An Ingenious Rolling Parts Rack

This vehicle-mounted storage system extends from either side of the van.
June 19, 2017
2 min read

This vehicle-mounted storage system extends from either side of the van

The carpentry is pretty rough but the hardware Steven Sandbrook devised for the two-way parts rack in his service van is absolutely brilliant! Sandbrook lives in New Zealand and works for Autoquip Services.

Taking advantage of the doors on either side of the cargo area he attached track mounted parts bins to a piece of plywood that can be extended to either side of the vehicle. The bins themselves are nothing special; any number of companies sell them and the tracks the clip onto.

What’s cool is the hardware that allows the racks to roll left and right or be locked in place.

The moving panel is capped with a piece of angle iron and sandwiched between roller bearings and plastic glides that are screwed to plywood that separates the cargo area from the cab.

It’s unclear from the video what’s on the bottom edge of the plywood but I suspect it’s the same as the top, but with some number of roller bearing between it and the floor.

The brake is particularly cool. Engaging it brings a pair of magnets onto the top of the angle iron, where they are sandwiched between a pair of cap screws that function as stops. The magnets stick to the angle iron and keep the brake from coming free while the van is underway. I assume there are some kind of stops to keep the rack from extending too far to either side.

—David Frane is a freelance editor and a good buddy of ours. Formerly, he was editor of Tools of the Trade magazine and website. He lives in Northern California.

About the Author

David Frane

David Frane is a freelance editor and a good buddy of ours. Formerly, he was the editor of Tools of the Trade magazine and website. He lives in Northern California.

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