Seeking your thoughts on new drawer system

[TrekboxX]

Since you asked, my 2 cents...

The way you have it sketched out, each drawer is approximately 21" wide (42" total width). I say size the fridge side for the ARB 50QT, as that is probably the most popular size. The fridge is 15" wide. Add 1.5" on each side (or whatever the minimum is) and you have 18" total width. That would give you a 24"+ wide main drawer.

Locate the fridge on the passenger side. Now, with the 24" drawer and the side wing, a person could actually sleep on the 60 side (of the 60/40 split seat).

On your personal drawers, you have a tray located in front of the fridge (closest to tailgate). I'd locate the tray behind the fridge (towards the front of the vehicle). This is a good spot for reserve beer storage. I think people want to be able to open just their lift gate and access the fridge... not the extra 2 steps of lowering the tail gate and sliding out the drawer.

I realize you have a storage shelf above the fridge. Let me think about that some more...

Thanks for the input. The system is 42.5" wide, which leaves ~20" per drawer/fridge slide. Yes, the ARB 50 is probably the most popular, but the reality is that the 63 or another lower, wider, and longer fridge is more space efficient with the depth of our cargo areas. I also wouldn't want to limit these to only folks with 50 qt fridges. By the time you add the transit bag (~1/2" either side), you are already left with only 2" of air space, of which some is needed for the compressor to shed heat. Best case you could steal 2", I would imagine- which would surely be welcome for sleeping room!

As far as the storage compartment in front of the fridge- originally I had located it behind the fridge to store my camp stove. My wife suggested moving it to the front for misc. storage. I'm glad I did. It's one of the most useful areas day to day. It acts as a storage and charging area for electronics and cords, etc. Everyone is different, though. On the new design the storage "compartment" is not there to allow most fridge sizes. However, by keeping the front of the fridge slide high and having numerous tie down locations (hard to see/not shown above), folks can position their fridge where they like, thereby creating a storage area.

I understand the desire to access the fridge by just opening the hatch, but I just don't see how that would be possible unless the truck was already unloaded. And you didn't have a shelf above. I guess it's a compromise. With the shelf you can access the fridge anytime, but yes, you have to pull it out.

Thanks again for the comments! This will be very helpful as I continue to design these systems.

 

[sonk76]

Ah, gotcha. The shelf, fridge barrier, and center barrier would remove with 6 bolts. The cargo barrier another 4. There is approximately 13" between the top of the drawers and the bottom of the cargo barrier. There's no center support, so you could load cargo or sleep underneath without removing it if you wished.

Any thoughts on adding a hinge to the barrier that would allow it to fold up flush with the ceiling when not in use (E.g., someone trying to sleep in the? ) not sure how feasible in practice, but just a thought.

 

[TrekboxX]

Hmmm. Interesting. I actually made a design where it folds forward on top of the seats, but hadn't thought of folding it up... You'd need a double frame since the barrier only attaches to the drawers... Good idea.

 

[TrekboxX]

Got the wings mapped out finally. What a pia! Slim chance they'll be right the first time... I increased the gap along the wing to trim area to 1/4" to allow for minor differences in vehicles. One thing I learned long ago from my GM engineer father- no two cars are the same!

Anyways, here are a few shots of the hinged wings.

 

[TXLX100]

^That is a good point. How will the passenger side wing fit on rear A/C versus non-rear A/C 100s? I remember reading somewhere on here that non-rear A/C 100s are a little wider in the cargo space. Maybe it was just someone joking around.

Just curious, is the cage and shelving free standing (only bolts to the drawers) in your production design? I remember you had it attached at some higher points on the vertical pillars, in the one that is installed in your vehicle.

 

[patrickfinley]

Great looking design!! Do you know if the sliding drawer under the fridge is deep enough to fit most camp stoves ie Colemen, Camp Chef Everest, Cook Partner?

 

[TrekboxX]

^That is a good point. How will the passenger side wing fit on rear A/C versus non-rear A/C 100s? I remember reading somewhere on here that non-rear A/C 100s are a little wider in the cargo space. Maybe it was just someone joking around.

Just curious, is the cage and shelving free standing (only bolts to the drawers) in your production design? I remember you had it attached at some higher points on the vertical pillars, in the one that is installed in your vehicle.

This system will only fit rear A/C to my knowledge. I am only assuming the non-A/C versions do have more cargo room.

Yes, the only bolts into the vehicle are the drawers-to-seat mount bolts. I deleted the upper passenger side shelf, which was the only reason I needed to grab another mounting point in the D pillar.

Great looking design!! Do you know if the sliding drawer under the fridge is deep enough to fit most camp stoves ie Colemen, Camp Chef Everest, Cook Partner?

Thanks! I don't believe it will fit any/many stoves. The drawer only has 2.5" of useable depth. It's enough for pistols or shotguns, camp utensils, etc. When I was designing this system I was trying to allow for everyone's preference if possible, but it's just not. If I made the drawer deep enough to fit let's say a 5" deep stove, then a customer with a 6" stove would not be happy, nor would one with a 3" deep stove due to the wasted space. Coupled with the facts that:
1. I would never cook on my vehicle when I'm miles from civilization and
2. I needed to keep the shelf low enough to (hopefully) allow the curtain airbags to deploy,
I just made an executive decision. I gathered the most likely things that I would throw in the drawer- guns, ratchet straps, laptops, etc., and 2.5" was the compromise. The fridge slide, on the other hand, will fit most fridges all the way up to an 83 I believe with little or no wasted space. There's also room in front of or behind the fridge to strap your stove upright. Hope that helps!

