Platform & Drawers
Around the same time I worked on the road shower, I put together my idea for a lightweight platform. I don't have any pictures of the actual build as I was in a hurry to prepare for a trip with my brother (in-law) exploring canyons in Utah.
Industrial Electricians sometimes use "cable ladder rack" to run long lengths of wires and cable in. It is a lightweight aluminum I-Beam structure with ladder "rungs" to lay the wires on. I ordered a 6" tall and a 4" tall section (they come in 10' lengths) and cut them down to length so they just fit between the rear hatch and rear seats.
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Here is a photo of what is leftover, sitting in my attic (next to the Halloween skeletons) waiting for my son's 4Runner.
Using self-tapping screws, I screwed the 6" tall I-Beams to the 4" tall such that the supports were at the top and bottom. This formed the openings for my drawers. I used CAD (Cardboard Aided Design) to create a template (with lots of marking, cutting, rechecking and repeating) to cut out a sheet of 1/2" plywood to sit on top of the drawers and screwed that down to the ladder rack. The plywood is probably actually 31/64ths since lumber mills are idiotic and never learned how to use a tape measure.
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This is the front of the platform with the rear seats folded down. You can see the turnbuckles I used to secure it in place. There are two more in the rear outside corners. I used J hooks from Ace Hardware to attach the turnbuckles to the ladder rack. I can't tighten them too much or the aluminum starts to deform. You can also see the door hinges with removable pins I use to attach the next section of the platform. I will explain that later.
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I built some drawers to fit out of 1 x 10 with the 1/2" plywood for the drawer bottoms. I glued and screwed them together and they have held up to plenty of abuse for the last 1.3 years. You can see I now travel always with a camp stove and cooking supplies on the left and the tools and recovery gear on the right. I put the heavier drawer on the right to offset my weight (like it really matters).
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Here is a shot with the drawers closed. I bought slides for them, but never installed them (yet). For now, the plywood slides fine on the ladder rungs of the 6" tall ladder rack. I find I don't need handles either; I just grab the wood and lift a little while I pull them out or push them in. Rarely, something in the drawer shifts and as I pull the drawer out, it hits one of the ladder rungs and makes the drawer stick. I just push the drawer in a little and reach inside to fix it, then I can open it again. I keep a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on the right, a tarp in the middle, and a hammock and some small ropes on the left.
