Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

Last June I started comprehensive testing a solar panel setup based mostly on Harbor Freight components, ending in a final implementation of a slide-out under my rack. I documented the tests and the results in a lot of detail.

At the time the 100-watt HF solar panel was $100 retail and I bought it for $80 when they offered one of their now-rare 20%-off coupons. Since then the retail price has gone up to $120 and I think it's still a good value at that price but this weekend it's on sale for $30 off - $89.99. If you're planning a solar implementation, it's worth considering.

I also tested (and still use) their $19.99 solar charge regulator, which works very well especially considering its $19.99 price. It's not on sale right now but even at regular retail I recommend it.

Just in case anyone is planning a solar implementation.

 

[jscherb]

At the 2019 SEMA Show I met with a company called Ningbo All-top Auto Products Co., they were showing a very nice drawer system (https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...factory-hardtops.127687/page-278#post-2701089).

They offered a simple drawer system (also available in single drawer versions):

And a more elaborate system in which not only could the drawers slide out, but the tops of the drawers could slide out independently.

Their pricing was such that a double-drawer unit to fit in the back of a Jeep could probably retail for $800, which I thought for the quality of their product was excellent. Prices may have changed since then, I don't know their current pricing.

The only problem was that because they're in China so whoever would be marketing these in the U.S. would probably have to take a container load of them, and I didn't think any of the companies I've worked with would be interested in starting with that many. They also make roof top tents, awnings and other overlanding accessories, so if a U.S. company was interested in selling more than just their drawers, a container could be filled with that range.

They emailed me the other day trying to reestablish the conversation I started with them at SEMA. I still don't have a company to recommend these products to, but seems like it would be a good product line to start an overlanding accessories company with.

 

[jscherb]

Forgive me for a non-Jeep post...

I was in Manhattan today and spotted this very nice G-Wagen. It's a 2-door long wheelbase with a soft top with roll-up sides windows.

It's got a jerry can carrier mounted to the rear quarter panel, which is something we don't often see on Jeeps. The over-the-spare rack is interesting too, it's basically a flat platform with corners to help contain the cargo, I find that interesting since most Jeep racks for that space have a rail all the way around. Also notice that since the spare is mounted off-center on a G-Wagen, the rack is also off-center.

Nice vehicle.

 

[Dan Grec]

At the 2019 SEMA Show I met with a company called Ningbo All-top Auto Products Co., they were showing a very nice drawer system (https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...factory-hardtops.127687/page-278#post-2701089).

They offered a simple drawer system (also available in single drawer versions):

And a more elaborate system in which not only could the drawers slide out, but the tops of the drawers could slide out independently.

Their pricing was such that a double-drawer unit to fit in the back of a Jeep could probably retail for $800, which I thought for the quality of their product was excellent. Prices may have changed since then, I don't know their current pricing.

The only problem was that because they're in China so whoever would be marketing these in the U.S. would probably have to take a container load of them, and I didn't think any of the companies I've worked with would be interested in starting with that many. They also make roof top tents, awnings and other overlanding accessories, so if a U.S. company was interested in selling more than just their drawers, a container could be filled with that range.

They emailed me the other day trying to reestablish the conversation I started with them at SEMA. I still don't have a company to recommend these products to, but seems like it would be a good product line to start an overlanding accessories company with.

I bought what look to be exactly these drawers here in Australia branded by one of the biggest names in the "4x4 / touring" industry here in Australia.
Sold by "4WD SupaCenter" which is promoted by the big Aussie 4x4 channel on YouTube, branded as Titan.
The minute they arrived it was clear they were made in China and cheap, cheap, cheap.

I have two of them in the back of my Gladiator now and they are terribly bad junk.

The drawers rattle and I had to modify them so they don't bounce around when closed.
They fit together badly.
They are flimsy and wobble around badly.
They are already rusting / corroding.
There is no way to keep the drawers open - they just fall shut if you park on a hill.
They are SUPER heavy for what they are.
(I need to run the math on this) - they convert a large amount of space into a much, much smaller amount of space because of how small the drawer is within the housing.

In short, don't touch them with a 10 foot pole.

-Dan

 

[jscherb]

I bought what look to be exactly these drawers here in Australia branded by one of the biggest names in the "4x4 / touring" industry here in Australia.
Sold by "4WD SupaCenter" which is promoted by the big Aussie 4x4 channel on YouTube, branded as Titan.
The minute they arrived it was clear they were made in China and cheap, cheap, cheap.

I have two of them in the back of my Gladiator now and they are terribly bad junk.

The drawers rattle and I had to modify them so they don't bounce around when closed.
They fit together badly.
They are flimsy and wobble around badly.
They are already rusting / corroding.
There is no way to keep the drawers open - they just fall shut if you park on a hill.
They are SUPER heavy for what they are.
(I need to run the math on this) - they convert a large amount of space into a much, much smaller amount of space because of how small the drawer is within the housing.

