Rhino Runner Cargo Drawer is finally complete!

Pictures here: http://rhino4runnersuspension.shutte.../pictures/1649

This drawer is over-built and ended up being pretty expensive. Like $500-$600 in supplies when all added up. Overall, it is a better drawer than a used Truckvault I picked up a few years ago.

This drawer is built mostly out of 3/4" MDO plywood and a bit of 1/2" MDO. Medium density overlay plywood, aka sign board is good stuff and is what Truckvault is made from, but is heavy. I could not find a local supplier of baltic birch in the necessary size.

I used Hettich 500 lb drawer slides, simplex push button lock and spring handles.

The exterior is covered in truck bed liner and the interior is carpeted. I would have preferred a light grey interior carpet, but went with what I had on hand.

The drawer face is covered in carbon fiber wrap. It looks pretty good in person, but is not perfect because I used a generic brand film and it did not stick well. 3M Dinoc would have been better and only a little more expensive.

The side flaps are held in place with strong magnets.

Box dimensions are 43" wide, 37" deep, and 8.5" tall. It sits on a custom metal frame over the stock trail tailgate. So my stock tailgate is still usable.

I built it as tight as possible to maximize drawer space.

Drawer internal dimensions are 38" wide, 34.75" deep and the side height ended up at 5.75" total internal clearance.

Its pretty nice still having the tailgate. The tailgate makes getting an 80+ pound dog onto the drawer possible, but I really, really would like to have just a couple more inches of clearance inside the drawer. It can fit everything I want to put into it except my backpack.

This is one of the best built drawers to date. Great job! If you need heavy duty this is what you should build. Do you have an empty weight?

Wow! Awesome job!

Wow. That looks great!

Thanks guys. I spent a lot of time researching previous drawer builds and saving photos of all the different variations I had seen. This was definitely a lot of work with trial and error / test fitting, and "back yard engineering", but it turned out okay. If I did a version 2.0 I think I would go smoother.

I did not weigh it at all before installation and I'm not sure I'd even hazard a guess of what it weighs. Kinda a lot, probably.

I'll try to get a weight in the future if I have to pull it out for some reason, but the carriage bolts and nuts holding the box to the frame are a bit difficult to put in and take out.

I like this set up, but I would like it more if the factory slider had been more efficient with the amount of space, depth wise, it takes up. They built it thick to make the floor level.

The company linked below lists a custom aluminum drawer and has a picture of a slider / map table coming out from under it, but no indication of the weight capacity of the tray. E/Z Custom Vaults American Aluminum Law Enforcement Aluminum Accessories K-9 Products - American Aluminum ? Law Enforcement's Choice for Aluminum Accessories and K-9 Products

If this slider could carry a decent amount of weight and also maybe have an insert that could be pulled out to extend off the back of the box to use as a sleep platform it might be the ultimate solution. This and another company on the west coast had some nice looking drawers.

That's a very efficient design! You certainly did not waste an ounce of usable space back there. If you consider that your backyard engineering, i can only imagine how it would turn out if you put some real engineering into it

Where did you pick up the mesh cargo barrier?

Looks like it would work perfect for the dogs!

That cargo barrier/net is interesting, it doesn't seem like it'd hold back much in the event of a crash (the top hook mounts worry me in robustness, but it is a cool idea.)

I think I have the universal Safari Strap net. I'll have to go look at the label to see if it is a Safari Strap or the other option I was looking at when I got this, a Raingler net.

Utility Nets

www.raingler.com

If anyone is close to Raingler I think they were interested in coming up with a solution specific to the 5th gen.

Regarding net attachment. Right, the stainless D rings I purchased on the net. In my photos you can see they are no super strong for a lateral load. When I bought them the sellers photos made them look better. These little D-rings would perform ok for a straight load, but I have not got around to ordering anything to replace them yet in the roof hooks.

Overall, having the net installed even with these rings will do a lot to keep stuff in place.

As mentioned... best drawer build to date!.. very impressive... So the million dollar question.. building plans? My budget is gone for the year, but I'm sure others will ask with immediate building desires.

Okki

This would also work really well with a narrower drawer and a pull out tray added with tie-down points for a fridge. Would give you both a easy accessible fridge and kitchen table with the OEM tray pulled out. Or do stacked trays in the box; using the bottom one for a stove and the top one for the fridge; although that might be a bit of a challenge with the fridge weight.

Wow, nice drawer setup!

I too have been saving photos and trying to decide on the right design to be able to keep the OEM slideout tray, which in addition to dog access makes a fantastic diaper changing station. I find myself loading tall items into the back on a regular basis and need to be able to get the drawer and frame out witout too much effort. Your design of a drawer on the frame might make removal of just the drawer feasble if I can find an alternative to bolting them together.

Do you feel the size steel was about the right size for the intended loads or substantial overkill?

I've been considering building the metal frame at full height (top of tirewells)and hanging the drawer underneath. If you did want the extended sleeping platform I thought 60/40 split extentions to match the rear seats could hang or possibly hinge off the back of the frame. Any thoughts?

Unfortunately, there are no real coherent build plans. I messed around with several drawing programs, but ended up using pen and paper scribbles. However, I could try to tally the supplies.

I will upload some more photos I had on my phone of the test fit and build process. Design criteria is it had to fit the smaller dogs crate, and bigger dog on top.

I considered the 60/40 build also. Your frame idea is compelling and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter...