Making my Durango "baby-friendly"!

[The Adam Blaster]

Ok, so this summer my wife, son and I are taking a rather long road trip:
Edmonton - Halifax - Windsor -Upper NY State - Windsor - Edmonton

(We'll have some breaks in there at the various locations.)

Anyways, my son will be all of 13 months old at the start of the trip, so still in diapers.
And i kept thinking of bringing some sort of folding table to be able change him at the side of the road, but I am cheap, and I couldn't seem to find any tables that were small enough to slide in the back and not obstruct the windows, but large and sturdy enough for me to feel comfortable about putting my son on one...

So, I got the idea to build a fold-down tailgate type apparatus for the back of my 2002 Durango. The tailgate on the truck lifts up, so if I build a tailgate just inside of that, it should be able to fold down without any problems.

Has anyone else done something like this before?
I'm still brainstorming what sort of materials I should be using for this, and how to anchor it.
On the anchoring issue, I was thinking about tying the tailgate into a large piece of plywood via a piano hinge or something similar, and just having all my luggage on top of the plywood now covering the floor of the rear area of the truck.
I don't have too many tie-downs in the back, admittedly though, I haven't searched too hard yet...

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I don't have any input on that but... if you have the V8 in your Durango, please inspect your EGR tube. I'm not sure if they changed the design after I left but... you're looking for the forward section of the tube, it comes very close to the positive battery cable. Check for wear marks on the EGR insulation or on the battery cable. Repair if needed.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I'll check on the EGR thing - it has the 4.7 V8 in it.

I'm on the Dakota Mailing list (Dak has all the same components as the Durangos) but I haven't heard of that issue yet...

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's a real issue or not... we saw some issues in durability testing, but I don't know if they're real world.

 

[Brian McVickers]

I like the idea of a flip down or maybe in your case a slide-out platform.

Another option is to get an Adventure Trailer.
The nose box makes a perfect changing platform and it has "Built for Off Road" durability to handle event the worst imaginable diaper! :elkgrin:

 

[Jacket]

Hmmm - when I had my 4Runner we'd just open the back hatch, and remove the most accessible duffel or storage case to create a place to change the diaper.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

I like the idea of a flip down or maybe in your case a slide-out platform.

Another option is to get an Adventure Trailer.
The nose box makes a perfect changing platform and it has "Built for Off Road" durability to handle event the worst imaginable diaper! :elkgrin:

I was thinking slide-out as an option, but it would be much more complicated to fab up, and more expensive. But, I would pay for one of those strong slides I've seen on TV for a truck bed, just a lot narrower for the Durango cargo area. (And a lot shorter too.)

And while the AT trailer is an exceptional piece of equipment, I did mentin I was cheap right? I'm thinking about spending around 20 bucks on plywood, and using other various pieces of 2x2's laying around my garage as reinforcements for the frame.
So, going out and buying a $15,000.00+ trailer isn't really going to happen. lol

The one benefit to the Durango's flip-up tailgate -> built in shade from the sun and rain.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

Hmmm - when I had my 4Runner we'd just open the back hatch, and remove the most accessible duffel or storage case to create a place to change the diaper.

That's what we do with our other car, a Pontiac Torrent.
However, on this trip we're driving across the country and going for an entire month. I'm expecting the back of the Durango to be pretty full.
We fill up the back of the Torrent when we pack his crib and everything else for a night at the inlaws'. :xxrotflma

 

[chet]

That's what we do with our other car, a Pontiac Torrent.
However, on this trip we're driving across the country and going for an entire month. I'm expecting the back of the Durango to be pretty full.
We fill up the back of the Torrent when we pack his crib and everything else for a night at the inlaws'. :xxrotflma

aint' that the truth! We found the easiest place was the pass. front seat. put down the protective tarp thingy and have at it. Keep the diaper bag at the feet of the car seat.

We did a two week drive trip from Victoria to Edmonton to Calgary and back to visit relatives when our little guy was around 18 months. This worked in our XL7

 

[The Adam Blaster]

aint' that the truth! We found the easiest place was the pass. front seat. put down the protective tarp thingy and have at it. Keep the diaper bag at the feet of the car seat.

We did a two week drive trip from Victoria to Edmonton to Calgary and back to visit relatives when our little guy was around 18 months. This worked in our XL7

I would go this route if I had a center seat vs. the ginormous center console I have...
If I tried the front seat method that you used, his feet would be hanging out of the truck. lol
In the Dakota I used to have, it had the center seating area, and your method would have worked fine.

I looked at the tie-downs in the back of the truck, there are two at the far corners, and then two more that are right behind the backs of the 2nd row of seats.
The problem I'm seeing with trying to make something back there, is that with the 3rd row folded down, it isn't completely flat. The backs of the seats are actually slanted up as you move forward.
I think my backup plan will be to make a fold-out leg in the center of the fold-down platform. Then it should be pretty stable.

I was thinking about getting things started this weekend, but this morning I woke up to about 10" of snow, and it was -15C outside.
I'm about down with winter right now...