Truck Tool Box With Tonneau Cover: Will It Fit?
How To Check Truck Tool Box Fit Under Your Tonneau Cover
A truck tool box with a tonneau cover can work well when the box clears the installed cover hardware and both lids have room to move. For many setups, a chest that sits inside the bed is worth considering. Its listed height is only the first measurement.
You may be able to close the cover, then find that the rolled material blocks the toolbox lid or a rail clamp crowds a side handle. Before comparing GARVEE's truck tool boxes, check the space the box occupies with its lid closed, the room it needs to open, and how you will reach your tools.
Table of Contents
- Start With Your Cover Type
- Measure the Installed Space
- Check Both Opening Paths
- Compare GARVEE Chest Dimensions
- Plan Mounting and Everyday Access
- Run a Final Fit Check
- Common Questions
Start With Your Cover Type
Identify the cover brand, model, and truck application before measuring. Two covers on the same truck can leave different usable space because their rails, clamps, and opening mechanisms differ.
| Cover type | What to check around the box |
|---|---|
| Soft roll-up | Support bows or crossbars underneath; the roll and straps near the cab when open. |
| Hard folding | Panel undersides, hinges, release cables, and any front panel or folded stack that stays over the bed. |
| Retractable | The canister at the cab end, side tracks, drain fittings, and tubing routes. |
| One-piece hinged | The raised cover's shape, support arms, and the opening available above the proposed box location. |
A crossover toolbox rests across the bed rails, which can put it in the mounting space used by a full-length cover. Some toolbox-and-cover systems are designed together; check that exact combination before trying to pair separate accessories.
Measure the Installed Space
Leave your bed liner, mat, cover rails, and clamps in their installed positions. Use the surface where the box will sit as your measurement baseline.
1. Find the lowest overhead obstruction
With the cover fully closed and latched, measure the vertical space from that baseline to the lowest cover or hardware above the proposed box location. Check several points across the footprint and use the smallest measurement. If part of the space is inaccessible, ask the cover manufacturer for a clearance drawing.
Add any feet, spacers, or mounting base to the toolbox's overall height. For example, a 15-inch box on a half-inch base uses 15.5 inches of vertical space. In a hypothetical 17.5-inch opening, that leaves 2 inches of clearance above the closed box; the lid's opening path still needs a separate check.
There is no single clearance allowance for every cover. Follow the cover manufacturer's requirements and leave it free to operate without resting on the toolbox.
2. Map the full footprint
Measure the usable width and front-to-back space at the intended location. Account for wheel wells, bed-wall contours, handles, lid overhang, mounting hardware, and tie-down access. A floor outline made with removable tape helps you see how much cargo space the box would occupy.
Use the seller's dimension drawing to confirm which measurement is length, width, and height. Ask whether the listed size includes protruding handles and hardware, especially when the fit looks close.
3. Locate rails, clamps, and drains
Look beneath both side rails. A box can clear the cover's center yet meet a clamp at one corner. Keep that hardware in its approved position. The BAK Revolver X4 TS installation information, for example, directs owners to vehicle-specific hardware and instructions.
On a retractable setup, keep the canister and its drainage routes clear. Retrax's drain-tube information explains how tubing carries water from the canister out of the bed. Preserve the routing specified for your cover.
Check Both Opening Paths
Picture the order you will use at a jobsite: unlock the cover, open it to its permitted position, unlock the chest, raise the lid, and lift out a tool. Each step needs unobstructed space.
Follow the toolbox lid through its travel
Ask for the lid-open height, the front-to-back space needed when open, and the hinge location for the exact box. Check the highest point and full swing of the lid against the rolled cover, folded panels, front hardware, and canister. Leave room to operate the latch and handles and to move any tray.
A lightweight cardboard mock-up can help eliminate an obviously poor location. Use confirmed lid dimensions and hinge placement for a hinged panel, then verify the actual hardware before installation. If the seller cannot provide an opening drawing, resolve that question before buying for a tight space.
Move the cover through its normal cycle
Check the box location with the cover closed, partly open, and in the open position you plan to use. A folding cover may leave its front panel in place; a roll-up cover may need space for its secured roll. Follow your model's operating instructions throughout.
