overlander
Expedition Leader
Very creative. Couple things in there that are food for thought for my continual buildup.
LATEST PROJECT - Truck Drawers/Sleeping Platform
- Thread starter roadtripcrazed
- Start date
roadtripcrazed
Observer
The fridge/bed slides were designed and built exactly the same as the drawer slides. There are a series of roller bearings which support a length of 1' square tubing which is attached to the side of the slides. You can see the bearings and a side shot of the drawer in the pictures posted previously. I can post additional pictures shortly.
I designed these to function more as a bed slide for our purposes, so there is no physical means to attach the fridge directly - our fridge is secured in the back seat of our crew cab. Some simple, recessed attachment points could be very easily added though if we needed to free up the back seat in the future ... no kids yet.
I found our heater at Princess Auto - a Canadian auto/farm supply supplier. Link to heater is here. Try googling something like "auxiliary air heater" and see what you can find. Heaters like these are common up here for school buses, farm tractors, etc. Good luck!
EDIT: Here is one from JC Whitney - link.
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roadtripcrazed
Observer
Our bearings were ordered from VXB Bearing. Direct link here.
Their pricing was dirt cheap and their shipping was super fast - even up to Canada! No affiliation, simply a satisfied customer.
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targa88
Explorer
Link goes to JC Whitney - which model of bearing?
roadtripcrazed
Observer
roadtripcrazed
Observer
The water tank came from a local RV parts supplier. I was told that it is a pretty common size for campers, etc.
roadtripcrazed
Observer
Thank you! It will likely need a LoadSpotter someday! I'll be sure to be in touch when the day comes.
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roadtripcrazed
Observer
Additional pictures
To all who have requested additional pictures of the drawer slides, latches, wiring, engine-bay connection/bypass - these are coming. I promise.
We only returned from our trip on Sunday night and; as most of you will understand, there is a lot of unpacking and reorganization occurring at home. I should be able to find some time to take these pictures this weekend.
Thank you for all of the positive feedback. It is greatly appreciated! Now go build your own! :elkgrin:
To all who have requested additional pictures of the drawer slides, latches, wiring, engine-bay connection/bypass - these are coming. I promise.
We only returned from our trip on Sunday night and; as most of you will understand, there is a lot of unpacking and reorganization occurring at home. I should be able to find some time to take these pictures this weekend.
Thank you for all of the positive feedback. It is greatly appreciated! Now go build your own! :elkgrin:
roadtripcrazed
Observer
Better LATE than NEVER!
Well, it's been a little better than a month since we returned from our trip and it seems that I have been far too busy with other things and have struggled to get these extra pictures that were requested. So ... here you go!
Roller Bearing Slide Details:
Side Shot
Clearly shows the square tubing attached to the sides of the drawer and top slide.
Bearing/Steel Tube Detail
Shows how the square tubing rolls between the roller bearings.
Bearing Detail
Here's the best shot I can get of the bearings themselves. Not the square tubing at the top - this is one of the slides for the top slide.
Latch Details:
Drawer Catch
Attached to the bottom of the drawer openings. Spring-loaded latch catches here and holds the drawer shut firmly.
Pardon the Alaska back-road dust!
Top-Slide Catch
Simple barrel bolts were used to secure the top slides from sliding open every time we open the tailgate. I am going to try to integrate these into a way of being able to hold the slides open at varying lengths. Right now it all or none. You can also clearly see the quick-connect faucet that was used.
Engine Coolant Tie-In/Bypass
One of the most important factors when I was designing the hot water and canopy-heater systems was integrating a way of separating this loop from the factory heater loop in case we ever experience a leak. The following picture shows the copper manifold/valve assembly that I created to tie these new systems into the heater hose. Works great - and so far we haven't had to use the bypass!
I think that should cover everything that was previously requested, but please let me know if there are any lingering questions that I can assist with.
Thanks again for all of the positive feedback!
-=D
Well, it's been a little better than a month since we returned from our trip and it seems that I have been far too busy with other things and have struggled to get these extra pictures that were requested. So ... here you go!
Roller Bearing Slide Details:
Side Shot
Clearly shows the square tubing attached to the sides of the drawer and top slide.
Bearing/Steel Tube Detail
Shows how the square tubing rolls between the roller bearings.
Bearing Detail
Here's the best shot I can get of the bearings themselves. Not the square tubing at the top - this is one of the slides for the top slide.
Latch Details:
Drawer Catch
Attached to the bottom of the drawer openings. Spring-loaded latch catches here and holds the drawer shut firmly.
Pardon the Alaska back-road dust!
Top-Slide Catch
Simple barrel bolts were used to secure the top slides from sliding open every time we open the tailgate. I am going to try to integrate these into a way of being able to hold the slides open at varying lengths. Right now it all or none. You can also clearly see the quick-connect faucet that was used.
Engine Coolant Tie-In/Bypass
One of the most important factors when I was designing the hot water and canopy-heater systems was integrating a way of separating this loop from the factory heater loop in case we ever experience a leak. The following picture shows the copper manifold/valve assembly that I created to tie these new systems into the heater hose. Works great - and so far we haven't had to use the bypass!
I think that should cover everything that was previously requested, but please let me know if there are any lingering questions that I can assist with.
Thanks again for all of the positive feedback!
-=D
roadtripcrazed
Observer
Having a longer wheel-base is great for more storage/sleeping space, but I often find the extra vehicle length hinders off-road clearance and maneuverability. Wouldn't change it though! All the time spent designing and building this system has been well worthwhile!