Could I make drawer sys/sleep platform out of square alu tuing?

[daveIT]

Would this stuff be strong enough to sleep on? I'd like to make a lightweight, easy to remove sleep platform. Would be under 250 lbs sleeping on it...maybe 300 with all the bedding and dog...

Crown Bolt Aluminum 48 in. x 3/4 in. x 1/16 in. Square Tube - 40630 at The Home Depot

I'd like to get a hinge of some sort and make a flip up part that will extend it when the rear seat is folded up.

The "drawers" would just be something like these underbed storage boxes, but maybe something more heavy duty: Sterilite - 1895: 67 Quart Wheeled Underbed Latch Box

The reason for this is I'd like to just be able to mix/match a couple of those depending on if I'm going camping, fishing, shooting etc...I could just have them ready with the appropriate gear.

I remember seeing something like this either on 'Mud or Expo forums, but I can't find it now...not sure what the size/thickness of the aluminum was.

 

[FullyLitLED]

Man this sounds like a good plan! I may copy it if you pull it off

 

[lovetoski]

Thinking out loud...

The material used for the sides and floor need to be considered in terms of both their weight, and the strength they provide.

Whether this square stock is strong enough in part depends on the above, but also on your design, the amount of stock used, and it's location.

Seems to me if lightweight is the goal, then an engineered system is what's required. Some combination of materials that together carry the load you need. So for example, the aluminum stock + ?? sheets to bridge the open spaces.

Very curious to see what you end up with!!!

 

[esh]

That tubing should work fine. I have a semi-permanent platform and that is similar to what I'll use to finish the front when I can find it at the metal scrap yard. I would weld together a frame of it and use angle alum to reinforce where it makes sense. Going to depend a lot on your design.

It is way easier to do a design for the rear seat removed than it is to plan around the seat folded up. You get a ton of storage space under the platform that way and swapping in the rear seat for 5 person mode doesn't take a lot of time. Just make sure the rear box doesn't interfere with the rear seat.

I would forget about the sterilite boxes. My v1 box had a camping setup and truck spares/recovery setup, swapping the plastic underbed storage boxes depending on the situation as you planned to do. They always broke. Make simple friction sliding drawers. You get a lot more space use, no expensive sliders and they work great.


My setup is using 3/8 birch plywood. "Cabinet grade" plywood is nice because it usually has fewer voids, solid and light. The left side of the box has one large drawer and right has two smaller.

I have mine really tall because I wanted to fit my fridge under it instead of dealing with it always in the way. Fridge is behind the center console.. you see the hole for it (hinged flap for access). Tradeoff with it being so tall is less headroom, but storage is amazing. I also have wagongear side panels and tailgate, so the truck is packed with various spare parts, fluids and recovery gear. I have a 4" memory foam full/double mattress pad I sleep nicely on, and clear visibility at the windows while driving (minus wherever the dog lays).

 

[Bogo]

X2 on not using Sterilite crap. Rubbermaid is much better and more cost effective in the long run, but there are even better ones out there. I've been using Rubbermaid totes, clear walled boxes and some generic reusable shipping totes with the hinged lids. On life expectancy. Most of the Rubbermaid totes I bought 15 years ago are still in use and in good shape. The Sterilite ones usually die in under 5 years. They like to crack on impact. Note, even the Rubermaid ones will die if you expose them to to much UV light but it takes a couple yeas rather than only months.

On the AL, Online Metals has 4 foot pieces for $4 each.
Order Aluminum 6061 Square Tube in Small Quantities at OnlineMetals.com
If you can find a local metals supplier that handles AL then you likely could easily beat that.

For ease of construction I don't think you'll beat doing it out of Baltic Birch plywood. With a dovetail jig and router it is possible to make strong dovetail corners on a drawer box made from baltic birch plywood. It is also possible to use corner gussets and glue and screw them in. I'd use strips of a good hardwood like oak for the corner gussets. First pilot drill the holes, then put the screws in. I like the idea of sliding the drawer on the carpet below, and if that doesn't work, then sheets of HDPE plastic would work as the gliding surface under the drawer.

With the AL you will be able to make it lighter, but you will have to deal with welding the frame up or use fittings and glue at the joints. Metal skins can be bonded with automotive body glues.

 

[REZARF]

To answer your question, yes, the aluminum tubing will be plenty strong for your intended use.

 

[daveIT]

To answer your question, yes, the aluminum tubing will be plenty strong for your intended use.

Sweet!

 

[RufusTheDufus]

Yes you can.

I have some other photos of the drawer system later on in that topic. I used 1" square aluminum. It's plenty strong and light enough that I can lift the entire thing in and out of the Troopy by myself with the drawers installed. The 36" deep wooden drawers are easily 50% of the weight of the assembly. It's tall enough that I can fit two bug AGM deep cycles on their sides under the platform.

 

[IBCRUSN]

Yes you can.

I have some other photos of the drawer system later on in that topic. I used 1" square aluminum. It's plenty strong and light enough that I can lift the entire thing in and out of the Troopy by myself with the drawers installed. The 36" deep wooden drawers are easily 50% of the weight of the assembly. It's tall enough that I can fit two bug AGM deep cycles on their sides under the platform.

Very nice build. I have contemplated replacing my wood drawers with an aluminum build using square tube similar to your design and AL honeycomb panels in place of plywood. It should be about 1/3 the weight of my existing wood drawers. Not to mention it would give me yet another reason to purchase a TIG when I get home next year.

