Cargo area platform slider for SUV, truck, station wagon

Step 5 Finishing touches

• Making a "stop":

Slide your top board between the rollers and the retaining angle iron. Situate it such that the top and bottom boards are parallel. Mark the top of the board under the first circular hole.

Slide the board out to a few convenient lengths, and mark the top board under the first circular hole for each one.

Pull your top board back out and drill a 1/2" hole at each mark.

Slide the top board back in all the way, and drop the 2" bolt through the first round hole into the 1/2" hole underneath. It's finished!

If you can manage to align the drilled holes, the "stop" will be even more secure if it goes through the base as well as the top board. You'll want a 2 1/2" or 3" bolt. Be careful not to drill all the way through the base and into the angle iron, as the drill may kickback and injure you.

• Tweaking:

If you find that you have too much leeway sliding it in and out (it wobbles), you may wish to consider attaching a very thin wood strip to the inside vertical edge side or underside of the top edge of the retaining angle iron, so that it holds the top board more snugly. Both surfaces will need to be polished very smooth or otherwise allowed to slide against each other. I've read that UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight) tape is good for such applications.

• "Installing" it in your vehicle:

Slide the whole thing into the "bed" of your vehicle with the rounded front edge facing out. To use the slide, pull up the bolt, roll the top board out and drop the bolt back down into another hole to lock it until you're done.

• Bolting it down:

If you will be putting a lot of weight on the extended slide, you will probably want to find a way to bolt it down. In the back of my Tahoe, there are rings bolted to the "bed." I could use a U-bolt through each of those rings and then bolted to the base, or I could simply remove the ring itself and bolt the base down to that hole. I also considered attaching a strap to the front edge, and wrapping that strap around the seat hinges directly in front of it. You'll need to examine your cargo area to see what is feasible for your vehicle.

So far, for my use, the bottom board is quite heavy enough to keep the whole from tipping.

• Automatic stop:

I'd also like a mechanism to keep the platform from extending too far. It would need to be easily disconnected so that I can dismantle the sliding platform without too much hassle. I don't have any ideas and am wide open to suggestions.

Comments

[70sford]

This is a great project, easily adapted to any vehicle. For your slide-out "stop", just pull out your top platform and turn it over, anchor a piece of strapping(seat belts?) near the front/middle. Now turn it back over, slide it back in, and attach the other end of the strap/belt to the front/middle of the bottom platform to limit the travel. Just make sure you have enough belt to allow the top platform to go back in!

[bryandhispup]

this is fantastic... I build a box on the top platform using L brackets, considering a Lid too. This will go in my Jeep Wrangler, I can bolt the bottom board to the bolt holes already in the floor for the back seat bracket. I'll get pictures as I work it up for you to see. give me a little while though, I work slow... :)

[Supercrew]

I have been contemplating the same truck-bed slide... I was considering using two short sections of garage door guide/wheels for the underneath, but I think I like your idea better....more stable.  Great job!

[6gun]

On the wood drill out the holes that that will match up with your angle iron and just drop in a pin and then you can make it ajustable to any size you want. This is good idear think ill put one in my pick up. thanks.6GUN

[galadriel]

Yes, that's the first 1/3 of this step, marking/drilling holes and using the 2" bolt.

[qorlis]

For an automatic stop, you could try to screw two blocks of wood (one each) on your two boards. One to the top of your bottom board at the near end and the other one to the underside of the top board at the near end. If you need to disassemble the unit, you can either remove the entire unit and simply pull the two boards in opposite directions away from the blocks or remove the screws holding the block on the upper board and remove the upper board without removing the entire unit, if you don't want to move the bottom. Another option to screwing in a top block might be to install the lower block as suggested above. Then you can cut a slot at the far end of the upper board and insert a piece of angle iron to hit the block when the upper board is extended. To disable the stop for removal, simply pull out the angle iron. qorlIS

[galadriel]

If I end up bolting the base to the bed--or if someone else makes a similar slide and needs to bolt it down--then the top board will need to be removed in order to take the whole thing out. I don't anticipate needing to remove my slide at all (it helps that my spare tire is bolted to the underside of the truck, rather than under the bed), but I think it's probably important to make it possible in case the situation does come up.

[qorlis]

Galadriel, This is what I had in mind.

[strods]

For an automatic stop you could use something as simple as a piece of rope or light string attached to the top board and connected to the frame of the back seat.

[Kardolf]

An easy-to-use stop might be a length of steel cable bolted to both the top sliding board, and something on the bottom that isn't sliding, like the bottom board or the angle iron. However, this idea is great. Thanks!