Source for ball-bearing drawer-runners?

[DesertRose]

After this weekend's Trophy and Forum, I discovered the joys of camping out of the back of a Taco again (180K miles and this was our first time without our old FourWheel Popup!). We're certainly lacking some fine tuning!

So I'm plotting a custom rollout system for the back - I looked at the available bed trays and they're hugely expensive ($700 is the cheapest - with a simple plywood top).

All I need are the high quality runners and Jonathan can build the custom slideouts (I want 2, full bed length, rather than one giant one).

All I see are sources for 36" drawer sliders - nothing longer.

Any ideas?

 

[DaktariEd]

You might consider limiting depth to 36" and designing in bins or compartments at the cab end of the unit.

A slide longer than 36" may be too much leverage to hold any significant weight, without a serious heavy-duty construction.

Just a thought...
Ed :sombrero:

 

[SinCity4r]

Best prices I've seen:
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=46578&cat=3,43614,43616&ap=1

250lb, 16-36" selection.

 

[kcowyo]

I have a couple of links saved that might help, dunno - :wavey:

Knack Manufacturing - actual drawer units

McMaster-Carr - drawer slides. (catalog page # 2862 - won't let me link directly to the page) They have a HUGE catalog. I think they offer everything under the sun

 

[bigreen505]

Try eBay.

Another option is to get creative and make your own. I was hoping to have a cool idea to offer with Harken track and either making your own car by machining UMHW plastic or make your drawer bottoms totally flat a line both drawer and carcas with UMHW tape.

Or you could get a few blocks of UMHW plastic from your local plastic shop an make a track to go on one surface and the tenon type arrangement on the other ike this I]

 

[articulate]

This is a very specialized slide: what else uses something so long? So, I think I'd talk to Tuffy products about the slides on their full-length truck drawers. (http://tuffyproducts.com/truckbox/115.html) Simply inquire about what they use for slides, if they make them in house or something. If such a product exists for the public to purchase, there's a good chance that there is only one manufacturer.

I took the liberty to check some makers of full extension slides that we sell at work, and nobody has anything longer than 36". That doesn't mean 72" slides don't exist, but there just might not be distribution for the public.

Who had some deep drawers at the rally? Pasquale maybe? I wonder how long his are.

If you can't source an appropriate slide, might I suggest making the drawers with full length "lips" to serve as a gliding surface? You could make the drawers with these lips (maybe 2" wide?) that have a HDPE slat on the bottom side, and the drawer casings could have a matching lip like surface with a HDPE slat on the top side. The drawers would slide on that surface, and be pretty cost effective. Since I've got so much other stuff to do, I made a cute little picture of what I mean - sort of.

I wonder if I'm conveying this well...

 

[articulate]

Or you could get a few blocks of UMHW plastic from your local plastic shop an make a track to go on one surface and the tenon type arrangement on the other ike this I]

Bill! Perfect. That's the word I meant: TRACK. You and I are on a similar page.

 

[BajaTaco]

Paul from Equipt was showing us his cool roller tray at the Trophy. He used some skateboard bearings. You might ask him about it.

 

[articulate]

Paul from Equipt was showing us his cool roller tray at the Trophy. He used some skateboard bearings. You might ask him about it.

YEAH! There you go. Just some wheels mounted inside the carcass and a track/ledge on the drawer would work really well.

Good call.

 

[bigreen505]

That was actually my first thought (ABEC 9 dude!), but how do you keep everything aligned? The beauty of a drawer slide is that it holds the drawer in proper spatial alignment (on track) as you pull it all the way out.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Some of those $700 Bed slides use Garage door track and hardware. Thats how I plan to make the one for my little trailer I am building. :ylsmoke:

 

[DesertRose]

Great ideas all -- thank you for the input.

First - DaktariEd - much as (even after 22 years) Jonathan and I enjoy a nice view of each other's rear end's (ie - crawling into the far back of the camper) we're getting to the point where our knees just won't take the crawling any longer!

Hence, I would like full-length sliders. Not drawers, though - we want platforms we can use as tables, and secure our stove and fridge on.

And Mark! Runners with ZEBRA STICKERS! How cool is that?! Well worth $700 I'm sure. Love it.

But I agree that I'd be concerned about a couple things: for the weight I want it to support, it would likely stick like the dickens (what is a dickens, anyway?). Afraid good old steel ball bearings might be it.

And finally - garage door tracks - brilliant!

We'll test all these ideas out and get back to you. Great ideas all.

 

[oldcj5guy]

Call an RV dealer. We used to call what you are looking for a kangaroo bed. We used them in Rv's for slides in pass through compartments. It came as 2 slides and you built the deck. Last one I did would slide out and the owner would run his harley up on it lock it down and slide it back in. That means it will probably carry the weight you are looking for. The preice is a lot better than some of the stuff I have saw mentioned. I can't remember the manufacturerer at the moment, but i will call one of my buddies still at the dealer tomorrow.

 

[oldcj5guy]

http://www.kwikee.com/Acargo.html

This is the one i was talking about.

 

[DesertRose]

http://www.kwikee.com/Acargo.html

This is the one i was talking about.

Bingo - these are perfect. Super high quality - totally customizable, and up to 90" (or more) long.

Thanks so much - now back to the planning board. This is going to be very fun.