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Posted By: wraiths Question on setting up work truck? - 05/01/05 06:35 PM
Hello been reading the forums here for awhile an have learned alot.Been working out of just a truck until I came across a good deal on a truck with a stahl utility bed on it. Just wondering how some of you other guys set yours up? And also am needing to replace one of the door handles on the bed any idea where to get one? Any ideas is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Posted By: e57 Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/01/05 07:52 PM
If your in an area where theft is an issue, I would suggest having a welder put a heavy gage steel bar across all of the doors that swings out of the way, and locks on both sides. Utility beds are thief magnets, as the locks are very easily opened with a large flat head, or pry bar. The extra deterant is usually worth what your tools are to you.

I rarely see a service bed without some on it, I'm surprised they haven't made it standard.

I also know a guy who had power locks installed on all the doors. Alarm too.
Posted By: DougW Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/02/05 06:25 PM
My foreman had a Reading body - he made good use of the pull-out drawers and dividers, and well as the stacking plastic trays/bins for common parts (LQT flex coupling, breakers, switches, receptacles).

Contact Stahl - they sell replacement assemblies and parts for their units.

+1 for the bar - a piece of 1" square tube stock with matching staple hasps ("hangers", but square) in line down the body across the compartments is a nice "no no" to casual thieves, although it is a bit unwieldy. Use a hardened, high security (5 pin) lock.

Also consider an alarm rigged to door switches for the compartments. A small gel cell battery stashed inside a compartment prevents a cut battery cable being effective.

[This message has been edited by DougW (edited 05-02-2005).]
Posted By: Joey D Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/02/05 07:52 PM
My next truck will be a utility body and I was thinking of cutting the back out of the 2 front large compartments on each side and having some steel bent on a brake and weld it all up to have the front compartment go all the way across the body to the other side. This way all the power tools and stuff will fity in the front and leave the middle and rear doors for stock.
I don't need a 8' area between the sides all the way so the lost space will be worth it.
Can a roll of romex fit in the rear compartment without standing it up?
My truck has an isolator with a secondary battery (deep cycle) in the bed. This powers a number of things, plus a 800 watt inverter in the front bin where there is a plug strip plugged in with a dewalt battery charger, milwaukee, and makita. Nice being able to charge batteries without scrambling with extension cords trying to find power. The jobs I do don't usually have power readily available. -Ben
Posted By: e57 Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/02/05 11:47 PM
Watch out for those tubular key locks, most (not just Krypto) can be picked with a bic pen! But if you have one on each side, they'll be there for enough time to take carefull aim, or release the hounds.

Ben, first welcome to the forums, second, "How large are ya?" 'Well, I'm so large, that....' [Linked Image]

Anyway, I too am thinking of getting an inverter for my van. But its on of those when I have a free week-end, the wife wants something done on the house deals. So anyway, how do you charge that battery of yours? Have a relay connect when the truck is running?
Posted By: wraiths Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/03/05 12:38 AM
I like the ideas that have come up an are interested in the inverter setup too. That would be nice being able to charge my batteries in the truck then wouldnt have to remember to bring them in the house every night. Any more ideas on the truck would be great an also some info on the inverter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Posted By: e57 Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/03/05 07:22 AM
Provisions or a rack for a fold up two wheeler cart.
[Linked Image from houseway-storage.com]

Get half the tool box and all of the mat's on the job in one sweep for commercial jobs. Drag it around the job site, from task to task.

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 05-03-2005).]
Posted By: DougW Re: Question on setting up work truck? - 05/04/05 04:24 AM
Joey -

Several companies offer that as an option already - IIRC Stahl offers a "cross bed" or "pass through" as an option for those cabinets, so most others probably do too.

My next vehicle is probably going to be a 3/4 ton extended cab Chevy with a 10' utility body with a ladder rack; equipped with the low-profile sliding top - allows me to store sticks inside the bed and keeps grubby mitts off my supplies.
e57- thanks for the welcome! The inverter is is hooked to a big deep cycle battery, which is charged by a 130 amp rated diode type isolator. Basically there are two big diodes that let the alternator charge both the primary and secondary batteries, but the current can't go the other way so one battery won't drain the other. It works pretty well. The chargers are zip-tied to the top shelf in the bin, this way they are always ready for action. One thing I also added was a big relay inline with the power wire going to the isolator. The coil of the relay is turned on by a toggle switch and indicator light on the dash. If you don't have this feature, you will eventually forget to turn the isolator off one day resulting in a VERY DEAD battery. I speak from experience! [Linked Image]
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