LJ storage drawers

[roadkill]

any other LJ owners here interested in some composite drawers that AT is now selling? http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21153 the drawers they have in production now do not fit the dimensions of the LJ well at all. if I can get 5 people to step up Martyn will custom make a drawer system for that will fit behind the rear seat of the LJ.

 

[Haggis]

I'd be interested depending on the price point.

 

[TCM]

I am very interested. I was going to get the Tuffy drawer but if Martyn will make one of his drawers I would go that route for sure. Ideally it would fill the entire space between the wheel wheels in width and height, back up against the rear seat, leave just enough room for the tail gate to close and be evenly split between two drawers. Even better would be two side panels that extend over the tops of the wheel wells to create a flat platform from one side of the tub to the other. Basically the Tuffy system, but split into two drawers instead of one. By virtue of the composite construction they would also be lighter and have much better sound deadening. Sign me up.

 

[roadkill]

also would need to let the seat fold forward with the box in place. this way it could be removed or folded incase the seatbelt latches fall back behind the seat. I was wanting one drawer but two would work also.

 

[TCM]

Good point about the need for the seat to fold forward and definitely a must. But even with the box up against the seat I am pretty sure it will still have plenty of clearance. Two drawers are not a deal breaker, but at the very least it would be nice have two dividers inside the drawer that could create two or three compartments if desired, or just left out all together. I envision these dividers running front to back of the drawer not side to side. In fact this is probably the way to go verses two drawers as it will maximize the usable storage by limiting the space require for multiple slides.

 

[roadkill]

would it be best to keep the back (near the seat) a straight vertical wall vs a slanted wall? I think if we did it that way it would allow plenty of room to move the seat. what about going to the end of the tub and having to fit it around the protrusions on the rear door? would it be better to stop it short of those protrusions and have a perfectly square box? if it was done like this it should allow those with a tailgate table (or those planning on getting one) to keep it.

 

[Martyn]

Keep your box designs as simple as possible. Once you start to get fancy with angled cuts it will start costing you big $.

Keep everything at 90'.

 

[grahamfitter]

I suppose the same width drawers would work just as well in a TJ with the rear seats removed. Dear Santa...

Cheers,
Graham

 

[Beowulf]

Put me down in the highly interested bracket.

 

[TCM]

would it be best to keep the back (near the seat) a straight vertical wall vs a slanted wall? I think if we did it that way it would allow plenty of room to move the seat. what about going to the end of the tub and having to fit it around the protrusions on the rear door? would it be better to stop it short of those protrusions and have a perfectly square box? if it was done like this it should allow those with a tailgate table (or those planning on getting one) to keep it.

Keeping the back of the box vertical makes the most sense and would definitely provide the clearance necessary to fold the seat. I also think the drawer should stop short of the latching mechanism on the door. I have a tailgate table and it is the same depth as the latch. It is an accessory I am not willing to give up.

 

[roadkill]

the product that Tuffy makes that is similar to the drawer system here is 20.5Lx34.25Wx11.75H according to their website I need to measure tommorrow to verify the dimensions. it looks like the Tuffys have no floor and the slides are at the top. there is also a bend in the drawer to clear the striker pin. there is a lip on the tub that will need to be cleared but since the ATs look to have a bottom I think it will clear the lip just fine. I will get those measurements as well. the tie down loops will have to be removed for the AT drawer it looks like, but thats no big deal.

 

[nwoods]

I'm interested. I posted to Martyn within minutes of seeing Mr. Brady's photos, but the response I got back was discouraging. Apparently, all the photos of LJ's on this forum still do not register as a "market".

Instead of a "prototype" unit, the LJ drawers are considered "custom" units. As such, I was unable to get a price quote, even in increments of $500.

This attitude is a mystery to me. Tuffy has the TJ market locked up pretty well, but there is nothing suitable for the LJ, and expedition minded Jeepers tend to own LJ's, so it would seem to me that in the Wrangler market, the LJ is the first and only platform that has a vacancy needing to be filled, and some reasonable amount of demand for it.

Can the original poster of this thread tabulate the requested configuration(s)? I know that for me, I do NOT want a drawer that is very high. I think the ideal is between 4" - 6" high. That's the reason why I don't have the Tuffy box. I also want the rear seat to remain in place so that my kids can ride along.


Here are some photos of the cargo bay with dimensions:

 

[jerdog53]

Well i already have the Tuffy unit and am satisfied with it otherwise i would be interested in something like this provided the price was right.

I think it works pretty well with the back seat retained for the dog!

 

[roadkill]

great pics they confirm some of my measurements. I am in agreement that the bottom tub lip is 1/2" and the bottom of tub to top of fenderwells is 12" I disagree with tub width. I measured very close to 34.25" wide (wider without carpet), Tuffys box is 34.25" so I will assume that is a good measurement. The carpet will be able to compress in due to all the insulation, or you could cut that section out, and still some people have bed liners so 34.25" tub width is the universal fits all measurement. The lips on the sides of the tub measured 3/4" with about a 1/16" variance depending on where I measured but the the way the seams were may have accounted for the variance. Using a square and measuring from the protrusion that houses the connection for the third brake light (tailgate hinge side) I measured 20.5" long at 12" high to the seat with a little extra room so it doesn't rub the seat. Again Tuffys measurement is 20.5" so I'm calling the box 20.5" long Tuffy has their drawer notched to go around the striker pin. the stiker pin sticks out 1.25" from the tub lip. the striker pin assembly will not be in the way. the thickest part of the pin (washers on back side) starts at 10.75" and stops at 12 1/16" . I assume we will all want the drawer perfectly square to save money as the area that will be notched will not give us considerably more cargo area.



measurement recap
12"Hx20.5"Lx34.25"W
bottom tub lip 1/2"
side tub lips 3/4"
striker protrudes out 1.25" from tub lip
thickest part of striker 10.75" to 12 1/16" (moot point if box is not notched)

 

[Martyn]

I'm interested. I posted to Martyn within minutes of seeing Mr. Brady's photos, but the response I got back was discouraging. Apparently, all the photos of LJ's on this forum still do not register as a "market".

Instead of a "prototype" unit, the LJ drawers are considered "custom" units. As such, I was unable to get a price quote, even in increments of $500.

This attitude is a mystery to me. Tuffy has the TJ market locked up pretty well, but there is nothing suitable for the LJ, and expedition minded Jeepers tend to own LJ's, so it would seem to me that in the Wrangler market, the LJ is the first and only platform that has a vacancy needing to be filled, and some reasonable amount of demand for it.

Can the original poster of this thread tabulate the requested configuration(s)? I know that for me, I do NOT want a drawer that is very high. I think the ideal is between 4" - 6" high. That's the reason why I don't have the Tuffy box. I also want the rear seat to remain in place so that my kids can ride along.

Not that strange really. We produce 4 standard drawer units that can be used in multiple vehicles.

A single request comes in for a non standard drawer unit, and the custom factor comes into play as design, CAD, set up, and production cost are involved in one unit.

More interest from LJ owner means the costs can be shared over a short production run. We analyses the numbers and think that the costs start to look good at a 5 unit number.

At this point no costing numbers have been run because "Roadkill" has to find out; what LJ owners want, provide us with sketches and dimensions. Plus get commitment from 5 individuals for the order.

It’s just the production process.