Global Public Articles

Most truck enthusiasts know that your truck bed can be a blessing when you lack space in the cab of your truck. There are some items however, you may need to have at hand daily that aren’t suited for the bed of your truck. Whether you have emergency supplies, tools, or food for your crew, truck tool boxes can secure goods in a locked compartment, protected and organized. There are many other uses that might seem odd but could be beneficial to you depending on your need.

In the winter the roads can be extremely dangerous for drivers. Trucks are more likely to rollover than most cars; therefore it’s extremely important to weigh down the bed of your truck when the roads are icy. Some might not think this is required if you have four wheel drive or studded snow tires, but you’d be surprised how icy the roads can get. Hauling 50-100 pounds of sandbags or salt bags in your toolbox could help you out during the winter. Potting soil, gravel, or concrete can also be used to weigh down your truck and are easily kept in these storage areas. Plus, if you ever find yourself stuck in a ditch you can cut open the bag and use the salt or sand for traction and de-icing.

As a vehicle owner you must be prepared for any situation. Vehicle crashes in the United States hit over six million in 2005. With that many accidents on roadways each year owners must be prepared. Carrying blankets, jumper cables, radio transmitters, tools, flares, emergency lights, and an emergency kit is essential for any vehicle owner. With the limited space in most trucks it’s a great idea to put essential items in the bed of your truck. But, with changing temperatures, it’s harder to guard these essential items against rain, sleet or snow unless you stow them in a protected area.

A toolbox can also be handy if you are an active outdoorsman. Fishing rods, lures, nets, skies, snowshoes, and other gear can be securely locked inside and shielded from the outdoor elements during transport. Oftentimes these items cannot be placed in the truck bed for fear of being stolen, flying out when driving at high speeds, or being damaged in bad weather. Hauling these items in the house after every single outdoor adventure seems exhausting. Keep them year round in a secure area.

Not only are active outdoorsmen able to utilize them, but coaches for sports teams can use the space too. Coaches for football or baseball teams can keep vital paperwork like team consent forms, stats and flyers in a safe spot. You are also able to hold soccer balls, baseballs, bats, footballs, kicking stands, and uniforms in one compact area that is guarded from the elements. The last thing you want is to be the unorganized or unprepared coach. Don’t let your team down.

Artists can also utilize safe transport in their vehicles. Interested in driving up a forest service road to get the perfect view for your next painting? Easels, sketching pads, painting supplies, chalk, and canvasses can be stored easily while you make your way up that big mountain. Supplies can be expensive, so protecting them is of the utmost importance.

As you can see there are a multitude of uses for truck tool boxes. It’s always important to utilize space in a day and age where more space is always needed. Find a place to store your gear.

Andy West is a writer for Buy Auto Truck Accessories, the best online retailer for your trucks needs, including great truck tool boxes. For more information please visit BuyAutoTruckAccessories.com.

You don’t have to be a contractor or construction worker to know that adding ladder racks or just a rack in general, can vastly expand the capabilities of your vehicle and the different types of jobs that you can tackle. There’s never been a better time to research different types of add-on truck racks, including ladder racks, heavy-duty utility types, removable steel and aluminum cargo racks, even ones designed for the top of your panel van. So whether you’re toting a load of rebar to a construction site, or new double-pane windows to an existing home whose owner is trying to go green, you can be assured there is a specialty addition to your vehicle designed specifically for your needs.

When you consider an addition to your truck or van, there are a number of different factors that you need to think about. One of the most important features to consider is whether or not you want it to be a permanent addition to your vehicle. Adding a permanent addition has the advantage of giving you a very tough and robust carrying surface, but it does limit you to carrying loads in your truck bed of a certain size and shape. Removable racks allow you to carry whatever is necessary in the bed of your vehicle, including putting a camper shell on the back for occasional family vacations, and fishing trips. Some find it easier when having a portable office space on a remote construction site that might lack bathrooms, electric hookups, cooking facilities, or even basic shelter from high winds, rain, and other types of inclement weather. If you have a permanently installed rack above the bed of your truck, you have locked your truck into one configuration.

Permanent additions are great if you’re always hauling bundles of rebar or copper pipe or stacks of sheet rock. However, some like to have some flexibility built into a vehicle. If you run a small construction company, it may be better to install racks that can either be removed completely, or modified for a variety of tasks. If you carry a lot of long loads, such as lengths of pipe or tubing, then you should probably be looking at the kind that extends over the cab of the truck.

