Removable Sleeping Platfrom.

[adrenaline503]

Now I am faced with the reality that my truck is going to have share some serious daily driver and hauling capability with its overland aspirations. With the Softopper in place I would like to add a sleeping platform to help secure my gear beneath it. It would mainly be accessed when the tailgate is down (so when the gate is locked its secure ) similar to Baja Tacos setup. I am not going to do drawer slides, the weight and complexity isn't worth it to me. There might be a few hatches up towards the cab for fluids and other low theft items. The crux of my problem that I need it to be removable, without too much hassle. I figured I would use 1"x12" boards for the supports and plywood for the deck. Would it be be better to make it in modular halves with the deck attached that drop in or have the deck drop in as a separate unit? The problem I see with the deck as a separate unit is how to attach it to the supports. Obviously screwing it in is the easiest, but that would be a PITA to do every time, not to mention eventually stripping out. Has anyone used and latch mechanism to hold the deck down? I have thought of turnbuckles but I don't want to put pad eyes or D-rings in the bed. Sorry for the long winded post, just trying to wrap my head around the possibilities before I start. I would love to get it right the first time.

Thanks

 

[Michael]

Now I am faced with the reality that my truck is going to have share some serious daily driver and hauling capability with its overland aspirations. With the Softopper in place I would like to add a sleeping platform to help secure my gear beneath it. It would mainly be accessed when the tailgate is down (so when the gate is locked its secure ) similar to Baja Tacos setup. I am not going to do drawer slides, the weight and complexity isn't worth it to me. There might be a few hatches up towards the cab for fluids and other low theft items. The crux of my problem that I need it to be removable, without too much hassle. I figured I would use 1"x12" boards for the supports and plywood for the deck. Would it be be better to make it in modular halves with the deck attached that drop in or have the deck drop in as a separate unit? The problem I see with the deck as a separate unit is how to attach it to the supports. Obviously screwing it in is the easiest, but that would be a PITA to do every time, not to mention eventually stripping out. Has anyone used and latch mechanism to hold the deck down? I have thought of turnbuckles but I don't want to put pad eyes or D-rings in the bed. Sorry for the long winded post, just trying to wrap my head around the possibilities before I start. I would love to get it right the first time.

Thanks

I also wanted my sleeping platform in my 2006 Tacoma to be removable for the same reasons. Take a look at one of my posts in Overland Hadley's project section. My design allows you to flip up the driver's side edge of the platform, shift it over about 6", and drag it out. Removing the platform takes about 10 minutes max, after unloading and disconnecting the aux battery of course . If my platform is along the lines of what you're looking for, drop me a line and I'll pass on the details.