Trailer help

[ShyTRex]

Fellow overlanders
I'm working on my trailer and want to build a slide out for when my tents on top of it. I've got a space trailer and I was thinking I could use garage door rails and wheels.. does anyone have any thoughts or tips? Below is the pic of the type of trailer I have and someone whos done what I am looking to do.

 

[SubeeBen]

Sounds like your on the right path any drawings or sketches of your idea mite help get more input. Good luck with your project & wish I had some input

 

[Road]

Not sure about garage door tracks and wheels, as I don't know they're meant to take that kind of weight in that fashion, but they might!

I have seen a number of guys that do long slide outs like that with skateboard bearings on the sidewall part and square steel tubing on the sliding part. Check pinterest and some of the contractor forums and I'm sure you'll see a number of solutions.

Most of the full extension drawer type slides that are meant to hold a lot of weight (I have a few that are rated for 500lb) are also kind of tall, so would not work like the image you show.

I think a lot may depend on how far you want or need the tray to come out and if you want to do it full width or in two or more pull out sections.

You can cut down on the cost considerably if you have fold down supports at the front edge that fold back up and tuck easily under when you shove the tray back in. I've seen some neat adjustable height plywood legs like that.

 

[ShyTRex]

Not sure about garage door tracks and wheels, as I don't know they're meant to take that kind of weight in that fashion, but they might!

I have seen a number of guys that do long slide outs like that with skateboard bearings on the sidewall part and square steel tubing on the sliding part. Check pinterest and some of the contractor forums and I'm sure you'll see a number of solutions.

Most of the full extension drawer type slides that are meant to hold a lot of weight (I have a few that are rated for 500lb) are also kind of tall, so would not work like the image you show.

I think a lot may depend on how far you want or need the tray to come out and if you want to do it full width or in two or more pull out sections.

You can cut down on the cost considerably if you have fold down supports at the front edge that fold back up and tuck easily under when you shove the tray back in. I've seen some neat adjustable height plywood legs like that.

I want to come out pretty far. The trailer is 7 feet deep so I figure if I come out at least 4 feet that gets me in decent shape. I've got a couple old legs from a fold out table that I could use for support. Good call on pintrest I didn't even think to look there!

 

[ShyTRex]

Sounds like your on the right path any drawings or sketches of your idea mite help get more input. Good luck with your project & wish I had some input

Not yet I figured i'd make a few posts before starting to sketch. I am actually using sketch up right now to map out the entire trailer so I can figure out some other things placement like dual propane tank mounts and a front box.

 

[Porkchopexpress]

Most of the full extension drawer type slides that are meant to hold a lot of weight (I have a few that are rated for 500lb) are also kind of tall, so would not work like the image you show.

Here is a link to what he is referring to:


I read some reviews and besides cost, the biggest down side is that you have to unscrew the slide out drawer to remove it. I would like to eventually build something similar but I would like to be able to remove the drawer easily so the trailer can be used for utility on occasion, (home depot runs, motorcycles etc.)

Your idea for garage door rails seems like it could be made to work well too. If it doesn’t seem sturdy enough, it can probably be reinforced. One possible down side is it might rattle around in the rail making noise but probably not loud enough to hear from the tow vehicle.

 

[Road]

@ShyTRex - here's an image I had saved to Pinterest long time ago that may be of some help in the way his main center slide works.

No long drawer slides, no roller bearings, nothing but wood. The side boards for the middle tray are captured by the trim for the side cabinets and act as counter support when the tray is cantilevered out. If you were to do this with a simple tray in your situation, you'd want a removable stop so it doesn't pull out any further than 4 or 4.5 feet, leaving enough to catch against the trim for the side cabinets or whatever you put in place.

I've also read about contractors who have made such things and had them slide only on hard plastic washers, sometimes plastic runners. Full size trays loaded with carpenter's tools, paint, table saw and such, and worked famously well. The right combination of polycrylic-ed surface and plastic washers or runners (like is used for table saw sleds) and you could get out of this very inexpensively.

If you make the stops removable, then you can take the whole tray out when needed to use the trailer for other things.

I'm seriously thinking of experimenting with this on my trailer, which is almost eight feet inside (pic at bottom). It could make loading up and then grabbing what I need far easier than climbing up in there with/for every item.

 

[Road]

I read some reviews and besides cost, the biggest down side is that you have to unscrew the slide out drawer to remove it. I would like to eventually build something similar but I would like to be able to remove the drawer easily so the trailer can be used for utility on occasion, (home depot runs, motorcycles etc.)

If you poke around enough on sites for industrial drawer slides you can find slides that you don't have to unscrew to get the drawer out. Just like most heavy duty tool cabinet drawers on slides, there's a tab you can depress to get the drawer out and back in without having to uninstall the whole piece.

 

[ShyTRex]

Thanks guys! looks like I have more homework to do!

 

[smritte]

I made slides with roller skate bearings and 1/4 inch angle for my pull out drawers in my cruiser and a short one for my fridge in my trailer. After all the work it took they came out well. To do it again I will buy heavy drawer slides. I prefer to build my own things.
The fridge slide was the first one. Drill a ton of holes, set it up and when I used it, the tracks bowed. Rebuild with thicker metal. Drawer slides on my Cruiser were next. 35 inch travel. Used 1/4 inch for slides, way more bearings (more holes) and a bunch of hours. Way too much work.

I have seen drawer pull outs where they came in stages. The tracks were stacked. Heavy items in the back with a lighter table top and a support leg being out front.

On my trailer I only have the fridge on a slide. If I had to pull gear out the tail gate end the distance your talking, I would have the rear cargo on the slide and just be able to pull out to tail gate. Have a method to lock the slide when not in use (guess how I know this) I needed something out of the back, trailer was on a slight grade and fridge wanted to come out while I was accessing gear next to it. Now I have a pin to lock it.


Scott