Bed slider design - request for feedback

I need a sliding platform for my 63QT ARB and a (yet to be made) chuck box that will sit in front of it. These items need to fit in my Tacoma's bed, underneath the tonneau. The fridge height is the limiting factor here, giving me a total of 3/4" of vertical room that can be taken up by the sliding mechanism. This limitation eliminates all commercial offerings, as they are all much too tall.

What's left is doing this custom. I will be using 60", locking Orr and Orr drawer slides (already ordered).

I considered making the frame from 1/2 plywood myself, but due to the space constraints, it wouldn't be fully boxes in, and I fear that attempting to reinforce it by adding metal cross members or what-not would result in a hack job.

Making this out of metal would be much better, but I don't have the tools/space/know-how to weld, and while I again considered making some 90-degree bends in aluminum and using Metal Weld to join pieces together, it'll still be a hack job. So, I'm leaning towards having a local fabrication shop do it for me. Got a quote, it's expensive ($895+tax = $1000 CAD), but I think I can make it work. Before I commit I want to make sure I've thought of everything, and that's where I'd like some advice.

My initial design:



Frame is green, cross-members are red.

Exterior of the frame will be 4 1/2" tall angle, with 3/4" width at the bottom (flat) part. The room in that "valley" is just under 1", so 3/4" will allow for some adjustment and a good fit. The frame will have an extended "tab" to secure to the truck's original bed-bolt, labeled B.

The front cross-member (in front of tonneau canister) will be elvated so as to sit on top of the "mountains". At item labeled A is a hole in the bed (previously used for a bed slide that I had), which will be used to secure the cross-member to the bed via some low-profile hardware.

The rear cross-member (by tailgate) will also be elvated, but not to the height of the "mountains" - only high enough to clear the bed stiffener. The washer on the bed bolt labeled C will be removed and the cross member will replace it.

The total vertical-height loss so far is the thickness of the front cross-member, which I anticipate being 1/8", plus any protruding bolt head hardware, another 1/8", for a total of 1/4".

The sliding tray ("drawer") will be no more than 1/4" thick aluminum (possibly thinner), and it will sit 1/2" above the flat of the "mountains." I have checked and this position will clear the tailgate nicely. This will also clear the front cross-member by at least 1/4". Issues due to sagging (when extended at the tailgate) are possible, but I'm hoping that won't be the case.

This is the drawing I showed the metal fabrication shop:



Since the frame will be 4 1/2" tall, 1/2" of that height will sit in the "valley," 3" will be taken up by the drawer slide, and in the remaining 1" I will have M8-sized holes drilled all around the perimeter so that I can use them as tie-downs, or attach future expansions via simple bolt-on methods.

Similar holes will be drilled in the tray of the slider. The rear portion of the tray will accomodate my 63QT ARB fridge. The front portion will have my chuck-box & stove, and possibly 10lb propane tank between the fridge and chuck box. The front of the tray will not have a wall so that I can have a drawer/cutting board/etc. slide out from my chuck box right at the bottom.

This is the sketch/quote the fabricator put together:



He's thinking of making everything out of 1/8" aluminum. I'm concerned that may be a little light and that 3/16th would be a better/safer choice. Any thoughts on this?

My future plans involve a water tank sitting under the tonnea's canister (this is a bit of a problem as all quotes for a custom-sized - 45L x 12W x 9H - are coming in very expensive - another grand). As I'm getting a dual-swing-out bumper this summer, I may look into fitting a rectangular water tank in the original spare's location. Another item I'll be making (from plywood) is a long, narrow storage container that will sit on top of my passenger-side wheel arch in the bed. I already had this setup before, and will be making the next iteration of that idea. I may have brackets that connect this container to the frame of the slider.

The left/empty side of the bed will be used for random gear. My RTT will sit on top of a FrontRunner rack that will itself sit above the tonneau (mounting system being currently fabricated by another shop).

Is there anything else I should consider? Anything else I should add?

 

Not sure how set you are with ARB fridge, but Snomaster is making a Tonneau cover fridge. It's already available in Australia, just waiting on the US shipment, it should be available soon.


http://www.tonneauking.co.za/tonneau-fridge-65lt.html

I am hoping it will work with my cargo slide.

 

Thanks for the tip, but that fridge is actually an inch taller than my 63QT ARB. I can pretty much guarantee you it won't fit between your slide and tonneau .

 

Dang it!!!

ARB 63QT Fridge - 16.9"
Snomaster Tonneau Fridge - 17.9"
ARB All-Weather Fridge - 17.1"

 

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Sliding-Cargo-Tray-29-x-60-MORryde-p/92-5055.htm

 

Interesting option - haven't seen this one before. A bit too large, but might work if the height loss is reasonable. Will ask the manufacturer for more details.

 

They have a 20x60 but its out of stock
https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Sliding-Cargo-Tray-20-x-60-MORryde-p/92-5052.htm

 

That'd be perfect! (If it fits height-wise.)

 

Found the details in their manual... 1.57" of height loss, plus thickness of the tray. Damn.

I wonder if I could buy this and re-use the tray with my custom frame + drawer slides... Might be cheaper overall than having that tray made? Hmm...

 

That site has a lot of goodies... I can already feel my wallet getting lighter!

 

Damn. Those height restrictions are a bitch. Im not sure I would risk it and then not having it work and unable to return it. Probably better having a custom one made.

 

Yeah, do it right, cry once.

I asked the fabricator to change the tray to 3/16th aluminum instead of 1/8th, but otherwise everything else should remain as-is. Drawer slides will arrive next week, and the entire platform should be done & installed in the next two-three weeks.