The ultimate cargo slide/tray?

[Nuclear Redneck]

Your range and increments sound about right.

Are you designing any sort of headache rack or barrier that ties into your floor mounts? Being able to keep things from flying forward during a panic stop would be awesome.

 

[jscherb]

Your range and increments sound about right.

Are you designing any sort of headache rack or barrier that ties into your floor mounts? Being able to keep things from flying forward during a panic stop would be awesome.

Thanks for the input. Yes, I have been planning that a barrier should be part of the upper shelf - don't want cargo sliding into the heads of the passengers.

 

[jscherb]

My plan is to support several different shelf sizes/styles above the tray. Perhaps a "full width" shelf that fills the area between the roll bars, and perhaps a narrower one that's just above the slide tray. The narrower one would accommodate another idea that I have that would use the wasted space above the irregularly-shaped front of the inner fenders, which is space that can be hard to use for cargo. I'm planning brackets to hold a standard ammo can over the fenders. It'll bolt in place to existing holes so there's no drilling, and will support a 50mm can or maybe a Fat 50/SAW can. These would be able to be installed with or without the rest of the cargo system. Here's a concept drawing, it doesn't show all the details, but it does show it installed without the rest of the cargo system.

 

[jgaz]

I am very impressed with both your workmanship and your imagination. It will be very interesting to see this system completed. Please keep thinking of your LJ as this system evolves.

 

[jscherb]

I am very impressed with both your workmanship and your imagination. It will be very interesting to see this system completed. Please keep thinking of your LJ as this system evolves.

Thank you. The only reason I haven't done anything with the LJ yet except for take some measurements is that the LJ is in its "summer configuration" and offroad trip to Colorado was imminent so I didn't feel like removing the locking truck box, etc. just to test-fit the slide. But the LJ is definitely in the plans - as soon as I get back from Colorado I'll be swapping the LJ over to the cold weather config, and then I'll do some test-fitting of the slide.

A poser shot I took on the trail in Colorado today...

 

[mmaattppoo]

I've done something very much like what you're illustrating in your tray concept mock-up. You're right. That irregular space above the rear fender wells and between the seat and roll bar is wasted space unless a shelf of some sort can be installed.

I installed a shelf for my Group 27 aux battery on the left side of the cargo area. I'm sure it could be "mirrored" to work on the right side and be sized to accommodate anything that will fit that space. So far my shelf has supported the +50 lbs of my battery for the past 6 months of daily city driving and several trips on logging/washboard roads an has held strong with no squeaks or rattles.

Here's a link to my build post and a photo of the finished shelf:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Unlimited-Cargo-Area-Auxiliary-Battery-Shelf

 

[expedition4x4]

Mmaattppoo I used that area for the same purpose but used a springtail solutions ammo can shelf (fits the battery perfect and comes with a tie down)

Ignore the wiring I am redressing it this weekend


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[mmaattppoo]

Mmaattppoo I used that area for the same purpose but used a springtail solutions ammo can shelf (fits the battery perfect and comes with a tie down)

Ignore the wiring I am redressing it this weekend


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Nice! I had wanted to go with the off the shelf Springtail Solutions M-PAC rack, but I have a cargo barrier that would have necessitated hacking it to fit. I really did want to go with the M-PAC but my need to tinker and build won...as usual.

Hah! I hear you on the wiring. I always find neat and tidy wiring the hardest part of the process.

 

[expedition4x4]

Yeah mine is coming back out this weekend as I am driving to San Diego for my new J30


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[jscherb]

Here's a link to my build post and a photo of the finished shelf:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...-Unlimited-Cargo-Area-Auxiliary-Battery-Shelf

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[mmaattppoo]

Yeah mine is coming back out this weekend as I am driving to San Diego for my new J30


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As in a J30 Ursa Minor pop up camper top? Very jealous!

If I can make one suggestion after you re-work your wiring, you should consider protecting/wrapping the +ve terminal of the battery so that you don't have an unintentional short when the cargo area is full of gear. Ask me how I know:Wow1:

 

[jscherb]

I've got the basic structure of the slide and accessory mounts done, here are a few shots taken today when I test-fit it in the JKU. The perforated strips along the side are for mounting the shelf above the tray or any other accessory that might go above the tray; the idea is that clip-nuts would be used so any of the holes could be used for attaching things.

I've also got the tray components cut and bent to shape, but didn't have enough time to assemble the tray today so I'll do that tomorrow.

I'm also making sure it fits in TJ/YJ/CJ Jeeps and also in trailers, so today I did a test-fit in my military trailer as well.

With the tray drawn in:

The length of the tray as shown is for the JK Wrangler, but there's no reason it couldn't be longer - much longer slides than these are available.

The tray width is the same as the JK Wrangler, and since this tailgate opening is the same as a CJ/YJ/TJ, this width would work in those Jeeps too.

I'll do a test-fit in the LJ sometime over the next few days.

A few days ago I posted that I planned to make ammo can mounts to go over the hard-to-use inner fenders, so today I did some test fitting to get a few design dimensions worked out. These photos show a 50mm ammo can; the top can swing open without interference from the roll bar.

I also tried a "Fat 50"/SAW can, which is a few inches larger than a standard 50cal can. It fits too, although the top would have to open the other way not to have interference from the roll bar because of its larger size. I plan to make tne mounts so they support both the standard 50cal can and the Fat 50.

 

[minuit]

I've been eyeing the ARB drawer and fridge slideout for some time but couldn't stomach the price.

I just bought the Grenadeacorp GC-1 ($645) for under hard-top storage and the rampage sport rack ($200). The rampage rack is not going to be tall enough to fit my ARB 50qt underneath, and it's not deep enough to fit the fridge deep wise but I figured at the price it can be a temporary solution. I'll be installing both of these in the next couple of weeks.

One reason I didn't like the idea of permanently installing the drawers is because I frequently use the rear area as a changing table for my 22 month old son. With a 3.5" lift and sitting on 35's it's important to be able to have something at a lower height.

Another shelf that I looked into because of the lower height was the ORV innovations stealth shelf. But they don't have any in stock for the JKU and don't know when they will be ordering the next batch.

Looking forward to seeing this develop!

 

[jscherb]

The drawer is assembled from four side rails plus a piece of 1/2" plywood. The idea is that different length side rails could be made so that different length or width drawers could be DIY-assembled for different applications. For example, a full slide for a JK 2-door without the rear seat could be longer than a JKU slide with the rear seat. Or an XJ slide might be wider than a JKU slide.

Here are the side rails of the tray. Since this tray will be 32" square all four rails are identical (well except that two are made from cold-rolled steel and two from hot-rolled, but that's the sheet metal that was on hand when I made up these parts), and on the right, the drawer frame is assembled:

A piece of plywood serves as the drawer bottom.

Using plywood makes the cargo system less expensive (to manufacture and to ship) because the buyer supplies his own plywood. Plywood also makes it easier to DIY-assemble different sizes, but it also could make it easier for people to enhance the cargo system to their needs - it would be easier for most people to work with wood to add tie-downs or additional cargo compartments/dividers to the drawer if the base were wood.

To make the floor somewhat non-skid (and to make it look cool ), I've added a rubber diamondplate mat:

Heather's got the JKU right now so I can't install it until this evening; more photos of it in the JKU then, but for now, here's a photo in my Jeep-tub trailer. I'll also test it in my LJ as soon as I get a chance, but for now here it is in a Jeep tub...

If this system makes it into production it may or may not have a wood drawer floor; I'm doing the prototype this way to see how it works out in wood and see what people think of it, so if you have comments on the wood please post them.

 

[jscherb]

A few photos of the prototype in the JKU.