1st gen bed platform build

Just finished up a bed platform for my truck. In designing the biggest thing for me was just keeping it simple. I tend to over-engineer things.

Material cost <$70 and labor was maybe 2 hours.

2- 2x10s at 72"L spaced about 17" from the sidewalls
3- 2x4s snug into notches on the 2x10- the two longer braces are 56" and the middle brace (centered at 36" on the 2x10) is 43" across
2- 15/32x4x8 sanded plywood- ripped them at 72Lx28W so the seam runs down the middle of the bed. I chose not to split the wood horizontally because I'm 5'0 and I don't want to climb all the way into the bed to grab them plywood.

I have a few long chicken hatchling crates I'm going to throw under the platform for storage. Lighting and power are next but I'm not sure what direction I want to go with it yet.

 

Good looking and simple solution. Well done.

Oh, just a hint, don't leave any hatchlings in the crates; they will make an a lot noise just as your trying to drift off to sleep

 

Nice setup! I like the simplicity. I'm going to do something similar pretty soon here.

 

Nice and simple. Just got done building mine a bit ago but waiting on the cap to come still.

 

wow, this is a great idea!

 

Good build, good ideas. My one dislike of the Tacoma or Toyota pickup beds are that they’re too shallow and with a can height shell there’s not much head room.

 

Great build. Might steal your idea.

 

@taconat Thanks for the specs--I just built this for my 99 Taco. I really like how simple this is and easy to disassemble. Seems sturdy enough!

Cheers!

 

Hi All, was hoping to hear some feedback from OP, @Bumphrey Hogart , or anyone else that had tried this or a similar build. What would you do differently next time? I was thinking of cutting the 3/4" sleeping surface in two so I could configure for 1 or 2 person sleeping - can you think of any issues with this setup? Thanks in advance!

 

@GillyMac Yeah, I cut the sleeping platform in two (lengthwise) for the reason you mentioned and to make it easier to remove the platform. I ended up fastening L brackets to one end of each of the two long braces for more peace of mind because I'm not much of a carpenter, and the notches that hold the crosswise braces aren't perfect.

Cover the face of the 3/4" plywood in carpeting for ease of handling and comfort.

 

Awesome, thank you sir!

 

Can't wait to set up my bed for camping like this