Ideas needed - place to store trailer ball mounts, etc.

[eaglerugby04]

Having tools in a car are useful regardless of what you drive. My mom even has a toolkit in her CRV and doesn't even herself know how to use them, yet they have been useful a few times.

You just never know what you are going to encounter while you are out. The ones in my van have saved me a few times, and I need a rubber mallet in the prius since the wheels bind up and are impossible to change a flat if you don't have one.

Finding a logical place for tools in this truck has been a challenge for sure. The space just isn't there really and it lacks the tie downs to really secure things. the underseat space is limited and the behind the seat space is just awkward for most items.

Strongly recommend an adjustable multi-ball setup in your case. The adjustable has saved me already to help deal with the squat depending on the weight of the load.

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[danielspivey]

Having tools in a car are useful regardless of what you drive. My mom even has a toolkit in her CRV and doesn't even herself know how to use them, yet they have been useful a few times.

You just never know what you are going to encounter while you are out. The ones in my van have saved me a few times, and I need a rubber mallet in the prius since the wheels bind up and are impossible to change a flat if you don't have one.

Finding a logical place for tools in this truck has been a challenge for sure. The space just isn't there really and it lacks the tie downs to really secure things. the underseat space is limited and the behind the seat space is just awkward for most items.

Strongly recommend an adjustable multi-ball setup in your case. The adjustable has saved me already to help deal with the squat depending on the weight of the load.

I agree here with the multi ball multi positional hitch. I have a weight safe hitch and you can quickly and easily swap out the 1 7/8 ball for the 2” ball, no tools required other than a key that locks the hitch in place so no one can steal it. The 2” ball then has a super quick 2 5/16 cam shell that goes over the 2” ball, means you can covert a 2” to 2 5/16 in seconds.

the hitch: https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-drop-hitch/

the 2 5/16 cam shell ball: https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/clam-shell/

This product is pricey, but the only thing I store Under the back seat is that extra ball and cam ball. It’s awesome to immediately know the tongue weight as well (it’s on the actual hitch).

I have also found I have a Soft Lowe’s dewalt bag, I have my tools in this behind the back lockable seat. This really meets my needs and leaves my bed free!

I also like that you can still keep the hitch on while off-roading, mine is a 6 inch drop and I just reverse it pointing up, so the tail doesn’t drag because of departure angle. My hitch is never removed.

This hitch is the only thing people ask me about as much as my JT!!! It’s build here in the USA and like a tank... will probably last me forever.

 

[12BNNT]

@ShadowsPapa I’ve been kinda thinking along the lines of what @misplacetexan was taking about. I can’t remember if you have the rear rails in your truck or not but if you do, you could mount a couple ammo cans at the back (one on each side) that could be locked and easily accessible.
I don’t have the rails in mine but I’m planning on using some of the 13/16 unistrut I have in the garage to make a couple side rails (painted black) and use the 1/2” thread nut clips to mount slidable d-rings in it. Then mount two ammo boxes like stated above to keep some straps and whatnot in. Not sure if they make one big enough for the draw bars. I hadn’t gotten that far with it yet.

 

[WhatExit?]

Two suggestions:
1. Walmart/Target - they have all sizes of plastic containers and they're very low cost
2. Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas (big fishing/gun stores) - they have containers including plastic carrying cases bigger than ammo cans

 

[12BNNT]

I’ve got a smaller ammo can mounted to the back of my tractor that I keep extra Clevis pins in and a few box wrenches for the 3 point adjustment bolts. It’s nice that it’s solid metal, has a rubber seal on the lid to keep it dry inside and has a tab on the latch for a lock. That’s why I was thinking of those in the bed. I don’t have a bed cover so I’d need something that will hold up to the weather and be lockable.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

@ShadowsPapa I’ve been kinda thinking along the lines of what @misplacetexan was taking about. I can’t remember if you have the rear rails in your truck or not but if you do, you could mount a couple ammo cans at the back (one on each side) that could be locked and easily accessible.
I don’t have the rails in mine but I’m planning on using some of the 13/16 unistrut I have in the garage to make a couple side rails (painted black) and use the 1/2” thread nut clips to mount slidable d-rings in it. Then mount two ammo boxes like stated above to keep some straps and whatnot in. Not sure if they make one big enough for the draw bars. I hadn’t gotten that far with it yet.

Thanks 12BNNT - I don' have rails at all but at times think maybe I should have. A container like the ammo box, one on each side, that could be handy. Small, out of the way, tough.

