sound of the toolbox griding against the truck bed when you’re driving offroad. You can also use a wide weatherstrip to muffle the sound.
- Insert a washer into the bolt and a piece of circular rubber. Some models come with both. The rubber also helps muffle the sound from the toolbox.
- Insert the bolt into the hole that you drilled. The rubber will be in contact with the toolbox surface, while the washer will go with the head of the bolt.
- Install the mounting hardware from under the toolbox. Hook it on the underside of the truck's bed rail. Insert the bolt into the mounting hardware.
- Fasten the bolt to secure the mounting hardware.
- Repeat steps 6 to 9 for all the other bolts and mounting hardware until you have secured your crossover toolbox in place.
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What is a wheel well toolbox?
Wheel well toolboxes utilize the space above and behind the wheel well of pickup trucks. This space is often underutilized. Thus, installing a wheel well toolbox here will give you storage space for your tools while barely taking away from the overall carrying volume of your truck bed.
Some designs have a lid that opens from the top of the box with drawers that are accessible only when the truck bed door is open.
The size of these boxes varies from different manufacturers and the model of the truck that they were made for. Common dimensions are 3 inches wide by 5 inches long and 15 inches high.
How to install a wheel well toolbox?
- Measure an ideal location for mounting the toolbox under the lip of the bed rail. Ensure that the mounting area is free of any obstructions for mounting your toolbox.
- Measure this distances on the toolbox and mark each.
- Drill quarter holes in the toolbox in the locations that you’ve marked.
- Place a layer of rubber or weatherstrip where the toolbox contacts with parts of the bed rail.
- Insert a flat washer and a circular rubber into the bolt. Insert the bolt into the hole that you drilled.
- Position the mounting hardware on the underside of the bed rail and insert the bolt.
- Fasten the bolt.
What are side mount toolboxes?
A side mount toolbox is installed on one side of the truck's bed rail. You can have two side mount toolboxes on your truck, one on each side of the bed rail.
These toolboxes are often made for specific truck models and truck bed sizes because the length of these toolboxes must match the length of the truck bed, and the depth should also match the wheel well.
It has the unique advantage of providing easy access to its contents from the side of the truck. It is commonly 12 inches wide, and 12 inches deep with a length that matches the bed length.
Similar to the crossover toolbox, some low-profile models have a shallower depth.
What are top mount boxes?
Top mount toolboxes are like side mount toolboxes, both are installed on the side of the bed rail. The main difference between the two is that top mount toolboxes are much taller than side mount toolboxes. Top mount toolboxes can be as high or even higher than the height of the cab roof of the truck.
Top mount boxes have the same accessibility advantage as side mount boxes. They can carry much more equipment because they are taller than side mount toolboxes.
Top mount toolboxes often have two side opening lids and drawers that can be accessed from the side. These boxes are designed to have a semi-customized size. This means that each model can fit different trucks that belong to the same class.
Thus, a top mount toolbox that fits an F-150 can probably be installed in a different truck from another manufacturer that falls under the same class.
Average top mount toolboxes are 16 inches wide, 12 inches high from the bed rail, and 48 inches long. They don’t need to always match the truck bed length. Some models are only half the length of the truck bed, for instance.
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What is truck bed storage?
Truck bed storage or truck bed drawers are unique storage boxes because they are installed by taking half of the depth of the truck bed. The storage space is organized by drawers that are accessible only when the truck bed is open.
Its advantage is that it provides a large storage space—as big as the bed area of the truck bed, and it doesn’t take away from the total area of the truck bed, only part of its depth. The top side of a truck bed storage is reinforced so that any cargo that you carry on your truck bed will not crush the storage drawers under it.
Its only disadvantage is that it makes the bottom of the truck bed inaccessible. Thus, it is no longer possible to install anything that needs to be fastened to the bottom of the truck bed.
The dimension of a truck bed toolbox is equal to the truck bed area, with a depth that is often half the depth of the truck bed.
Conclusion
There are many ways to install additional storage—not only for toolboxes—on your Ford F-150. The size of these toolboxes varies with the type that you plan to install and the size of the truck bed that you have on your F-150.
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