DROM BOX GARAGE

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

I am thinking about installing a Drom box "garage" on my Volvo (see photo).   I am singled short.  I am even thinking about installing a smaller version of an overhead crane system similar to the one installed on Henry's Volvo, Ketchup.  The crane would be used lift the things into the garage, like barbeques, recumbent trike. For those of you have done this modification, I have a few questions.

Did you build or buy the box?  If you bought, who did you buy from?

How do you access your fuel tanks to fill up?

How do you access the cab suspension components at the back of the cab?

Any other comments and/or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Gary Hage]

You and I are possibly on the same mission. As mentioned in an earlier thread, I too have been considering adding a drom box to our Volvo VNL 420 for a motorcycle garage. I did find a nice looking pre-built unit at Joplin Trailer Sales in Joplin, MO. It is fully lined with five rails of E-tracks that are installed on each side. it also has a full swing door at each end. When mounted directly to the frame on a hard rubber cushioning strip, it appears the outside height of the drom box should closely lineup with the roof of most Volvos that have the lower (flat) roof line like mine, and would be well below the height of the condo cabs. Thus cutting down on the level of wind drag and be more appealing to the eye

Forklift tubes have been permanently welded into the floor framing of the drom box, which should make for easy mounting and un-mounting of the box to and from the truck's frame. The unit can be wired to the customer's spec's during installation or aftermarket bt the customer. I do not know yet if it comes in multiple sizes, or only the one shown on their website. Although this box appears interesting to me as an option, I've not yet priced it or called my friends in Joplin to have them go by JTS to check it out for me. I know that the ultimate setup for me would be to go ahead and have Henry install the drop hitch assembly on my ET Hitch to pull my utility trailer with when needed, and to install the drom box to carry all of my accessories for the 5er (like my 6" x 6" x 18" blocking, etc.) in rather than loading it in the basement and overloading the RV. To date, we have always carried it separately inside a smaller tool box on the Volvo, and in the utility trailer since we are always traveling with both vehicles. 

Then after much thought, I have decided rather than going with the more expensive automatic rail system for loading motorcycles in/out of the drom box, I'm going to stick with a less expensive folding aluminum ramp system with a permanently mounted winch in the front to pull my 58 Harley Sportster into the box using a cable and short tow bar assembly attached to the front forks of the bike. Offloading would simply be achieved by connecting the bike to the cable and tow bar, then while walking the bike out of the box and onto the ramp until the break point in gravity is meet. For safety and control, the winch will be slowly let out to help control the bike's descent down the ramp and onto flat ground. Obviously the ramp system would be wide enough for there to be enough foot room on either side of the bike walk it up and down the ramp.

[BlueLghtning]

I'm going to be following this because a small motorcycle garage on the back of my 610 is on my wish list too. 

Edited June 25, 2017 by BlueLghtning

[BlueLghtning]

I just looked up those ones at the Joplin Trailer Sales. That looks great for what I may need. http://joplintrailer.com/?page_id=260. If you get more info including the dimensions and cost, please do share here. 

[Stan Wright]

Great find!  I've been pondering the same thing.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

1 hour ago, BlueLghtning said:

I just looked up those ones at the Joplin Trailer Sales. That looks great for what I may need. http://joplintrailer.com/?page_id=260. If you get more info including the dimensions and cost, please do share here. 

Now that looks super heavy duty! 

I have been flip-flopping back and forth on what I want to do with a bed for a few years.  And, for our needs, the drom-garage looks like the way to go.  We have a toy hauler (flip flopped on that for sometime) and although, the living area s reduced by the garage, the toy hauler works out best for our needs.

It would be much easier to go in to the drom-garage to get something instead of pulling things out from under the trailer.  I also want to shift weight from the trailer to the Volvo.

I will also be adding two joboxes to the back of the Volvo, one on each side.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Refuzn-To-Grow-Up

[cadonnelly]

Just wondering if someone is going to call them for dimensions, I have a need to keep my bicycles out of weather, and away from people with sneaky fingers - who steal things.  Unfortunately my bikes are expensive, as I try to make up with money what my legs lack.  It is like trying to buy a golf swing with a new driver.  I can call just wanted to minimize the amount of bother to the company.  Joplin is a great little town, bye the bye.

Chuckd Stillwater Mn

[Star Dreamer]

23 hours ago, Refuzn-To-Grow-Up said:

I am thinking about installing a Drom box "garage" on my Volvo (see photo).   I am singled short.  I am even thinking about installing a smaller version of an overhead crane system similar to the one installed on Henry's Volvo, Ketchup.  The crane would be used lift the things into the garage, like barbeques, recumbent trike. For those of you have done this modification, I have a few questions.

Did you build or buy the box?  If you bought, who did you buy from?

How do you access your fuel tanks to fill up?

How do you access the cab suspension components at the back of the cab?

Any other comments and/or suggestions would be appreciated.

We built our own but we do not have a side access door or crane because we did not need one.

Accessing fuel is not an issue as a Freightliner has the fuel tanks farther forward with access door in fairing. On a Volvo you have to leave an access hole like in the picture you posted.

Cab suspension parts are accessed from underneath. We just had a cab bag replaced on our last trip at a dealer and the mechanic said it was not much harder doing it. You may want to just go ahead and replace you cab bags and shocks before you build your bed, then you know they will all be good and should last your lifetime.

Dave

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

5 hours ago, Star Dreamer said:

We built our own but we do not have a side access door or crane because we did not need one.

Accessing fuel is not an issue as a Freightliner has the fuel tanks farther forward with access door in fairing. On a Volvo you have to leave an access hole like in the picture you posted.

