COMPARISON: Big Mouth Step Boxes vs. Standard Step Boxes

Comparison guide: Big Mouth Step Boxes vs. Standard Step Boxes

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Introduction:

The step box has been a major player in the semi truck storage accessory market for years. Nearly every truck storage accessory manufacturer makes one because they’re so saught-after, and so useful as a storage option.

I mean, what better way to provide additional storage for your truck than to put a toolbox on an empty portion on the frame of your truck, that also doubles as steps up to your truck deck that you have to access anyway?

Convenience, safety, storage. Brilliant, right?

For sure! However, as brilliant as the step box may be, we found some flaws in the design and execution of them. So we put our designers and engineers to work improve them. The result is badass. We call them the Big Mouth Step Boxes. In this post I’m going to tell you how they’re different (and better) than conventional step boxes.

First, how traditional step boxes and Big Mouth step boxes are the same:

When we redesigned the step box to create the Big Mouth step box, we needed to make sure that we didn’t remove functionality that made the standard step box so useful. Everything had to be familiar so that the product would be instantly recognizable, and work similarly to a conventional step box. As a result, many things remain the same:

• Sizes (widths) available.
• Three steps are included for each box. Two below the door, one on top of the box.
• The door is accessible from the front of the toolbox while the user is standing on the ground.
• Same material and overall build quality.
• The boxes mount using the same style mounting brackets.
• Price point (within reason).

Where Traditional Step Boxes Fail:

The primary location that step boxes fail is their opening size. With the door open, the opening of a traditional step box is generally the full width of the box, but with a narrow opening height. Yes, this design allows for multiple strorage options, but placing and accessing large items can be quite cumbersome. And, if you need to access an item at the bottom of the box, you most likely would have to pull everything out of the box in order to get to that item. Not ideal.

The other item we wanted to address was the door folding down (or out). When the door is open and folds out, we found that it created further access issues. Truckers have to reach over or around the door to access their items. While not a major issue for smaller boxes, this issue was magnified as the boxes became wider, or as boxes were being fitted tighter in truck frames.

So, off to the drawing board we went…

Big Mouth Design Features & Improvments Breakdown:

Our designers had their work cut out for them, but they were able to address each concern systematically, and the result is pretty slick.

• Opening size made 50% larger.
  We extended the opening beyonf of the front face of the box upwards and back to include the top of the box. This creates a 50% larger opening that makes storing and accessing larger items much more convenient and less combersome. At the same time, finding items that may have fallen or been stored at the bottom of the box become easier to access as well.

  But what about the top step? The doors are build strong enough to allow us to out the top step on top of the door. Problem solved. 

• Door opens upwards instead of down (or out).
  By making the box’s opening larger, that meant that the door had to become larger, too. If we kept the conventional down/out design, then we’d have created an even larger access issue than the traditional step boxes had. Our engineers were able to move the hinge to the top of the box, which allowed the lid to open upwards.

  This, however, created a it’s own concern. What if the truck is parked on an angle? What if it’s a windy day? The door could fall down on trucker’s arms or hands while they were accessing the box.

  To fix this, we’ve given the door and top step plenty of clearance so that it opens well past it’s balance point when opened fully, while still avoiding the door bumping up against the side of your truck or deck plate. This avoids damage to your truck, and provides more leeway when you haven’t parked perfectly level or the wind is significant that day.

The Result:

The result is a new step box product that addresses every major concern that befell traditional step box designs previously. We’ve created a step box that makes accessing and storing items much easier, while maintaining all of the features that already made the step box a great truck accessory.

Some truckers are diehards, so we’ll continue to make traditional step boxes for the forseeable future, but as more and more truckers learn about our new Big Mouth Step Box design, the more they are switching to this new superior configuration.

Learn More or Get Pricing:

• Visit our Big Mouth Step Box product page >>
• Visit our traditional step box produc page >>
• Contact us >>