Bumper mounted tool box

[Tank178]

I have a 2005 Palomino Stampede 23SLSD and have been wondering where to store the adapter and "donut" for the sewer hose. The hose itself fits fine in the bumper, but I had to store the adapter and donut in the front pass-through compartment.

Currently, the spare tire is mounted in the center of the bumper and the tire mount is attached by two, 1/2 U-bolts. I decided to shift the tire to the right side about a foot and mount a weatherproof plastic tool box on the left side of the bumper. I will post pics as I start the project tomorrow.

[Taranwanderer]

I had done the same thing on my Salem. Used the same type of u-bolts that the tire was mounted with, since you can't drill through the bumper without messing up the hose storage. It worked great, and all those sewer fittings lived outside and never had to interact with any other gear. I no longer have the Salem so I can't post you any pics though, and the XLR doesn't have a rear bumper. Good luck.

[Filthy Beast]

I installed the pvc pipe under the fifth, I used 6" so that all my fittings will also fit in.

[purduepete97]

Did the 5" fence post covers as recommended on another thread. My 90 degree elbow fits in there just fine.

[Tank178]

Got the tool box mounted today and it went smoothly.

I used the following parts all of which were purchased from Lowes for about $46 including the toolbox. The pic shows where I cut the L-brackets to the length I needed.

2 1/2" U-bolts
4 1/2 flat washers
4 1/4" bolts (1 1/2")
4 1/4" lock washers
8 1/4" flat washers
2 L-brackets
Bostich toolbox with weather seal



I spray painted the L-brackets and the flat bars from the U-bolts and mounted to the bumper. I test fitted the brackets and marked the bumper with a white paint pen prior to mounting them. Once they were mounted, I cut the threads down since they were several inches longer than needed.



Once the brackets were mounted, I placed the tool box on them and marked the bottom where the holes needed to drilled to mount it.



The tool box was secured by using the 1/4" bolts and the flat and lock washers from the inside. The bolts are mounted in the corners out of the way and don't interfere with the large storage area.



The tool box has a small tray but allows plenty of storage underneath it.



I am using the tool box to store a spare 90 degree fitting, the dump station adapter w/ donut and box of gloves. Everything is now stored close to the dump valves and won't be in the pass through storage anymore.



The camper is a hybrid with a rear bunk so I was limited in how far over I could move the spare and place the tool box so they wouldn't block the bed support poles.



The longest part of the project was taking the L-brackets to my buddy's shop to used his grinder to smooth the corners and edges. Once that was done, it took less than an hour and was inexpensive.

[micalo]

I had done the same with a tool box also, you will probably have to put some silicone or any other caulking on the handles holes as water will go in.
I now changed the tool box to a another container from wally that is sealed better and no more water goes inside and it can hold all my black water equipment, drain, hose and all fittings, gloves, rags, box is about same size as tool box i had but a little taller. Works great and no more odors in camper...

[Tank178]

There are no holes except where the bolts secure it to the L-brackets. The top handle mount is molded in a way that there is no holes through the top of the box. That was the feature that sold me on the box.

[ependydad]

That's sharp! I've seen pictures where people took a battery box and held it on with zip ties.

[Paul GA]

Thanks for the great idea! I didn't want to keep my drain hose fittings in the storage compartments so they were rattling around loose in the back of the truck.

Not painted cause I only saw this yesterday and leaving this morning for Savannah. Just so happened I had two of these boxes sitting around gathering dust.

[Paul GA]

There are two gauges of this L bracket, get the thicker one.

[MtnGuy]

I did something similar with 2 battery boxes, 1 mounted on each side of the spare tire. I use those for wood leveling blocks, so there is not much weight. I also mounted them as close a possible to the camper, so the weight is not hanging way behind the bumper.

You will need to keep a close eye on the bumper welds and be aware of the weight added to the toolbox, so your bumper doesn't end up in the middle of the road somewhere.

[Iwannacamp]

Home depot had the exact box on clearance for $30.00 last weekend... contemplated buying one for another deal... like the gasket on the lid.. heavy made.

[Paul GA]

It ends up being very light actually. Especially if you're just doing dump fittings and hoses and gloves.