We’re teaming up with Makita to take a deep dive into what sets the MAKTRAK modular storage system apart from the competition. I had the opportunity to chat with Austin Donoghue, who is the Product Manager for MAKTRAK, to learn why this platform is designed the way it is and how it makes a difference in the way you work.
Innovation for US Jobsites
Before we dive into the system specifics, it’s helpful to understand the roots of Makita’s journey that brought MAKTRAK to the market. This project is one that Makita USA’s team had control of from start to finish. That might not seem like a big deal at first glance, but it means the design team was able to research, engineer, design, and develop the system with input from US-based contractors for the way they work.
That had a couple of significant advantages. Even though Makita has taken longer to bring its rugged modular storage solution to life, the team was able to learn firsthand the major pain points contractors have with other options in the space. They also saw how integral pickup trucks are to the way we work in this country.
These revelations drove MAKTRAK’s development, and three years after the decision to enter the race, this platform is ready to revolutionize the way you think about rugged modular tool boxes. Adding icing to the cake, the system is Made in the USA using global materials.
Four Pillars of Problem-Solving Design
Transportation
The pickup truck is an integral part of the US construction scene, and that in itself is at odds with most designs. Other modular systems start with a basic footprint and build up from there. In order to load or unload, you have to break down and then reload your stack. It’s extra effort and time that takes its toll over the course of the day.
If you carry a wide range of boxes to get through the day but grab just the ones you need for the job at hand, there’s the additional pain point of having your boxes scattered around the bed. Instead of quickly reorganizing your rolling box and getting on with the work, you spend more time searching and crawling around.
Of course, these boxes are marketed as rugged, and many contractors seem to see that as a challenge to prove it by dropping them out of the truck instead of lifting them up and setting them down. While the boxes themselves often take the abuse, the wheels and axles of the rolling bases are frequently damaged. They certainly don’t do you a lot of good if they can’t roll.
Then there are the handles on those base boxes. If that handle sticks up above the rim of the bed, it’s like a bright red or yellow flag saying, “Look over here—I’m full of expensive tools!”
While some Pros handle this by adding a tonneau cover, the current solutions to make the box fit underneath it still aren’t ideal. Some have a removable handle, adding extra steps when you’re loading and unloading. There’s a low-profile handle option that’s better, but its vertical stacking orientation still limits how many boxes you can keep together with the cover closed.
Makita’s MAKTRAK deals with all of these pain points using a horizontal approach. The base rolling box attaches to the handle in a way that extends out from the base rather than up. With that design, you can build your stack out and still fit under a tonneau cover while keeping everything connected.
When it’s time to load or unload, MAKTRAK’s premium handle with Gecko Grips™ is, quite frankly, brilliant. For unloading, you pull the stack forward, securing your grip with the large side handle on the base box. When the top of the handle reaches the edge of your tailgate, the Gecko Grips™ feet keep it from slipping as you lower the wheels to the ground. For loading, simply reverse the process.
There’s no need to break apart the stack and scatter boxes, the wheels and axles aren’t abused, and you save time and effort. It’s a win-win.
Access
If you’ve used a rugged modular toolbox system, you know what happens when you try to open the boxes while connected to the rolling base. You might get the top one open, but the handle blocks access to any others since it’s on the same side as the hinges. Once again, you have to break apart your stack to get to the tools or accessories you need, adding more fatigue and taking up more time.
With MAKTRAK’s horizontal approach and hinges oriented out to the side of the handle, you can access any of the boxes, even with others still connected on top.
That creates a potential pain point, though. What happens if you’re on one side of the truck but the latches are on the other?
The design team thought of that, too. Thanks to dual hinges, the large boxes can open from either side. While the smaller boxes have just one set of hinges, the MAKTRAK connection design allows you to attach boxes facing either direction, so you can stack whichever way is the most convenient.
The latch design on these boxes is noteworthy, too. Makita’s are much larger and more robust, allowing you to get an entire gloved hand underneath to open them up. For those of us feeling some joint pain or are starting to lose some hand strength, it’s a big deal.
