thanks for the kind word guys.
i've been meaning to make a storage thing in the back of my vit for a long time now, probably for about a year now. and finally, i got around to making something, but its not finished yet, and there are still a couple of things i would like to improve on.
the welding wasnt much, or at least i tried to do as least welding on the frame as i could. the frame bolts to two of the rear seat mounting bolts, which hold it very nicely. i will take pics of the mounting and frame design when i pull the drawer out to paint and diamond plate up.
ok, aim was to have maximum storage space inside the drawer, and also not to be too high. i can fit a 4L bottle of engine oil, or coolant or gear oil flat inside the drawers. surprisingly, i was actually able to fit a lot more gear inside the drawers than i first thought, and the truth is, i dont even have enough tools and gear to fill the drawers up. hows that? wicked.
i used 16 roller bearings, 8 on each side, and the sliders were made to take the heavy weight when the drawer is open. if i open the drawer up, i am able to stand on the outer side of the drawer, and i'm 60KG. i thought that was a pretty good effort. the design of the sliders only take up about 45mm on each side, so less 100mm between the wheel wells, and the left over is drawer space, if you understand that.
anyone can make this drawer system very easily, you wont need super dooper welding skills, and you can customise it to what you need. you can make 2 seperate drawers, a left and a right, and it may turn out to be easier. after i had finished my drawer, i realised i really didnt need all that storage space, but its always good to have extra room.
cost??? well, i didnt pay much for the materials, much of it i had lying around my place. all you need is some 30mm x 30mm square tube, about 6m would be enough, but i'm rough guessing. you will need to buy the roller bearings, which aren't much at all, and some flat bar, something like 50mm x 4mm would be enough. then, you will need some self drilling metal screws, a bag of 50 was enough, well, plenty, and some bolts. some bolts for the roller bearings, and the stopper bolts. thats about all. and a sheet of timber, MDF or ply. marine ply would be best, as its more water resistant, but will cost more. 16mm is good, but 20mm would be better.
if i pull my drawer and frame out, you will be able to see that it is extremely simple, and a good project to practice your welding on, or just something you can do on the weekend.
i will do a dis-assembly of the drawers and frame with pics, so that you can all see how simple it is. probably cost about $50USD, maybe...... depending on what materials you have already.
i still need to paint the frame up, and make a better top deck on. something stronger, and better fitting.
so, cost, not much, weight, not much. drawers would weigh the most, being all timber, and the frame, not much at all. with the drawer empty, i can lift the frame and the drawer together as one unit, but its awkward due to its size and shape. so having a guess, maybe anything from 15kg to about 30kg, not more. also depends on how heavy the steel you are using, and what type of timber you use. so yeah.....
i cant think of much else to say, and so i guess the pics need to do the talking. stay posted for more roller drawer pics. i can also get rough measurements if anyone is interested. but really, its as simple as i could make the drawers. i've seen other storage systems, that use a lot of little fidgity stuff.
so yeah, thanks again guys.
