Slideology 101: How to Disconnect a Drawer Slide

You will have to remove a drawer from its cabinet at some point. How you remove a drawer depends on the slides underpinning it.  

Every drawer slide has a method to disconnect its members so you can remove drawers safely and conveniently. In this blog, we’ll identify four types of disconnects, how they work, and which Accuride models you can find them in.

Friction Disconnect

The friction method is the simplest to disconnect. Pull the drawer far enough to separate it from the cabinet, and the adjoined slide members will disconnect. Expect some resistance from the ball retainers at the end, but that is by design. (Otherwise, the drawer would fall out.)

The Accuride 2006 is an example of a drawer slide with a friction disconnect
design. Drawers equipped with friction-disconnect slides only need you to pull
a drawer far enough to separate the slide members. You find this type of
disconnect in small light-duty slides.

This easy disconnect method suits slides with load ratings under 50 pounds, such as those in bathrooms and small tool drawers. The Accuride 2006, often used on pencil drawers, is an example of a friction-disconnect slide.

Lever Disconnect

The lever method is the most resilient. Push up or down on a spring-loaded lever on the slide's inner member (also called the “drawer member") to disconnect. The lever disconnect has a lock-out or stop-out feature useful with pull-out trays in workstations.

The lever-disconnect method is perhaps the most common on
slides. Push up or down on a lever to separate a slide’s inner (drawer) member
from the outer (cabinet) member.

You can find lever disconnects on many light- and medium-duty slides, such as the Accuride
3932.

Push-Latch Disconnect

The push-latch disconnect is another simple method. Push a button that triggers a latch and disconnects the slide’s drawer member from the cabinet member. 

The push-latch method has you push a button to trigger a latch that
separates slide members.

The Accuride 3732, a full-extension slide popular in office storage applications, uses the push-latch disconnect method.

Rail Disconnect

The rail disconnect method attaches and detaches all slide members, making for straightforward removal. Rail disconnect slides can come with or without a latch to activate separation. Regardless, rail disconnect slides commonly feature over-travel for full access to their drawers’ contents. You can often find rail disconnect slides in retail furniture, such as display cases.

Rail disconnect slides like the Accuride 4034 detaches all slide members from a cabinet. These slides may or may not have a latch to removal the members.

The Accuride 4034 is an example of a rail disconnect slide. This slide uses a smooth progressive movement and includes 1½ inches of extra travel for maximum access inside of a drawer. Able to support up to 150 pounds, the 4034 slide is often found in office cabinets.

Now that you've learned about disconnecting slides, how about learning what makes a heavy-duty drawer slide? As always, stay connected with Accuride for the latest in premium movement solutions!