It has been confirmed that Ford will be offering the "Tough Box" as an option on the F-150 as soon as this Spring, but what if you're not in the market for a Blue Oval with a bed? Don't worry, since it seems that there are companies perfectly willing to apply the same treatment to your General Motors pickup, specifically the Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon. SVE Fleet is a company that will add what it calls a Mid-Box to your pickup. Essentially the same thing as Ford's "Tough Box", the Mid-Box features two hinged doors at the leading edge of the bed that open up to reveal a deep storage space or slide out drawers that can store tools. In fact, SVE Fleet can even add a Mid-Box to an F-150 if you really can't wait for the "Tough Box" to become available when the snow thaws.Speaking of the "Tough Box", thanks to Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com, we've learned a few more details on Ford's newest feature for the F-150. The Blue Oval has tapped 2nd stage manufacturer Decoma International to build the "Tough Box" option into existing F-150s that are shipped to them from the factory with a short bed on a long wheelbase. The "Tough Box" can also be outfitted in many ways for either storage of larger items or with slide-out trays for smaller tools. Rumor has it that the "Tough Box" came into being from a request by the fertilizer company that produces Scott's Miracle-Gro. Federal regulations demand they keep solid and liquid fertilizers separated during transport, so they were faced with either driving two separate trucks or finding one with separated compartments. In its quest to keep the F-150 atop the sales chart, Ford stepped up with a factory-backed solution.
[Source: SVE Fleet via GMInsideNews, Pickuptruck.com]
