Tool box or tonneau cover?
 

Im at the point where Im trying to decide between a bed cover or a tool box. I always had roll up tonneau covers to keep things relatively dry and out of sight in the bed. Always had regular cab trucks. Now I have a crew cab and the groceries or luggage I used to keep dry fit in the cab. But I always had a milk crate strapped in the bed for things like ball mounts and jacks and other stuff I dont really want inside the cab. I havnt done the Linex in the bed yet and Ive been looking at some of the other products they are selling. I know they are rebranding but they are offering lifetime warrantee on everything for reasonable pricing.
I have some concern about how the saddle tool boxes bolt down on the bedrail. But Im leaning towards a low profile tool box instead of covering the whole bed.

Opinions?

I did both. I did a Bedlocker electric cover and a large tractor supply toolbox, I removed the lid of the toolbox and installed a 3" rubber seal across the top.
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I also did a 200psi Viair compressor in the dead space under the bet cover box. It worked out really nicely. I ran a quick connect to the fuel fill compartment. It works great for adjusting the air in my Trailair pinbox on the RV.
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Very nice setup.

My last truck was a Reg cab and I had a tool box with a roll up cover behind it. It worked great but the boxes are hard to seal up(the new ones look worse)and if you drive a lot of gravel with the cover closed everything will have a layer of dust on it. My new truck is a CCSB and I just put a tool box on it since anything I need to keep dry will go in the back seat.

Nicely done. I had rust issues in my GMC bed where the Extang soft cover sealed around the stake pocket. Salty winters up here and sometimes trying to seal out ends up sealing in. I have been leaning towards the tool box rather than cover. Only real concern is damage where it mounts to the bedrail. The aluminium seems pretty thin.
I wont be able to access the box over the side but I ordered the tailgate step so I can walk up pretty easily... for an old man.

i am a big fan of weatherguard tool boxes. they are pricey up front but last forever. had mine 5 yrs now, open it everyday and it still works great. know a guy whos had his 25 yrs

i would do both also. i have a 60 gallon tool/fuel combo box that sits below the bed rails and i have a roll up tonneau cover. works great. the ford bed walls are very deep. you can put in a very deep tool box.

Yes they are deep. Thats why I got the tailgate step. And I want a box that opens all the way across rather than sideways to the bedsides.
Anyone know who makes the boxes for Linex? They look like a DeeZee design. They dont look like Weatherguard. They have a plain aluminium box for just over $400.00. Lifetime warranty. That price range seems like a cheapo from Tractor supply. Lots of complaints in that price range. The Weatherguard is around $700 in a similar design with "HD" locks and latches from Home D. Even the Weatherguard in the $500.00 range gets complaints about ease of breaking in due to the cheaper latches. Id rather spend a few extra bucks and get something drier and safer. Not that I plan on leaving anything more costly than a hitch and a jack in there long term. I just dont want to walk out and find my toolbox all bent up and opened.

Aloso I was wondering how the bolt down of a saddle type effects the aluminium bedrail. Im not worried about it sitting on the plastic but how do they spread the load of the "J" hooks for the aluminium? Sees like over time or just over tightening might mess up the bed.

That's how I will fasten mine down with the j hooks I will slot the tool box to accept 2 hooks per side. The outfitter guy said that will work best to keep the rails from getting messed up.

There are some options out there that combine 2 in 1 so you can have both. The first is what I really wanted:

https://www.truckcoversusa.com/american-work-cover/

The second is what I ended up with, as I couldn't compete on price compared to the first:

https://bakindustries.com/bakbox2-utility-storage-box

It works decent for me, and between the BakBox and the underseat storage in the back seat, I've pretty much covered everything I used to carry in my RamBoxes, plus a bit extra.

I like both of those options. The first link I have to agree is nicer.