navyAZ1
Well-known member
I was asked to post this project for others to see, so here it is. This is my version of a DIY pull-out storage box for the storage area in our 2014 Big Country 3650RL. Being full-timers we carry a lot of stuff, and although I thought I had a pretty good packing system there were still times when I needed something from the center of the storage area which would require me to unload some of our "stuff" to allow me access to these items. So, I came up with this plan which is custom designed to fit our "stuff". I couldn't bring myself to spend the money for the large HD 48" drawer slides they are very pricey. I saw an article somewhere (may have been here on the Forum) where a fellow (cheap like me) had used casters in place of the fancy drawer slides. I liked this idea and set down to design our storage box. My photos are not in order but I'll attempt to explain what I did. The wood tracks you see in the photo are used only as a guide, and a system to prevent the box from tipping when it is fully extended. The casters are located so they are about 3/16" higher than the top piece of the wood tracks, this ensures all the weight is on the casters and not on the tracks which would cause the box to drag. Not shown are two "L" shaped blocks which are attached to the bottom of the box at the back, these just move along with the box as it is pulled in or out, and their purpose is to catch under the top 1x4 of the track which then prevents the box from tipping forward when it is fully extended. If you notice there is one caster located centered between the other casters but located closer to the front. This is used as a method to stop the box from being pulled all the way out of the storage bay. I located a block of wood on the bottom of the box that will index itself against that center caster and acts as a stop. This keeps about 1/3 of the box inside the storage bay, but still allows me to access items towards the back without much effort.
Again this box was designed to store "our stuff", yours might be totally different (should you decide to accept this mission). The box itself is 18"hX36"wX70"long. The areas in the front are custom also, the right open area is where we will store our folding chairs and BBQ grill table. The front storage box to the left will have my Gas Grill sitting on top of it, I plan to install some indexing pins that will fit around the feet of the grill to prevent it from moving when we are on the road. Also notice I installed a couple of barrel bolts at the front so I can lock the pull-out when we are in transit.
I used 1-1/2 sheets of 3/4" plywood, and about 2/3 of a sheet of 1/2" plywood for the bottom. As you can see some 1X4 lumber, and 7-3" rigid casters, I don't think you would have to use rigid caster I guess swivel type would work also. As to the weight question; I'm estimating that I added about 85 lbs of weight, however I was able to remove other storage shelves and such items that were being used prior to this installation which I would guess weighed about 40 lbs. So, I have actually only added about 45 lbs to my original weight before I started.
It was a pretty simple project, but to be safe I sat down at my computer and designed it all in AutoCAD (since that's what my consulting business is), measured everything that I wanted to store in the pull-out and double checked measurements prior to building the unit. In one of the photos you can see what my storage method was before building and installing this pull-out, I think it's a great improvement. Can't see any disappointments in it "YET", I'll let y'all know once I have used it for a while.
Again this box was designed to store "our stuff", yours might be totally different (should you decide to accept this mission). The box itself is 18"hX36"wX70"long. The areas in the front are custom also, the right open area is where we will store our folding chairs and BBQ grill table. The front storage box to the left will have my Gas Grill sitting on top of it, I plan to install some indexing pins that will fit around the feet of the grill to prevent it from moving when we are on the road. Also notice I installed a couple of barrel bolts at the front so I can lock the pull-out when we are in transit.
I used 1-1/2 sheets of 3/4" plywood, and about 2/3 of a sheet of 1/2" plywood for the bottom. As you can see some 1X4 lumber, and 7-3" rigid casters, I don't think you would have to use rigid caster I guess swivel type would work also. As to the weight question; I'm estimating that I added about 85 lbs of weight, however I was able to remove other storage shelves and such items that were being used prior to this installation which I would guess weighed about 40 lbs. So, I have actually only added about 45 lbs to my original weight before I started.
It was a pretty simple project, but to be safe I sat down at my computer and designed it all in AutoCAD (since that's what my consulting business is), measured everything that I wanted to store in the pull-out and double checked measurements prior to building the unit. In one of the photos you can see what my storage method was before building and installing this pull-out, I think it's a great improvement. Can't see any disappointments in it "YET", I'll let y'all know once I have used it for a while.
