Seneca Dog Boxes

[DIXIEDOG]

Well a little while back I posted up about looking for a place to purchase a good insulated aluminum dog box. Chuck Prather from the board was recommended, I had purchased from him in the past but hadn't thought about him on a dog box....I thought Plum Creek Kennel Supply was more into the smaller stuff....I was wrong he sells it all. So I gave him a call and ended up ordering a dog box through him.

Since I struggled to find many pictures of the boxes he sells I figured I'd take some pictures and post them up of my box I received yesterday, might help some other folks who are looking to purchase a dog box themselves.



Here's a shot of the business end...this is with the winter covers still on the doors. I did order my box custom with the slam flush mount latches rather than the T style or the slam latches that you padlock.



Here's a view of one of the doors with the cover off


View of the inside of the door to show the latch and winter cover clamp


View of the inside from the front door....note that this box uses foam board insulation contained within aluminum outside and aluminum inside....not the "insulated" aluminum that is a single sheet of aluminum with a plastic lining



Here's a shot of the inside of the lid....notice the support frame....much stronger than a lot of competitors lids that bend up in the middle



The storage area is carpet lined, Chuck stated the only wood in the box at all was the piece of wood that the carpet was attached to before it was installed.....nothing to rot in this box




Side vent open



Side vent closed


Spring loaded handles in corners on the sides of the box for easy loading and unloading as well as strapping the box down


Backside



There are 1/2" poly skids under the box which are great for keeping it out of standing water and loading/unloading....they slide well into the pickup






Overall the box looks impressive and Chuck was great to deal with....I'm not associated with him in anyway but figures I'd let others know about his product and service if they were in the market....it's tough to order something expensive like this and not have a good idea of what you're getting.



To contact Chuck at Plum Creek his number is 330-256-0530

[BCBeagles]

Chuck is as honest as they come...consider him a friend...a quality guy!

[Chuck Prather]

Thanks guys. I'm happy to earn your business, trust, and friendship!

[mjd]

They are nice boxes
Make sure you pull the latch to close the top storage or the brackets bend and eventually break off from straightening them

[Chuck Prather]

Mjd I never have had any complaints on anything breaking in storage area. If you can let us know so we can fix it. Thanks

[mjd]

Both sides of mine broke ,just tig them back on .i got my box used so i doubt its covered anyway .ive saw 3 this summer that were bent and broke and a cpl last yr ,diamond deluxe and continental were same way we just tig them ourselves its easier and cheaper then taking them back to the factory .like i said pull open the latch before closing and we dont have any trouble

[DIXIEDOG]

I'm surprised they have a problem since they look to be the same latching system as my aluminum truck tool boxes have used in the past. Thanks for the tip though, I'll pull the latch to avoid the chance for failure.

[Westridge Beagles]

Thanks for posting pics! Looks like a nice built dog box.

If you don't mind me asking... How much did it cost?

[DIXIEDOG]

As this one sits it was $680 ..... like I mentioned I did have some customizations on mine and I'm not sure how much effect that had on price. Your best bet is to send Chuck a PM or give him a call with exactly what you're looking for and he'll work up a price. This box is a pretty large box 46X46" depending on what dogs you haul and how many you may want a bit smaller box. I like to have extra room in case I get the urge to haul a few extras.


The price seemed pretty much inline with what most other folks were charging for an equal sized box, the big selling point for me was the no wood construction. You gain two major things with that, the box is lighter and you don't have to worry about bugs or rotting wood.

[nhharris78]

I have been pleased with their products over the last 6 years or so. I have some of their kennels, a traveler as well as full size box. The gas pistons for the top storage wasn't strong enough and wasn't long new ones arrived in the mail. They have replaced globes for the light bulbs in the boxes (I called to buy one) but they shipped to me free of charge. Only complaint I have and these may have been addresses by now is the latches on the kennels over time will rust out and dogs will be loose when u get home. Wish they were stainless. This great customer service was all handled directly from Seneca kennles themselves before they decided to have distributors. Nice looking box by the way

[Richie57]

Recently purchased a kennel and could not be happier with the quality of the workmanship. Actually one of the greater aspects is the light weight and how easy it is to move if you have to. I definitely would purchase from Plum Creek again. It's a breath of fresh to deal with folks like Chuck and their goal of meeting all their customers expectations.

[Hare Chaser]

My biggest issue with the metal boxes is that condensation forms on the metal parts on the inside of the box in the winter if your dogs are in the box for any length of time. If you have a couple of dogs together in a compartment it really creates condensation if they are in the box for extended periods of time. Gets worse if the dogs are wet after a hunt and you have a lengthy road trip. The box I had the whole metal portion above the dogs would condensate.

[Smoke'n Mack]

I just got a Seneca box this spring that replaced an older continental I had. My biggest complaint is the lack of room for dogs. I got the biggest Seneca box that the standard sizes come in. That old Continental had an extra foot in the runs that stuck out past the back of the top storage. I could easily fit 4 dogs a side in that box. With the seneca, 3 dogs a side seems to be getting them in there pretty tight. I should have done my homework there.

The trip to Maine this year, I'll have the old dog box back in the truck as the dogs live in it for a week.

Aside from that, the only other complaint I have is the vents are riveted onto the side of the box as opposed to being welded. That leaves a gap/crease for water to run down into. In my opinon, the corners and angle points should have been welded to seal it up tighter. I added some clear caulking that took care of it though.

I haven't had it to use during winter yet so I can't speak on how warm the dogs will stay in it. Seems like it'll be good though. It is extremely light too, which makes it nice to handle. Looks good too for sure.