Heavy tool box sliding rails.

[Spokerider]

I am wanting to mount a heavy steel 34" x 22 x 19 tool box in the back of my Samurai, in place of the rear seat. I want it to be mounted well enough so that in the event of roll over, I don't wear it in the back of the head. Further, it will be full of valuable tools like a winch, compressor, hand tools, etc, and thus it will be securely-lockable.......a deterrent to wanna-be thieves.

Rather than just bolt it to the zuk bed, I would like it to be on sliding rails, so I can stand at the back of the tin top and slide the whole tool box back to me vs climbing into the zuk to dig in the tool box for what have you. I am looking for ideas as to how to make a secure, sliding / rail system [ made from steel ] to mount the tool box.

Anyone else done this?

Ideas welcome!

Thank you.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

Some pickup truck boxes come on rail systems that allow them to side the length of the truck bed on tracks mounted at the bed rails. You might just order those parts and shorten them to fit the Zuk. Toyota has a sliding tie-down system that can probably be adapted to fit, and there is a company that makes accessories that fit the Toy rail system. I might be able to find a link.

 

[Sand1235]

http://www.woodworkerexpress.com/Si...0-lb.-Ball-Bearing-Slides-22-Zinc-Plated.html

I used these in the 28" length. Great slides. But a little pricey as they are sold individually at that price. Pretty tough so far and don't rattle. I did have to add a 1/2" foam pad to the back of the slide to make them tight though.
I have two slide outs in the back of my jeep. One holds a cooler and the other a big tool box.

 

[Spokerider]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Being a DIY'er, I'm looking for ideas and maybe some pics at this point. I prefer to make stuff myself. I've seen some of the pick up sliding rail systems sold online......they look solid , but are however, very spendy.

 

[Sand1235]

Not the best picture. But I have these two slide outs that I made myself using those slides.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

I've seen some of the pick up sliding rail systems sold online......they look solid , but are however, very spendy.

Lots of Toyota trucks in wrecking yards, some probably have the rail system in the bed. Post a pic of the back of the Zuk to remind us what you are dealing with.

 

[rayra]

any heavy duty drawer rails will be 'spendy'. That's why there's so much improvisation going on.

Samurais are so damned small though I cant imagine why you need it to slide out? Do you have the forelimbs of a T-Rex? You must have the back seat out to fit the box in there at all, correct? And if the box has internal drawers they are opening clear the tailgate lip anyway. Some pics or sketches would go a long way towards solving the mystery.

That you consider a rollover as possible / likely, I'd suggest the outer box be firmly bolted in and the drawers need no extendign rails at all, just pull out on some L-angle lips a la the old military field desk design. And you just padlock the drawers shut during travel. You can special order matching-number combo Master locks at the big box hardware stores for only a couple bucks each, extra. Or typically buy locks in matching 4-lock sets.

 

[Spokerider]

any heavy duty drawer rails will be 'spendy'. That's why there's so much improvisation going on.

Samurais are so damned small though I cant imagine why you need it to slide out? Do you have the forelimbs of a T-Rex? You must have the back seat out to fit the box in there at all, correct? And if the box has internal drawers they are opening clear the tailgate lip anyway. Some pics or sketches would go a long way towards solving the mystery.

That you consider a rollover as possible / likely, I'd suggest the outer box be firmly bolted in and the drawers need no extendign rails at all, just pull out on some L-angle lips a la the old military field desk design. And you just padlock the drawers shut during travel. You can special order matching-number combo Master locks at the big box hardware stores for only a couple bucks each, extra. Or typically buy locks in matching 4-lock sets.

The tool box doesn't *have to be* on sliders, but if it were, it would make it much more convenient for accessing the heavy lewis winch and chainsaw inside, without me having to crawl in the back of the "tight" samurai back end. The ergonomics will be poor for lifting heavy stuff while hunched over in the back of the zuk. The box does not have a drawer. It is an old military box and it has a hinged top, so contents must be accessed from the top. Which also means........it has to be bolted down securely so I don't wear it in the head / post roll over or MVI. Even a small item can become a deadly missile when involved in a head on collision. I have witnessed the aftermath of such on more than one occasion.

