I have a crawlspace in my basement that's pretty cramped, and I want to store some totes there. Crawling into that space to reach the totes in the back is really annoying. I'm looking for a solution that essentially acts like a sliding drawer system so I can easily pull out the totes I need. I've been exploring options but can't find slides that are long enough, and my only idea so far involves using something like a conveyor belt. Has anyone tackled a similar project? What did your design look like?
6 Answers
I found some 5-foot drawer slides online. How long are you looking for? You can check them out at Lowe's.
Why not just build your own? A couple of 2x4s and some heavy-duty wheels could do the trick!
That's the plan! I'm just struggling to come up with a good design, which is why I’m asking for help.
Without knowing the size of your crawlspace, it’s hard to give specific advice. But have you thought about a pull-out tie rack? Something like that could work in your setup!
The crawlspace is about 16 to 20 feet deep and tall enough for those big HDX yellow top totes.
If you can mount something to the ceiling in your crawlspace, look up 'overhead tote storage rail systems.' They have a bunch of options, and I bet it's cheaper than building a full drawer system.
Most I found are only one tier deep, but I'm looking for something that holds multiple totes so I can slide them forward easily.
You might want to check out wheeled dollies from Harbor Freight—they're about $12 each but often go on sale for $8. With these, you can just roll your totes right out without any complicated system.
I thought of that, but I'd need one for each tote and some way to pull them forward from way in the back, which seems tricky.
I saw a video that might inspire you! It shows a similar concept with long drawers under a deck. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/z_3bGNkfm6o?si=li1_c-nMQIxJnImZ. It might give you some ideas for your crawlspace!
That's actually a really smart idea!
I'd need something like 12 to 15 feet long.