In short, don't touch them with a 10 foot pole.

-Dan

Interesting. I'll see if the company will tell me if they sell their products through the "supacenter". They seemed very well constructed when I saw them at SEMA, but I guess you never know until something's been tested in the wild.

EDIT: Just sent them an email asking if their drawers are sold at Supacenter. Will report back if they respond.

 

[Dan Grec]

Interesting. I'll see if the company will tell me if they sell their products through the "supacenter". They seemed very well constructed when I saw them at SEMA, but I guess you never know until something's been tested in the wild.

EDIT: Just sent them an email asking if their drawers are sold at Supacenter. Will report back if they respond.

These ones: https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/ti...-2x-adventure-kings-clear-top-canvas-bag.html

-Dan

 

[jscherb]

These ones: https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/ti...-2x-adventure-kings-clear-top-canvas-bag.html

-Dan

They wrote back to me:

Hi Jeff

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, we are the supplier of "4WD SupaCenter" in Australia. We produce Drawer Systems, Fride slide and other metal parts for them.

We know the market in U.S. is different from Australia. Please check the detail items in our website and let us know which model you are interested.

We also can customize the products for you.

We also produce Awning and Tent for "4WD SupaCenter", if you are also interested in it, please let us know.We also produce Awning and Tent for "4WD SupaCenter", if you are also interested in it, please let us know.

Waiting for your comments.

Best Regards

I wrote back and asked if they knew you and I provided a link to your site. I told them that you bought a pair of their drawers for your Australian adventure and that you did not recommend them. I included some of your post listing the problems with the drawers and then told them that based on your review, I could not recommend them to the companies I work with.

Strangely, the drawers have several hundred positive reviews on the Supacenter site, with a total rating of 4.4 out of 5. Must be that those people reviewed them before they actually used them - I'm sure your review of them is accurate and I would trust one Dan Grec review over several hundred positive ratings on a vendor's web site.

 

[jscherb]

I received a long and very detailed response from the company overnight. In it they explain that the Supacenter put a lot of pressure on them to keep the price low so the units sold by Supacenter do not represent their typical quality. They also said they now have an aluminum version that addresses the weight and rust issues. I'm traveling right now so I don't have time to compose a detailed post including their response, I should have time to do that later today. They also included many photos of the improved drawer unit, I'll include some in my post later.

 

[Dan Grec]

Strangely, the drawers have several hundred positive reviews on the Supacenter site, with a total rating of 4.4 out of 5. Must be that those people reviewed them before they actually used them - I'm sure your review of them is accurate and I would trust one Dan Grec review over several hundred positive ratings on a vendor's web site.

I would believe those reviews. The average Aussie is going out for a weekend trip with more beer than food, and they just want something that works.
The fact it's heavy doesn't cross their mind, because everything Aussies have is heavy.
The fact it rattles is irrelevant when driving a tractor.

The Aussie market is *very* strange, and it makes perfect sense why "overlanding" in the US have turned into something entirely different than what is over here.

Good to hear they have an aluminum version !

-Dan

 

[jscherb]

Here's the main text of the response from the drawer company. Dan's original comments are in italic.

I have two of them in the back of my Gladiator now and they are terribly bad junk.

The drawers rattle and I had to modify them so they don't bounce around when closed.

They fit together badly.
They are flimsy and wobble around badly.

The drawer he bought should be two Single Drawers. So they do not fit together very well at past.

We have other model of drawers, such as Twin drawers that the drawers are mounted together when producing.

Moreover, we are improving our equipment always. The two Single Drawers can be fit well by four metal brackets now. Please see the attached picture.

BTW, we have anti-collision rubber stoppers that make the drawer without rattle during the driving, the customer could adjust the position of rubber stoppers till there is no noise while drawer pull-push.

They are already rusting / corroding.

Our regular storage drawer is made of Galvanized sheet + plywood glued with hard wearing industrial carpet, so it will rust when it touch water.

Generally it is mounted in the trunk of the vehicle, rarely installed outside.
Now we have Aluminium drawer system, this material is better and will not rust even outdoors.

There is no way to keep the drawers open - they just fall shut if you park on a hill.

We updated our bearing system, now the heavy-duty drawer slides is with locking points, you can keep the drawer open on a hill.

They are SUPER heavy for what they are.

The material of Galvanized sheet is heavy, but now we have Aluminium Drawer. If the drawer with Galvanized sheet is about 60KG, it will be only about 38KG if changed to Aluminium material.

(I need to run the math on this) - they convert a large amount of space into a much, much smaller amount of space because of how small the drawer is within the housing.

The drawer can hold lots of things. It can keep your vehicle more clean and tidy. Also it is more convenient for you to get gears.