Storage
MAKTRAK’s horizontal design opens up serious storage advantages as well. Makita’s foundational footprint spreads out instead of up, stretching laterally.
One major benefit is that it can accommodate larger tools, such as rotary hammers and power cutters, that don’t fit in other systems. Even larger tools that do fit, like reciprocating saws, framing nailers, or rear-handle saws, have to go into those other boxes at an angle, taking up most of the space and limiting how much other gear you can store.
With MAKTRAK, you not only store those tools in a more space-efficient manner, but they’re also easier to access since you’re not piling them on top of each other so deeply.
This opens up possibilities in markets that have been untapped or only lightly helped by rugged modular storage. Industries that use longer tools and accessories now have a better option than before. Concrete, agriculture, and even lawn care/landscaping all enjoy significant benefits from Makita’s design. Then there are other opportunities for outdoor, overlanding, off-roading, tattooing, maker spaces, crafting, and so much more.
Organization
Makita’s design team found significant room for improvement in the area of organization as well. For example, consider the rolling toolbox. Inside, there’s a storage tray. That’s something most rolling boxes include. But by simply giving it side handles instead of a center handle, that tray has a more effective area to organize your gear. Instead of only being able to store a couple of batteries in it while your charger and other batteries are scattered around the bottom of the box, you can organize them all neatly in the tray.
For the rolling and large boxes, there’s a divider. That’s not a common feature, and Makita takes it even further by including MOLLE-style connectors. With a ton of MOLLE accessories available on the market, you can add pouches, tool sheaths, pockets, and more to customize your box. You can also use hook and loop straps to connect gear.
Those MOLLE dividers connect to the lids of the rolling and the large boxes as well, making use of what is normally empty, unusable space. It’s a feature that makes MAKTRAK more versatile and can save you money by reducing the number of additional boxes you need.
On some organizer boxes, the lid sections over the bins recess in and take up some of your space. Even though it seems like a small thing, it can inhibit your ability to store longer screws and bits. Makita went in the opposite direction and popped up the lids slightly, expanding the storage volume. Even if what you have in there stands slightly above the rim of the bin, there’s a good chance it will still close. At the same time, the lid design still prevents travel between organizer bins, so you don’t lose that functionality.
There’s even innovation in the bin design. For the deeper bins, you’ll have the option to have a shallower bin nest in, turning one bin into two. You can also add a divider, potentially turning one deep bin into four smaller ones, and helping you customize your organization.
What’s Next for Makita MAKTRAK?
What’s available for MAKTRAK now is just the beginning of this storage and organization platform. While exactly what’s coming up on the roadmap is still under wraps, I can tell you that much more is in the works for primary storage and accessories.
The design tells us something about what’s in store, though. The wider, longer footprint offers the opportunity for multiple box sizes beyond the basic full and half sizes. It’s a design that not only solves pain points with today’s modular systems but is also ready to scale in ways we haven’t seen before.
Visualize Before You Buy
Makita set up a helpful tool on its website to help you build out your own MAKTRAK system and see how it fits in the bed of a full-size pickup.
Start by dragging each component into the bed. At the bottom, you can see what the dimensions of the stack are and compare that to the available space in your own truck. If you need to remove a box, click the undo button, or clear the whole thing and start over.
At any stage, you can also create a 3D rendering and move it around to any orientation you’d like to see.
Once you’re satisfied with the build, click the list button to see exactly which boxes you chose with their corresponding model numbers.
Click here to build your system!
What Are You Waiting For?
Makita’s MAKTRAK rugged modular storage system is shaking up the space with a complete rethink of fundamental design assumptions. The result is a storage and organization platform that’s purpose-built for US jobsites in a way that makes you more productive. So, check out the MAKTRAK website to start building out your system or head over to your favorite Makita retailer to purchase the components you need and start enjoying the benefits today!
