Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/231798
ProPickup bipods, theodolites to transits, survey stations and GPS data collectors to levels, prism poles and planimeters. And then there're the shovels, stakes, sledge hammers, brush axes, twine, roll flagging, grade stakes, nails, safety vests, boots and a number of other tools and gear that don't require any special care. Each item has its purpose, and each has a place within the surveyor's truck. The challenge is fitting all of those tools and equipment in an orderly manner in a pickup bed – a nearly impossible task unless there's a special storage system to accommodate the wide variety of shapes and sizes. Those tools and equipment also need to be protected: It's not uncommon for a modern survey crew to have $20,000 in just electronic mapping equipment for a two-man team. Bring along a second crew for a larger job, and protecting the valuables in the bed from the bad elements (human and Mother Nature) become a major concern. That's where a high-end bed cap, or topper, and a well-designed, lockable cargo storage system come into play on Surveyor 1. Weldon Banks, the manager of Topper World in Gulfport, Mississippi, handled the installation of cap and cargo storage insert. tem and bed cap that'd fit a land surveyor's work needs. Bed security Supplying business owners a way to protect valuables in their pickup beds from the elements has been the forte of Ohio-based A.R.E. for more than four decades. The company is the only ISO-certified truck cap manufacturer in the world, and they use OE-quality locks, D.O.T.-approved safety glass and brake lights to go along with DuPont basecoat/clearcoat paint to match the truck. They also offer custom, secure bed storage systems built in partnership with Truck Vault. That's why we turned to A.R.E. and Truck Vault when it came to outfitting Mobil Delvac/Ram Truck Surveyor 1's bed with a locking cargo storage sys- COMING NEXT: We put the finishing touches on Surveyor 1, so it's ready for the April giveaway. Don't miss Part V in the February issue of Total Landscape Care and online at hardworkingtrucks.com. Cap & drawers The topper we slid on our Ram 2500HD 4x4 Crew Cab diesel is an A.R.E. ToolMaster, which is a fiberglass, commercial cap featuring heavy-duty side doors with built-in storage compartments, aluminum window insert for added security, built-in LED lighting in both the compartments and interior and BOLT locks so the Ram's ignition key can be used to secure it all. It's also painted to match the Ram's factory paint. If one needs to carry longer items, the ToolMaster roof is designed to carry several hundred pounds on an aluminum rack. It's a standard feature on ToolMaster Series caps. But, we opted not have it on Surveyor 1 so we could keep the truck's profile sleek. The cap does have built-in rails, so it'll accommodate a variety of racks if/when needed at a later date. Truck Vault's 300-pound "Surveyor" cargo insert, custom built to our needs, was also installed. It, too, is heavy duty with a quality of materials and