What do you store in your tongue box?

[TCJ]

Trying to decide if I want a tongue box, and if yes, how large. Any advice?

(I guess I should rephrase . . . I know everyone is going to tell me how great it is to have extra storage for muddy stuff in the tongue box; my question really is: "how essential is it?". Would you manage just fine without it? How inconvenient would it be to use instead a plastic bin in the back of the tow vehicle for all this stuff?)

[TimC]

I have the Jack-E-Up jack system and store the "a-frame" jack in the box anytime I am hitched to the tow vehicle.

Wheel chocks, lug wrench and adapter, Jack foot and wheel, diy pallet ground mats for door mats, small folding table, tent stakes, stake hammer, ropes for awning, small ax.

All that balances the tongue weight nicely and provides a good place for wet, muddy items. The only upgrade I am considering is a small ventilation fan to circulate air when wet stuff is in there. Have had some mold issues when I don't let things dry out properly.

[swoody126]

i wondered about this myself

so while visiting several events i took pictures so i could remember

there were 3 categories to answer the OP

the obvious junk/heavy/dirty/metal stuff folks don't want in their bedroom a/o in the family vehicle to be loaded n unloaded every time a trip was panned

the A/C

the electrical system/battery pack/charger ...

several tongue boxes had combinations of the 3 categories

some tongue boxes were commercially built aluminium or plastique units for pick-ups and other trailers obviously afterthoughts and most of those simply contained junk

some were intentionally designed as major components of the whole rig and color/material/shape coordinated to the rest of the rigs

the ones i lean toward the most are the ones that house the A/C and electrical systems that are obviously part of the owner's/builder's original design briefs

with some inventive design work cubbies for awning poles n stakes and other metal camping accoutrements can be hidden away butt still readily accessible

hope this helps

sw

[tony.latham]

Wheel chocks, leveling blocks, lug wrench, 12-volt air compressor, flat repair kit, folding shovel, and on occasion, an electric chainsaw. And probably some junk I can't remember.



I can't conceive of not having a place to store that stuff.



Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

Our design evolved from a separate tongue box into a "utility compartment" built into a ten foot long tear



Mainly, we wanted to be able to sit up in the cabin and not worry about our heads dealing with the curve. The utility compartment goes up to the start of the curve. The volume in the curve above the compartment is behind our headboard and accessible from the cabin. We use it to store nature books, park guides, reading material, and sometimes a DVD or two.

In the utility compartment, we have the air conditioner permanently mounted, and we store an Eazy-up, a folding camp table, two folding camp chairs, a privacy shower tent, rubber mats to put under our cabin doors, an extension cord (for when we have shore power), rope and tent stakes to secure the Eazy-up when it's windy, a mosquito net, the crank to put down the legs, chocks, a leveling block, a hitch lock, and a wheel or pad for our tongue jack.

Of course, everyone wants more storage, and the only reason we don't add a true tongue box is the front compartment door, which we open when using the air conditioner. It's located off-center so we can add a propane tank on the front.

Of course, the downside is our galley isn't as deep as it would be. We keep the cooler in the back of our truck, and sometimes a plastic bin with more food. That way, our lunch is automatically with us when we drive from camp to explore. Also, the food is away from our sleeping area: As an old cold warrior I'll tell you, and as events the past few days prove, never trust the bear!

Tom

[friz]

Dirty hitch related stuff, tools, dirty camping stuff, solar, chocks and locks.

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[twisted lines]

Mine :

[friz]

Mine :

I never thought that was an option.

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[pchast]

Wheel/bearing repair stuff, jack stand/stabilizers, Rags, Hitch pins, lite line and a tarp.
The batteries and solar charge controller are in a box in front of the Tongue box.

[gudmund]

small cartridge grease gun for them Dexter grease axle zert's - nice halfway point for the 5lb fire extinguisher stored inside if ever needed......(the 2.5lb one is just inside between the driver's door & base of the driver's seat with the Mag Lite...........fit's good there w/can of bear spray)

[working on it]

* No muddy stuff in the box or inside the trailer; it all goes in the pickup bed.

* The tongue box holds my Optima Yellowtop battery, spare lenses for the taillights, nuts+bolts+other spare hardware, two strings of rope lights, a tap & die set, a dead-blow hammer (two-lb hammer in the truck box), sidewall for the canopy, assorted electrical adapters, 12ga+14ga extension cords (probably 150ft combined), and a jack handle (with socket) for my tongue-mounted scissor jack.

* There may be more in there, but those items are on every trip.

[TCJ]

This has been so useful; thanks to all who chimed in. And keep them coming if there's more!

[MickinOz]

I have a tongue box which I was much opposed to installing, but now could not do without.
It currently contains:
2 folding chairs
camp table
1 collapsible firepit
small hatchet
1 set of pre-greased wheel bearings with spare axle nut and split pin
spanner for the wheel nuts
butane stove

My battery is under the galley bench, and I am looking for a way to store the firepit there too, just for weight distribution purposes.

[Gulfcoast]

If you were going to buy a new tongue box.... where would you buy it? Aluminum or plastic? Thanks

[MickinOz]

I found the cost of store bought a bit off-putting.
It's definitely a case of "you get what you pay for" here, and anything I liked was getting pricey.
So I knocked one together from plywood off cuts left over from the build.
It gave me something to do after work other than decompress with red wine.

I think I'd look at plastic ones to be honest, as long as they were the right colour.