Decide whether opening the cover before every toolbox visit suits your routine. If you need a wrench several times an hour, test whether you can reach the latch and lift tools comfortably from your normal standing position.
Compare GARVEE Chest Dimensions
These GARVEE options provide three starting points for your measurements. Sizes below are the listed closed dimensions in inches. They do not establish compatibility with a particular truck or tonneau cover.
| GARVEE option | Closed size (in.) L × W × H |
Material | Listed item weight (lb) |
Fit consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39-Inch Steel Truck Bed Tool Box | 39 × 13 × 10 | Steel | 37.92 | The 10-inch listed height is the lower option here; check that its interior holds the tools you carry. |
| 48-Inch Steel Truck Bed Tool Box | 48 × 15 × 15 | Steel | 57.32 | Check the 48-inch footprint, overhead room, and mounting requirements for the loaded box. |
| 48-Inch Aluminum Truck Tool Box | 48 × 15 × 15 | Aluminum | 32.6 | Same listed closed size as the 48-inch steel chest, with a lower listed item weight and a sliding shelf. |
If overhead space is tight, check the 39-inch steel chest first. Its listed height is 5 inches lower than either 48-inch option, although the mounting base and lid travel still need clearance.
The 48-inch aluminum chest has the same listed closed size as the 48-inch steel chest, a lower listed item weight, and a sliding shelf. Choose between them after checking the exact hinge, handle, and mounting details; matching closed dimensions do not guarantee matching opening space.
Plan Mounting and Everyday Access
Choose an approved way to secure the chest before committing to its location. A loose box can move during travel. Check the toolbox instructions, vehicle guidance, mounting-kit requirements, and the weight of the loaded box.
- Keep the cover mounting intact. Do not move, remove, or share its clamps to make space unless both manufacturers approve the arrangement.
- Keep operating parts reachable. Leave access to release cables, locks, retaining straps, drain fittings, and fasteners that need inspection.
- Include the mounting base. Pads, feet, and brackets can change the height and footprint you measured.
- Check the remaining cargo area. Allow room for the materials you carry and the tie-downs you use to secure them.
For a bed-floor chest near the cab, consider how you will reach the bottom compartment. Frequent lifting from an awkward position may make a different location or storage layout more practical, even when the dimensions fit.
Run a Final Fit Check
Before ordering, record the truck year, make, model, bed configuration, cover model, and proposed box location. Send photos of the cover hardware with your measurements if the seller or installer needs to review a close fit.
- The complete closed box and mounting base fit below the lowest obstruction.
- Handles, brackets, and lid edges clear the bed walls, wheel wells, and cover hardware.
- The toolbox lid opens far enough to use the storage and any tray.
- The cover completes its normal opening, closing, and latching cycle.
- You can reach the tools, and an approved mounting method works in that location.
If a check fails, try a smaller chest or another approved location. Resolve the clearance issue before modifying either accessory.
Common Questions
Can I keep the tonneau cover closed while opening the toolbox?
That depends on the cover and box design. A top-opening chest often requires the cover to be opened first. If access with the cover mostly closed matters, look for a combination specifically designed for that use and verify its operating sequence.
Will a 15-inch-tall toolbox fit under my cover?
Measure your installed setup. Include the mounting base, the lowest cover hardware, and the toolbox's complete exterior height. Then check lid travel with the cover in its intended open position.
Does “low profile” mean tonneau compatible?
The term describes different designs. A low-profile crossover box can still occupy the bed rails. Confirm where the box sits, how it mounts, and how both accessories open.
Can I reuse a chest when I change trucks?
Possibly, after repeating the fit and mounting checks. Bed depth, wheel-well spacing, cargo rails, and the new cover can all change the usable space.
Keep your usable height, footprint, and lid-opening measurements together as you compare GARVEE truck tool boxes. Before ordering, confirm the exact box SKU, cover model, and mounting arrangement with the seller or installer if any clearance remains uncertain.
More to read
Truck Tool Box Buying Guide: Size, Fit, And Material Tips
Truck Tool Box 101: Understanding Dimensions, Security And Installation