My thing, regardless of the ball mounts I use, own or don't own, buy, should buy, whatever - the point is storage in the truck for what I have.

I'd very much rather swap in the whole mount and ball. I will never leave the ball mount in the truck - they are in the way, they are shin killers, they tick people off - like my wife - or even me. When I'm done they come out. They rattle, bang, and rust the receiver.

I normally pull only the car hauler - but want the other on hand in case - just to keep it handy with the truck. Pull pin, swap mount, done. But most of the time, in fact, 95% of the time or more I'd use only the one set up for my car hauler. I have no reason to replace what I have, thanks but no thanks.

I just want a place to keep the two mounts and a couple of things like wrenches, the pins and hitch locks (the type that goes into the trailer and locks it so it's harder to just hook up and pull away with it)

I have ball mount in the back of my WJ, one in the back of the Jeep GC, and two I want to keep in the truck. That will still leave me one in the garage and one I gave my son when he moved.

I will be looking to get a scale, but that's different, I'm not looking to replace all the hardware I have, just be able to weigh the tongue.

Someone in Nebraska has said they are lacking snow over there, so I'm headed over to Omaha tomorrow with a load of snow for them.

it turned into I'm doing it wrong and should buy all new mount instead of how to store what I have.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Two suggestions:
1. Walmart/Target - they have all sizes of plastic containers and they're very low cost
2. Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas (big fishing/gun stores) - they have containers including plastic carrying cases bigger than ammo cans

It would need to be "tool box quality" plastic - plastic containers won't last a year. Heavy metal parts bouncing back there. Plastic tubs in my garage get replaced now and then, too......... especially the cold busts them up.
I see Bass Pro has some options - they look taller than what I was hoping but it might be worth a visit as the web site doesn't do justice to the products. Pics are small, no detail.
I figure about 12" long, a few inches tall, maybe 4 wide - no wider than the fender wells in the box.

 

[12BNNT]

I understand not wanting to buy any more draw bars when you already have how many but I will say this, I currently have 5 draw bars but only use the adjustable drop bar I bought 2 years ago. But I’m seriously considering one of those weight safe hitches. Right now I have an adjustable drop hitch because my flat trailer and my previous box trailer sat at different heights so I had one hitch that I could change the drop to meet the trailer I was pulling (both had 2” ball couplers) my problem now is that my new cargo camper conversion (7x16) takes a 2&5/16 ball and I have 2” on the flat trailer. Both sitting at different heights at level. Rather than having to keep multiple draw bars for each trailer, this one hitch has both 2” and 2&5/16” balls and the height is adjustable according to what trailer I hook up and if I go higher on lift or put my 35’s on the truck I can still use the same ONE draw bar system for all of it. Plus it has the tongue scale on it so I can make sure I have proper weight distribution.
I understand not wanting to buy another draw bar system, I really do. I’m in the same boat with ya but the more I think about it the more I like the idea of having the scale, three different ball sizes, adjustable height to meet the trailer of the day all in one compact system that lessens the amount of crap I have to keep on hand. The only reason I haven’t gone to e-trailer.com and bought it yet is I’m waiting for the weather to clear enough to drag my camper down the road a ways and make sure I don’t need a weight distribution hitch for it. If I do, then I stick with what I’ve got for the flat trailer and get a weight distribution hitch for the camper. If the JTR can handle the camper without needing weight distribution, then that compact setup is what I’ll get and all the other mounts will be posted on Craigslist.

 

[Gatorized]

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist/military-surplus/ammo-cans-military-storage?d=122&c=407
An assortment of storage containers at this link.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have a very small utility trailer - 4x6 or something like that. single axle, small tires. It's small enough I pulled it behind my SX4.
It uses a 1 7/8" ball - no care about how high or low it rides. I didn't even pull it last year. Little reason to have it behind the JT other than to increase the weight I can haul home (very limited payload with Overland - that's disappointing)
So the chances of my swapping to the smaller are slim - maybe once every 2 or 3 years.
That means of the 3 or 4 times a year I pull a trailer, it's going to be the car hauler.
I can really get by with a single ball mount and ball with the truck.

My only thing would be, since the JT doesn't have much for payload or towing capacity, I'd want to ensure the tongue weight was accurate.
But I can pretty much tell by the trailer. The people that have these tilt bed trailers say drive up slowly until the trailer starts to tilt back down and stop. They say it's almost always spot-on.
Still I'd do what I did with my other trailer - find the sweet spot for each car, and mark the trailer bed. Pull up to the marks and know that every time it was right. I really only need to measure one time for each car. Hard to justify buying anything for that.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/productlist/military-surplus/ammo-cans-military-storage?d=122&c=407
An assortment of storage containers at this link.