Cab suspension parts are accessed from underneath. We just had a cab bag replaced on our last trip at a dealer and the mechanic said it was not much harder doing it. You may want to just go ahead and replace you cab bags and shocks before you build your bed, then you know they will all be good and should last your lifetime.

Dave

Dave:  I am leaning toward building my own because I will get the exact features that I want.  I have a tube bender and welders.  Since I do not have the equipment to lift the completed box onto the bed, I am thinking about a modularized design, whereby I could fabricate pieces and then lift them onto the bed for assembly.  

So many projects and so little time . . .  SIGH!

Do you have any photos of your build?

[Big5er]

Somebody contact Steve Dixon. He had his garage/drom custom built and the last time I spoke with him he had nothing but praises for the company that did it. He parks his smart car inside and has tons or room for stoarge. 

Edited June 25, 2017 by Big5er
typo

[phoenix2013]

Major frame to support the hoist were 2 x 5 3/16 wall. Skin frame support 1 x 1 thin wall tubing. Roof (walk on deck) 1 x 1 thick wall tubing. Skin steel sheets pretty thin, roof 1/8 diamond plate. Everything riveted with stainless steel rivets, air riveter, don't even try to pull them manually.

Roof strength test.

Collapsible roof railing. folds into the depression.

Hoist, comes out 5 feet, will pick up Harley or a platform with golf cart

Drom was built on the shop floor and hoisted to install on the deck. Hard point installation weldnuts were already in the deck to bolt it in. Note strategic cutouts in the corners of the deck, that how the truck is fueled.

I built three of these, the one on Kechup, this one and a third one, bigger one on singled long Volvo to take two motorcycles in the garage.

 

 

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

COLLAPSIBLE SUNROOF!  I like it.  How do you get to the roof?  Outside ladder?  Pull down stairs on the inside?

[Exile]

C'mon, this is the supreme fabricator, it's a maglev elevator.

 

henry doesn't mess around.

[phoenix2013]

This is when we were screwing around with the concept.

We put another single door on the back wall Idea being after the motorcycle is loaded how the hell you get out of the garage. Open another door and get out onto the rear deck.

The ladder was attached to that door, you opened that door, slid the ladder up, pull it back which would flatten out the a small platform at the top, pull the bottom further out and angle the ladder placing the rubber non-skid bottoms on the rubberized deck.

The whole project was pretty slick. Lot's of firsts, lots of fun, made squat for money when it was done.

You want to see funky, The guy was gonna use the drom as a shower room after day of racing.

See the shower pan in the deck plate. Don't think he ever had water plumbed there, but the drom was shower ready.

Wonder where the water was gonna come from

From the water tanks we installed in the truck frame under the hitch, of course.

We were serious about safety of the "occupants" drinking beer, climbing the ladder to be 13 feet up on top of the drom, watching nightly races at Sturgis which required rear passenger on the motorcycle to be braless. Long way down if one got "too excited".

The sucker sure was pretty when finished. Nobody built one like that before or since. I believe it was sold to another owner recently

 

Edited June 26, 2017 by phoenix2013

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

PERFECT!  Just what I am looking for, even if it does NOT have a maglev elevator (whatever that is).

And, it looks like a 780, short wheel base, just like mine.

Edited June 26, 2017 by Refuzn-To-Grow-Up

[BlueLghtning]

Has anyone contacted this Joplin trailer sales yet about their pre-made drom boxes? I just sent an e-mail and we'll see what I hear back. 

[Stan Wright]

3 hours ago, BlueLghtning said:

Has anyone contacted this Joplin trailer sales yet about their pre-made drom boxes? I just sent an e-mail and we'll see what I hear back. 

I sent one last week, but haven't heard anything.

[BlueLghtning]

3 hours ago, Stan Wright said:

I sent one last week, but haven't heard anything.

That's disappointing, who did you e-mail? I emailed the two listed as parts mgr & parts sales. I found some numbers I might try next. 

Parts Manager / Purchasing	David Brisco	dbrisco@joplintrailer.com
Assistant Manager / Parts Sales	Mark Rhines	mr@joplintrailer.com

Edited June 29, 2017 by BlueLghtning

[noteven]

Try the phone. 

I used to email outfits then mumble and grumble because no response - then call them and find out their IT system routed my email to the penalty box. 

[Darryl&Rita]

If I was looking at doing this, I'd start with a daycab, dress out the box with a folding bunk to get the RV tags, then have a dual purpose box, and a reasonable length truck.

[Rick & Alana]

Steve and I both have boxes made by Brown Industries. They are located in Lawerance Kansas.

And I think I can speak for both of us that we are very satisfied with the end product. 

http://www.bcvi.com/

 

[BlueLghtning]

I called them and spoke to Joe.

For new boxes, they charge $8500 and they don't mount them there. The box dimensions are around: 

• door opening is - 58" wide x 64" tall
• Outside dimenisions are 64" width (front to back from side view) x 80" tall x 97" deep (width across truck frame) 

They do have a door on either end and include the e-track shown in the pics. They are built to miltary spec. 

[Stan Wright]

46 minutes ago, BlueLghtning said:

I called them and spoke to Joe.

For new boxes, they charge $8500 and they don't mount them there. The box dimensions are around: 

• door opening is - 58" wide x 64" tall
• Outside dimenisions are 64" width (front to back from side view) x 80" tall x 97" deep (width across truck frame) 

They do have a door on either end and include the e-track shown in the pics. They are built to miltary spec. 

Thanks for getting the information.  I had emailed 'Steve'.

[cadonnelly]

Thanks for the info, I to had sent out a email and received no reponse.

[Rick & Alana]

Call Brown I think it will pay to shop.