Drawer Slides for 4WD: Everything You Need to Know

Finding drawer slides for your 4WD

Trailer Parts Direct is a leading provider of drawer slides for four-wheel-drives, caravans, utes and campervans. However, with our wide range of heavy duty drawer slides and many options–including undermount, lockable, bottom mount and tool box drawers to name a few– it can be overwhelming trying to find the right drawers for you.

Of course, the TPD team is always available to answer your questions. But to help you get started here’s everything you need to know about drawer slides.

What are 4WD drawer slides?

Drawer slides are thin, long mechanisms that allow for a drawer to slide horizontally. By incorporating a pair of hard wearing and durable slides in your 4WD, you’ll be able to access the drawers you need whenever you need them, and get to the contents inside. 

There are different types of slides available–-more on that in a moment–but they all function in a similar way to provide tradies, campers and 4WD enthusiasts convenient access to all of their gear.

The purpose of drawer slides

There are a number of purposes and benefits to installing drawer slides.

Space

Space is always at a premium when it comes to 4x4s. With installed drawer slides you can make the absolute most of every cubic centimetre of your vehicle.

Storage

In addition to simply keeping what you need in a place you can access, drawer slides allow you to store more and keep it organised at the same time. By ensuring that all drawer interiors are easily accessible, you can sort out your equipment in whichever way best suits you.

Safe

Drawer slides help to keep your items safe and secure while you’re out adventuring or heading off the beaten track. Out of thieves’ sight is out of mind and having your equipment securely housed in a set of drawers will provide you peace of mind no matter how bumpy the road less travelled.

Accessible

Drawer slides, especially locking drawer slides, allow unprecedented access to the furthest reaches of your installed drawers. Whether you’re putting in toolbox drawer slides or heavy duty undermount slides, there’s no better way for finding what you need than with an easily opened drawer.

How to install drawer slides in your 4WD

If you’re enthusiastic about do-it-yourself jobs, the Trailer Parts Direct products can be installed independently. Alternatively, our team is available to guide or install the drawer slides for you, if you so choose.

Remember to make sure you’ve carefully measured the space and specifications of your particular 4WD application. Whether you’re installing undermount glides or side mount drawer slides, you’ll want to be confident that everything is going to fit snug as a glove before you start drilling into the floor of the vehicle. 

Types of drawers slides for your 4WD

Which type of slides are better: side mount or undermount drawer slides? How do you choose between the different types of drawer slides?

At the end of the day, the right type of slides will depend a lot on the specific requirements of your individual application. While we can and have provided an overview of the main different types of 4×4 drawer slides, along with some of the associated advantages and disadvantages, take the time to really consider the perfect solution for you. 

Ball Bearing Drawer Slides

Ball bearing drawer slides offer great versatility and functionality with a smooth opening and closing action. They’re a smart choice for a range of applications. However, it’s worth considering what you plan on storing in your 4WD drawer slides. Slides with ball bearings can be less suitable for heavy loads.

Soft Close Ball Bearing Drawer Slides

A subcategory of ball bearing drawer slides, the soft close slides feature the rather appealing and practical feature of the drawers slowing into a soft close when you push them back into place. Apart from the enjoyment of not having the drawers slam shut, there are other benefits as well. For one, repeated slamming can impact the life of your drawers/drawer slides and may require repair or ongoing maintenance. Secondly, a soft close feature means that the contents inside are less likely to be thrown around when the drawer slams shut. Last but not least, with soft closing you can rest assured that the drawers will be closed firmly and properly. 

Under Mount Drawer Slides

Under mount drawer slides are simply 4×4 slides that are installed on the underside of the drawers. While they might not be suitable for every vehicle application, there are a few pros to going the under mount route. Less dust and dirt is likely to be accumulated and any debris that is caught can be more easily cleaned than some of the other slide drawer types.

Side Mount Drawer Slides

Side mount drawers offer smooth functionality and glide-like opening and closing. Not to mention the fact that they are very quiet in operation. There is one drawback though: side mounts, in certain installations, can stick out on drawers and thus cause a bit of drawer action interruption. Once again, this depends significantly upon the specifics of your set up and drawers. 

Centre Mount Drawer Slides

Similar to under mount drawer slides, centre mount slides are installed beneath the drawer and are placed, you guessed it, in the middle. While these slides are particularly easy to install and sensitive to even the slighted engagement, making accessibility significantly easier, they do tend to have a lower threshold for weight bearing capacity.

Roller Slides

Roller slides are a heavy duty drawer slide option and consist of rollers and grooves upon which the drawer sits and can easily be pulled out and retracted back in. Roller slides are a popular option for use throughout the household including kitchen or desk drawers. Similarly, your 4WD might be perfectly suited to a pair of roller slide drawers.

Need to know more about drawer slides?

Trailer Parts Direct stocks a market-leading supply of heavy duty drawer slides of all types and designs. Apart from our standard sizes and configurations, we can also fabricate customised products to suit your particular application. If you want to find out more, check out our ute canopy, campervan and 4WD drawer slides right here.