Show us your truck bed sleeping platform/drawer/storage systems

I actually did. I am using L-Track to fasten the platform to the truck bed, and the L-track sits just a little higher than the ridges in the bed of the truck. The bed mat brings the height up a bit, and everything sits a little flatter.

If I had to do it over again I would probably adjust how I made the base, and not use a bed mat.

Here is the L-track.


And here is what the base of my platform looks like.


It is very strong, and very stable. It is a bit over-engineered.

 

Where did you source your l-track? Did it come in the short pieces, or did you have to cut? I've been thinking of doing something similar to mount my fridge slide.

Also, did you use threaded inserts to attach to the track?

 

I sourced my L-Track from US Cargo Control. I had visions of putting L-track all over the place, but once I looked under the truck bead, I had difficulty identifying a location close to the cab, and had to move everything closer to the tailgate.

With US Cargo Control, the pieces come in many different lengths, and colors. The L-Track with the rounded edges fit in the grooves of the truck bead pretty good. I drilled holes through the bed, and used fairly large washers underneath (with some locking nuts) to get everything where I wanted it.

 

Thanks! I gotta see if I can get the mounting holes in the fridge slide line up with the grooves in the truck bed

 

Just picked up a shell for my truck. I noticed a few gaps in the shell, where light coming straight though and where water could easily get in. There is a decent gap in the front of the shell near the rear window. Do I need to remove the bed rail covers, so it would sit more flush? How would you recommend on filling the gaps, what type of seals/weatherstrip? The cap is only two years old and was off the same year truck as mine.

 

Reclaimed my buddy's old drawer. Needed a few repairs. Full length drawer at about 65-66"x39ish"(interior demensions)on 60" drawer slides. Plywood construction with bedliner coating and carpet on top. Got a custom 4" foam mattress that is about 5" short of a Full mattress. I use a full fitted sheet and just use the elastic to take up the slack.

Have only slept one night on it and it was pouring rain and 45 degrees. Slept like a baby.

 

I used snaps that I picked up at Lowe’s. They use screw down bases, and the package includes the tools to set the cap. Think snap-in carpet like boats typically have. My platform is very basic, and I wanted to be able to remove the “carpet”. It’s a super thin outdoor carpet also from Lowe’s. Almost wish I had put some padding under it.....

 

In your first picture, some gap seems to be common on most caps I've seen. It'll allow dust in but water doesn't seem to be an issue. But looking at that and your last picture your cap also appears to be missing the rubber flap or gasket that goes between the black hard plastic flap and the truck. It's probably like one of the "Door Seal" styles listed on this page: http://www.truckoutfittersplus.com/store/topper_parts_topper_door_accessories.htm (No affiliation with them, just the first page where I found a picture).

In the second photo that cap is sitting on the bed rail, not overlapping like some designs so you need to make sure that your seal is good all around, thicker in the front as mentioned, or you will get water leaks.

In the third picture of the cubby, I used a piece of rubber (an old bike innertube) and contact cement to make a loose fitting patch. By making it just a little loose you can still easily put the door tabs in their slots and still have a seal. I didn't worry about the top slot for the latches.

 

Can I hear from some drawer-builders about buying slides vs. a bearing/tubing setup? Obviously slides are pretty pricey but far more convenient...I'm mostly concerned/confused about creating a locking mechanism for the more DIY bearing setup. How do you keep the drawer from accidentally sliding all the way out, especially if you're parked on a hill or something? I've seen a few spring-loaded pin/latch things but I'm not entirely sure how they work and it's just another thing to buy and figure out how to mount. What did yall decide and why?

 

I used slides with mine. Pricey and fairly heavy, but rated to hold 500 lbs. fully extended (5 feet).

My slides do not lock - I have never seen locking long heavy duty slides. Would be nice, but probably add to the already high cost.

I will be adding latches to the drawers, so they won't open when the tailgate is down and the nose of the truck is up. You could use a spring pin if you wanted - drill one or more holes in the side of the drawer to accept the pin, that way you could lock the drawer in different positions.

 

Has anyone built a weatherproof drawer for their bed that is similar to TruckVault's version?

 

Okay, I understand that they don't lock in specific positions, but is there any sort of drawer stop mechanism built-in to prevent them front sliding all the way out?

Also, with this spring-loaded pin deal, where would the holes be drilled and where would the pin(s) be mounted? It such a tight space it doesn't seem like there would be room for a pin anywhere but within the drawer...I've been searching online trying to find a photo to clear this up for me but haven't had any luck.

 

I have not seen any long, heavy duty slides with a locking mechanism. Not to say one does not exist, just that I did not see one when I was searching for slides several years ago.

That's the thing - it really is a tight space. You mount the pin wherever you find room, and drill the hole(s) accordingly.

On mine, I thought about mounting a spring pin on the drawer support, on the outside side of each drawer (there is no room between the drawers.) With the pins mounted there, I would have drilled holes in the drawer sides.

After using my drawers for a while, I didn't see the need for the pins. I am going to add handle latches to the drawer fronts, to keep them closed when the tailgate is down.

 

I have a drawer that I had a spring pin welded on. The latch that came with the drawer only locked it closed which was a PITA. Here's a couple pics.

 

Here are some: https://truck-hardware.orrorr.com/i...-lock-in-lock-out-full-extension-slide/h-8570

I ordered the non locking version from them. Haven’t installed them yet but they seem to be good quality and way cheaper than everyone else. I opted for non locking because I didn’t think I would like the lock in aspect. Unlocking them to pull them out seems like it would get annoying. I will be putting a locking handle on them to keep them closed and probably adding some sort of external lock out pin.

 

I ended up finding some 36" slides rated to 250 lbs for ~$40. For my purposes, these doe the job perfectly. The company I bought the slides from only go up to 36", so anything longer will have to be found elsewhere.

The company is tchweb. You can find a list of all of the slides rated to 250 lbs here. The specific slides I used can be found here.

 

Long heavy duty drawer slides are pricey no matter how you cut it. Just have to shop around for the best price and they won't be outrageously expensive, just expensive. I paid about $750 for two sets of 60". Two locking, two non locking for myself and a buddy.

Http://www.allegiscorp.com/drawer_slides/

I recommend the locking. Everything is built into itself. No need for additional pins or latches. Push lever, pull drawer and it locks open. Push lever, push drawer in and locks closed. Simple. Great for when you have a heavy drawer load and parked on a hill.

 

Ouch! Orr&Orr has locking 60” slides for $180 per set.

 

Damn. That's a hell of a price! I shopped around for several hours and thought Allegis Corp was a smoking deal. Those AccuRide sliders are pricey.

 

Sweet. That's a bit more reasonable.

Thanks for the great info everyone. Can't wait to start building my home for the summer.