DIY Drawer System Question

I'm thinking of building my own in-bed drawer system soon and I have a question for the community. Is it possible to design it in such a way that when I'm not using it I would be able to pull it out and store it until my next outing.

I want to start with one that will hold a camp stove/cooking/eating related stuff. The other drawer would be partitioned in a way that I can store tools etc.

Your input would be welcomed.

 

Depends on how big and robust/sturdy you make them. Do you have a topper/tonneau? If your bed is open that may restrict you a bit, materials-wise.

If you're covered, you could get away with making something out of extruded aluminium and some UHMW that would be pretty light but still sturdy. Open to the elements, and I'm thinking of fabbing something or going wood and doing an overkill job of treating/sealing it and even then just being okay with it not lasting forever.

 

I'm open top, my skill is w/ wood. I possess zero metal working skills other than the metal shop class I took while in HS. I think the hard part is making something that I can easily remove from the bed and store in the shed when I'm not out doing camping things or when I need to haul stuff. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic and should just build it so it's decked and leave it be and forget about it being removable.

 

wood will probably be heavy as fuck. If you have some help you could prob slide them out and carry to the garage or something, kinda a pain to store too. If i ever go with a drawer setup(unlikely, at least until I build a trailer out), i'll go with metal, weatherproof, and permanently connected.

There's a few people here who've built wood slide systems, i'll try and track down some build threads to link here

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/jakes-06-solid-axle-swapped-dclb-eaf-bs-build.402972/page-71

trying to find the page...tried to search within the thread to find all instances of the word "drawers" but nothing useful. @3378jakesr5 any ideas? or could you just post a pic of your drawer system up for this gentleman

 

Here are some ideas from a thread I created previously, maybe it will provide you with ideas https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/have-you-built-bed-storage-drawers.478782/

 

I dont have any photos on this phone but i did my drawers out of 3/4 plywood and had it under a topper, they still failed within 2 years. Im currently just running pelican cases for stuff so i dont always have that weight in the back and if i did do drawers again it would be the decked drawers when they come out.

 

Failed as in the wood deteriorated? I plan on covering the top sheet with some sort of rubberized material just to give it that extra layer of protection.

thank you @Jack0928 and @tacot0wn for the links this should give me some good ideas. I found one that is cool done by @2012Taco he built a half system which is good for what I want to do at the moment.

 

So I will say that these can fail if not treated properly for exposed storage... But keep in mind that truckvault (one of the most respected in the industry for truck bed drawers) is primary comprised of MDO, which is in essence treated plywood. Their weatherproof model which is designed for exposed storage is made of the exact same material just lined with a waterproof line X liner. So I do believe it is completely possible, all comes down to the materials used and the way you treat/coat the wood. This could still all be achieved for less than half the cost of one through them or any other comparable manufacturer.

I have been designing my drawer system for a few months now and finally think I have a design nailed out. Let me know if you want to talk more about it.

Spoiler: MDO info

How does MDO compare with metal?

Metal is heavier. Distinct advantages of TruckVault Products include the fact that MDO does not attract moisture, allowing you to store firearms, cameras and other sensitive valuables for long periods of time with much less risk than one would encounter using metal or plastic materials. MDO is a silent partner in your vehicle, no banging or rattling.

Spoiler: Weatherproof Truckvault info

Do you make a Water-Proof TruckVault?

TruckVault manufactures the Extreme Series All-Weather TruckVault. Under most circumstance the Extreme Series All-Weather TruckVault is waterproof. The entirety of this unit is wrapped in waterproof Line-X protective liner, while the drawer closures are protected by rubber bulb seal. The All-Weather TruckVault series is available for pickup trucks and open vehicles such as the H-2 SUT.

 

Very nice! How have the drawer slides held up with a large amount of weight stacked up?

 

65 qt RTIC loaded to the brim and 2 6 gallon jugs...300 lbs so yes lol solid as a rock at full extension and even on some rough trails

 

You have a link to the drawer slides you used?

 

The seams started to pull away. Everything was dadoed in and then flooring glue and 3 inch screws. The whole thing was coated with rustoleum 10x which is a line x for wood.

 

You have a shell too don't you? I know your a fab guy so I'm not going to question the build quality as I have seen your work and know that you know what your doing. Strange that it fell apart, would expect with that coating that it would be rock solid

 

@Doozy4212 very nice build man, where did you source the heavy duty drawer sliders from? I've researched and haven't found a reseller near me. https://www.accuride.com/en-us/products/9308-ie

@Jack0928 do share what you've got this post was meant for this.

 

I could easily fix it if i wanted to and just make a metal cap at the end where it fell apart and it would be back to 100% but for the direction that the truck is going i dont think i will, if decked comes out with one i might think about it but for now the pelican setup fits like a glove and is stating at one layer thick so i like that.

 

Mine is removable

 

That set up is sweet! Props to you for building that man, it looks great.

 

how "easy" is it to remove? 1 person job or more?