DECKED Truck Bed Storage System Test and Review

patoz

Expedition Leader
I wonder if the original locks that they received were different than the ones they have now?

Commercial products can be changed by the supplier without notifying the buyer. The product may have started out as US made, but these definitely look like a low-bid Chinese knock-off. I've used similar locks before, but I've never seen this poor workmanship.


I agree, they are not even in the same league as the system itself. It's obvious whomever manufactures these locks has a serious quality control issue since the threads on one lock were OK, and the other one is completely defective.

I will probably uninstall them and put the plugs back in, because they are basically useless.
 
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patoz

Expedition Leader
Storage and Access

This is where I am so far. I took the items from two large 27 gallon plastic tubs, and the tools from two 24" Bostitch waterproof tool boxes, and tried to cram it all into the two drawers.

IMG_0234.jpg


Almost made it too!

Right now, the items are placed in the drawers according to what will fit where. However, I prefer to have things sorted according to use and urgency of need. Looks like this is going to be one of those 'trade-off' things.

IMG_0277.jpg


These drawers are fully extended and you can't see the last third of them, which is still under the deck in the bed. Since this system only has a set of rollers in the front and a set in the rear, the drawers are not capable of 100% extension. The area at the rear of the drawer has very limited access, and the items in the center of the drawer must be removed to gain that access. However, if you are carrying long tools, firearms, or fishing rods, etc. then this area is very useful. In my case, I placed a case of emergency bottled water in that area on the driver's side, and two of the Blue Ridge Overland Gear Bags containing jumper cables, extension cords, recovery gear, tow ropes, etc., on the passenger's side. Hopefully, these are items I won't need very often.

IMG_0283.jpg


I'm using the D-Boxes specifically as tool boxes, with some success but not ideal. Basically, everything is 'dumped' in there on top of each other. The two dividers do help somewhat, but they are nowhere near what is needed to qualify as a dedicated tool box. The mechanic's box on the right weighs around 50 lbs. which is the boxes limit, and this is without the socket sets. I'm very careful when trying to lift it out, which is a chore in itself.

IMG_0291.jpg


I'm using the larger gray dividers to keep the drawer contents from spilling into the space under the D-Boxes, once they are removed. The ones in the front next to the latch are not in a slot, because one does not exist in that area. I have plans for a custom divider to go there, but more on that later.

IMG_0293.jpg


Here you can see what happens when you attempt to open the loaded D-Boxes sitting in the drawers, which they were not designed to do. The hinge protrusion interferes with the opening process, as does the lock hasp on the front, and the sides of the drawer bulge outward some. The two flip open latches will not unlock with the box sitting in the drawer, but they can be left unlocked for easier access. The drawers come with a cross brace each that will help stabilize the flex in the drawer, but if you use the D-Boxes they are not required. This angle is somewhat exaggerated because the camera is not being held perfectly level.

IMG_0289.jpg


I will cover the D-boxes and dividers in more detail as I work with them more. I just wanted to show their capability as I'm using them right now.

And the last observation for today is, the need for some type of lock open device that would hold the drawers open at any extension point. My yard slopes slightly downward toward the street, and since the system uses such very good quality rollers, the drawers kept closing on their own every time I let go of them. Therefore, I had to come up with my own lock system which consist of a wooden wedge jammed between a roller and the drawer track. Hey, it worked!

IMG_0287.jpg

Maybe, a roller with a friction lock similar to what a caster wheel has, would work? Until then, I'll probably just replace the wooden wedges with some nice plastic or rubber ones, and carry them in the front of the drawers next to the latch, so they are handy.

That's all for now...
 
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patoz

Expedition Leader
Is it possible to stack two deck units, one on top of the other, for double storage?

Everything is a trade-off, unless you're buying file cabinets or foot lockers. Storage space doesn't seem to be a concern to dealers unless you're talking about a truck.


Since the system is designed to sit on a flat surface, and the top of the deck is a flat surface, I'm sure it could be done. It would just involve adding additional tie down points to the bed for the top unit's j-hooks.

