Storage... TV gets some TLC

DigitalSorceress

So, after my shakedown cruise I know that I do not really feel like I'm making the best use of the limited storage in my TAB. It struck me that rather than tying to get all my clothes into the trailer, I should set aside a bit for the next couple days clothes and keep the rest in my tow vehicle.

I have a midsize pickup (Chevy Colorado short bed) with a cap.. so lots of empty space.

I made myself a "poor woman's truck bed slide".. after pricing out "proper" truck bed sliders and finding they were in the $1000 range and seeing a lot of DIY ones that looked to spend a LOT of weight and waste space with heavy wood framing, I found a youtube video of a guy doing a DIY one that I thought would work for me.. with some modification

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3GO4EGKPs8

This is my tray implementation.. passenger side

Driver side.. still room left

.. and tucked away ready to close up


I modified my design from his.. His tray had rails on the tray and just a blank hardboard on the bed. I put the side rails on the hardboard so as to guide it in and only a back rail directly on the plywood.

It moves easily and lets me get at my stuff and cost me about $16 as I used a piece of plywood I had lying around.

jkjenn

Talk to us about those drawers...where did you get them, how much weight could they hold?

DigitalSorceress

@jkjenn Those are just Sterilite drawers

I happened to have them lying around because I use them for my medieval reenactment event .. where we kind of "glamped" in a 12x24 canvas tent and esssentially set up a little bedroom in the woods...

This is the big one

https://www.amazon.com/STERILITE-Drawer-Heavy-Storage-Unit-Grey/dp/B074DJ8N89/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=sterilite+drawers&qid=1558575625&s=gateway&sr=8-11

The unit is 25x18x35  and so the drawers are pretty reasonable like 22x16 or so inside and about 8" deep?

The closest I can find to the white one is this
https://www.amazon.com/STERILITE-Weave-Drawer-Unit-White/dp/B074DX2STP/ref=sr_1_49?keywords=sterilite+drawers&qid=1558575648&s=gateway&sr=8-49

the unit is about 18x20x 30 (I took the feet off making it shorter)

I like these types because they're solidly built - a little heavier than some plastic drawers, but the solid construction means they don't fall apart. These drawers also actually have rollers so they move much more smoothly than some of the cheaper Rubbermaid drawers.

The down side is they're not mix /match configurable.. I have some rubbermaids I can remove the bottom plate and attach 2 units to make a taller one.. these are not really stacking .. but I used what I had lying around for now.. Once I see how it all goes I might want to make changes.

I foresee splitting uses.. putting extra food items (canned goods etc) in the bottom drawers, maybe some extra cooking utensils other stuff and putting clothes in the top drawers .. so they're nice and bottom heavy

The storage bins I use are 12 gallon dual flap storage bins like this
https://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-12-Gallon-Plastic-Storage-Attached/dp/B00006IARN/ref=sr_1_6?qid=1558575982&s=storageorganization&sr=1-6

Except I usually get them at Lowes on sale around $8

They stack well and have little lips to keep them from shifting and I can get a stack 3 high under my cap.

I haven't actually packed it yet for actual camping this was a dry run to get the layout right.

I think I may put some little guides on the pull out tray to kind of lock it in place though they feel very sturdy - one thing I am going to have to address is that the drawers slide open a bit .. need to put some hinges/catches on

My truck also has a hinged side storage case. I keep my trailer/towing stuff like the hitch receiver and locks, and wheel chocks and some jumper cables

https://www.amazon.com/UnderCover-SwingCase-Storage-SC201D-1999-2014/dp/B001B7TT1M/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=swing+box+truck&qid=1558576389&s=gateway&sr=8-1

jkjenn

Thanks!!

Sharon_is_SAM

I like your plywood slider!  We use a couple of Sterlite drawer systems in the back of our van for all our RV supplies.  Cheap and easy!

jkjenn

I seriously considered installing  a slide this spring, but my spare is stored underneath the storage area and after considering all of the different ways I could handle it, I decided not to do a permanent slide and drawer install. But I am always looking at ways to improve that area. My fridge takes up most of one side and I have some Frontrunner boxes I will use on the other side. I may, still, at some point, go with a fridge slide.

DigitalSorceress

I should probably say.. this is just a 1/2" plywood sheet .. it's not meant to hold any "real weight" out beyond the edge of the gate...

My intent is to use it as a way to get at stuff in the back without crawling in... I may have to reinforce the plywood with something if I find it can't handle the weight out beyond the gate when down.

DigitalSorceress

@jkjenn hmm tire under that area.. yeah .. my slide is not even attached.. I put down the hardboard and attached the guide rails to that and then put the plywood on top.. I would have to empty it all out but I can pul the whole thing in like a minute (once it's empty)

rkj__

Nice work making the items in your truck easy to access. 

The T@b 320 certainly has storage limitations, but my wife and I now tow with a Sierra, with the 6.5 ft bed, so we make good use of that. We just use simple storage totes. It’s not too hard to hop in the bed using the handy bumper step, but I can’t argue that your setup provides even easier access.

davel4wa

Did you install the Undercover-Swing Case after you built the slide? In the photo it appears to clear your plywood slide yet in the product video it appears closer to the truck bed which would interfere with swinging the Swing Case out.

lkc001

So clever!  I have a Nissan Frontier with a shortbed & rollback tonneau cover.  I can get stuff arranged in the truck bed OK, but if I need anything at the back I have to get out a step stool to reach it from the side or to get up in the truck bed. . . . I'm short.   I might have to look at a mod of some kind based on what you did here.   P.S. If you need support to pull the tray out further than the edge of the tailgate you could make some kind of a support post that could swing down once you pulled it out so far--like a camper table leg.

DigitalSorceress

@davel4wa I had the swing case already there.. It doesn't get in the way of the sliding itself but if I have something tightly packed in there and it bumps up against it, it can get in the way a bit

@lkc001 I generally don't need to worry about that. My use for this slide is more just to let me get a bit easier access to the very back without having to crawl in.. so I rarely pull it farther than maybe 6" over the end of the tailgate.. I don't keep anything that heavy on it so it does just fine for me.

If I were going to do heavier stuff I would have probably gone for a more .. "commercial" solution. This is just enough assist and yet takes up very little space and is 100% reversible in about 2 minutes (Just empty it out and pull the slide out and the bottom piece just slides out after I lift the back just a bit to get over the wheel wells

lkc001

@DigitalSorceress another question, did you have to put down a piece of hardboard under the plywood to get it to slide easily?   I have a molded heavy duty plastic bedliner and it is fairly slick already, it's not the textured sprayed in bedliner--was wondering if I would really need the hardboard?

DigitalSorceress

@lkc001 I did put down hardboard.. I left it 4' wide and cut indents to let it kind of slot in and lock in place by the wheel wells (I have a Chevy Colorado Short bed so it's not 4' between the wells it's like 3'8" or so)

I screwed on some little rails.. basically just some spare 1x2 strips tacked to the hardboard.. that way the "slider" just kind of nicely stays centered..  they're not really going to hold anything in place.. just guide it really...

the whole system works really well for the light weight I have.. if you have a slick bed, it might not be needed. I have a LineX (Like Rhino Liner) so it's a bit grippy... that's why the hard board underneath