What are the heavy duty drawer slides?

What are the heavy duty drawer slides? It can do a lot. But using the right one can save you time, money, and headaches with your project.

People often underestimate the scale of a project. When it comes to movement, a slide that’s not up to the task can have long-term consequences. An overloaded drawer will shorten the life of the slides that underpin it. Worse, that stress can even damage the drawer and cabinet–multiplying the cost of underestimation.

That’s why we have helpful tips to make sure you choose the right drawer slides solution for your project.

When shopping for drawer slides on our product page, you’ll see that they are 2 types of drawer slides available: Industrial Heavy Duty Drawer Slides and Residential Drawer Slides. 

How do you know when to choose one over the other? Which one do you need? This blog post will aim to answer those questions and show off the key differences between these two products.

1. Load

The first thing is to estimate what your project’s maximum capacity will be.

2. Length

Consider how far you want your drawer to travel. Heavy-duty darwer slides typically come in variable lengths from 12 to 20 in.

3. Width

How wide do you expect your application to be? Just as every drawer slide has a maximum load it can bear, every drawer slide has a maximum width it can support. In general, Vadania heavy-duty drawer slides support widths up 2 inch. The maximum width is that which experts have validated through rigorous cycle-testing.

That’s important to factor: Major brands like Vadania perform testing via strict industry standards. A generic brand may not, which can lead to dubious long-term reliability. See whether the brand of the slide you’re considering has a limited lifetime warranty behind it.

4. Indoor or Outdoor?

A general slide will fit most indoor applications without trouble, but outdoor ones are a different matter.

Outdoor applications contend with moisture and debris. Humidity can have a corrosive effect on slide members, while debris can clog lubricated bearings and hinder the smoothness of movement.

If that’s the case, choose a heavy-duty slide built from a corrosion-resistant material. Consider options like the VA2576 or  VA2053 as a purpose-built solution for outdoor environments.

5.Durability

As the name “Heavy Duty” implies the heavy duty drawer slides are more durable than your regular drawer slides. But what does this mean and what are the physical differences that make the heavy duty drawer slides more durable? Durability generally refers to a product’s life span and its ability to work in harsh conditions. So why are heavy duty drawer slides more durable?

Well firstly, when we compare the two drawer slides next to each other, the size difference between the two is obvious. This difference will help the heavy duty drawer slide last longer in applications where corrosion or rust is a concern.

Secondly, while these slides are made of the same material, the increase thickness in the heavy duty slides will allow it to last longer in harsher conditions as there is more material that will need to rust away before failure.

6. Vehicular or Stationary?

A vehicular application brings a new set of challenges. A slide used for vehicular use will see its load rating affected by as much as 40%.

Also consider solutions with features that keep compartments closed while in transit. These may be slides with a heavy-duty “hold-in” detent or lock-in mechanism.

One of the unique features you’ll find with heavy duty drawer slides is some models have locks that can prevent the slide from moving while open or closed.

So when would this be useful? Well, consider:

• Locking a camper slide shut to prevent movement during transport.
• Or, locking the same slide open to prevent accidently closing on slopes.
• Preventing heavy duty shelves and contents from sliding open (a tipping hazard).