LATEST PROJECT - Truck Drawers/Sleeping Platform

***FOR SALE!***

I've had many offers to buy these drawers over the years - and now is your chance! As my wife an I look to our next adventure vehicle, we have decided to part with this drawer system. It has treated us incredibly well for years and I hope we can find a happy new owner for them. I am willing to sell it as a whole system including the water tank, water heater, and space heater or parts of it. Please send me a PM to express your interest and we can discuss pricing, etc. from there.

Due to size and weight, I am NOT interested in shipping. Must be local pick up near Calgary, Alberta.
 

theREDwonder

Observer
***FOR SALE!***

I've had many offers to buy these drawers over the years - and now is your chance! As my wife an I look to our next adventure vehicle, we have decided to part with this drawer system. It has treated us incredibly well for years and I hope we can find a happy new owner for them. I am willing to sell it as a whole system including the water tank, water heater, and space heater or parts of it. Please send me a PM to express your interest and we can discuss pricing, etc. from there.

Due to size and weight, I am NOT interested in shipping. Must be local pick up near Calgary, Alberta.

Interested! I sent you a PM.
 
Has anyone used alternate methods for connecting the 1" square tube to the drawer sides? I do not have brazing equipment. Thanks!
I was thinking about drilling bolt hole entirely through metal and wood (diameter that fits bearing ID), then using a stepped bit to ream out one side of the metal tubing. This would allow me to get another lock nut inside the metal tubing instead of brazing.
 

Beems

New member
Like others, I used this build for some major inspiration, along with a few others:
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/i-made-some-drawers.189395/#post-2425844
https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...glue-lightweight-platform-update.93292/page-9

After looking through all of the wonderful builds and considering options, I have a design that I am getting ready to build. I am sharing the design to see if anyone else has thoughts and tips.
Mine is a similar setup for the back of my Tacoma (3rd Gen short bed). I will put together a more complete description together into a stand-alone post once I build it, but here is the design, in case others need some inspiration.
I liked the sliding "stretcher" design that Oyster9 used for vertical storage, but wanted to be able to have a flat top. So, I am going to use some 80/20 aluminum sections to serve as cantilevers for when the slider is in the lower position and as supports to put the slider level with the rest of the build. It will also allow me to put some tie-downs in there if I need them.
I made a few other changes, like not making the drawer the full length, adding some cutouts on the drawer to access my stove's knobs, and a little "tube shelf" on the side to hold small things. I also will make a little extender piece to be able to drop the tailgate and extend the stretcher out a bit more to sleep full length on clear summer days. I also found non-locking 200lb capacity, 32" inch throw sliders for $30 at a local cabinetry shop, which was cheaper and narrower than the bearing design. Of course, that was after ordering in 100 bearings to now offload. (Anyone in Boise need bearings?)
There are a lot of sneaky details, like making the weight-reduction cutouts of the base a bit larger than the lids to use them as supports, sizing the holes to accommodate the 80/20, etc. I heard that 1.5 inch 80/20 is easier to work with than 1", so am planning on using that with acetal strips on the edges of the stretcher for a bearing surface.
The psych is high for getting started into getting wood and building! Any tips and thoughts are certainly welcome!BedBuild_Photo.pngBedBuild_Photo2.pngBedBuild_Photo3.pngBedBuild_Photo4.pngBedBuild_Photo5.png
 

Attachments

  • BaseBox.pdf
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  • Drawer_Drawing.pdf
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  • ExtenderDrawing.pdf
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  • StoveCover_Drawing.pdf
    28.7 KB · Views: 42

Quixster

New member
Continued

The entire top of each drawer pulls out to act much like a fridge slide. This will let us load heavy objects with ease. Side wings with access hatches to the wheel-well areas were added along with "pockets" at the tailgate to house the important stuff. You can also see the faucet installed on the far right.
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And ... CARPET! We chose to leave the hatches in natural birch - the grain was too nice to cover in carpet!
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Fridge/bed slide
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... with FULL extension! Holds at least 200lbs at full extension.
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Access ports to water tank and mechanicals - if these small hatches are not enough, the whole panel lifts off easily.
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Hot and cold water is supplied by the integrated faucet on the right side. A power switch was installed within easy reach to be able to cut power to the pump if necessary. The pump has a built-in pressure switch which automatically shuts the pump off when the faucets are closed.

Faucet with flex-spout allows us to fill large pots easily or reverse it and shoot up for an impromptu water fountain!
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Switch - simple illuminated rocker switch to remind us to turn the pump off before we hit the road (just in case!)
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A hose can also be attached to aid with bike washing and of course - HOT SHOWERS!!! This is a 15' coiled hose. It has a standard male hose thread on the end you can't see - simply screw on a garden sprayer or the like and you are good to go.
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CONCLUSION

This has been an incredibly rewarding project and we look forward to many years of adventures with it. Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have.
I know this post is old but it inspired me to build mine. I’ll post it up when finished.
 

waconialaker

New member
looking to build storage system for E250 Econoline High Top Conversion van. I've removed my third seat to allow space for storage system. I will have 2-3 dog kennels on top a 1 drawer system along one side and plan on having the top slide out to access the 2-3 dogs in kennels. Other side will have similar, just match narrower drawer with top slide out to access gear.

My question has to do with sound/rattling of the steel bars/rollers vs the sound of building a drawer slide out not using bars/rollers. I love the system above, just would hate to build this to find out I have a real rattle trap driving down the road. We love to get some feedback regarding sound from individual who have built a system using bearing/steel bars. Thanks!
 

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