Another thing to consider when you’re evaluating the different types of ladder racks is what type of material they’re made of. Obviously steel ones will provide the greatest strength, but they’re also the heaviest kinds and they’ll add a lot to the gross vehicle weight, which translates into lower gas mileage. Gas prices have dropped in price, but they could soon rise again. If you want to keep your business profitable in the future, then you have to look at every angle that can help you to keep your costs down.

Researching the balance and strength of the ladder rack you need against the added operational costs will help you in the long run. Also important are the uses, future and present, of your addition. Don’t take the easy route and acquire additions to your vehicle without a thought out plan for its intent.

Buy Auto Truck Accessories, a leading online retailer of truck accessory products, offers products from rims to ladder racks. For more information please visit BuyAutoTruckAccessories.com.

Car buying has an entirely new dimension added to it when you will be spending that quarter of your waking life which represents your working hours in it. The need to pick the right vehicle is multiplied when you are an owner-operator, and repair money, as well as fuel money comes out of your own pocket or profit. Here we examine the best heavy duty trucks in Hong Kong, according to customer satisfaction and other features.

JD Power and Associates have been running a study on vocational truck owners for twelve years now, measuring customer satisfaction with the engines in their heavy duty trucks in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Several factors of these trucks for sale in Hong Kong are measured, including engine quality, engine performance, cost of ownership, and warranty.

Mercedes Benz vehicles have ranked highest among the manufacturers in satisfying their customers in this latest edition of the study.

The engines Daimler trucks of North America are supplied by Mercedes Benz. These engines received an index score of 760 on a 1000 point scale, with the second and third ranked engines as Cummins and Mack engines. Cummins engines scored 733 on the scale for heavy duty trucks in Hong Kong, while Mack, one of the biggest names, received 727 out of 1000.

The study new trucks for sale in Hong Kong was quite large, collating the responses of 2,692 primary maintainers of Class 8 trucks that were around 2 years old. Dump trucks, garbage trucks and concrete mixers were included in the study.

The study also revealed the importance of salesperson knowledge in customer satisfaction with their heavy duty truck engine in Hong Kong. Forty percent of the owners of trucks surveyed said that they either relied on the salesperson to choose an engine for them, based on information about how they would use it, or purchased their truck ‘as is’ from the sales yard. Across all of the brands, satisfaction was around 33 points lower out of 1000 for those who let the dealer choose their engine for them.

However, Kenworth is a brand of heavy duty truck in Hong Kong that has also consistently satisfied customers. An innovative swing out staircase in the Freightliner Argosy cabin gives the comfort and useability scores a boost.

The stairs have also been improved by being made wider and being given non-slip surfaces, and LED ilklumination is another plus. However, Kenworth still failed to make the top three list when it came to engine satisfaction.

Mack is another name synonymous with truck dealers in Hong Kong and heavy duty trucks in Hong Kong. Some of the benefits users mentioned with regard to the Mack Trident model included the pulling power of the 12L, 470 hp engine, as well as its fuel economy and reliability.

It comes with a choice of steer axle position, and has some very versatile features; city runs and interstate jobs can be completed with equal ease. However, Mack’s Trident still came up underneath Mercedes vehicle engines and Cummins engines in the customer satisfaction survey.

As one of the world’s most exciting and prestigious brand, Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong offers luxury passenger cars and commercial vehicles extensive choice of Vito, Sprinter, Viano, Actros, Axor and Atego to the customers in Hong Kong and Macau.

Your pickup truck is used for everything from recreation to serious hauling. A bed mat is one of the best accessories you can get to protect your truck from damage during all that heavy use. If you’re like most truck owners, you have a pickup because you haul home improvement supplies, grills, and don’t forget how many times friends have asked you to move furniture or pick up a delivery for them! But everything you toss in the bed of your truck has the potential to either be damaged or cause damage, even when your truck is simply sitting on the curb in the elements, rain and snow can do a number on your pickup’s bed.

There are plenty of reasons to invest in a high quality bed mat for your truck, all of them a convincing argument for spending the extra money:

Preventing extra abrasion: Whether you’re hauling logs for the fireplace, lumber for that weekend project or mulch for the flowerbeds, the abrasion you’ll get when you put materials in your truck bed can seriously scratch the paint. Loads like gravel can cause deep grooving and overall dulling of the finish that can lead to damage to the finish and ruin the look of the truck bed. This extra abrasion also leads to other problems that a good truck mat can protect against such as rust.

Extreme weather: is an enemy of any vehicle, but in a pickup bed rain and snow can collect and pool. Over time this slowly eats away at the paint in your truck bed, which can lead to bubbling of the paint and premature rusting of the underlying metal. Any rust at all in the bed of a pickup truck can lead to a quick 25% decrease in resale value —not something you want when you’re ready to sell or trade in your vehicle.

