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1st December 2016, 03:38 PM
#1
Expert
Drawers 2.0
Hello all.
So, following on from my previous thread here Let-There-Be-Drawers ...
I have spent some time reflecting on what needed improving following my last trip west and up the gulf. My first attempt at drawers was broadly successful but I needed to address a few issues in my quest for the perfect touring wagon.
1. They were heavy. Very heavy. 12mm Ply wood just weighs too much. And I reckon is over engineered mostly. So I turned to Aluminium. Even though a lot of the weight is in the runners.
2. Lack of light. It was a pain in the arse finding stuff in drawers this deep after dark with no moon.
3. Safely securing the water tank - it worried the hell out of me that I could only attached 70Kg of water to bits of ply. In a prang I was going to be sorry!
4. The switch panel. It was a pain to get to fuses and I didn't do near good enough a job on wiring this in.
5. The water tap was a pain to get to - I had to slide the fridge in to use it.
So. I designed Drawers 2.0....
I made these from a 25mm Qubelok Aluminium frame with 4mm Marine play sheet and a 7mm top. All up weight came down far enough for me to add a 3rd battery in the back. The frame was 16kg. Pre runners.
It also gave me a good frame to build restraints for the tank against. And I was able to make it square, because I suck as a carpenter.
I added LED lights with auto-door actuators. I used cheap LED camping bars cut down with a drop saw. Works great.
I moved the tap out into the barn door and added a tank level indicator.
I was able to make a proper table between the drawers.
These still have great storage in the wings - but the fuse block and water pump are both now easily accessible.
Anyway - here is the result Drawers 2.0 .... I'm a lot happier. Anyone that wants drawings or details on building this let me know!
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2015 GU ST 3.0CRD Auto Wagon, 2" EFS Lift, 5 x Procomp 16s with MT ATZ P3s, TJM Outback Bar and 12000lb Winch, 80l Sub Tank, Redarc 40A DC-DC with Optima Battery and 180w Solar, ARB Compressor On-board, 3" EXHAUST, Rhino Pioneer Platform and Darche Awning, DIY Drawers to come!
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The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Boinzo For This Useful Post:
Bacho86 (7th December 2016), blocko05 (4th July 2017), Clunk (1st December 2016), threedogs (1st December 2016), Touses (1st December 2016)
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1st December 2016 03:38 PM
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7th December 2016, 10:37 AM
#2
Beginner
Boinzo, they look fantastic. I have a 13 GU and was looking to use similar materials.
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7th December 2016, 12:00 PM
#3
Expert
Thanks! I'm really happy with it (now). Let me know if you would like my drawings and planning stuff... !
Originally Posted by
therepublicoftom
Boinzo, they look fantastic. I have a 13 GU and was looking to use similar materials.
2015 GU ST 3.0CRD Auto Wagon, 2" EFS Lift, 5 x Procomp 16s with MT ATZ P3s, TJM Outback Bar and 12000lb Winch, 80l Sub Tank, Redarc 40A DC-DC with Optima Battery and 180w Solar, ARB Compressor On-board, 3" EXHAUST, Rhino Pioneer Platform and Darche Awning, DIY Drawers to come!
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7th December 2016, 01:49 PM
#4
Patrol God
Great use of the cargo area, Im not a fan of drawers,
but yours look really good,,,, how much do they weigh???
On the rear doors Ive fitted some alloy checker plate to
protect them a bit, {400mm}
04 ST 3lt auto, not enough Mods to keep me happy, but getting there
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7th December 2016, 10:18 PM
#5
Expert
Thanks Threedogs.
I'm not certain of the total, all up weight. But most of it is in the runners.
The structure, with ply and carpet etc. is a bit over 20kg. But the runners are probably that much as well.
Drawers aren't for everyone for sure. But I'm slowly making things work how I want...
Originally Posted by
threedogs
Great use of the cargo area, Im not a fan of drawers,
but yours look really good,,,, how much do they weigh???
On the rear doors Ive fitted some alloy checker plate to
protect them a bit, {400mm}
2015 GU ST 3.0CRD Auto Wagon, 2" EFS Lift, 5 x Procomp 16s with MT ATZ P3s, TJM Outback Bar and 12000lb Winch, 80l Sub Tank, Redarc 40A DC-DC with Optima Battery and 180w Solar, ARB Compressor On-board, 3" EXHAUST, Rhino Pioneer Platform and Darche Awning, DIY Drawers to come!
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23rd June 2017, 10:17 PM
#6
If you still have a problem with light, try a strip of self-adhesive LEDs at the top of the rear door. I mounted a strip of 12 LEDs under the top rear tail light so that any drawer that was opened would be lit from above. I wired it into the ceiling light so that I didn't need to add a new switch.
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