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When it comes to installing a custom ute toolbox in South East Queensland, there are many options available. Ute toolbox options include options around the size of the toolbox, the configuration of the toolbox, safety considerations and the type of metal they are made from. Perhaps the biggest consideration is the type of metal your ute toolbox is made from, which we will examine in this article.

Ute toolboxes are predominantly made from two types of metal; aluminium and steel. These two types of metal both have advantages and disadvantages but have remained popular due to their performance. The choice of material for your ute toolbox really revolves around how you will use your ute toolbox i.e. the purpose of your ute toolbox.

So let’s look at both!

Steel Ute Tool Boxes

As the name suggests, steel ute toolboxes are made of steel. Steel is a very strong metal and is ideal when super durability is needed, particularly in very rugged applications. For example, the mining industry in Queensland often uses steel ute toolboxes on their ute trays because they carry around very heavy mining equipment which can damage less dense types of metals if the equipment becomes dislodged or bounces around on the ute tray. Other industries in South East Queensland which use heavy industrial or commercial grade equipment also rely on steel ute toolboxes for their strength and durability.

If you work in one of these industries, you will already have a pretty good understanding of the workload, possibly by observing how steel ute trays perform or possibly through trial and error. If you carry around heavy equipment like jackhammers, sledgehammers and sharp poles, then you need your toolboxes to be strong and rugged enough to withstand regular high impacts and mitigate against your toolboxes becoming damaged.

Despite their strength, steel ute toolboxes have their disadvantages, in particular increased weight, weight-related increased fuel consumption, mechanical wear and tear and of course corrosion. Consequently, other types of ute toolboxes can be considered, especially in more urban areas of South East Queensland such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Aluminium Tool Boxes

Aluminium toolboxes are made from aluminium. Aluminium is a very lightweight silvery metal. In its purest form, it is very soft and malleable and not what you would expect a ute toolbox to be made from. However, by mixing aluminium with other types of metals to form an alloy, different grades of aluminium can be created with very useful properties. Manufacturers of ute toolboxes have capitalised on the properties of aluminium alloys to deliver aluminium toolboxes to the South East Queensland market.

Perhaps one of the most attractive features of aluminium ute toolboxes is their weight. Aluminium ute toolboxes are very lightweight which provides obvious benefits, reducing the kerb weight of your ute and increasing its capacity. The weight is also very important in terms of access to your ute tray or ute canopy. If your ute has drop-down sides, imagine the difference in weight just putting the sides of your ute tray up and down! Over the course of a day or a week, the amount of lifting would really add up and could get quite tiring, reducing your ability to do the work that really matters.

Urban areas of South East Queensland such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast are located close to the coast, so it is important to consider corrosion as a factor when choosing between aluminium and steel toolboxes. Aluminium is very resistant to corrosion as it is non-ferrous and rust-free. In South East Queensland it is common for tradies to also use their vehicles as recreational vehicles, with a particular focus towards driving on the beach and sand to access the best fishing, surfing or swimming spots. Exposing your vehicle, ute tray and toolboxes to salt and sea air increase the risk of corrosion. This means aluminium tool boxes, aluminium ute trays and aluminium custom canopies are a clear choice if you want to protect against corrosion while continuing to regularly frequent coastal areas in South East Queensland.

So while metal is a clear choice, there are of course other considerations when deciding which type of metal ute toolbox is best for you. Ultimately it becomes a balancing act and you will need to prioritise the features that best meet your purpose.

Our team at 4WDaccessories Direct has a lot of experience with both steel and aluminium tool boxes, ute trays and custom canopies and have seen first-hand how each performs. Feel free to talk to us about what you need and pick our brains. From concept to completion, we are here to help. If you are in the market for a ute toolbox in South East Queensland, give us a call or better yet visit us in person to see what we can do for you.

Contact us to find your best ute toolbox

When potential customers in South East Queensland contact us about designing a custom ute tray for them, one of the questions we always get asked is, “Can aluminium ute trays carry the same load as steel ute trays? Ingrained in this question is the notion that steel is stronger, so therefore it must follow that it can carry more!

If we think about this there is some logic to it. For example, a landscape gardener in places like the Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast who needs to carry things like soil, rocks, gravel, concrete and heavy machinery would naturally think that it would make sense to opt for a stronger material to build their custom ute tray with. In terms of the tray itself and the sides of the ute tray, this would make perfect sense. After all, steel ute trays in South East Queensland are built for hard yakka and landscape supplies can be quite damaging. Steel ute trays also look strong and sturdy so it is natural to be attracted to these features.

However, steel ute trays in South East Queensland, while strong and durable, come with a tradeoff – compared to aluminium ute trays, they reduce the load capacity of the vehicle due to the heavier weight of steel. It is not the ute tray itself that determines the load capacity. The weight of the ute tray is only one part of the equation. Rather the basis for all load calculations is the carrying capacity of the ute itself.

On average most ute makers would claim their ute has a carrying capacity of around one tonne. This is the total weight the vehicle can carry. After purchasing a ute, many ute owners add aftermarket accessories to their ute such as custom ute trays, under tray toolboxes and ute canopies. The added weight of all these accessories needs to be deducted from the original carrying capacity advertised by the manufacturer to arrive at the true load capacity.

Therefore comparing load capacity between aluminium ute trays and steel ute trays becomes a little more complicated. A typical alumininium ute tray weighs around 100kg whereas an average steel ute tray can weigh around 250-300kg. The difference between the two (150kg – 200kg) becomes quite significant when calculating overall load capacity. Adding a customised or aftermarket steel ute tray can actually reduce the load capacity of the original vehicle by as much as 150 -200kg compared to an aluminium ute tray that on average would only reduce the load capacity by 100kg.

On the other hand, imagine suspending a steel ute tray and an aluminium ute tray side by side on a crane and loading them up with rocks! The steel ute tray would undoubtedly be able to carry more rocks than the aluminium ute tray before giving way. This is a function of the strength of the steel. In this instance, the load/capacity of the steel ute tray would be clearly greater. That said, some aluminium alloys are actually very strong and can withstand surprising amounts of pressure, so it would be a mistake to assume aluminium is not strong.

Of course, suspending ute trays on a crane is not what happens in real life! While there are other factors to consider, such as weight distribution, in practical terms, steel ute trays significantly reduce load capacity compared to aluminium ute trays and so careful consideration needs to be given when adding aftermarket ute trays to your vehicle.

A word about Hydraulic Tippers.

The use of hydraulic tippers is becoming increasingly popular as they can be added as an aftermarket accessory fairly efficiently. Therefore, it is also important to consider the weight of the hydraulic tipper in the planning stage to ensure your ute will still have the load capacity you require. Our team at 4WDaccessoriesdirect can help you with advice and calculations when customising your ute tray.

In practical use, aluminium ute trays compete fairly well with the steel ute trays in terms of the load capacity they help deliver. It becomes a bit of a trade-off between the strength of the tray itself and the overall load capacity. It is important that your ute tray is fit for purpose and does the job you need it to do. Custom ute trays allow for careful design and planning to ensure your ute tray does in fact meet all your needs.

Please talk to us about the many options we can provide you, including aftermarket accessories and fully customised ute trays, toolboxes and canopies.

Contact us to discuss adding an aluminium or Steel Ute Tray to your vehicle