Decreasing cargo slide: is another great reason to have a good rubber bed mat. Hauling furniture, company cargo, great flea market finds or anything else requires gentle handling. It doesn’t matter how smooth the ride is if everything in the bed of your truck is sliding from side to side as you round the turns. A rubber bed mat does double duty as a shock absorber and a skid-resistant matting material so everything stays in place. You’ll be protecting both your truck bed and the cargo you’re hauling from damage.

Protection from spills: If you have to put something messy in the bed of your truck, a bed mat will save you a lot of clean up time and protect your paint finish from possible chemical damage. You can simply hose off the rubber mat or, if it is damaged, remove and replace it. You don’t have that option if you damage the actual finish of your pickup bed! Being safe is much better than being sorry.

Twice the dent protection: that’s what you’ll get with a bed mat over a spray-on bed liner. Lots of people are surprised to hear this, but rubber truck bed mats are thicker and have more shock absorption than spray-on liners, so they offer superior dent protection for the bed of your truck, which means you’ll be preserving the look and value of your truck at a minimal cost.

With five solid reasons to invest in a high quality bed mat for your pickup truck, your next step should be to shop around and compare features. There are contoured and universal styles as well as a variety of thicknesses. Just don’t neglect to get one if you want to get the best use out of your pickup and protect your truck at the same time.

Truck Customizers offers an array of products aimed at customizing your truck for all the harsh elements. The durable bed mat and truck liners are both stylish and useful. For more information please visit TruckCustomizers.com.

Buying a gift for your truck-obsessed man (or woman) can be difficult, but from bed mats to wheel covers, we’ve put together a list of great gift ideas that will win his heart and be sure to let him know that you really do understand his passion for his truck or SUV. Set his pulse pounding with any one of these great accessories for his pride and joy and you can’t go wrong!

Wheel covers or rims are one of the most popular ways men personalize their rides. If he’s been drooling over the chrome rims he sees on his friends’ trucks or SUV’s, you can be sure he wants a set of his own. Either take him on a shopping spree or talk to one of his closest friends, who can no doubt steer you in the direction of the style your guy has been checking out. As an alternative, consider a gift certificate for a good online auto accessories store so he can order exactly what he wants.

Bed mats protect his pickup truck bed from chips, dents and damage from rust and the weather. You can shop around to find custom contoured versions that are designed for his make and model of truck that fit over the wheel wells or find bed mats that can be trimmed to fit. Either way, he’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness in wanting to protect the value and appearance of his truck. A bonus for you is that when he’s hauling something for you, it will be protected from shifting and possible damage by the skid-resistant and cushioning qualities of bed mats.

Hood ornaments these days are incredibly beautiful and come in more styles than ever. Is he an avid fisherman? Hunter? Does he love a particular sports team? There are hood ornaments for all of these and more, including lovely replicas of antiques ornaments from the golden era of vehicles from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.

Tonneau covers are another way to protect the bed of a pickup truck that also protects the cargo. These are sometimes called truck bed covers and are basically a lid that goes over the truck bed and tailgate. There are lots of styles to choose from, ranging from very basic models to heavy duty locking ones. Compare models and prices to determine what you think your guy will like. Prices vary on these quite a bit, so keep your budget in mind. Like bed mats, these protect truck beds from the elements but have the added advantage of covering whatever is inside so no one can get to it. They also reduce drag and improve a truck’s energy efficiency - not a bad little gift for anyone who owns a truck these days.

Seat Covers give any truck or SUV added flair and comfort. Look for seat covers that match the recipient’s personality. There is also the added benefit of comfort while driving with padded seat covers. Materials should be practical, sturdy and the kind he’ll want to sink into for hours on the road. You can order custom seat covers or universal covers that slip on and snug to fit for a great custom look without the higher price tag.

Neon Kits are the gift of choice for the guy who wants his truck or SUV to stand out in a crowd, especially after dark. So, if you really want to light up his life and his truck, consider giving him a neon under car kit in a hot color like purple or red so no one will miss him when he cruises down the street.

If you stick with this gift list, you’ll have his birthday, Christmas and even some other occasions covered. Not to mention the fact that when his friends see his new bed mat, wheel cover or hood ornament, they’ll know he has the most awesome girlfriend around.

Truck Customizers offers an array of products aimed at customizing your truck for all the harsh elements. The durable bed mats and truck liners are both stylish and useful. For more information please visit TruckCustomizers.com.