Rear Drawers, a must for every mans love

Figuring out how to accessorize your truck is challenging, not only do you have to decide what is the most important it also has to fit into your budget. A must have for all utility vehicles is a good set of drawers in the back. These allow you to keep your gear organized, accessible and safe, if you opt for locking latches as we did.

After researching the custom made drawers by several companies we decided this route was too expensive for our budget. Steel drawers by Ironman and ARB are ideal being tough and long lasting but for $1200-1500 this was not the route we could take. Instead we decided to build our own plywood drawers, which are just as sturdy if built right. So find a mate or utilize the tools in your garage and get going. With our Dewalt drill, Hitachi saw, and an unnamed table saw it was almost as easy as 123 to create our project.  

We opted for using sturdy plywood, 17mm for the frame and 12mm for the drawers. The projected started with building the frame. We measured the back of the truck and decided drawer size before starting. Originally the two drawers were going to be the same size but because the 70 series has different size rear doors we decide to make one drawer smaller. This allows us to access the drawer without having to open both doors and the tire carrier. We keep all our recovery gear in this smaller drawer making it accessible in even the tightest of places.   

We built the frame between the wheel wells but made the top plate the width of the truck. This gave us small cubbies on each side allowing for storage of our axe, saw, wheel brace and the bottle jack.  

Once the drawers and frame were completed we gave them a light spray with black spray paint and then carpeted the top plate and front of the drawers with marine carpet. You can also spray them with the truck bed armor if you prefer. We’ve used this in other areas of the tuck. 

You can use any type of utility handles but we chose locking T-latches, which are practical, and they give the drawers a nice finish.  

So far this is one of favorite modifications and not just because we built it ourselves, it gives the back of the truck a professional look and keeps us organized on even the most complex adventures.  

Message us for the template we used for $10 and follow our lead in building your own drawers for as little as $500.