Lowes Kobalt Slimline skinny toolbox (BLACK)

Hey all,
I'm a new member, I just wanted to let you all know who ever is looking for a LOWES Kobalt (black) 12.5"x61.5"x12" toolbox, I called 1-877-465-6937 and asked about the toolbox (part number #14646) they had 4 left in the company! I just had mine delivered and it was in EXCELLENT condition! I literally joined this forum just to tell anyone that was looking. Hope someone finds it helpful.

 

Well....NOW you tell me!

I gave up on getting a black one, and purchased a chrome one last month. Took it straight to Line-x and had them spray it. Turned out pretty good, but added a good bit to the total cost.

 

Sorry! I just bought my Taco and didn't realize how much of a pain it was to find a box! Once I got it, I had to share. Hate leaving people hanging.

 

This is way cool. I just called and ordered mine. FYI. only 2 left now! Thanks for the heads up. I searched for for a while and thought I would be going down the route of getting a chrome one a getting it painted.

 

Any pics??

 

I was going to get the Lowe's box in black, and if I still wanted one, that's what I would go with. I liked my old Lowe's full-size deep box. I think I'm just gonna go with a tonneau cover and see how I like it. Never had one before.

 

I tried to find a Black slimline forever. Finally gave up and got a Black full size. I'm tempted to get one anyway.

 

Any pics? I need a box for my '14 Tacoma, DC, short box and need something as slim as possible. Also, how does it mount? Would like to not have to drill into the bedside at all possible.

 

Look through my photos. I have the slim black toolbox. Used the grip rite system and no holes drilled. Theres actually a better way to secure the toolbox somebody posted on here. But mine works fine.

 

Thanks. Was wondering if there was a method that used the tie-down channel as a support. Looks good though, that's exactly what I'm looking for.

 

I made one like what you describe and I'm real happy with it. I can put my toolbox on and take it back off in 5 mins and it's held on very securely, way better than any OEM attachment I've ever seen. J-hooks don't even compare. This was very time consuming, but I think over the lifetime of my truck and toolbox this will more than pay for itself in time saved, busted knuckles, and cursing at my stupid toolbox while trying to pull it out in the winter with numb hands so I can help so-and-so move their gigantic sofa across town.

Here's what I used:

• 4x Grizzly G9514 T-slot nuts or 4 1/2" carriage bolts (both fit real well but carriage bolts don't slide very easy, consider them a more permanent install)
• 4x 1/2" hex bolts
• 6x 5/16" nuts
• 6x 5/16" machine screws with a conical head and 3/16" hex top (fits into a conical countersink for flush mounting)
• 36" piece of 3/4" angle iron
• 1/2" washers
• auto primer
• some kind of rustoleum black gloss auto paint

Recommended Tools:

• grinder
• welder - I borrowed one at a local maker's group
• 5/16" rethread tool - kind of like a tap and die set but for repairing threaded holes instead of cutting new ones. Not necessary if you're a good welder.
• good drill + bits
• 3/4" wrench
• 3/16" hex key - buy one to leave in the toolbox
• Welder (not necessary, you can work around this with smaller sized nuts and bolts)

Here's what I did with all that:

• Slide the t-slot nuts in the rails wherever you want the angle iron brackets to be. I recommend treating the brackets as a permanent mount point since they're so low profile but mine are still removable.
• Cut the angle iron down to be shorter than the width of the inside of the toolbox. Cut a couple 45s on the ends to get rid of sharp corners.
• Figure out where holes need to be in the angle iron to put your bolts thru, and mark and notch them out with a grinder. Don't bother drilling them out.
• Hold the washer up against the angle iron on the inside of the angle. Mark out where you need to trim them on 1 side so they can sit so that the hole extends just below the bottom edge of the angle iron. This is how you set where the top of the bracket sits. I put mine flush with the bed rails.
• Weld the washers on inside the angle iron, over those notches. now you have holes the bolts can go thru and they're probably just about flush with the top of the rails.
• Mount the brackets to the t-slot nuts (you'll probably have to cut the bolts off real short to get enough clearance) and carefully position everything how you want it. Use the crappy factory j-hooks to hold the toolbox in place for the next step.
• Drill 3 holes in the bottom of the toolbox on each side, make sure they're placed so you'll hit those brackets right in the middle and leave a mark on them with your drill.
• Remove the brackets and finish the holes off in a drill press. Make them a little bit larger than 5/16".
• Weld nuts onto the bottom of those holes. The better a job you do laying them out, the easier the bolts will thread thru from your toolbox and the less work you'll have to do with the rethread tool. Don't overdo the welding and melt the threads in the nuts!
• Bonus points: Use a stepper bit inside the toolbox to get that nice machine screw flush mount effect going. This does weaken the joint, which is why there's 6 of them.
• Clean off the brackets with a grinder and polish down the welds if necessary. Smooth out any sharp corners that might catch gear or clothing if you pull out the toolbox and leave the bracket in.
• Do a test fit and make sure everything is good
• Prime and paint the brackets
• Install the toolbox and rest easy knowing that it's not going anywhere unless you decide so!

Misc notes:

• Anything bigger than 3/4" angle iron was too wide to fit between my toolbox and bed rail.
• 3/4" angle iron is too narrow to drill a 1/2" hole in it and have clearance for the bolt's head to spin around, so I had to weld the washers on to make it taller.
• On top of all that I mounted a bar of unistrut to the front rail and put some holes in that and attached my toolbox with 1/2" nuts right thru the front. I think this step was probably overkill. But hey, if it's worth doing it's worth overdoing!

I'm sure there's a lot of ways to do this a bit cleaner and save time, but that's what ended up working for me. Good luck!

 

The Kobalt slim tool box does everything i need. I even leave it unlocked because i dont want somebody busting it open to see whats in there. All i have is some work gloves, flashlight, couple tools, and the main thing is one of those long adjustable bars to help brace large items.
That being said, the nice part is that the tool box is so light and easy to move. When i bought a chair from Nebraska Furniture Mart i easily removed the tool box to make room for the chair. Takes about 2 min, with 4 hex bolts on the inside of the lid.

 

If any of y'all are in the Tulsa, OK area, I've got one for sale

 

I think I may have just scored the last black one in the entire Lowes company. It was a floor model and I was able to get it for $80 plus $40 shipping to my home (the store was several hundred miles away). I'm stoked to get it!

 

nice, I love mine.

I used 4 bolts and ran them thru the holes in the toolbox and then thru the 2 holes in the stock tie down cleats.

 

I ordered two sets of these on Amazon. From what I can tell, they should work nicely.

$18 Dee Zee DZ97904 Premium Tool Box Tie Downs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OCXI2U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

nice!

 

Agri Supply in Garner NC normally keeps black UWS toolbox for our trucks in stock. I just drove up there not long, and was headed home with it after 15 minutes.

 

I looked at the UWS box that seems to be really popular among Tacoma owners, but I felt that it was too big for my short bed. The Kobalt box seems to fit just right for my taste. If I had a long bed, the UWS box would have probably been my first choice. If anyone is interested, a guy on Nashville Craigslist has the UWS box for $200 and it looks like new.