rear storage

cannonball · Postby **cannonball** » Sat Dec 11, 2010 10:13 pm

just finished doing some preliminary drawings in google sketchup. i don't know how to show pictures of it. so i'm going to describe it instead.

the plan is to make the tub waterproof, easily installable, and removable, and sturdy enough to have a heavy load sit directly on it. as i've already mentioned the tub will be metal, with a wooden top that will probably end up being reinforced with some metal. (that will be decided after the initial build) the wooden top will be carpeted to match my interior. the metal tub will be lined with 1/8th inch rubber so that items in the compartment aren't making too much noise.

I'm going to mimic the design of the already existing so called "storage compartment" meaning It'll be a removable panel and I'm going to use the same latch as is on the other compartment. the wooden top will overhang the metal tub by about 1/4 inch on all sides. there will be 2 parts that are fixed in place with the center portion being removable. initially i thought i would use 4 of the mounting points i dont think i'll need that many mounting points and the more mounting points the longer the install/removal time is.

thats it for the night. hopefully tub fabrication starts this week

bdsams · Postby **bdsams** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:40 am

any update? Curious to see how it turned out!

05Pathfinder · Postby **05Pathfinder** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 2:24 pm

I saw this thread and it made me realize that I needed to build some storage to accomodate my travel needs. So a few days ago I built this so I could transport 4 people, luggage and my dog all at the same time.

Essentially I now still have room for my Rotti to sit on top and room for our luggage underneath.

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Budrbean · Postby **Budrbean** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:11 am

I like that idea 05Path.....easy to remove when not needed. I volunteer for animal rescue and transport dogs on several occasions. I've considered removing the 3rd row seat (which I never use) and all the storage stuff down to the bare floor and Rhino lining it. That way it would be easy to clean and indestructable. Would love to build a kennel type thing too. But I need to make sure Im gonna keep this thing before making modifications like that....wouldnt be good on trade.

Postby **mar1** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:28 am

nice idea.

though of maybe some rubber stickers round the sides to prevent scratching?

05Pathfinder · Postby **05Pathfinder** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:42 pm

Budrbean. I have been thinking about removing the third row also but mostly to install a sub but I want to keep the floor at the same level. Maybe putting in a plexiglass top to the sub box to stay flush. Anyways... if I remove them I will post some pics and ideas on how more storage can be created.

The reason I did this is because it was really cheap about 35$ in wood and nails and removing it is as easy as just sliding it in and for the dog I put a blanket and bed on top and he gets to relax all comfortably.

Mar1, I actually dont care about scratches. Thats why I got the pathy!!! I always have my dog, mtn bike, hockey gear and whatever other crap to haul all over so for me its no biggy. Although in my summer car I cant stand it being even a little bit dirty or scratched.

cannonball · Postby **cannonball** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:27 am

no updates. ended up out of town with the family until today.

05pathfinder: i thought of doing something like that with drawers but decided it would take up too much room.

i do have some questions though.
is it attached to the vehicle anywhere? is there a catch of some sort to keep the lid from coming up?

reason i ask is i would be worried that during an accident or hard braking the lid could come up causing damage, or the whole thing could come up causing damage or even injury.

05Pathfinder · Postby **05Pathfinder** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 9:34 pm

Cannonball.

No its not attached to anything but it is fairly heavy and as far as I can imagine there is no way this thing is going to go anywhere in an accident plus it would be too big to go anywhere. Although I did leave a few inches on each side so it wouldnt muffle the sub or hinder the air ducts for heat or ac. So this means that the hinges on the floor are accessable and if needed you would be able to tie down a rope over the whole thing from one side to the other keeping it down. Also my 100lb Rotti does a great job of making sure it doesnt go anywhere... now he would be a flying missle of death if I crashed into someone real hard!

The lid is prevented from coming up simply by its weight and it goes up until it hits the seat belt attachement near the roof.

cannonball · Postby **cannonball** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:22 pm

does it slide around much? my limited experience with accidents is anything that isnt attached is going to move around... and in ways that you generally dont want them to. I certainly hope you dont run into any issues with it and that your Rotti doesnt become a flying missile.. ever.

05Pathfinder · Postby **05Pathfinder** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:15 pm

I guess it moves laterally a bit while driving if I turn hard and there is no weight on it. But ive never heard it moving up and down at all when hitting bumps or anything like that.

I understand the risks of having my dog in the back or anywhere in the car for that matter but its necessary when I go on trips. Hopefully I never get in an accident.

To answer all your questions it really doesnt move around at all from what I can tell sitting up in the drivers seat. What I built is perfect for me when on trips so I can store my luggage underneath it and my dog on top and keep my middle row for passengers. But this all comes at a cost. It changes the crumple zone in the rear so that it no longer crumples as necessary and it would push against the seat backs of the middle row and the dog would go flying. So I dont suggest this as any means of permanant storage solution like a good roof rack although it works and is a cheap solution for long trips here and there.

suburban · Postby **suburban** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:43 am

ive been thinking about doing something in the rear of my pathy aswell. Some good ideas.

so far ive got a sheet of 12mm plywood, carpeted with a fridge on one side and a secondary battery between the rear of the seat and the rear of the fridge. I think ill get a proper fridge slide which will make getting stuff out alot easier.

For those that head away, have you thought about ripping the 3rd rows out and replacing with a water tank hooked upto a 12v pump?

This would be handy for washing the dogs, camping etc and best of all, it should keep a good sized water tank out the way so it doesnt take up space and its fitted nice and low to keep the COG down

sicknoteN7 · Postby **sicknoteN7** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:57 am

I have the opposite problem could you post some pics of the floor plan as I want totake mmy storage boxes out I know its a old post but you never know

Clay350 · Postby **Clay350** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:21 pm

I have been racking my brain on this problem as well. My old explorer had a cavern for tools, straps, jumpers...etc under the rear floor. The pathfinder has nothing. I dont want to sacrifice my 3rd seat so im thinking about building a swinging storage cabinet that fits above the bose sub next to the window.

NVSteve · Postby **NVSteve** » Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:09 am

Clay350 wrote:I have been racking my brain on this problem as well. My old explorer had a cavern for tools, straps, jumpers...etc under the rear floor. The pathfinder has nothing. I dont want to sacrifice my 3rd seat so im thinking about building a swinging storage cabinet that fits above the bose sub next to the window.

I kept thinking of creative ways to create storage myself. I really like the idea of pulling out that useless 3rd row and building storage there, but I just haven't had any motivation to do so. The large plastic storage bin I got from Target seems to be working just fine.

Gafas · Postby **Gafas** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 10:32 am

my rear drawer and fridge slider

Cheers,
Pedro

rear storage

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