JKU Sleeping Platform Overhaul

[shays4me]

Today I decided to rebuild the sleeping platform in my Jeep. It seemed like the perfect time to get started, the day before a trip when I will need to use it. Nothing motivates a guy like a make or break deadline! The platform has been rebuilt once already, and the original design was good and served us well, giving my daughters a place to sleep when we were out out roaming around. Now that one of our daughters has moved out and is adulting and I have to water the trees at night, I end up sleeping downstairs most of the time with my wife and daughter up in the Ursa Minor. The platform worked fine for that as well, but with the recent addition of an ARB fridge I felt it was time to make a change. Before I get ahead of myself, I'll share a pic of my original platform and discuss it's strengths and weaknesses.

This is the first design. The front panels were made out of 1/2" plywood that I cut to fit in the space between the platform and the front seats when moved all the way forward. I used spray adhesive and an arrow t-50 stapler to upholster the panels with some indoor outdoor carpet I found at the Home Dump. They rest on the seat backs and a 2x2 that is mounted to the front of the platform. I staked them at first with some pins that I made from bolts but I ended up discovering that it was unnecessary and from then on they just sit in place. At the time I had a rear seat recline kit installed on the back seat and it made the seat backs the perfect height when folded to keep everything level from the platform forward. The strength in this design is the simplicity and the lack of any extra bracing that adds bulk to an already cramped compartment. The front panels stow behind the rear seat on their side when traveling.

The original platform is built out of 100% recycled wood and materials that I had laying around. In it's original form it is two boxes and a 1/4" hinged plywood top. The top is flimsy but it's strong enough to support me with all the bracing built under it. More importantly it was designed to collapse in an accident without endangering the back seat passengers. Happily, I never got to test this feature! The platform is built in a way that it mounts to the Jeeps tie down loops only and required no modifications to the Jeep. I just hate drilling holes and hacking up new vehicles!

 

[shays4me]

As you can see, the original platform was great for keeping our camping gear in the Jeep full time. We could use the Jeep for grocery shopping and day to day tasks without having to unload it. The only real downside to the design was discovered after using it for a while. My wife and I tend to be early risers and my daughters are not! So the wife and I would be up and we would want some breakfast and to get the kettle out to make coffee. I think you can understand where I'm going with this. My daughters were asleep on top of all of the kitchen gear! The solution was a simple one and I easily modified the platform with an open end to access our gear without bothering the girls too much.

The modifications required a board down the middle to support the 1/4" plywood top. I looked around and discovered a sterilite container at Walmart that fit almost perfectly under the platform. The conatiner was a little tall, but I could squeeze it in as is. It held all of my pots, pans and seasonings and slid out like a drawer without adding any weight. In the pic above you can see the front panels stowed for travel. They stayed there full time, which beats having to store them somewhere else when not being used. I really liked this version overall with the sterilite container. It was a big improvement over the first design for accessibility. I still had room under the platform for my tool roll, the toilet, my butane stove and various other camping items. It still had hinges so it could be lifted to access things further back when the fridge wasn't installed. This worked out great until I decided to ditch the cooler and get a fridge.


When I did the fridge installation I mounted the terminal board, fridge plug and solar controller to the front of the box. I thought it would work out there, but I really didn't think it through. It wasn't until I caught the power cord for the fridge in the back seat while folding it up that I realized my mistake. One damaged cord later and I knew something had to be done to remedy the situation.

 

[shays4me]

So after a bunch of brainstorming with different ideas bouncing around in my cranium I decided to let all of those thoughts out of my head so I could get back to normal life already! I had some good ideas on paper, had learned from the first couple platform versions and felt it was time at last to knock out Gen 3 of my sleeping platform. It needed to first and foremost offer a solid platform for mounting the fridge as low as possible so that my wife can access it. It also needed to accommodate the tie down kit that I picked up. The second thing it needed to do was give me a sleeping surface that is as wide as possible with storage underneath.

This is what I have so far. The platform is all 1/2" plywood this time with 1x8" pine boards for the supports. It doesn't hinge like the previous design but it is a little taller which gives me more room for my sterilite bin. I was able to fit my butane stove in the bin with my cookware so the only thing I can't store in this that was in the other one is my toilet. I used some YJ footman loops from an earlier project. to secure the front fridge straps.

I ran all of the wiring, fridge receptacle and solar controller inside the box. This should keep it from getting harmed. I believe the solar controller will have plenty of space for cooling. The picture doesn't show that the loop of 8 gauge wire is about 6" back from the panel which keeps my tool roll away when stowed.

 

[shays4me]

I reused my front panels for the time being, and had to have a way to raise the seat back to support them now that the platform is taller. The solution isn't really glamorous, but it works well. I cut down a long 7/16" bolt into 1" pieces and taped the pieces to the seat hinge right above the stop. I had used this method previously with the last platform after I had removed my rear seat recline kit, so it's been fully vetted (the recline kit wouldn't work with my fridge). The last time I used some pieces of plywood and they took a beating but they did work out.

I forgot to mention that the platform has a hole cut in the middle upright for the fridge intake vent. That's a must do step to keep the fridge working properly. Well, that's all I have for now. I'm headed out in the morning to test it out and I'll update this as I continue to modify or finish gen 3. I'm not sure if I want to rhino line the whole thing this time, or carpet it again.

 

[shays4me]

I thought I'd add a few more pics that show a little more of the setup while I'm waiting for my wife to leave on vacation.

Here's a view of the front of the platform. I used a scrounged piece of aluminum angle for the front edge this time instead of a 2x2. The angle saved me some weight which is always good in a fully kitted out JKU. As you can see the 1 x 8" pine board and the angle go all the way across to the other side. I did this so I could use both panels up front.

Here's a pic with the panels installed. I'm too tall to sleep in just one side and I find the most comfortable position for me is with my head down at the tailgate end next to the fridge (ear plugs used!) and my feet behind the drivers seat. I measured 6'4" of length available with my Trailgater tailgate table to the back of the front seat. I'm only 6'2" but that's still not enough for me. I have an idea on how I can make more room, but it's still in it's infancy. I've run into a road block for the time being so more on that later. Here's a hint. Did you know that two door JK's have a fold and tumble front seat?

 

[billiebob]

Nice work, the details can easily be adapted to different designs.
I agree, deadlines produce the best work.

 

[shays4me]

So after a trip with the new platform camping on the coast I think I'll list the pros and cons so far. The first pro was totally unexpected. My fridge is muffled a bit and I'm not awakened at night by the ice cracking sound or the compressor speeding up. The second pro is that my Walmart bin now has more room to fit and slides in and out easier. The only con I have is the bin can't be slid all the way out to access my pans with the tailgate table down. I think I might reverse the setup, with the fridge on the passenger side instead. I'm going to do some testing when I have time and it's not 100 degrees outside. I know that most people put their fridge on the drivers side in a Jeep and I think thats because it sits behind the skinny seat and works well for a seat delete but that doesn't really affect me because my seats are staying for now. So far I have around $40 spent on the lumber for this project. It's not goose gear but that's the beauty in it. I can change it to suit my needs and I don't have to worry about hacking up an expensive product.

 

[shays4me]

I finally got around to finishing up my sleeping platform. I decided to keep the fridge on the drivers side of the jeep so the configuration is the same. I carpeted the sleeping platform with the same carpeting I used on the original platform and rhino lined the rest. I don’t like how the roll on rhino lining came out and it was a PITA to use. I would stain it if I had it to do over. Here’s a link to the video walk around.