Drawer build...

[Okgearhead]

has anyone else built a drawer storage unit for their Expedition ? I just finished mine, I built mine for road trips that we love to take ! Two drawers and a lift up door on the front, and I have two dog crates that strap on top, and still have plenty of room for everything else we need to take.

 

[07xln]

I have children that have to go in the back. As much as I would like to put them in dog crates I probably shouldn't. So no I personally haven't built one of these nor have I ever seen or heard of anyone else having something like this. While I applaud your out of the box thinking and ability to build something like this I have to ask the question. Why? Looks to me like you've given up a lot of cargo space for items that could easily be stored in a couple of tool bags.

 

[JExpedition07]

Behind my third row is the annex. Never open the rear hatch to my truck because tool bags are piled to the window. I think it's a cool concept.

 

[Plati]

I gutted the entire rear floor (except for the jump seat) & built a platform (oak & plywood) thoroughly bolted to floor using OEM bolt holes. Plenty of (hidden from view) storage under .. my custom Expedition camping & travelling vehicle ... not a family transport.
I studied a lot of these drawer systems prior, this is best in my app ... YMMV. My stuff is stored inside with removable covers, no drawers. Several compartments incl. secure areas.

I also designed an addition for the side. Works well, easy to transport & setup, sheds rain - blocks sun - withstands wind. Camping in Grizz country, keep food and sleep inside!


I think lots of people might want to use this Tarp design. Minimal amount of space to carry and low cost. I used a Noah's tarp ($60) and 2 Kelty adjustable poles ($60) .. a little paracord and stakes. The poles fold up and it takes up almost no space to carry around. The Noah tarp is catenary cut so you can make it "taught", hence the rain shedding performance you cannot obtain with a square tarp. It took me about 40 hours and 5 prototypes to perfect this! You can lash the far corner to roof rack or a tree. If you fasten it to a tree you can actually drive in & out at will, which is handy. Nice for camping or a day event where you just want some shade or rain cover. I originally realized I needed this when travelling through remote area of Colorado in July ... if my beater BLACK Expy broke down I had no shade and I felt like I could have died from sun and heat exposure.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Guys with Expedition (not the truck name) truck builds do this routinely. It’s a thing. And it makes perfect sense for some Owners. I have an EL because I need the seats so this doesn’t apply to me, but someday when it’s just my wife and I and we want a “camper” type setup we’d do a drawer build. I think ARB even makes them for some trucks. I know they did for the land cruiser.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Okgearhead]

I’ll never use the 3rd seat, we like to go on road trips, the main reason I built it was I can get to anything I’ve got stored in it when the dog crates are on top of it , instead of unloading everything to get to the under the floor storage area. And I can store more in it than the factory storage. It works for me !

 

[Okgearhead]

I like your setup, Mr Sticker !

 

[gixer2000]

Those look great but I also need the 3rd row so its not for me at the moment.

 

[JExpedition07]

I gutted the entire rear floor (except for the jump seat) & built a platform (oak & plywood) thoroughly bolted to floor using OEM bolt holes. Plenty of (hidden from view) storage under .. my custom Expedition camping & travelling vehicle ... not a family transport.
I studied a lot of these drawer systems prior, this is best in my app ... YMMV. My stuff is stored inside with removable covers, no drawers. Several compartments incl. secure areas.

I also designed an addition for the side. Works well, easy to transport & setup, sheds rain - blocks sun - withstands wind. Camping in Grizz country, keep food and sleep inside!
View attachment 24116
View attachment 24117

When did this name change occur? I liked Polarizer, twas a good name. Then again MrSticker suits you well.

 

[Plati]

When did this occur? I liked Polarizer, twas a good name.

Yeah. It was good.

Guys with Expedition (not the truck name) truck builds do this routinely. It’s a thing. And it makes perfect sense for some Owners. I have an EL because I need the seats so this doesn’t apply to me, but someday when it’s just my wife and I and we want a “camper” type setup we’d do a drawer build. I think ARB even makes them for some trucks. I know they did for the land cruiser.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Plati]

off topic but this was a short walk from my campsite ..
Bowman Lake
Glacier NP
I was here for 8 nights, in September ... went swimming every day!

 

[Okgearhead]

That’s where I’ll be going through this summer , on a road trip, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ynpmoose]

How do you access the spare tire crank hole?

 

[Okgearhead]

It can be moved.

 

[powerboatr]

has anyone else built a drawer storage unit for their Expedition ? I just finished mine, I built mine for road trips that we love to take ! Two drawers and a lift up door on the front, and I have two dog crates that strap on top, and still have plenty of room for everything else we need to take.

View attachment 24113

View attachment 24114

View attachment 24115

DUDE
this is flipping awesome.
we have two large babies that go with us ..presently they run free in the back and this leaves just the back seat for gear.
i like it

 

[Okgearhead]

Here’s a pic with the dog crates installed before I painted the drawers.

 

[fuzzmanmatt]

That's awesome! I've got a 55 gallon tote right now in the back holding all of my search and rescue gear, these drawers would be perfect to give me back a lot of my space. I like the idea of taking out the third row and sticking truck stuff there, too, but I dunno about needing to move the seats back and forth the couple of times a year I actually need them.

 

[Okgearhead]

Just make it removable, that’s what I did , I have a mount on each side, about a foot from the back. The dog boxes are only in there when we go on trips, I just leave the drawers in there , but they can be removed .

 

[ExplorerTom]

I have drawers in my Explorer. Love them.

I've thought about doing some for my Expedition but on 1st gen, the 3rd row seats are removeable, and mine are removed 99% of the time. So the drawers would need to be removeable for that 1% of the time. Doable, but unlikely.

 

[1997SCEBFEX]

VERY handsome work for you craftsmen!
thanks for sharing your ingenuity.