Winching Kit Storage

Until now, I have been using the front cubby box to store all my winching kit: the strop, three shackles, the rope sail, gloves, remote control and the battery isolator switch key for the winch wiring.  That all took up a lot of space in the cubby box, and several of these items are quite hard and heavy, which could be a worry in the event of a crash or roll over with the cubby lid not being lockable (I plan to fit one of Croytech’s locks).

A neat, simple and practical  solution was to fit the battery tray from an FFR (military 24V Fitted For Radio) Series II/III Land Rover underneath the seat base and the cubby box, using the otherwise wasted space above the transfer box and Roverdrive.

The unit was cleaned of all the black underseal and test fitted.  Some cutting of its front right corner was needed to clear the bracket of the right hand fuel tap assembly for my 3-tank fuel system, but the bracket does not protrude into the tray’s internal space.  I also cut a small hole to the left of centre near the front to access the Rocky Mountain transfer box filler plug (the black plug in the aluminium plate visible through said hole).  The lift-out inspection panel is standard for the tray and allows me easy access to the Rocky mountain transfer box dip stick.

I used a pair of M5 rivnuts and suitable washers in the slotted holes half way along each side of the seat base aperture, with machine screws through the slots holding the sides of the tray in place.  The rear end of the tray is secured by two screws through the (previously unused) spire nuts at the back end of the seat base aperture (there are two such spire nuts at the front and rear and another one along each side to allow the fitting of a screw-down inspection plate in lieu of the standard slid-out and locked lid), using steel plates to keep the rear lip clamped against the top of the seat base.  In use, the front end of the tray is retained by the galvanised lid (to which the cubby box is bolted), secured by two Zeus fasteners.  The spot welded tab on the underside of the galvanised lid had to be drilled off and reattached further forward as it now engages on a lip protruding from the upper rear edge of the tray, rather than engaging under the back edge of the seat base aperture, but 5mm alloy pop-rivets are a simple method of refitting the tab as the rivet heads are hidden by the cubby box (and would be hidden by a centre seat, where fitted).

The tray holds the entire winching kit (the test fit doesn’t show the sail or gloves, but they fit in too) and the lid and cubby still fit easily on top.  It will make the periodic checking of the transfer box oil level a bit more awkward, as the items at the front of the tray will have to be moved into the foot well to access the inspection panel, but it’s a very minor price for the huge amount of cubby space freed up.