The commercial car market has been introducing lots of vans with a variety of bespoke storage options lately. This has made the case to avail of a cargo van stronger, instead of a traditional work truck.
For one, not all vans have fitted with storage compartment. This translates to greater freedom and flexibility, as you can customise storage compartments according to your needs.
And fortunately, a local car unit builder can make the storage drawer you need.
For wagons, two drawer roller bearing units are great. These are lockable and will typically feature removable dividers.
How to set up
Bolt them into existing points in the car, to forego drilling. The drawer should be easy to fit, and weigh approximately 150 kilograms each.
For Utes, consider installing two drawer roller bearing units. Each unit should be custom designed to minimise the use of space in each Ute and should weigh about 150 kilograms per drawer.
Van drawer options
For your brand new van, you have unlimited options for a drawer, as this can be custom-made. You can choose from the following:
Floor on top of drawers
Having your drawers neatly stacked beneath a full new carpeted floor provides ample space for all your smaller tools and gear, while the floor remains for all your big stuff.
If you desire some level of versatility, use removable dividers and relocate them from time to time depending on your carriage needs.
Single drawer units
If you want to store particular items on one side of the van and leave the other siude vacant for big items then go for single drawer units.
These are available in different lengths, heights and widths.
Three drawer unit
For bigger tools to be stored on one side and smaller ones on the other, you can install a set of small drawers with 160mm internal height.
You can also separate tools, fittings and fixtures by putting partitions. Use compartment dividers to provide up to 21 small compartments and one large compartment in each drawer.
Custom Units
These are the best and most professional looking. Custom van drawer units can be designed to suit virtually any application and travelling storage need.
In Melbourne, you can have a custom unit built at very affordable fees by a seasoned builder. You can modify the unit to suit your storage needs accordingly.
Fridge in drawer unit
You may want to keep your beverages and food preserved. This is where having a fridge in a drawer unit comes in handy
These units perfectly keep your fridge down low in a way that’s easy to access. They typically feature a movable panel that drops into place when the fridge is not needed.
Further, with this you won’t need an expensive fridge slide. It’s ideal for camping and travelling, and even during busy work days.
Now that you know your options on drawers for your van, here are the things you should consider before setting up the drawers:
Effect of vibrations
Think about the items you plan to keep in the drawers. How will all the vibrating and shifting affect the items?
How often will you go off-road? If yes, you must be prepared for quite a bit of vibration in the van drawers.
You can take care of all that vibration by having a custom unit or a couple of custom van drawers. These can be well-fitted to absorb most of the vibrations.
Safety
A good builder will recommend putting partitions in your drawers as an essential safety feature.
In case the drawers got hit or had to endure an impact, the partitions will keep your stuff securely in place.
Consider the drawer material
Plywood, aluminium, steel or composite — what material will best suit your van drawers? Traditional steel interiors tend to be the most cost-effective up front.
Composite and aluminium materials are however lighter and will be ideal for fuel economy.
In case the vehicle will be carrying varying range of weight in different road conditions, especially those with pot holes, then you should choose steel. Steel is generally sturdier than aluminium, composite or plywood.
However, if you want to control vibrations, plywood or composite would be your best choice.
Composite is also suitable when you carry small things and you need to adjust the drawers accordingly.
Moreover, composite storage will not make too much noise as your things shake because of the bumps on the road. This is more quiet compared to steel and aluminium materials.
If you go for the metals nonetheless, you can still dampen the noise by putting a carpet on the metal walls.
Wrap-up
The bottom line is that you can make your van look and feel, without entailing excessive cost. If you don’t know what will work best, let your local supplier help you out by giving you design options for your van drawers.