ARB Drawers for LX470s (2002)?

[stevenjj71]

Hi Drawer experts! Are the ARB Drawers for the Toyota 100 series usable for an LX470 (a 2002 specifically). I've been searching this for hours and can't get a conclusive answer.

The Slee site suggests they are compatible with Totota 80/100/200 series, *and* LX450, but did not say LX470 or LX570.

 

[CBeckFJ]

Hi Drawer experts! Are the ARB Drawers for the Toyota 100 series usable for an LX470 (a 2002 specifically). I've been searching this for hours and can't get a conclusive answer.

The Slee site suggests they are compatible with Totota 80/100/200 series, *and* LX450, but did not say LX470 or LX570.

Yes. The drawers are universal, the fit kit or "wings" are the vehicle-specific pieces. The 100 series and LX470 wings would be the same.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Should fit the same. Be warned, they extend hardly past 50%, which limits how you use them. When we were benchmarking competition, we played with the ARB drawers and were astounded how little they pull out.

They look nice, but man that rear half of the drawer would be of limited use.

 

[teganca]

Should fit the same. Be warned, they extend hardly past 50%, which limits how you use them. When we were benchmarking competition, we played with the ARB drawers and were astounded how little they pull out.

They look nice, but man that rear half of the drawer would be of limited use.

What competition did you benchmark? Not aware of the options available and looking at these drawers
Thanks!

 

[suprarx7nut]

What competition did you benchmark? Not aware of the options available and looking at these drawers
Thanks!

Realize I'm biased here because Air Down Gear Up is my own (along with @Kyle Bell ), but here's my quick comparison of the SS1 against the competitors we studied. I'll stay as objective as I can.

ARB: Looks great. Multi-national corporation product and it shows. Drawers are somewhat sad. Very limited pull out and cheap bones (thin sheet metal, plastic and plywood). The slam latches are pretty sweet.
KISS: Budget drawers/sliding boxes. A little heavy considering there are no ball bearing slides, has some flex when lifted due to anchoring method, static wings, drawer construction has interior bracing that intrudes into interior storage space. Despite the things we don't like about it, it's a set of functional drawers at a price point nobody else offers.
TrekboxX: The gold standard. The best in every aspect (perhaps except for flexibility since the full system takes up so much space). The only downside is the price. Accuride slides, top notch materials and fit and finish on par with the price tag.

Air Down Gear Up SS1: Lightweight and a step above DIY options (and we believe the best option short of TrekboxX). The basic platform is the lightest cargo solution on the market at ~35 lbs. You can lift up on the platform and unload the rear suspension with little/no flex. It is rock solid. All hardware is CNC recessed on the topside and clever 3D printed parts create low profile no-catch ramps around the cargo tie downs. Drawer options offer 100% extension 36" dovetail joint drawers on industrial ball bearing slides. Lock open and lock closed. Wings are hinged. Sleeper option offers the only full length, perfectly flat sleeping surface on the market. Often, the biggest draw for the SS1 for customers is the sleeper. All wood is Grade BB/B Baltic Birch, plastic is carbon fiber infused nylon and much of the steel is stainless steel. Legs are anodized aluminum.

Probably more text than you wanted, but there it is!

In the end I'd just encourage you to support a vendor on here. We all contribute to the community and we're all chasing the dream of making a living doing what we love.

 

[saucebox]

I have the ARBs in an LX. No fitment issues, that's already been covered. I never noticed the 50% opening until this thread...it hasn't been a problem (yet?). But I could potentially see a situation where that would be a pain. It's a good point. No issues with sheet metal drawers—they've put up with a few hundred pounds of offroad gear over several thousand miles of dirt track now, and they look and function as new. I also have no idea how heavy the ARB system is, but it's a HELLUVA lot heavier than 35 pounds.

IMO the biggest hassle with the ARBs is getting them out of the truck when you want to modify or change something. Need to get the side panels out? Prepare for two hours of unloading drawers and disassembling the whole system. The drawers don't just come out—the top has to come off. And another hour at least putting them all back in afterwards. I've had a couple of situations where I wanted to run a reverse camera, or wire up the HAM antenna and power feed, for example, where I wanted the wires inside the cabin for most of the run. I need to replace the seals on my quarter windows—drawers are going to have to come out again. Dammit.

So...consider removal as part of whatever you choose. I'm happy with mine except for that. (And I'm an urban dweller, so I don't have the space for making a set myself, or gluing carpet down to the top of a prefabbed set, etc. So I went the easy route with something that was already built for my need.)

Oh yeah—the drawer stays are crap on the ARBs. They always break.

How much are the SS1s again?

 

[suprarx7nut]

I have the ARBs in an LX. No fitment issues, that's already been covered. I never noticed the 50% opening until this thread...it hasn't been a problem (yet?). But I could potentially see a situation where that would be a pain. It's a good point. No issues with sheet metal drawers—they've put up with a few hundred pounds of offroad gear over several thousand miles of dirt track now, and they look and function as new. I also have no idea how heavy the ARB system is, but it's a HELLUVA lot heavier than 35 pounds.

IMO the biggest hassle with the ARBs is getting them out of the truck when you want to modify or change something. Need to get the side panels out? Prepare for two hours of unloading drawers and disassembling the whole system. The drawers don't just come out—the top has to come off. And another hour at least putting them all back in afterwards. I've had a couple of situations where I wanted to run a reverse camera, or wire up the HAM antenna and power feed, for example, where I wanted the wires inside the cabin for most of the run. I need to replace the seals on my quarter windows—drawers are going to have to come out again. Dammit.

So...consider removal as part of whatever you choose. I'm happy with mine except for that. (And I'm an urban dweller, so I don't have the space for making a set myself, or gluing carpet down to the top of a prefabbed set, etc. So I went the easy route with something that was already built for my need.)

Oh yeah—the drawer stays are crap on the ARBs. They always break.

How much are the SS1s again?

Good info, thanks!

That's the other SS1 benefit I forgot to mention - removal and install time. Once you have the unit all assembled, removal is 4 turnbuckles. That's it. If you have drawers, sometimes it's easier to remove each drawer before the entire assembly, but it's still pretty quick. Minutes - certainly not hours. If it's just the 4 turnbuckles, you can get it in and out in about 5 minutes.

 

[stevenjj71]

Update - got my ARB drawers installed. If I were buying in future once the SS1 pullout table feature was finalized I'd have gone that way (it looks like it will be really good) - but was ready to purchase now.

Positives - looks good, seems solid.

Negatives - OMG hard to install due to terrible instructions (and to be fair my limited comprehension skills!) Several times I completed steps on one sheet then had to undo them to be able to complete steps on a separate instruction sheet. I'm embarrassed to admit it took me a good 15 hours - would be a lot faster if I did it again though.

Tip for installers - make sure you do the vehicle specific measuring and adjust the mounting brackets first. Don't do what I did which was attach the two drawers together, load them in the car, and then try doing all that stuff once it is in the vehicle!

Tip for ARB - spend some time to write one complete start to finish install documents for each vehicle/configuration. The product would be much easier to recommend if it had that, rather than the multi-document mashup they currently provide.