Considering Silver Shield organizers for work trucks. Do they work well? Are there alternatives that work better or cost less?
You'll get lots of input on this, and there are already lots of posts on this topic.
Personally, having worked with the Silver Shield equipped trucks, vans, suburbans, my jeep, even grocery getter SUV's - I prefer a 4 x 4 short bed pickup with an extended cab with a cap with secure side doors. Much more room than a SS, and it's hard to place a dollar amount on that.
Second choice would be the SS. Actually, in the unlikely event I ever do replace my truck - I'd go with the 4 x 4 short box equipped with a cap with secure side doors. Problem nowadays is all the new trucks are too high so I'll just stick to my '05 Tundra.
Stacy:
I have the Silver Shield organizer in a long bed F-150 and I would hate to be without it. I did get the side tool boxes too but I could do without them. The organizer is made of sheet metal so it is thin and uses the space in the truck bed well. I can slide it out if I unload it first leaving it up on sawhorses until I am done with the truck bed. The unit is short enough so I have room between the end of the organizer and the cab (regular cab truck) to keep larger gear in. I really think they are a good investment.
T.W.
Check out Highway Products. They have a setup specifically for surveyors but the trays, dividers, etc can be customized to your specs.
I'm using a Highway Products roll-out bed slide with an organizer that I had a local shop make and an aluminum cap with tool bins on both sides.
The passenger side tool box has a shelf that runs the length of the box. This allows me to use two levels of plastic bins for nails, flagging, etc. The other box is full height which allows room for padded prism cases, cases of paint and other large items.
I've seen that picture before...
If I were to take the time to design the rack of my dreams (too bad my dreams get hung up on racks) I would build one out of 8020 (8020.net). That stuff is awesome.
You can go back to my picture from a couple weeks ago. Sliding rack out of 2x4's, plywood and casters. Customizable and just the right height for my pelican cases to fit under the back door of the cap. (It was luck.)
I had to bookmark 8020.net for future reference. I'm always building something and they've got some slick ideas.
I went to the web site wondering what 8020 "stuff" you were talking about and it was exactly that stuff, all different kinds of materials and shapes.
Looks expensive.
In my early surveying days, I worked in several trucks with Silver Shields. I loved them. Today, if I were going to setup a new survey rig, I'd probably go with Herculoc. I saw one in action when I lived/worked in Tucson and it was pretty awesome.
Note: This is not a paid advertisement. Herculoc has no idea I posted this. It is my personal preference and I wanted to share.
> In my early surveying days, I worked in several trucks with Silver Shields. I loved them. Today, if I were going to setup a new survey rig, I'd probably go with Herculoc. I saw one in action when I lived/worked in Tucson and it was pretty awesome.
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>> http://www.herculoc.com/
The Herculock's are pretty sweet. I didn't think the were being made anymore, evidently they are.
I built my own box for less than 100 bucks. I have a Diamondback cover on top. I love the Diamondback cover. Low-profile, I can park a 4-wheeler on top. I can strap all kinds of stuff on top with tie-downs. I have mine with the Rhino-liner, it looks cool too.
Silver Shields are nice in that you can pop up just one side and get out of the wind. The struts always seem to wear out and you eventually end up having to pin them with a 16d nail at the joint to keep them up. The boxes are sturdy and probably less weight than a plywood box.
Any new photos of your box build?
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> The Herculock's are pretty sweet. I didn't think the were being made anymore, evidently they are.
The new herculocks are fiberglass and not as heavy as the steel, they are spring loaded like the silver shields.
I surveyed with an extended cab and silver shield for about a decade. I much prefer a shell with doors on the side. At 5 11 I also prefer a truck with no lift...
We have the Silver Shield covers and also the interior truck boxes - we like them very much. They're light weight, and the boxes are pretty durable. We have always had issues with the legs and weak locks (30+ years of using them), but other than that, they are a good survey solution. Having a way to get your head out of the sun for a minute while looking at a set of plans or a DC is nice too.