They sent me more than a dozen photos of the updated/aluminum drawers. Here are a few of the photos.

In my reply to this I asked them if there was any way they could provide a sample of the updated/aluminum drawer for evaluation and testing. I'll report back when they respond.

 

[jscherb]

The drawer company has come back asking for specific drawer sizes and possible volume, so I sent them this concept image for stackable drawers to match the Trail Kitchen. It may be that too much space would be wasted by the enclosures (per Dan's comment) to make three stackable drawers practical from a use of space perspective, so maybe a single three-drawer unit would be better for the Trail Kitchen; I've asked the drawer company about that as well. I also asked if the top panels of the drawers could be removable to save space in a stack; for a stack of 2 or 3 drawers only the top one would need a top panel. I've also asked them for the pricing on their standard size Wrangler drawers for use without the Trail Kitchen, so hopefully that'll give me a good idea of the various options possible that I could present to a company that might be interested in marketing these in the U.S.

A stackable drawer concept:

I've been using this prototype three-drawer unit for some years now and it's a pretty good use of space since the enclosure and slides don't add much space over and above the size of the drawers:

 

[jscherb]

The drawer company responded with pricing and MOQ (minimum order quantity) for custom-sized drawers. They also provided pricing for their standard-sized improved aluminum drawers pictured below. For drawers to go with the Trail Kitchen, they recommend a two-drawer set that together would be as tall as the Trail Kitchen, and either one or a stack of two could be installed.

Their pricing (for the improved aluminum drawers in either the custom Trail Kitchen size or their standard Wrangler size) is very attractive. MOQ varies from 50 to 200 depending on which drawers are ordered. The problem is that the prices quoted are FOB Ningbo, China. Container shipping plus import duties I'm sure would cause the one the ground price here to be at least double their base price if not more because of today's high container shipping prices. Even at that price though they could end up retailing for a price that would work - I believe even with shipping and duties they could retail for less than similar-sized Goose Gear drawers.

I have a meeting with a Jeep accessories company next week and I will review all of this with them.

 

[jscherb]

Normally my roof rack and Trail Kitchen live in the garage - I don't need them for daily driving so they only get installed when I'm going to need them. Which is for the next two months - I installed both today in preparation for a trip to Florida (Jeep Beach and to see mom) and Arizona (Overland West). I also washed all the winter crud off the Jeep and completely cleaned the interior - it hasn't been this clean in many months.

A few months ago I finished the power pods on the roof and also installed a few LEDs I had on hand to the roof rack but I haven't had everything installed so I couldn't test them in the dark, so tonight I'll take a drive and see if the lights make a worthwhile difference.

In these photos the JKU is sitting in the driveway; I've got the solar panel deployed to do a quick test to make sure all is well with it and you can't really tell in the daylight but in one of the photos the light bar pods are lit.

The tent and rack storage box will go on the day before the trip because the JKU won't fit in the garage with those in place.

My Jeep will be borrowed by Overland Outfitters for their display at both of those shows. Anyone going to either of those shows?

 

[jscherb]

I did some light testing last night. As a reminder, this is what's currently on my rack:

The Auxbeam 3" lights are billed as 4800 lumens each and have 5 LEDs in the housing. The pods in each light bar are advertised as 1000 lumens and there are 5 pods in each light bar, so each light bar should be 5000 lumens, which means both the Auxbeam lights and the Multipod bars have the same lumen rating. The pods in the light bar have a mix of beam angles - the specs say there's a combination of 5 degree, 10 degree and 20-degree pods but I can only discern two different reflectors in the 5 pods. It may be that the 5 and 10 degree reflectors look pretty much the same and I just can't see the difference. The spread on the Auxbeam lights isn't specified although they show a chart in their brochure in which is appears the spread is more like a spot than a flood.

I set the camera in my Android phone to "pro" mode and selected a manual exposure so all photos would be equivalent without the camera compensating for the different brightness of the field if view. As a baseline, the JK's headlights:

These are the Auxbeams:

And these are the Multipod light bars:

The Multipods seem to have greater range, with them you can make out the house at the end of the street but the house isn't visible with the Auxbeams. The Auxbeams are brighter in the center than the light bars but the wider beams of the Multipod light bars could be better for spotting deer along the side of the road that might decide to commit suicide by Wrangler .

I'll leave both sets of lights on the rack for my upcoming trips so I can test them a bit more but at least one set will come off when I get home.

 

[pith helmet]

That’s bright! I don’t have any aux lighting but the stock JK lights were so bad on the backroads around home that I got the Quadratec LED replacements with the fog lights. A little over a year with them and we are very pleased. I even tinted the windshield and they are still great. So much better for spotting those deer and I have not had anyone flash me so I assume they aren’t causing problems for oncoming cars. .