The units are 12" in height, so two of them stacked would fill up a truck bed and may even be too high depending on what model truck is being used. Another problem may be the fit around the perimeter of the deck itself. Each deck is designed to fit the specific bed of the model of the truck it is made for, at the 12" high level. Therefore, a second deck would be 12" higher, and that perimeter profile may be different.



easy-assembly.jpg

01.jpg

The big drawback is, you're going to loose a lot of usable space down each side.
 

DECKED

Supporting Sponsor
Since the system is designed to sit on a flat surface, and the top of the deck is a flat surface, I'm sure it could be done. It would just involve adding additional tie down points to the bed for the top unit's j-hooks.

The units are 12" in height, so two of them stacked would fill up a truck bed and may even be too high depending on what model truck is being used. Another problem may be the fit around the perimeter of the deck itself. Each deck is designed to fit the specific bed of the model of the truck it is made for, at the 12" high level. Therefore, a second deck would be 12" higher, and that perimeter profile may be different.



View attachment 349228

View attachment 349229

The big drawback is, you're going to loose a lot of usable space down each side.

This is something we think is probably possible, but haven't tried it and certainly don't have any decent guidelines for how someone would go about doing it. Like Pat said, the height to which two systems would stack would present problems. Namely that they would sit above all but the deepest of beds (most aren't deeper than 22"). Additionally, the load rating of the top system would likely be compromised because it's contingent on the system sitting directly in a truck bed, not another DECKED system; the bottom system's being able to hold 2000 lbs relies on an even distribution of that weight, which a system on its top wouldn't adequately provide (think ammo cans whose bottoms are narrower than their tops).
 
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rlrenz

Explorer
One point to watch out for is the movement of tools back and forth as you drive. Periodically, my own toolboxes (Craftsman and Snap-On) have this problem - opening and closing the drawers can periodically cause something to jam the drawer, and you have to wiggle things for a while to get the drawer open - the worst cases sometimes require removing the upper drawer to access the jam from the top.

Granted, if I stored tools like the catalog photos (all sitting in cutouts, and perfectly aligned), I wouldn't have the problem - but there's no way I have the room (or the money) for that many toolboxes.

The solution might be a hinged cover or similar that could be closed on top of the trays that hold tools, or else storing tools well below the top of the tray or in a separate closed-top box.
 

DECKED

Supporting Sponsor
Lock Set
I don't know if these lock sets were an after thought or what, but considering their poor quality and sloppy tolerances, they do not belong on the DECKED System, which so far has proven to be a very high quality product in general.

Even if I get these components replaced, this Lock Kit is more of a visual deterrent than it is theft proof. Looking at it's design, a small flat bar would pop a drawer open with little effort.

I'm sorry D-Guys, but this item doesn't make the cut in my opinion! Maybe, you need to source these from somewhere else in the future.

No, we're sorry! The locks have been a source of frustration for us, too (awkwardly spinning a nut down 1.5" of threads will frustrate the most patient among us), but we've yet to see one that won't thread at all. Sent you an email - we'll get you sorted out, whether that's a new lock or a refund.

Though they definitely aren't bombproof, we generally think of the locks, like most locks, as a line of defense that make a thief's job harder and more time consuming; a dedicated thief will get into anything with the right tools and enough time. In any case, we're considering other options, but due to how our system works are mostly limited to a type of lock that in its basic mechanism is inferior to the lock in your tailgate, for example.
 

BigBrokenZJ

Active member
I'm subscribing to this..

On first impressions, how do you think it will hold up to dust? I know you have a camper shell.. but here in AZ the fine moondust likes to get into everything..
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
I'm subscribing to this..

On first impressions, how do you think it will hold up to dust? I know you have a camper shell.. but here in AZ the fine moondust likes to get into everything..


Thanks for following the thread...

The system is designed to stop rain, snow, leaves, etc., or anything else falling from above, from entering the drawers by means of overhanging surfaces and ridges, with a wiper type gasket across the front of each drawer. The drawers move in and out on four rollers each, in a 'C' Channel on top and a grove in the bottom of the drawer on the bottom. None of any of this is sealed in any way. Any water that enters the bed from underneath, such as from crossing a stream, etc. will go right into the drawers if it is deep enough. If you plan on a lot of crossings, I would suggest installing the Drawer Drain Kits and leaving them open.

