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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Heavy Duty Drawer Slides
- - By RioCampo (***) Date 04-12-2011 15:44
Anyone have a good source for heavy duty drawer slides?
I am looking for a pair of slides that will rate 1500 lbs or so and extend 5-6 ft. Extension length can vary.
I have done lots of internet research but want some of you guys thoughts.
Thanks
Parent - - By Cactusthewelder (*****) Date 04-12-2011 21:28
You might consider Square Stock and either Angle Iron or Channel and build your own for something of that size
Parent - - By RioCampo (***) Date 04-12-2011 21:53
That was my original thought. I could that and by the bearings.
I was thinking it would be just peachy keen to buy them ready made. It seems like my weight rating are the kicker though.
I found a set that was close, but the damn things are $300 bucks.
Parent - By TRC (***) Date 04-12-2011 22:03
Look up "cam followers" for your bearings.
Parent - - By 357max (***) Date 04-13-2011 02:14
Garage door track and rollers work
Parent - - By Bob Garner (***) Date 04-13-2011 21:17
Garage door track and rollers - brilliant! 

You can space the rollers as close as you need for load capacity.  And the track I've seen has numerous mounting holes so you can support it as needed for load capacity.  Would the roller-in-track clearances be an issue?  I will look at my garage door tonight.

Take it a step further and include the garage door opener for an automatic sliding mechanism!
Parent - - By Bob Garner (***) Date 04-13-2011 21:21
Back the truck up on the clearance issue - alternating rollers could be offset to take up any slack. 

I like this track idea.
Parent - - By 357max (***) Date 04-13-2011 22:33
commercial garage track and rollers are a bit stiffer than home type. carpenters use "free" ie throwaway tracks & rollers for their trucks
Parent - - By RioCampo (***) Date 04-13-2011 23:50
I never thought about garage door track. I'll have to look at that.
Parent - - By Joseph P. Kane (****) Date 04-14-2011 01:01
Riocampo

You will never support 1500 pounds or so stuck out five feet on garage door track.  You need ships channel  (MC5) and the whole assembly will be heavy..
Parent - - By Bob Garner (***) Date 04-14-2011 15:44
I looked at my garage door track last night.  It's a Stanley product and it is quite flimsy.  The track appears to be only 16 ga. and the rollers do not have bearings.
Parent - - By rlitman (***) Date 04-14-2011 16:33
You can get rollers with and without bearings, BUT home garage doors don't run more than 250 pounds or so, and the shafts on the rollers are hollow, and not that strong.  They're designed to support the door against wind loads (which is easily way more than the weight of the door), but not much more.
Are your rollers plastic or metal.  The plastic ones I've seen don't have bearings, and are popular to lessen the noise of the door that's transmitted to the house.

Maybe you could look for track and rollers designed for wind loaded doors in hurricane prone areas like Florida, but I suspect it isn't going to be much stronger.
Parent - - By Bob Garner (***) Date 04-14-2011 18:57
Our rollers are plastic and the track was designed for primary support on the inside/lower edge.  This is the only edge that is radiused to guide the rollers.

Richards Wilcox has some nice bearing rollers designed to roll on 1/4" flat bar.  Their grooved to fit the bar.  Something could be rigged up from this stuff but I bet the costs are going to be high.
Parent - - By yojimbo (***) Date 04-14-2011 19:28
You might also consider a ball bearing application.  Build an enclosable track inside a frame with the ball bearing having clearance of the track and provide bearing surface for the drawer.  I've found mounted ball bearings encased in a nylon centered aluminum cylinder- original application unknown- and used them to make jack stand head rollers, picked up cheap at a surplus industrial supply yard.  You might also do it with conveyor rollers- mount those into a frame which would be centered on the draw and carry the load of the draw with the sides of the drawer merely being guided and kept in place not doing any of the actual bearing.  Whatever you design make sure to allow for maintenance somewhere down the road to keep things greased and change out of failed parts.
Parent - - By RioCampo (***) Date 04-14-2011 19:36
I found some 2" O.D. sealed ball bearings that are rated at 178lbs each. Looks like I might just make some track with angle iron. Dang bearings are expensive though. I think this will work fine for my application. The track doesn't have to hold the entire weight, it will be more than likely that at least 60% of machine will remain over lower frame. I only need it to slide out a little for maintenance.
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.
Parent - - By jwright650 (*****) Date 04-14-2011 19:58
McMaster Carr has something that I bet would work.
Could be used for drawer sliders
Parent - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 04-15-2011 01:16
Those look like what I know as a cam follower, which someone else mentioned.
Parent - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 04-15-2011 01:20
There are cast steel/iron wheels with roller bearings and a groove in the middle of the "tire" area. These are often used on gantry cranes and similar aplications, and run on angle iron layed with the corner up. 4 of these would easily support Your load, but You would need track on the top as well as the bottom.
Parent - - By uphill (***) Date 04-14-2011 23:37
1x3 rectangular tubing with 3/16 wall stood up and use metal serpentene tension belt pulleys? They already have good bearings and you can go to the junkyard and do some canabalizing.You looking to pull out your welder to service? If so have two frame extensions that can be plugged into the bed for the rollers to ride on.
Just my gears a spinnin.
Parent - By RioCampo (***) Date 04-15-2011 02:53
That what I am looking at doing.
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / Heavy Duty Drawer Slides

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