David

 

[RobRed]

Can you make the drawers hang from the roof?

Looking good. Maybe if you're around we could meet up on Sunday (18th)?

 

[TrekboxX]

Can you make the drawers hang from the roof?

Looking good. Maybe if you're around we could meet up on Sunday (18th)?

Yes. I was also thinking of a long adjustable arm with a suction cup on the rear view mirror

Sounds good. See you this weekend.

 

[patrickfinley]

You have very good reasons for every design choice. Well thought out!

Thanks! I don't believe it will fit any/many stoves. The drawer only has 2.5" of useable depth. It's enough for pistols or shotguns, camp utensils, etc. When I was designing this system I was trying to allow for everyone's preference if possible, but it's just not. If I made the drawer deep enough to fit let's say a 5" deep stove, then a customer with a 6" stove would not be happy, nor would one with a 3" deep stove due to the wasted space. Coupled with the facts that:
1. I would never cook on my vehicle when I'm miles from civilization and
2. I needed to keep the shelf low enough to (hopefully) allow the curtain airbags to deploy,
I just made an executive decision. I gathered the most likely things that I would throw in the drawer- guns, ratchet straps, laptops, etc., and 2.5" was the compromise. The fridge slide, on the other hand, will fit most fridges all the way up to an 83 I believe with little or no wasted space. There's also room in front of or behind the fridge to strap your stove upright. Hope that helps!

David

 

[TrekboxX]

You have very good reasons for every design choice. Well thought out!

Thank you. I know I can't please everyone, but I'd sure like to try. If this gets off the ground, my plan is to continually produce new products and options instead of sitting on my hands and collecting a check. I tried very hard to design the system for future options/ add-ons. For example, all of the fasteners on the top and bottom of the drawers are counterbored to allow future single drawers to be stacked on top without interference or wasted space. Time will tell. My mother always said, "Wish in one hand, **** in the other- see which one gets filled first."

 

[goneloco]

Can't wait for the 80 series system!

 

[TrekboxX]

Can't wait for the 80 series system!

I've been surprised how many 80 series owners have contacted me. It's great! I won't drag my feet with the 80 series... Put your requests in now before the designing happens!

Question for you all. The other model system I will be designing in the beginning is a two drawer system. The question is how many of you that want a two drawer system would prefer a (more expensive) roller-top to mounting your own slide? I'm really leaning towards the roller top because with the center barrier, a drop-down slide like the awesome Loadspotter wouldn't fit, but a standard slide would. The other option if most folks prefer the drop-down is to have the center barrier off center for just the two drawer systems. This, of course, robs more cargo space on the non-fridge side.

Thoughts?

 

[AATLAS1X]

I love it.....

I have the OS drawers and can send you the NON AC side wing if you are interested in drawing it. Took me months to get the fit kit as its uncommon.

send me an email directly shane at LabRak.com as I can toss you some info your way.

Shane

 

[2003lx470]

"My mother always said, "Wish in one hand, **** in the other- see which one gets filled first.""

What are you talking about?

 

[TrekboxX]

I love it.....

I have the OS drawers and can send you the NON AC side wing if you are interested in drawing it. Took me months to get the fit kit as its uncommon.

send me an email directly shane at LabRak.com as I can toss you some info your way.

Shane

Thanks, Shane. I'll be in touch.

"My mother always said, "Wish in one hand, **** in the other- see which one gets filled first.""

What are you talking about?

It's just an old saying, meaning that you can wish all you want, but wishes don't hold any weight. I'm full of these old sayings I got from my mother- my wife has never heard of any of them. She thinks I'm a bit crazy.

 

[AimCOtaco]

It's just an old saying, meaning that you can wish all you want, but wishes don't hold any weight. I'm full of these old sayings I got from my mother- my wife has never heard of any of them. She thinks I'm a bit crazy.

Oh, I thought you meant that literally... goes off to wash hands.

 

[B-RAD]

Love the thought and design of your drawer build. One more thought...maybe put some vents/drilled holes at the rear and back corners of the fridge slide drawer to make sure there is adequet ventalation for the fridge. Other than that...looks awesome!

 

[TrekboxX]

Love the thought and design of your drawer build. One more thought...maybe put some vents/drilled holes at the rear and back corners of the fridge slide drawer to make sure there is adequet ventalation for the fridge. Other than that...looks awesome!

Thanks. As it is now, most fridges will have 1-3" of air space all around them. The dividers are obviously just mesh, so they help a lot. I guess if you were stuffing a large fridge in there some more holes wouldn't hurt, but they would really only be useful on the back, I should think. The sides would vent into the drawer or under the wings, which are usually loaded with gear... Hmm...

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[TrekboxX]

Love the thought and design of your drawer build. One more thought...maybe put some vents/drilled holes at the rear and back corners of the fridge slide drawer to make sure there is adequet ventalation for the fridge. Other than that...looks awesome!

Took your advice! Figured it surely won't hurt to have some more ventilation...

I played around with some different designs, but I kept coming back to this one. Simple, effective, and it will rarely be seen anyways.