Dobinsons Drawers Install

[TheGrrrrr]

Started the install of my Dobinsons Drawers last night and made some good progress, but had to pause it due to needing two people to do do the fitment. My buddy is coming by this afternoon to help me finish it.

First a note on the drawers themselves: The drawers are extremely sturdy and the fit and finish is quite good. I would have a hard time believing that the ARB drawers are significantly better as I've not yet found anything that seems like it could be greatly improved upon. These seem like a good value given the price point compared to the other options. Delivery was only available to the FedEx Freight terminal which was annoying, but the box is 43"x43"x17" and weighed about 235 pounds. It fit in the 200 easily but did get stuck between the wheel wells which required some recovery work to dislodge by myself. Packaging was good and it seems to have come with a variety of hardware, much of which doesn't appear to be needed for the 200.

Some pics:

Getting it unwedged was a challenge, but a pry bar and a tow strap provided leverage I couldn't get with my arms/hands.

Unboxing was pretty straight forward and it appears everything that is supposed to be here is here:

Had to remove the rear seatbelts and 3rd row seat hoops to get started:

Next up was removing the top of the fixed side of the drawers to provide access to bolts for install:

In addition to removing the spring loaded tie downs there are 8 hex bolts counter sunk into the top panel that have to be removed, for a total of 24 hex bolts to remove the panel. They have used the same hex bolts for nearly everything but the mounts which makes things pretty simple and they included a bunch of extras.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

Then removing the two mounting brackets for placement in the truck (photo was from before I removed the top):

This is where the fun started... It says you need 10mm of washers to mount the brackets in the truck. I needed closer to 20mm to clear the insulation and carpet. I mounted the forward bracket to the outer 3rd row seat post locations, and the rearward bracket to the outer bolt holes for the 3rd row seat catch loops. I used the big spacers included for the rearward locations and 9 washers for the forward locations under the bar:

This is where I left off for the evening to begin again with some help to place, fit and adjust the drawers and wings for the best fit. Before calling it a night though I had to test out the drawers for fitting some toolboxes, power station, cords, bottle jack/extensions, 30'x1" kinetic rope, breaker bar, hatchet, hitch recover adapter, folding shovel and first aid kit. It all fits like a glove. I bought 6 of these Dewalt tool boxes with the plan to have 2 in the vehicle with tools and other needed gear at all times and swap in the others based on purpose. So nice:

I'll probably do a whole other thread on my drawer organization and load-out system as it develops. Time will tell in terms of the organizational value of loading up these tool boxes for ease of loading and swapping vs. the space lost to the boxes themselves but two fit nicely in either direction in each drawer leaving as space either the length or width of the drawer for other items as you can see.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

Picked up where I left off last night and spent about 3 hours finishing up the install. The biggest challenges were getting everything lined up and marking the drawers for drilling holes to get it mounted up. Where the brackets mount, drilling is inevitable for one bracket or the other. We took some extra time to file the drilled holes and clean the frame of the metal shards. Fitment was uneventful but did require multiple adjustment to get the wings lined up.

All in all, I'm extremely happy with the drawers. The fit and finish are great with every aspect feeling durable and well put together. Drove around the neighborhood and hit the massive speed bumps in my area a little faster than normal without hearing and creaks rattles or thumps from the drawers or their contents. Advice to anyone installing these, remember to install the drawer stops BEFORE you reattach the top surface or you will be pulling out 24 bolts to get back in there... like I did.

Finally, I was very excited that my Exped Mega Mat Duo Long+Wide was a perfect fit. Can't wait to get out camping.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

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[TheGrrrrr]

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[hkeller]

I did this a few weekend ago in our 2014 LX. Agree the quality is there. It was a tight fit in the LX and removing the electric seats was a pain. Only issue for me was the instructions say it should take about 2 hours and it took me the better part of 2 days and brush with a nervous breakdown. Lots of little screws and pretty weak instructions.

I am glad I did it. They hold a ton of stuff. My mileage dropped from an average of 16.3 mpg to 15.8 mpg. I probably have a few hundred pound in them and they probably weigh close to a couple hundred pounds.

 

[LCMemphis]

How long did total install take, not counting breaks? Thanks.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

How long did total install take, not counting breaks? Thanks.

I probably have 3 hours into it right now working at a very slow pace to ensure everything is done correctly and carefully. I have probably read the instruction in their entirety about 8 times. This is including the removal of the 3rd row seatbelts. Another 20 or 30 minutes on the removal of the 3rd row that was done the day I bought it. I suspect I have another 2- 3 hours to go. Maybe less. I think if you had done it a few times it could be done in 2 hours but I wouldn't have much faith it was done well. I think 3 hours is reasonable if you had everything prepped and ready to go with all of your tools at the ready and someone knowledgeable helping you.

 

[LCMemphis]

That sounds reasonable and I appreciate your reply and your notes/photos. I'm seriously considering the same kit for my LC. I really like the fit and finish. THanks.

 

[yihooni]

After reading your review, I think I’ll go with Dobinson drawers. Question, when you fold the second row seats, is there a big height difference between the folded second row seats and the drawer? I ask because I was told Dovinson drawers are an inch lower? It looks fairly flat with the Exped mat?