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Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 19 Aug 2018 14:38
by Anthony Forgey
I love your work Tijmen. super neat electrical board.

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 19 Aug 2018 18:32
by izakjbrt
Well my fridge just threw a spanner in the works. I have a NL 95l fridge. And while it’s the same width and length as the 90l . It’s taller. So it being 63.5cm high (and the opening of the patrol in the back being 93cm), it leaves very limited space. And with the missus saying she does not want stacked drawers , it really really leaves limited space

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 20 Aug 2018 17:35
by David M
The Frontrunner one on the previous page does not fit a big fridge, I am over ammo boxes and I do not want the fridge ontop of the drawers or I need a ladder to climb in. I built my first packing system from wood and then refined it last year with a steel and aluminium system.
Fridge slide back.jpg
I used the largest fridge slide available which is the old Frontrunner large slide and used to fit my old Snomaster 100 l and my new Snomaster 74 l double door Expedition fits with plenty space to spare. You can also see the bracket I made for my compressor which clears the fridge and bolts into the back seat mounting. I can open the main part of the fridge from inside the vehicle but need to use the slide to access the freezer. I was going to replace the back side window with a gull wing window to access the fridge but we are now building up the bakkie for overlanding so doubt if I will ever do it.
Fridge slide front.jpg
While I was about it I welded a piece of plate into the fridge slide to mount the slimline sub/amp.
Drawers back.jpg
Built the drawers with steel case and aluminium drawers. Bottom drawer is 900 mm long and the top 2 drawers 600 mm long. The reason will become clear with the next photo. The whole system is mounted with 2 bolts that fit into the old jump seat mounting.
Drawers front.jpg
The reason for the 2 shorter drawers. My power station fits perfectly. I also had enough space to mount the amp on the back of the longer drawer.
Large drawer.jpg
The large drawer. Allocate this to SWAMBO for her clothing and you ain't sleeping in the doghouse for a long long time.
Small drawer.jpg
One of the smaller drawers.

The only change I would make if redoing would be mounting the complete system on 1 large board instead of only a board under the drawers.

Very important and the reason for me putting the fridge slide on the drivers side. Access to the fuel pump on petrol 4.5's and I think 4.8's. You don't want to have to strip a drawer system out in the middle of Bots to replace a fuel pump.

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 20 Aug 2018 17:55
by izakjbrt
I like the bracket for the compressor! Mine is currently sitting behind the Centre console and rear seats. But yes my fridge is too big. So me and the missus will decide the way forward (I just carry the cash, she makes the decisions

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 22 Aug 2018 19:20
by iandvl
Apologies - I've been very, very busy, and have not had much time to be particularly active on the forum for a while.

I recently bought Alex' Outback drawer system from him. Very happy with it so far, and it fits "nommer pas". As for how well it works / similar, I cannot comment, as I've not finished kitting everything out as a result of my recent "very busy busy busy" thing.

Biggest shortcoming I have at the moment, is my fridge. I run a 90L SnoMaster fridge. Previously, it worked well just in the boot, but now because of the drawers, it sits too high to open the lid... And the 90L SnoMaster size is not compatible with the widely available fridge slides here in Gauteng. I have ordered a drop-slide which will work, but I'm still waiting for it to arrive.

The one thing I liked (sort of) about the Outback drawers, was that because they are designed specifially for the GU Wagon, it fits without having to make any major modifications. And I like the way it looks. And it's going to make a massive difference in how we tour, I think
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The frame lines up perfectly with the bolts for the four load points in the boot.
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But I was a little worried about weight (especially with the fridge, when it is installed) on the 4x6mm bolts which bolt through the drawer frame, so I butchered some steel plate and added four more brackets. Two on the sides, where they bolt into the spots where the hinges for the third row of seats fit, and two at the bottom, which bolt in where the "locks" for the third row seats sit.
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Anyways, I don't think this will help much, as I've still got no "real-world experience" in rolling with the drawers. I'm still finishing the stuff off. But in the meantime, I'm happy. Will see how it pans out when I get the fridge slide.

Edit: Oh - yes. In terms of what David said regarding the fuel pump, I agree 100%. In my case, the right hand drawer and "top" both slide out. I will be mounting my fridge on the right hand side, and should I need to get to the fuel pump, I can remote my fridge and just slide out the top shelf and drawer. I've already cut a neat "access" flap into the carpet so that I can get access to the fuel pump cover panel without any issues. :biggrin: :biggrin:

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 09:33
by ricster
Is that a little spanner rash on your finger there?......Patrols are not for sissies and plasters.....hahahaha

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 09:39
by iandvl
ricster wrote: 23 Aug 2018 09:33 Is that a little spanner rash on your finger there?......Patrols are not for sissies and plasters.....hahahaha
Nicely spotted, Cedric... :rolling: :rolling:

Not spanner rash, sadly. You can rather call it stupidity and haste...

I was in Cape Town a week or two before doing this. Whenever I'm away from home, my wife re-arranges all my stuff and I can never find what I'm looking for. In this case, I could not find my leather metal work gloves. It was a quick job, and not much cutting, so I reckoned I'd just do without.

There are two great benefits of using gloves when doing metal work.

1: Cutting metal means that the bits you are cutting get hellishly sharp. Gloves prevent you cutting your hands open on the sharp bits before you debur them...
2: Cutting metal means the metal gets very hot. Wearing gloves means you can handle the metal without burning your hands.

In short, I absent-mindedly picked up a piece I'd cut right after cutting it. It was a few gazillion degrees in temperature, which means I let go of it fairly quickly. Dropping the sharp end onto my unprotected right hand...

Anyways, lessons learnt. Wear your PPE when doing metal work... :rolling: :rolling:

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 11:50
by offroadbiker
Your fridge/freezer preferance also plays a role here.

I dont do the one fridge/freezer combo (Personal preference) so I have a 40L and 42L Engel fitted ontop of my two drawers (Outback). Works for me and have been rolling this way for a couple of years now.

Re: Drawer system question

Posted: 23 Aug 2018 14:31
by biggles
Image

This is my systems one party trick. With a spare wheel carrier it is MAJOR PTA getting the big barn door open everytime.

Image
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The other party trick is the top drawer is removable.

I put my recovery gear in the drawers systems... now I once found myself stuck at the bottom of a dune and could not get the recovery gear out. Hence the hinged top, so i can always get into the top drawer from inside the vehicle. I have used that feature once already!!