The ultimate guide to 4WD and Ute drawer systems

There are lots of modifications you can make to your 4WD or Ute and many different accessories you can purchase. One of the best and most useful, but often overlooked of these accessories, is the trusty drawer system that has a place for everything and everything in its place.

It doesn’t matter the size of your 4WD or Ute, there is still only a limited amount of space available to pack everything. Whether you are using your vehicle for recreation or for work, you need to take everything you need with you and be able to easily find it again when you need it. The solution is a good quality set of drawers that is deep enough to even store even a generator, toolbox or fridge.

What type of drawer system do you need?

The right configuration depends on how you will use your drawer system and what you want to store inside it, but as a basic rule, you can either have a horizontal or a vertical layout. The horizontal layout is ideal if you need to pack equipment on top of the drawers, whilst the vertical layout is great if you want really deep drawers to contain bulky equipment.

You can also have single or multiple drawers, depending on your needs. For example, if you are a tradie you might want to separate certain equipment or tools into different drawers so that it’s found easily. If you are going out bush on a short trip, you might want to keep your recovery gear in one drawer, your camping gear in another and your fridge stored safely on drawer slides in another.

You can also install pull out kitchen benches that fit inside a long drawer system when not in use, making preparing food and washing dishes a breeze. These systems can also be customised to suit your specific needs, so it’s worth contacting manufacturers for a few quotes.

What about the added weight of a drawer system?

The amount of weight your vehicle can carry is its GVM (gross vehicle weight), which is something you need to know and not exceed. Going over this limit will seriously reduce your ability to avoid accidents and can even cause them in some circumstances; the police can fine you if you exceed your GVM.

So the weight of the drawers can become an issue, meaning that you need to know how much weight you are already loading into your Ute or 4WD, before adding the drawers. Since these drawers can be made from a variety of materials (plywood, aluminium, galvanised steel, fibreglass and sheet metal), you should find a system that doesn’t put your vehicle over its GVM.

What about building your own drawer system?

If you are handy and can work with metal, you can consider building your own drawer system. It can be a fun project that can save you some money, however it won’t be covered by any warranties and it might take you longer than you think! There are plenty of great companies that manufacture these systems to suit specific vehicles and to your specifications, so it’s definitely worth while checking them out.