Looking for more info on ARB Outback drawer system

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I figured it would be better to keep my question in a relevant thread.

Anyone have these drawers and keep them in either an open bed or partially open bed? I'm curious how they stand up to rain if I were to run it with a RTT directly above but with an open rack.

@snwhite_taco did you ever order these? how did the install go with your bed stiffeners? I'm in the same boat right now.

 

Hey @codemancer

I actually just canceled my order & got my deposit back after a few months of waiting. I still would like these, but I'll wait until they just become more readily available I think. (And.. once/if I ever get my RSI cap! Ha, still waiting patiently for that, smh..)

I do think I would of had to modify/cut to make them fit around my bed stiffeners, so I was prepared for that, but it would be nice if someone out there actually has had experience with it.

My suggestion would be not to expose these drawers to the elements since that's what ARB mentions, they have a reason. Interior parts I'm sure would rust, etc. Which will be no fun for the price your paying for one of these.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. My plan was to use a soft top but I was considering trying the RTT and rack (I will not now, I didn't actually see where ARB recommended to only run it in an enclosed space, but I believe you). I got a good deal on a used set (haven't picked up yet) but definitely seems like I'll have to modify for bed stiffeners. Probably wouldn't be too hard but hate to do it.

 

Oh wow lucky you! You got the "Floor Kit" as well with your drawers? That is what I'm referring to btw in regards to bed stiffeners.

Well, let me know how it goes! Post photos and info after you install.

 

Yeah it's the floor kit and draws and fill-in panels. I was assuming it was only the fill-in panels that would have to be notched, but I guess the floors would make sense, too.

 

I got the drawers and have had them installed for a bit now. They look great and work very nicely. One of the drawers is stiffer than I’d prefer, but I think I know the basic cause and should be able to fix.

Unfortunately I couldn’t make the bed stiffeners work. The main issue wasn’t the front side infill panels as much as it was the support bracing that uses the factory body mount bolts. I maybe could have made it work with some spacers but this thing is such a tight and precise fit I think it would have been too difficult. So since I no longer have the weight on top I used to have I just removed the bed stiffeners. I am looking into getting the 4WP stiffeners that are installed under the bed.

Here’s a few pics of the results

 

They look great! Thanks for sharing!

I guess my main question is, since the TC Bed Stiffeners have that tab that comes off them, does the infill panels fit inside the tab? Or are the panels to long and interfere with the tabs? Requiring some cutting of the infill panels themselves (which I'm not sure is even possible, since they look to be an all aluminum framing?)

Attaching TC Bed Stiffeners for reference.

 

That was actually exactly my plan. The filler panels are boxed in aluminum on all sides but the bottom and back, but I still think you could notch it pretty easily. I believe you'd only have to notch it for the horizontal tie-down point near the top. The bigger problem is the body mount bolt on bottom. The kit comes with a rigid support that attaches to that bolt and the one about 18 inches further in (pictured in your pic above). This is designed to create a flat mounting service for the drawer frame roughly level with the raised ridges on the bed. I had actually hoped I could just flip that upside-down, but it didn't seem like it would be properly supported. In order to keep the drawers lined up properly you would have to add an equivalent spacer to both the middle bolts and back bolts (the drawer frame also attaches there in the rear). That actually might work fine, but since the bed is not completely orthogonal I am not sure the entire kit would end up fitting well. It's thin enough that it probably would be OK, but it's a very tight fit.

I guess at the end of the day I decided I'd rather just remove the stiffeners than try and deviate from the intended install only to find out later that it wouldn't work properly. Now that I've installed it I do think there's a decent chance that adding some spacer washers of the same thickness as the stiffeners could probably work, but I'd probably also add equivalent rubber spacers on top of the entire raised portion of the bed so that it spreads the weight over the composite bed as well as the 6 bolt locations.

 

Can't thank you enough for explaining what you found, your photos, & your ideas! It for sure helps a lot.

Cheers!
-Rich

 

Happy to help. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Hey @codemancer would you be able to tell me if a Battle Born battery could fit in any/all of the fill in side panels?
The dimensions of the battery per their website is:
12.76 x 6.86 x 8.95 in

If you get a chance,
Thanks!

-Rich

 

I'll try and take a look tomorrow. I am pretty sure that would fit in the rearmost side cubbies (the ones on either side of the drawer faces (given that my Ecoflow barely can't fit and is 7.3" wide), but I will take actual measurements in all the accessible cubbies.

 

I finally found a set on FaceSpace for a decent price.
ARB always makes a decent product, just they're never cheap. These things really are built well, with a lot of thought put into them and modular if you're into that, so I was happy to wait for the right price.
I was really only ever after the passenger side, so if you know anyone in the Okanagan that wants the driver side...

 

I plan on doing this same setup, right side as well, with roller top for the fridge (I have an Ovrlnd topper/camper).
Is it 2 drilled holes in the bed to just do the one drawer on the right side? And then existing holes for everything else?

And, could you use the full side floor kit with only one drawer, or would that not work because of the framing?
I would be happy with just the side floor kit as you have it, but was thinking about the possibility of going all the way around--but now I'm guessing that would not work...

Thanks for posting your pics

 

It's been a few years since I installed the one side, but I seem to remember I had to drill 1 hole, maybe 2. The rest use the existing bed bolts.
No, I don't see how you could use the floor kit for the other side since it bolts to the frame for the drawers.
Hope that helps