Martinjmpr
New member
Just finished a simple sleeping platform/extender for the 4runner, figured I'd share it with the group. I was able to make mine from stuff I had at the house (actually, parts from the last sleeping platform I made for my Taco last year.)
For people under about 5' 5", no modification is neccessary to sleep in a 4runner. Just flip the seat bottom cushions forward, then drop the seat back, and go to sleep. However, for those of us who are taller (I'm 6' 1") that doesn't work.
First thing to do is remove the seat bottom cushions. The good news is that it's quite simple: A socket wrench (12mm socket) removes the 4 bolts (2 on each seat cushion) and they just lift out. Sometimes the seat brackets still have the little plastic covers on them, but they can just pop off by hand.
What you're left with is this, which is actually a pretty decent amount of room:
The problem is this, the gap where the seat cushions used to fold up:
The other issue is that the seat back cushions, when laid down, still slope slightly, which means that sleeping with your head by the tailgate and just letting your feet hang down isn't really an option (because you always want your head higher than your feet.) So, it was neccessary to fabricate something to cover that gap, which is approximately 8" wide.
I started with an old piece of 1/2" plywood I had from a previous project, and cut it down to 44" wide and 12" long.
Originally I was going to have two "legs" but after I looked at it I thought I could get away with a "monopod" since it wouldn't be bearing a lot of weight anyway. Going with a single support leg also kept me from having to make sure both legs were exactly the same height. Leg is a 7 1/2" long piece of 1 x 2" furring strip. I drilled two holes in the wood platform and then put in 2 1 1/2" countersunk wood screws:
Finished product, pre-carpet, is pretty small:
I had some indoor/outdoor carpet from my previous project and that was cut and stapled on:
Put in place, it sits like this:
As you can see, the leg is resting on the driveshaft hump:
Notice how I can still use the rear seat cup holders, which is nice so I can keep a bottle of water there by my head while I sleep.
Here's the entire cargo compartment:
Simple, but it should work. I'm a little concerned about the "drop off" of the edge of the platform, but considering that's where my head/pillow will be I don't think I'll notice it much. May or may not use a sleeping mat or air mattress. Total sleeping length is now about 74" with the tailgate closed, and I can actually increase that a bit if I push the seats forward.
Not sure when I'll get a chance to try it out but I'll see how the one-leg design works then.
Total cost was $0 to me because all the materials were stuff I had, but anyone wanting to make one should be able to get everything they need for less than $20. Time was about an hour, give or take.
Best of all, it's completely "convertible." I reinstalled the seats after finishing this.
For people under about 5' 5", no modification is neccessary to sleep in a 4runner. Just flip the seat bottom cushions forward, then drop the seat back, and go to sleep. However, for those of us who are taller (I'm 6' 1") that doesn't work.
First thing to do is remove the seat bottom cushions. The good news is that it's quite simple: A socket wrench (12mm socket) removes the 4 bolts (2 on each seat cushion) and they just lift out. Sometimes the seat brackets still have the little plastic covers on them, but they can just pop off by hand.
What you're left with is this, which is actually a pretty decent amount of room:
The problem is this, the gap where the seat cushions used to fold up:
The other issue is that the seat back cushions, when laid down, still slope slightly, which means that sleeping with your head by the tailgate and just letting your feet hang down isn't really an option (because you always want your head higher than your feet.) So, it was neccessary to fabricate something to cover that gap, which is approximately 8" wide.
I started with an old piece of 1/2" plywood I had from a previous project, and cut it down to 44" wide and 12" long.
Originally I was going to have two "legs" but after I looked at it I thought I could get away with a "monopod" since it wouldn't be bearing a lot of weight anyway. Going with a single support leg also kept me from having to make sure both legs were exactly the same height. Leg is a 7 1/2" long piece of 1 x 2" furring strip. I drilled two holes in the wood platform and then put in 2 1 1/2" countersunk wood screws:
Finished product, pre-carpet, is pretty small:
I had some indoor/outdoor carpet from my previous project and that was cut and stapled on:
Put in place, it sits like this:
As you can see, the leg is resting on the driveshaft hump:
Notice how I can still use the rear seat cup holders, which is nice so I can keep a bottle of water there by my head while I sleep.
Here's the entire cargo compartment:
Simple, but it should work. I'm a little concerned about the "drop off" of the edge of the platform, but considering that's where my head/pillow will be I don't think I'll notice it much. May or may not use a sleeping mat or air mattress. Total sleeping length is now about 74" with the tailgate closed, and I can actually increase that a bit if I push the seats forward.
Not sure when I'll get a chance to try it out but I'll see how the one-leg design works then.
Total cost was $0 to me because all the materials were stuff I had, but anyone wanting to make one should be able to get everything they need for less than $20. Time was about an hour, give or take.
Best of all, it's completely "convertible." I reinstalled the seats after finishing this.
