Drawer system

Leo4x4

Leo4x4

Rank IV

Enthusiast III

1,210
Hamburg, Germany
First Name
Leo
Last Name
Buttschaft
Member #

25776

Hey OB !
My next project is going to be a Drawer system for my Jeep.

I want to build the system myself and wanted to ask you if you have such a system yourself and if so, what tips can you give me? I would also be grateful for photos. Best greets from Germany
 
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@Leo4x4

I've built a number of drawer and platform systems for various rigs now. My advice:
1) Know the outer constraints of system (basically the inner measurements of your Jeep)
2) Know what you plan to store in the drawer system.
3) Drawer Slides or no slides? Simpler systems can get away with sliding on the floor or on HPDE drawer tape which lightens the load and provides more space. (My 36" Lock in lock out slides weigh 50 pounds and lost me 3" of drawer storage width across 2 drawers.)
4) Choose materials for your needs. I went with mostly 1/2" Baltic birch plywood with my latest set of drawers for my 4 Runner. If I were to do it again I'd probably go down to 9mm (~3/8") to lighten the load further. Also maybe consider CoroPlast for your drawers if your load requirements can be met. This stuff is ultra light weight, bends with heat, sold in large sheets. The US post office uses it for mail trays used with their drivers and automated systems and the stuff takes a beating.)

Feel free to ask me any questions you have.
Boort
 
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A few more suggestions:

- Before starting to build think about how the drawer will be held down in your Jeep. If you have strong cargo loops on the floor you can potentially use turnbuckles.

- Make the system easy to remove in case you need to carry large items. Mine comes out in just a few minutes.

- If you go with drawer slides get ones that lock in both the closed and open positions. It's a real pain if your drawer tries to slide shut when parked on an incline.

- Use threadlock on any screws that go into metal, they can vibrate loose over time.

- +1 to Boort's suggestion of using light weight materials. I've used 1/2" plywood on a couple drawers and it worked well. Check with your local lumber yard for lightweight plywood options.

- +1 also to Boort's suggestion about thinking about what you plan to put in the drawers. Mine is sized so that I can fit (barely) my tool bag but still have the box be the height of the wheel wells to keep my sleeping platform low.

Drawer for a 3rd gen 4Runner
Drawers for a 4th gen 4Runner, which might look suspiciously like TheAdventureIndex ones that Boort linked to.
 
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All of this thread is great advice. The only thing I have to add is that we dadoed the sides of our drawers so we could drop in adjustable dividers. Makes organizing the drawers easy peasy. We also built a hinged table top on one side. We use that table all the time for the standard roadside lunch prep. And it's hinged off a divider that drops into the dados on the side wall so it's easy to remove if we want to store something bigger in there.

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This is what I did with my 15 JKU. It has made a huge difference in packing for a trip. We went out to Yellowstone from Buffalo,NY this past September. It was great having cold food that wasn't water logged from ice melt.

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