Outfitting a work van with drawer-based storage used to mean custom fabrication or a long wait for a welding shop. The launch of a factory van racking system from one of the big power tool brands changes that equation for contractors who want a bolt-in path to organized tool storage in a van, truck, or trailer. Coverage of tool launch events and the 2022 Milwaukee Pipeline shows how manufacturers stage these reveals, and the preorder pricing for the racking system gives crews a concrete number to plan around before the units ship.
The system breaks down into four parts: a rack frame that mounts to the vehicle, a rack with two slide-out drawers, an extra drawer for expansion, and a kit that bundles the frame, racks, and drawers together. Everything ships flat-pack with assembly required, which keeps freight costs down but adds setup time on the buyer’s side. Early pricing puts the frame at $500, each two-drawer rack at $750, an extra drawer at $200, and the kit at $2000, and that spread of price points is what this article breaks down.
What Comes in a Drawer Rack System
A basic installation starts with the rack frame, which carries the weight of everything stored above it and bolts to the van’s interior structure. Racks slide into the frame, and each rack ships with two drawers. Buyers who need more capacity add drawer units individually rather than replacing whole racks, which keeps the component list short.
Frame and rack components
The initial lineup lists four components, each with its own catalog number and price:
- Rack frame (48-21-8010): $500, the mounting structure that defines one vertical bay
- Two-drawer rack (48-21-8000): $750, one rack unit with two slide-out drawers
- Extra rack drawer (48-21-8040): $200, an expansion drawer for racks that need more room
- Rack kit (48-21-8070): $2000, the bundled frame, two racks, and four drawers
Drawer capacity per bay
A vertical bay accepts up to three racks stacked inside one frame. Equipping the frame with two racks leaves the bottom of the bay open for a rolling tool box or bulky supplies, while a full three-rack bay holds up to twelve low-profile organizers when you store Packout cases in the drawers. Capacity planning means counting organizers, not just drawers, because each drawer can hold more than one case.
Storage planning should start with the tools, not the rack. A crew that leans on one versatile saw can check our top handle jigsaw guide to see what the tool demands in blade storage and accessories before assigning it a drawer, and the same exercise works for every tool in the kit.
Breaking Down the Price of Each Component
Per-component pricing matters because most buyers will not buy just one piece. A single vertical bay with one frame and two racks costs $2000 in hardware before any Packout boxes are added, and the kit version also costs $2000. The table below summarizes the four price points as they stand at launch.
| Component | Model | Price | What it provides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rack frame | 48-21-8010 | $500 | Mounting frame for one vertical bay |
| Two-drawer rack | 48-21-8000 | $750 | Rack unit with two slide-out drawers |
| Extra drawer | 48-21-8040 | $200 | Adds one drawer to an existing rack |
| Rack kit | 48-21-8070 | $2000 | Frame, two racks, and four drawers |
Independent reviews confirm the build quality question before you commit. Pro Tool Reviews spent hands-on time with the racking kit and shelf and found the active-lock drawers hold up under load, which matters for hardware that lives on rough roads and gets opened dozens of times a day.
What the kit leaves out
Milwaukee says the kit is trimmed to avoid extra hardware and parts, such as spare top and bottom panels, compared with buying the frame, racks, and drawers separately. The practical effect is a cleaner unboxing with fewer leftover pieces, but the kit cannot be expanded with surplus parts. Buyers who want a third rack in a bay buy it as an add-on at $750 regardless of which purchasing path they start from.
Configuring a Vertical Bay for Drawer Capacity
The frame defines the bay, and the number of racks you install defines how much of that bay holds drawers. Two configurations cover most work vehicles: a two-rack bay and a three-rack bay.
Two-rack bay with floor storage
Installing two racks in a frame leaves the bottom section open. Crews use that space for a rolling tool box, a generator, or stacked material that would not fit in a drawer. The trade-off is capacity: two racks supply four drawers, plus whatever fits in the open floor area.
