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

You could buy it, then customize it by adding a foot to the front. It could even be hinged for under platform access!

 

Actually was thinking about whether I'd put a "trap door" next to the cab or a fold down near the tailgate to create a cubby in back. with a support that folds out for when it needed to double as a sleeping spot... I wonder how feasible that is.

 

I'm in PB. PM me if you want to drop by. You can put it in your truck and then brainstorm the best solution. You won't be disappointed!

 

Hey TW,
Long time Taco owner and TW lurker. Just finished up a platform for my new DCLB with tons of inspiration from this thread. It’s somewhat unique so I figured I’d share in case it helps give someone else an idea or two.

I wanted:

• a 1/2 platform to give me a serviceable place to crash yet still be able to shove wet dirty stuff in (like a boat cover fresh thru sloppy wet dirt roads) and not worry about the mess.
• Keep it simple, LIGHT, and flexible
• Maximize under platform storage to the greatest extent possible
• Built with 10+ years of use in mind
• Easily removable if the need arises, and preferably no drilling/modifications to the bed
• Extendable to a full platform in the future

What I settled on was 1/2” Baltic Birch, thin wall 5/8” steel tube, and bins vs drawers.




Baltic Birch - stronger ply allowed me to drop to 1/2” and save about 12lbs of weight. As a bonus, it’s a good looking wood so I opted to finish it w spar varnish vs a raptor liner type finish. Should be just as durable and super easy to maintain.


Steel Tube - sounds heavy, but the .065 wall 5/8” tube I settled on is massively lighter than framing lumber or additional plywood, less than half the weight of 8020, and far more compact than any of those choices. I augmented with some .125 angle at the head/foot, and opted to add flanges to bolt to the plywood vs drilling the tubing and reducing its strength.


Bins (vs Drawers) - The drawer systems some folks have come up with are absolutely amazing! They also strike me as pretty darn heavy, somewhat inflexible, and not a great fit for the variety of trips I’ll end up packing for. I opted for a few of the largest and toughest bins I could find to fit the space - Akro divider bins. 3 of the big ones or 6 of the smaller ones fit underneath. When I’m commuting they’re sitting in my basement with my camping/fishing gear. To pack, just grab the bins I need and do any light additions/removals to accommodate the activity and in they go.

The end result is 27” wide (exactly fits an Exped mega mat - highly recommended), weighs just under 41lbs, removes by detaching 1 wing nut (and will store flat if necessary by removing 9 bolts), and makes the entirety of the vertical space available save for about 1/4”.

Honestly the outboard support is not necessary. I included it mainly because the thin wall tube allowed me to take advantage of the angle in the wheel well and create a continuous “rail” that the bins slide in and out of cleanly. Dropping it would save about 6lbs. With it, there is literally 0 measurable flex with a 250lb friend sitting on the platform. Surprising for 1/2 ply and essentially no cross supports.


Some other random stuff:

• The bolt/wingnut is not really necessary - more piece of mind. The fit tolerances are super tight and the 5/8” tube is a perfect match for the channels in the bed floor.
• I opted not to do hatches into the front and rear side cubbies for now. That makes the front cubby super inaccessible but it’s also super tiny (7”x11” plus some awkward wheel well corner). For the time being I’ve got some bungee cord rigged and just plan to store rando “just in case” non emergency items you carry and hopefully never need. In the future I’ll probably add a trap door over the front.
• I added some braces just for convenient gear tie down points - not needed structurally. The webbing straps are to lash down mat/sleeping bag when driving. Ended up being handy to get the platform in and out.
• The open tube ends are intentional. May make a platform extension in the future. For now one stores a short pole/hook thingy that lets me retrieve the back bin without crawling thru the bed.
• Please be kind when judging my welding. It’s really (really) ugly but solid enough to get the job done. Prior to this I had never welded anything in my life - just grabbed a cheap stick welder off Amazon, watched a video on youtube and dove in. Probably should have just fab/tacked everything together and then passed it off to an experienced welder with better equipment, but I learned a lot in the process and enjoyed it.
• I also apparently suck with the rattle cans! Welding was to ugly to justify powder coat but i regret not using a paint on enamel or similar coating. I’m worried the paint won’t be durable.
• I forgot to add a cup holder, but that’s going to be remedied ASAP.

Cost
In the neighborhood of $300, primarily:

4x8 Baltic Birch - $110 (bonus - enough left over for a 60% seat delete I’m working on)

Steel - about $60 in metals but an additional $30 to ship since I couldn’t find anyone local with the small tube.

Finishes - $25 for a top grade marine varnish and about $25 in primer and spray paint

Hardware - $30ish bucks. It’s all stainless and those t-nuts were shockingly expensive at the local Ace.


