Kitchen/Shower/Drawer/Sleep System

You definitely made the right choice going with the 180. I was really split on the rise topper and I should have just done it. That being said, sleeping by myself was awesome (slept like a rock with that mattress) and i didn't feel claustrophobic or anything like that. I'm yet to sleep in it with my lady in there as well. It might be difficult to move around each other getting in and out and definitely a challenging environment for adult activities.

 

really nice job....good work...

 

What 60" slides did you go with? I was planning on going accuride until I saw the price... Budget buster. Looking for a good alternative.

 

I went with Orr & Orr. You can do a regular 500lb 60" slide or a Locking slide. Just a heads up though... the locking slide will also lock when its slid all the way in. I made a point to set the drawer up so that it wouldn't let the slide go far enough back to lock.

 

Enlighten me on why it would be a bad thing for it to lock closed when closed?
Thanks

 

You'd need to do cut outs on the drawer face or leave room around the edged of the drawer to access the release levers that lock and unlock the slide. I wanted to have clean drawer face. If you see the picture, you'd have to have access to the yellow lever.

 

Oh, its a mechanical release. Didn't realize that, figured it was like a kitchen drawer where it just needed extra force to pull out. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Gorgeous set up! I'm in the process of my own build, I use the truck to much as a truck for a semi permanent build like yours so I'm going for something a little easier to remove/modular. Silly question though, what mattress did you use and where did you get it? I for the life of me just can't find one I like. Thanks in advance and cheers!

 

Hey, Thanks for the compliment! The mattress pad I went with is below. We bought a 4" thick queen and cut it down to size. The mattress is firm, but very comfortable in my opinion. If I could do it again, I might go with a 3" to make it easier to fold over with the bed made.

Queen Size 4" Firm Conventional Polyurethane Foam RV/Truck Mattress Bed Cushion USA Made

Queen Bed 4" Matress

 

What size plywood did you use? 1/2” or 3/4”? Were you able to use a single 4x8 sheet for the drawer system, not including the bed? Or two sheets?

 

Thanks for putting all this info up and awesome build! Was looking at the RakAttach and the Wilko HitchSwing. Can you give me an indication of the price of the RakAttach? The Hitchswing is $415 for comparison. Also, does it have any kind of anti-wobble device? Any plans for adding a heater to the water tank?

 

@co4runnin looks great man! I have drawer build going on currently as well and love seeing what everyone else does and how it works for them! i see you're in Denver, ever go to any meets or trail runs? i'd love to see it in person!

 

I used 3/4 for the outside, bed platform and main large drawer. The smaller drawer was done with 1/2" I used 2 or 3 4x8 sheets of 3/4 plywood for the whole system. It's HEAVY.

The Rakattach was about $375 if I remember correctly... however Kuat worked with RakAttach to design their new pivot swingout and it's pretty similar, if not slightly more refined (for $295). As far as anti wobble device, the swing-out came with a U bolt hitch tightener thing that removes any and all play.
And it's funny you ask about heating the water... I was just looking into getting a Camp Chef portable propane water heater that I could somehow mount up, or store in the drawer system for hot showers. There's a few different options out there, but I think I'll probably pick up the Camp Chef one and see how it goes.

Thanks! I haven't been to any of the meet ups or trail runs yet. I tend to spend my weekends on the bike, but I'd definitely be down to meet up in person if you'd like tot take a look at it.

 

I can vouch for the weight, I've used 1 1/2 sheets of 3/4 Birch and 1 sheet of 1/2 birch and its a bear. 70 lbs of slides to come.

I'd be down to meet sometime! grab a beer and drool on your truck a bit

 

Thanks man. I'll check out the Kuat system too. I've got a U-bolt hitch tightener also, just completely forgot about it. Good to know that takes care of all the play in the system because that would drive me crazy. Let us know how the Camp Chef water heater works out. I've definitely got showers on my mind for this summer's mountain biking trips. Right now I'm planning on a diy roof-top solar water setup but a heating option could be nice too.

 

I would also check out the Road Shower. I have a few friends running that system for post ride showers and they all seem to be super satisfied.

 

The Sportsmobile was a $60K vehicle that was really only good for camping trips and not as a daily driver. Also it was a 2006 Ford E-350 6.0 Diesel, which is the worst engine Ford has ever made and is known to have serious problems. I sold it with 20K miles and several things had gone wrong with it in the short time I owned it.

We loved the van and it looked awesome... but it was expensive and not as versatile or reliable for everything we want to do in the truck. That said... I still dream about owning another van, but I'd build it myself from a used base cargo Mercedes Sprinter or Dodge Promaster.

 

forgive me, kinda new to my slide out drawer research...

do you bolt the deck in to the bed? or what keeps the deck in place when the drawer is pulled out?

 

I've got some friends going through this exact same realization. They have also lived the reality of the 6.0. Even with a new long block, "bullet proofing," new turbo, all new injectors, new head gaskets, and everything else, it still has its demons. They're looking at Tacomas again now

 

Hey, I do not have the drawer system bolted down. I haven't had any issues with it moving the entire time it's been in there, due to how we cut the wood to fit under the topper and into the channels of the bed. I have turnbuckles that I was meaning to mount to the D-Rings in the bed... but I haven't had to as of yet.

As for when the whole drawer system is pulled out, the slides do a great job of supporting it without causing the back of the cabinet to pitch forward. I also think the tailgate does a good job of supporting some of the drawer weight.