 

[RufusTheDufus]

...using square tube similar to your design and AL honeycomb panels in place of plywood.

I'd like to dump the plywood someday. At that point in the build I was already running many weeks behind schedule for our Baja trip. Plywood was just easy/quicker but that stuff is heavy.

I'm not familiar with Al honeycomb panels. I'll need to look that up.

 

[daveIT]

Love your Troopy, Rufus! Great pics. Where you at in Maine? I grew up in Aroostook County (my dad was stationed at Loring for a long time) and my gram and some other family were in Bangor area.

I was looking at those hard plastic connectors to hook the tubing together since I don't have TIG welding skills...not sure how much it would cost to farm out the work...maybe off-setting the cost of the connectors? I think TIG welding aluminum would be a bitch...

 

[RufusTheDufus]

I'm about 20 minutes south of Sugarloaf and 15 minutes north of Farmington. (Two hours west of Bangor. )

TIGging aluminum is surprisingly simple after you know how to do it. (I was on the TIG welder for almost 4 hours this afternoon making some aluminum trays for the 4 post storage lift in the garage.) IMO, for thin wall aluminum, TIG is much easier than MIG. If you're calling around to fab shops ask a if they have a pulsed-mode MIG welder. They are sweet for welding aluminum and are much, much faster than TIG. A shop with a pulsed MIG will be able to do the work much faster/cheaper than TIG.

I have no idea how much those plastic connectors cost. For comparison, I'd guess it took me 14 hours to build my drawer system. A professional could most likely do it faster. I'd count on 8 at least 6 to 8 hours of work for a fab shop to do the structure. You could save them some time if you cut all the tubing yourself.


I'm hoping to paint the Troopy this summer. For some reason my wife prefers the primer though.

 

[daveIT]

Does look pretty sexy as is. I need to fix some bubbling up rust issues on mine, so it may be sporting some primer soon too! The previous owner put a MAACO job on it now to keep the rust at bay.

Which of these do you think would be stronger if I went the connector route?

4-Way Top Connector - Tubing Connectors - Aluminum angle, Aluminum tube, Aluminum extrusions, Anodized aluminum, Aluminum pipe, Aluminum channel, Extruded Aluminum angle, brunner enterprises, Aluminum bar, aluminum rod, aluminum edging, aluminum tubi

EZ Tube boltless construction system aluminum tube connectors, steel tube connectors and other tube accessories.

EDIT: Hmm...looks like the EZTube ones have a steel core...may be stronger than the Zytel of the Brunner ones...

 

[RufusTheDufus]

The specs for the Brunner ones look plenty strong. I wonder if you have to purchase the tubing from them too?

 

[daveIT]

Don't know...looking at a few diff sources at the moment for the 1# tubing

So, I measured the main/drawer section out to be 42" (between wheel wells) x 42" to tailgate x 13" high (about half way up the speaker / where there is a seam in the frame on the rear seat that holds the carpet on).

I'm thinking of using these 3-ways for corners top and bottom:

With a T in the middle to separate where the "drawers" would be. I'm still planning to use some kind of platic/Rubbermaid totes to store my gear.

Since I'm not an engineer...

Would you leave the long sections as one long piece of aluminum, or should I throw a couple joints in to make some cross sections (like halfway across horizontally and down vertically?) Not sure if I'm explaining it right...

Maybe I can use this stuff for the top tube and possibly slide in a section of aluminum diamond plate or something for the sleep platform:

Thoughts?

 

[Luke111]

I like your idea but I think you be better off building a platform out of plywood...cheaper and easier..
If you do use aluminum as a frame you still have to use plywood or something for the top..IMO just use plywood and get her done!!

Lou

 

[RufusTheDufus]

Maybe I can use this stuff for the top tube and possibly slide in a section of aluminum diamond plate or something for the sleep platform:
Thoughts?

That's only 1/4" to support a 40" span. IMO, a piece of diamond plate will sag too much without a center support and might pop out of that channel if it's the only support mechanism.

I wonder if these connector systems come apart easily? That would be a nice benefit if you don't want your storage system in the car all the time. You could break it down and store it easily if it's like Legos.

 

[IBCRUSN]

I'd like to dump the plywood someday. At that point in the build I was already running many weeks behind schedule for our Baja trip. Plywood was just easy/quicker but that stuff is heavy.

I'm not familiar with Al honeycomb panels. I'll need to look that up.

I completely understand. My current set was completed the weekend before an event so I wasn't able to go too exotic.

Aluminum and fiberglass honeycomb panels are a staple in the aerospace industry because of their strength and light weight. Essentially you have two sheets of aluminum sandwiching a honeycomb core to provide great strength and reduce the weight. It can be had in all sorts of thicknesses (skins and core).

If I ever had a reasonably unlimited amount of $$ laying around and a vehicle I wanted to keep for a while I'd like to fab a carbon fiber and aluminum drawer setup.

 

[IBCRUSN]

There are extrusions out there that would lend themselves to fabricating cabinets. My neighbor works in a shop that builds laser cabinets ad they use aluminum extrusions in various sizes to build cabinets, frames and such.

Ahhhh found it. Take a look at this stuff:
80/20® Inc. - The Industrial Erector Set

 

[daveIT]

Ahhhh found it. Take a look at this stuff:
80/20® Inc. - The Industrial Erector Set

That stuff looks awesome!