Three-rack bay at full capacity
A three-rack bay pushes the drawer count to six from the included racks, and six more can be added with extra drawer units for twelve total. Milwaukee positions that layout for crews storing low-profile organizers, where one drawer can hold several cases. The payoff is density, and the cost is a bay with no floor space left over.
Drawer depth should follow the biggest tool in the kit. If the crew carries bulky gear such as the cordless chainsaws compared in our separate guide, budget for deeper drawers or leave that equipment out of the rack system entirely and carry it loose.
- List every tool that needs a dedicated drawer.
- Measure the longest and tallest item in the list.
- Choose a two-rack or three-rack layout for each bay.
- Count drawers, then count the organizers that go inside them.
Cost Comparison: Kit Versus Separate Components
Milwaukee prices the rack kit at $2000, the same figure you reach by buying one frame and two racks separately. The difference is what shows up in the box. The kit ships with two racks and four drawers, and a separate purchase of two racks delivers the same four drawers because each rack comes with two.
- Kit path: $2000 for a frame, two racks, and four drawers, with no spare panels
- Separate path: $2000 for a frame, two racks, and four drawers, plus spare top and bottom panels
- Expansion drawer: $200 each, added to either setup
The $200 extra drawer is where the price scales. Going from four drawers to six in a two-rack bay costs $400 in add-ons, which brings a single-bay total to $2400 before tool boxes. Contractors comparing this against plywood shelving or welded racks should include the drawers in the comparison, because slide-out storage is the feature that saves time on the job site.
Roofing and siding crews should keep the term racking in context. Vehicle racking holds tools, while the racking criteria for asphalt shingle roof systems govern how roof panels and solar attachments are laid out, and confusing the two can cause real specification errors on a project.
Estimating a Full Multi-Bay Installation
A full van build rarely stops at one bay. The four-bay setup Milwaukee showed at its media preview combined two two-rack bays and two three-rack bays. At current prices that configuration totals $9500 in racking hardware alone, before shipping, tool boxes, organizers, accessories, and side mounting plates.
| Item | Quantity | Unit price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rack frame | 4 | $500 | $2000 |
| Two-drawer rack | 10 | $750 | $7500 |
| Hardware total | $9500 |
Why the preview setup costs what it does
The preview build uses ten racks because the two three-rack bays need three racks each and the two two-rack bays need two each. Each rack includes two drawers, so the ten racks deliver twenty drawers, with spares left over for crews that do not fill every bay. That arithmetic is what produces the $9500 figure.
- Count the bays your vehicle can physically fit.
- Decide on a two-rack or three-rack layout for each bay.
- Multiply frames by $500 and racks by $750.
- Add extra drawers at $200 each.
- Add tool boxes, organizers, and side mounting plates.
- Add shipping and installation labor to the total.
Alternatives and Questions to Ask Before Buying
The price point does not make sense for every buyer. A reader who wanted a workshop-grade drawer system without building plywood cabinets asked whether the racks could mount outside a vehicle, and the manufacturer’s answer was no. The racks and frames are sized for van, truck, and trailer interiors, not garage walls or workbenches.
Workshop and non-vehicle mounting
Adapting the drawers to custom framing or stationary benches is not supported, so treat the system as vehicle storage first. If the goal is workshop storage, a stationary cabinet system or a plywood-and-slide build costs a fraction of the vehicle hardware and does not need to survive road vibration.
Budget the accessories, not just the racks
The $9500 four-bay estimate excludes the Packout boxes that go inside the drawers, plus organizers and side mounting plates. Add those and the real cost of a fully equipped van lands well above the hardware total. Seasonal gear adds another line item, from blades and bits to heated workwear for construction pros that keeps crews productive on cold job sites.
Once the van is loaded with thousands of dollars of gear, protection becomes part of the storage plan. Systems like the smart tool security systems that track equipment through the One-Key platform can flag missing tools and deter theft, and pairing locking drawers with tool tracking gives a crew a reasonable defense for the investment.