Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/119529
BUYER'SGUIDE By Tim Walton Drawer-style storage brings the tools and supplies to you W hen I first started running my own crew on the construction jobsite, I borrowed my dad's tonneau cover for my work truck so I would have a location to store all my tools securely and to keep them out of the endless rain we are blessed with here in Oregon. That tonneau made me an expert at "Tetris" – if one tool was out of place, good luck getting the tonneau to close and lock properly. It also made me aware a permanent solution for cargo had to make it to easy access to all my tools and not be restricted by the order they were loaded into the bed. So the tonneau was replaced by an A.R.E. canopy with a Bedslide 2000 Pro HD. The sliding bed cargo tray allowed me to easily access any of my tools in the main bed section of my pickup. No more crawling, reaching and leaning over the bedsides during work or at the end of a long work day. That's why these sliding, gliding, riding and rolling products are so great – ease of access and easy on the body. If your pickup setup is an open bed (without tonneau or truck cap), you can still use many of these slide systems, which are designed to seal against the weather and to keep your tools and cargo protected. WEIGH IN When considering a slide-out, pay attention to the capacity of the unit at full extension. I was using most of my Bedslide's capacity and it worked great. But our electrician overloaded his off-brand slider and destroyed the bearings. Another weight limit issue to consider concerns the enclosed drawer-style units designed for storage on top. Keep in mind that the listed weight capacity is the weight evenly distributed, so don't plan to drop an excavator bucket or track rollers on one unless you know it can handle such weight without an extra support. Remember, too, that the added weight of the unit itself reduces the overall payload (GVWR) of the vehicle. It also reduces towing capacity. LOAD AND LOCK Drawer-style slide-outs have options for locks in both style and function. Most use keys, but some offer keyless options such as Tuffy Security Products' ten push button combination lock, which uses a PROPICKUP DIGITAL PP0413_Slider Storage.indd 44 3/15/13 1:03 PM