No, I'm not about to shill out hundreds of $$ for this. I'll fab my own rails up and come up with a plan. I just thot more guys would have done this already and would share their pics. I don't have any pics of the back / inside of my TT at this time. It is small, and the deck will is up at about waist height when standing up at the back.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

See if you can find an old professional 10" tile tub saw, like an MK or a Dewalt, and cannibalize the trunnions and ball bearing rollers from the unit. Those things are built to handle a lot of weight (pool coping pieces are about 80 pounds each) and they have about 18"-24" travel. Lots of tired saws on CraigsList, some with dead motors, missing parts, etc. Can be cheap if you are patient.

 

[Spokerider]

See if you can find an old professional 10" tile tub saw, like an MK or a Dewalt, and cannibalize the trunnions and ball bearing rollers from the unit. Those things are built to handle a lot of weight (pool coping pieces are about 80 pounds each) and they have about 18"-24" travel. Lots of tired saws on CraigsList, some with dead motors, missing parts, etc. Can be cheap if you are patient.

Great idea, thank you. Just the kind of idea I was needing! I hadn't thot of that.

 

[Lucky j]

Here is an other suplier that as pretty good price.

http://truck-hardware.orrorr.com/viewitems/drawer-slides/heavy-duty-full-extension-slide?forward=1

 

[gandrimp]

How about something like a garage door roller . I tried to post a link but I suppose I haven't earned my wings yet.

 

[rayra]

spokerider from your reply I'm now figuring that the box must be up against the back of the front seats. I'm plagued by back problems / injuries myself (ruptured L4/L5, sciatica), so I readily grasp the desire to make such weights more readily accessible. But even so I'm still having trouble grasping the issue with the tiny distances involved. Given the very small size of the rear area in a Samurai, the box - if I'm imaging it correctly - has to be taking at least 35-40% of the cargo area depth. And pulling out a drawer then places its face less than a foot from the rear gate?

A picture or a more detailed description of sizes and placement would make this much easier to grasp and plan for.

Well, my suggestion is to forego any drawer rails etc inside the box. Instead I would mount some rails on the cargo floor, that are as tall as the bottom of the bottom boxes in the tool chest. Unlatch or unlock those boxes, pull them all the way to the rear end of the vehicle. PVC pipe, teflon-topped steel. Like a micro ore car on a small-gauge railway. Sans wheels. Put a pull strap on the box face and make it even easier to tug out, form a more upright position.

 

[Spokerider]

Yes, that is another option.

My Samurai is a tin top, it is not open like the zuk in the pic. It will be on 33" tires with a SPOA lift. Climbing in / out of the back of it will be a challenge due to the height of the deck and having to enter it hunched over or on my knees. Further, I will have other hunting / hiking gear in the back, packed in next to the the tool box, leaving me next to no room to clamber inside to access the tool box. As my outings are often in very rainy weather, emptying out the gear from the back just so I can get inside is no fun, and getting the rest of my gear soaked is no fun either. I know how this goes, because I have been down that road many times before, often in snow, or in a ditch or other rough terrain.........the drawbacks to a small hunting 4x4. lol.

Getting to the small tools from behind the front seat is "doable", but lifting an 80lb lewis winch over the seat and out the drivers door doesn't sound like much fun either.

Having the tool box secure to the deck is my primary concern. That will be a "must". Having it on rails, or being able to slide it out the back will be a secondary consideration / fab-attempt.

 

[rayra]

Have you considered a floor platform / drawer setup? The rest of your gear can be piled on top without interfering with access to your tools, and the tools you need most can be at the front of the drawers, right behind your tailgate.