Last summer I got the idea to carry a table somehow under my crossbars like the Front Runner table that slides into tracks that mount on their crossbars. But paying $400 for their table and $80 for the slides is stupid. So I figured I could come up with something. I had already created new crossbars out of black low profile unistrut similar to the 8020 crossbars
@
Jetboy
made.
Low Cost 80/20(t-slot) crossbar DIY
I would have used 8020, but I didn't know about it before Jetboy's thread and I already had made mine. If mine ever rust, I'll replace them with 8020. I figured out I could make a slide to fit this table
Lifetime 4-Foot Tailgate Table (Light Commercial)
out of aluminum L channel riveted together. I made two of them, tied them together with an L channel at the front and a couple of flat aluminum pieces, all riveted together and I had my table slide. Attaching it to the bottom of the unistrut was easy with strut channel nuts, but the shark fin antenna is too low to allow the table to slide out the back.
I eventually hit on the idea of making the bracket that attaches the front crossbar to the side rail hinged perpendicular to the side rail so I could detach the two rear crossbars, pivot the whole thing up just an inch or two to clear the shark fin and slide the table out. I ended up having to space the crossbars up about 3/4 of an inch from the side rails to allow enough room for the front of the table slide to pivot down and not hit the roof as the rear pivots up. I simply detach the two rear crossbars with a ratcheting box end wrench, pivot the rack up and slide a couple of small wood blocks underneath the feet temporarily while I slide the table out. I can do it in just a couple of minutes while setting up camp. Now I have a 4 foot long table with a stove platform as well.
Hopefully the photos show all this.
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