Thanks but the way this is going I think I'm just going to have to hit the truck shops, sporting goods stores, DeeZee outlet and so on.
There's got to be something that would fit behind a wheel well - between tailgate area and wheel well, not be taller than the wheel well (so sheet goods could still be hauled) and not protrude into the box and further than the wheel well.
I'll try to remember to measure tomorrow when I'm out and about and loading up tires.

 

[hjdca]

Looking for ideas - I don't really know what I want - other than I want to get the trailer balls, ball mounts, pins and locks out from under or behind the rear seat.
Was wondering about some thing that would be small, unobtrusive, maybe stow or attach to the side of the box just inside the tailgate that would be large enough for:
two ball mounts - one for the small trailer with 1 7/8" ball and one for my car hauler with 2 5/16" ball
The hitch pins
trailer hitch locks
Maybe a large wrench or two for the balls.
Wouldn't need anything too large - don't want anything large that would interfere with hauling larger things (plywood, ok?) or get in the way if I decided to haul around 4 tires and wheels, or a bunch of parts from a swap meet.
Something tucked to the side, between rear wheels and tailgate?
Any examples? Anyone actually have something they like and use it for what I'm thinking?
Maybe something I could attach a snow brush to the top of.......

I was able to put my hitch receiver and ball, small pry bar, and a 10 cent strong plastic grocery bag full of wrenches, sockets, torx, screwdrivers, etc... in the stock cargo locking box under the rear bench behind the drivers seat. In addition, I was able to put my 30 foot snatch strap and two soft shackles behind the same rear seat. I lock both the cargo box and the fold down seat. On the rear passenger side bottom cargo box, I have my first aid kit, flashlight, and huge folding knife. That still leaves one good size empty space for my girlfriend to put her small purse. The rest of my stuff goes on the molle panels in the bed.

In the cargo box, you can fit a lot of tools in the crevices created by the tow objects if you use those strong 10 cent plastic bags to lay on top of the tow objects and let the tools settle in the crevices. Get rid of the bulky tool bags, and bulky tool organizers and you can fit much more than you think.

 

[Russler]

I have a rubber bed mat for my truck so I am going to purchase two of these. Hoping the rubber base will keep them from sliding around. I will put recovery items in 1 and hitch/ball, tools and a couple straps in the other. I have the trifold hard tonneau so with a locked tailgate they will be semi safe. - https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Spec-Wate...ocphy=9032188&hvtargid=pla-415865460908&psc=1

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I was able to put my hitch receiver and ball, small pry bar, and a 10 cent strong plastic grocery bag full of wrenches, sockets, torx, screwdrivers, etc... in the stock cargo locking box under the rear bench behind the drivers seat. In addition, I was able to put my 30 foot snatch strap and two soft shackles behind the same rear seat. I lock both the cargo box and the fold down seat. On the rear passenger side bottom cargo box, I have my first aid kit, flashlight, and huge folding knife. That still leaves one good size empty space for my girlfriend to put her small purse. The rest of my stuff goes on the molle panels in the bed.

In the cargo box, you can fit a lot of tools in the crevices created by the tow objects if you use those strong 10 cent plastic bags to lay on top of the tow objects and let the tools settle in the crevices. Get rid of the bulky tool bags, and bulky tool organizers and you can fit much more than you think.

No bulky tool bags. The freedom panel bag takes half the room under the seat, but there's straps and things there already.
And actually I don't have tools under there. Hardly room.
Already been all through the under/behind seat storage. Not an option.
You must have a different vehicle as by the time you have the stuff the vehicle came with for the top and such, there ain't a lot of room left.
I have the straps I use to secure things in the bed under there - those take a bit of space.

Again - back to the question............. Not looking for arguments as to how much you can get under the seats - looking for solution for the back.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have a rubber bed mat for my truck so I am going to purchase two of these. Hoping the rubber base will keep them from sliding around. I will put recovery items in 1 and hitch/ball, tools and a couple straps in the other. I have the trifold hard tonneau so with a locked tailgate they will be semi safe. - https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Spec-Wate...ocphy=9032188&hvtargid=pla-415865460908&psc=1

That's not a bad idea and putting a couple of inexpensive D-rings on one side could secure it from moving around, it would be quiet and padded. Worth looking into anyway. And it would be a good place for straps or whatever should I eventually get a winch. Gotta have a place for that stuff, too.

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