The stick welder was another $200, but I’ve been using it on 3 other projects and fixed my buddies trailer with it last week, so not counting that in the cost.


We’ll see how this functions and holds up over time, but honestly pretty happy with how it’s turned out. This thread started with a steel tube build, but other than that you rarely see them. Steel is strong, light for its strength and cheap compared to other options. Starter welding equipment is not crazy expensive and it’s not hard to learn if you’re willing to put in some work. Suspect more people should consider it.

 

Now that's a brilliant piece of work. You're encouraging me to try my hand at welding too...

 

Do it!! Everyone should try it once

 

Any flex or concern with the .065 steel? I thought about going this route, but had a hard time convincing myself that anything else than .120 would be work. I habitually over engineer things lol

 

Nice job

 

This thread was SO helpful to me back when I built mine out. Took some bits and pieces from many peoples. I was converting from an old build of mine that had been well finished and bolted in, turned it modular for easy disassembly and scooted it over so I could use more space in the back. Had a "cellar" that was only accessible from deep inside for extra storage, and I loved cooking with my stove right on the gate. Curtains were reflectix covered in fabric, that used outdoor strength stick-on velcro strips. Sewed a roll-up curtain.

 

Absolutely zero flex in the finished product under a 250lb point load (static). Also, I jumped up and down on it prior to install and everything was fine. Installed it’s even stronger as it’s taking advantage of the bed side and bottom contours.

You sure get some flex in the raw tube, but what matters is how you design the structure. Unless you’re doing long unsupported spans or will regularly have many hundreds of pounds under dynamic loads, going over .065 is probably counter-productive.

Your weight would likely go up by ~3.5x (plus costs) as you’ll have 2x the wall diameter but also be forced into a 3/4”-1” tube.

That said, I did opt for .125” angle at the head/foot span and also used .125” bar for flanges to attach the steel frame to the birch ply vs drilling the tube.

Total frame weight is about 18lbs. Pretty sure I could cut that by around 1/3rd and still have no flex. In essence, it’s 50% overbuilt already, despite the use of thin tube.

On the other hand - my first metal project so definitely not an expert!

 

Do you have a pic of the frame without the birtch.

 

Drawers are still kicking ass!

 

I see you’re not a fan of Dewalt

Nice set up!

 

Sorry it didn’t dawn on me to take any pics while I was building.


The frame is actually 4 separate pieces that bolt to the plywood. The front and rear horizontals are .125 angle with a handful of small modifications. The rear piece has an “L” shaped bracket added that matches up with a hole in the bed stiffener you can kind of make out in this pic.


The angle does a great job of taking any flex out of the 1/2” ply without sacrificing vertical clearance. As a bonus, the rear piece should keep the ply from getting chewed up loading things in and out.


The inboard main vertical support is just a rectangular box with 4 additional verticals and 3 flanges added (2 bolts each) to attach to the ply. I added some diagonal gussets, but they’re solely for convenient tie down points and not needed structurally.


The outboard vertical gets weird and hopefully you can make it out in the pic. The top bar runs continuously, but the bottom does not as it’s interrupted by the wheel well. It’s also attached w flanges (3 single bolts in opposing directions). The rearmost vertical support I stopped about 12” shy of the back to the truck, simply to make it easier to use the “cubby” space and access the small bed compartment. Honestly this entire support is really not necessary structurally. Without it there is only a sliver of flex to the ply when it’s heavily loaded. I built this last and decided to include it mainly so bins had a clear channel to slide down and a little bit of structure to work off of if I wanted to add a sliding drawer or box in the cubby’s in the future.



Hope that helps. I plan on pulling the platform in a few more weeks to look for any wear spots. Will try and get some better photos then.

 

Nice thanks for sharing!

 

Anyone near Mississippi with a nice drawer set up for sale?


Thanksssss

 

I just have mine away when I traded in my taco last week.

 

Where can I find the light you have on your rear hatch?

 

I found it on Amazon:

YCHOW-TECH UTV Interior Light, 12V Universal Interior Dome Light Roll Bar Mount LED Lights Utility Roll Cage Lights for UTV Polaris RZR ATV Can-Am Kawasaki Truck Car Off Road Cab - White/Green

https://www.amazon.com/YCHOW-TECH-Universal-Utility-Interior-Truck-White/dp/B08QRLP7HK I just mounted it with two way foam tape. Seems solid. I have the white/red one. The red is nice for early mornings/late evenings.

 

Wanted to ask the short-bed taco peeps a few questions....
1: where did you find the drawer slide hardware? I am looking specifically for only one side with a locking mechanism (1-handed use)
2: what length did you find works best?

TIA.