If you have an open bed truck, and are running down a dirt or sandy road, or driving in the desert, I can almost guarantee the drawers will get quite a bit of dust in them. Especially, since the open truck bed creates a negative pressure area in it as the air moves around the cab and over the bed. With normal driving on pavement, you would probably see less dust inside the drawers than you would in just the open bed. But, even my truck with the shell on it will get dust inside just from driving on pavement. I'm looking into getting a tailgate gasket, but my tailgate is beat up pretty good on the inside, so I need to deal with that first.

Here you can see the gasket across the front of the drawer. The screws down each side of the drawer are just holding stiffeners to keep the drawer from bulging in the center.

IMG_0275.jpg
 

rlrenz

Explorer
I've fought dust, and the dust always wins

When I was testing equipment for General Dynamics, we tested for vibration, shock, rain, humidity, a bunch of other stuff, and sand & dust. It's virtually impossible to keep fine dust (eg: the Arabian peninsula) out of equipment - the equipment that came back from Desert Storm was found to have dust even inside supposedly sealed modules. Virtually everything that came back had to be totally torn down, solvent cleaned, and rebuilt to be usable. Even equipment arranged with a cyclone separator, a honkin' big Donaldson air cleaner, and a blower for positive pressure got dust inside.

About all you can do is use multiple layers of protection -- use weatherstriping wherever possible, close every door, close the drawer, and use plenty of Zip-Locks.
 

DECKED

Supporting Sponsor
Thanks for all of the great input Pat. We will be curious to hear how your "dust settles". We have driven hundreds of miles of dirt roads (we are based in Idaho where there is ore gravel than asphalt by a factor of 1000) in our trucks which do not have caps on them without dust being an issue. But we would like to hear how your experience goes or anyone else following this thread for that matter who has a DECKED system.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
Thanks for all of the great input Pat. We will be curious to hear how your "dust settles". We have driven hundreds of miles of dirt roads (we are based in Idaho where there is ore gravel than asphalt by a factor of 1000) in our trucks which do not have caps on them without dust being an issue. But we would like to hear how your experience goes or anyone else following this thread for that matter who has a DECKED system.


No dust here to settle, just rain, rain, and more rain! I'm thinking about taking the drawers out of the system and turning them into kayaks!

FI5GK14GH8AB6Q5.LARGE.gif
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
Well, yesterday I conducted my first liquid intrusion test!

Since it was Father's Day, I treated myself to a new DeWALT 20V ½” variable speed Drill Motor that came with two batteries, charger, and carry bag, and was on sale at HD for $99.00. I also wanted to pick up some socket storage rails, so I had the Decked drawers open where my tools are, and was figuring out how many I needed. I had just filled up my Insulated Tumbler with 16 oz, of Monster Energy Drink and ice, so I sat it on top of the deck while I counted the sockets.

I completed my shopping list, jumped in the truck and drove off, completely forgetting all about my drink. I'm sure you can guess what happened the first time I hit the brakes. Yep, the glass turned over and the entire 16 oz. spilled all over the deck. When I got home, I opened the drawers and checked for liquid inside the drawers, but did not find one drop in there. I will however, have a nice sticky mess to clean off the top of the deck in the morning.

Maybe, I should have flipped over one of the ammo can lids in the corner, and used it's build in drink holder...

Update! I got all of the Monster off of the Deck, the front of the drawers, and the 10" - 12" space between the drawers and the tailgate itself when closed. Some of it went under the drawers and frame in the bed ridges/valleys and there is no way to wipe it up without uninstalling the system, or removing the drawers completely and getting some very tiny person to slither into that space and wipe it up, neither of which is going to happen. I guess now I can look forward to a couple thousand ants moving into the back.

If I'd gotten to it immediately, I probably could have parked the truck on a hill with the rear facing downward and used a hose to flush it out, but that didn't happen either. I'm just glad it wasn't beer, because that's all I would need is to get pulled over by the cops and have my whole truck smelling like stale beer! This is also another good argument for not using a bed rug under it. It would trap and hold any liquid that gets under there.
 
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DECKED

Supporting Sponsor
The idea is that you could forget a 5 gallon bucket of Monster back there and be OK (but crazy sticky). Happy belated father's day!
 

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