DIY raised platform…

Fun project, built this raised shelf...allows me to sleep on platform when camping and store things like gun cases and gear underneath when dogs are in truck. Also can access cooler for groceries, drinks etc only having to open window to access..left a gap in between tailgate and shelf to be able to drop stuff into truck like grocery bags or hunting gear..notice I left a flip up lip at rear, this allows me to be able to angle longer items under the bed or place larger items in truck without opening tailgate...nothing bolted down, can be removed in a minute. Cost me $50 at Lowe’s and I had them do the cutting for me. Only catch was I had to trim the platform by an inch or so to be able to angle it in with the cap on it...I rattle-canned it with some bedliner but it will need another coat.

 

Looks good. I'm assuming it's made out of plywood.

Is there a brace in the middle that holds it up? My concern was if you sleep on it or put a lot of weight on it, without the brace, it would bend in or cave in due to the high load.

edit: not sure but maybe the brace is already there (unpainted portion). Optically it looks like it's hanging from the plywood and not actually touching the bed of the truck. Might be an optical illusion though.

 

Took about an hour and a half. 120$ in lumber and hardware. Cut the two side runs that run along the sides of The bed I cut in half to be able to access the storage under neath without having to lift or slide the entire piece out. The middle piece sits on slats when the platform is up but can slide off and under to maximize height when traveling for whatever I may have in the bed. Broke all the edges with a sander to prevent splitting. I can remove the platform and frame in 30 seconds if need be. Would like to add some piano hinges eventually but other than that I couldn’t be more happy.

 

Firewood on bottom, slept on top

 

Ok, so there are 1x6 laying on the cutouts across the bed, then I cut a piece of scrap and screwed it in from above...so everything is removable, nothing bolted or mounted in bed, it will hold me at175lbs and my kid at 120lbs without sagging one bit

 

Nice work!!!

 

Thanks @Macjr67!

 

I see this question every now and then and thought I’d throw my 2 cents in.

I use a platform that is 3/4” plywood with no braces/supports. It’s 3 full-width pieces so it can be removed easily or stacked at the front of the bed to have taller items at the back of the bed. Between my wife, myself, 2 dogs, and the matress, we’ve got to have around 400 pounds on it. I’ve never thought the platform would collapse on us. Not even close. Keep in mind this is static weight, we only keep around 100 pounds on it when moving.

We sleep in the truck around 20-30 nights a year.

 

Any pics of your setup!?

 

Nice work! Here’s mine- slides out to make a long sleeping platform and cost less than $100: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...a-6-5’-bed-in-a-weekend.539080/#post-17388634

The Main problem with mine and many others is the Toyota put the rear support spacers too far back to leave enough room for a cooler, my DIY 2002 sleeping platform had a hinged cut out so I didn’t have to lift the cooler up on top. It was pretty slick. After my last two week road camping trip, I decided that I am going to have to try to modify it more like yours with the center braces to be able to put a heavy cooler in it on the floor by having a removable floor section, so that I can put the cooler in without having to lift it up onto the platform.

 

I’ve got a stupid busy week coming up, but I’ll try to put some pics up this week after I clean the truck up... it’s been in work-truck mode for a few weeks.

 

OP, call me out if you don’t want this stuff in your thread.

All the pieces:


Like the OP, I had everything cut at the big box home improvement store. I cut the reliefs for the aft-most piece with a jigsaw. Carpet and spray adhesive came from the same place.

I use the windoors in the shell to get the pieces in and out easily. I’m not sure if removal would work without windoors in the shell.

All the pieces at the front for when we camp with a lot of tall stuff:


We normally travel with two pieces in place and the third on top:

Matress, sleeping stuff, personal effects, chairs, and table usually go on top. Water, stove, kitchen box, food box, tool box and recovery box go underneath. Cooler, firewood, and anything else tall goes near the tailgate.

The matress we use is a loveseat/couch/bed thing from Ikea that fits the space perfectly - https://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/20102074/. The matress is almost the exact same size as the Tacoma bed (over the wheel wells). It also has a fold at 2/3s of the length that lets the matress fold up and fit on top of the two pieces of the platform in “travel mode”. Just slide out the third piece into place and fold the 1/3 end of the matress out for sleeping. One note on the matress, It was a little too hard for us, so I cut 2” from the foam’s thickness with a homemade hot wire and added 1” of softer foam.

Here are all three pieces in place for sleeping:

 

Milk crates work great, I did this on my 1st Gen with the milk crates facing up and you can use them for storage.

Super cheap, easy, light set up.

 

That looks great! What type of fabric is that?

 

Is a milk crate the same height as the ledge cutouts for the supports in our beds?

 

They’re all different heights, I’m thinking most are a little taller

 

Maybe this stuff - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...82833?storeSelection=4421,4402,4409,4410,4413 - not too sure. It was on a big roll next to the big rolls of putt putt grass and other outdoor carpet. The backing is playable enough to wrap around the corners of the plywood. The big box stores have little samples of the different colors so you can see what works for you.