Home made rear drawers

[Honey Badger]

Been reading through build posts on draw systems.
Most seem to date back to around 2010 -2012, there seemed to be a busy period.
After living with these draw systems,you have made yourselves, can anyone take the time to say, what they now think of them.
Are the wood based ones, stronger, quieter, stand up to use, or have they broken down.
Alternately,are the metal frame ones, like Sams, Mr.Cooks, Hi Lux one,any better, worse, rattlier.
What would you have done differently,in hind sight, if you made them again.
Thanks Steve..

 

[Chas]

Been reading through build posts on draw systems.
Most seem to date back to around 2010 -2012, there seemed to be a busy period.
After living with these draw systems,you have made yourselves, can anyone take the time to say, what they now think of them.
Are the wood based ones, stronger, quieter, stand up to use, or have they broken down.
Alternately,are the metal frame ones, like Sams, Mr.Cooks, Hi Lux one,any better, worse, rattlier.
What would you have done differently,in hind sight, if you made them again.
Thanks Steve..

In about 2008 Julian Voelker built me a drawer system, metal frame with wooden cladding. It is still going strong and it has had quite a bashing over rocky tracks in the Sahara and many other places, I have a rattle now which is probably the drawers but I have been very pleased with it.
I got him to build it so that the top surface was level with the rear seats when they were folded down, that meant I have deeper drawers than usual which gives masses of storage space.
My original plan was to sleep inside the truck, I have since removed the rear seats and fitted the fridge/freezer one side and use the other side for storage, and bought a roof tent.

 

[Honey Badger]

I also fancy the metal ducting with ply cladding.
My design, so far, sounds similar to yours.
My rear seats are split 60/40? (1 seat / 2 seats)
Draws, high as the back seat when folded fore ward, the little separate side pods, but a second sheet of ply,cut 60/40 and hinged to the top.
These can then be folded back over the folded seat backs,either (60) making single bed or both (60) and (40) making a snug double.
I only use for weekend fishing trips, I have all the fishing bivvies etc, but rats, I hate rats.

 

[Ben]

I've been very pleased with mine!

The idea of using cable trays was an excellent idea of Chris's, they work really well.

The skate board bearings bolted through these also work really well and the bearings can be bought very cheaply in bulk off ebay.

The runners I originally made out of alluminium box section but over time they became badly worn and the thin wall of the alluminium was starting to break through.

I also wasnt too happy with the construction of my drawer boxes using 3 or 4mm alluminium which was far too thick and alluminium angle in the corners to hold it all together.

I've recently remade the drawer boxes using 1.6mm galvanized sheeting and this has worked really really well and is much lighter. Obviously this relies on you having access to a guillotine and folder. But I'm sure there will be a metal fabrication place local to you who could cut and fold the metal for you for some cash.

For the runners I've replaced the alluminium box section with galvanized steel box section and this seems to be working much better and will be a lot stronger.

And finally the latches/locks. I originally used alluminium locks but as I broke 2 of them by using them as handles to pull the drawers out with I've now replaced them with proper stainless steel ones which look a lot stronger.

The construction of mine now is very similar to the proper bought ones from the likes of Black Widow. One thing they do with they're drawers which I considered for mine is to line the insides with marine carpet, this will certainly make them quieter and make things less likely to rattle.

They're is a few pics of my drawers on the link below:

http://www.landcruiserclub.net/forums/showthread.php/42837-LJ70-Build-Thread!/page220

I'm guessing the original posts where I originally made the drawers are quite a few pages back in my build thread, it must be atleast 2 maybe 3 years since I made them.

 

[AndyCook]

I built my drawers using same materials as Ben
They work well, but I do get some rubbing on the side runners of the drawers with the cable tray
Even with horizontal guide bearings
Partly because the cable tray flexes a bit, and partly because I bent a bit of the cable tray accidentally... So there is a High point sticking out

But pleased with them overall


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