Finished the "not drawers" sleep/cargo platform build for the GX460 recently... (2 Viewers)

[amongmany]

You may have caught my post on a similar build for the GX470 which spurred a fair bit of interest in a similar solution for the GX460. Due to the differences in the cargo area and 3rd row seat design, this platform is pretty different in terms of it's mounting solution, but otherwise offers similar functionality. Installs with zero modification to the vehicle. Option for with or without sleep extension (the rear cargo area of the 460 is on the short side, so it's a pretty tight sleep area). Also have an option for with or without 3rd row seats for folks who have removed (or plan to remove) their 3rd row.

Build cost is ~$250-300, depending on how you choose to set it up. Requires only simple tools.

EDIT: Build plans available for purchase for a small fee of $34.99 to compensate for the many hours of work that went into creating them, here.

 

[sedonut]

Nice. At $34.99 for plans when most on mud happily share their ideas for free, I'll pass.

It reminds me of Bill Gates, everyone was sharing open source software. He wanted to make money off it.

I'm kinda busy right now, but if I have some I will look up the extrusion you are using and share the info for free.

 

[amongmany]

Nice. At $34.99 for plans when most on mud happily share their ideas for free, I'll pass.

It reminds me of Bill Gates, everyone was sharing open source software. He wanted to make money off it.

I'm kinda busy right now, but if I have some I will look up the extrusion you are using and share the info for free.

To each his own. The build plans represent hours of work, research, and test construction. Given the other options out there, and the positive reaction from the GX470 community, I don't feel that the small fee to take advantage of my time and work is unfounded. If you're not interested, certainly don't buy the plans. No harm done.

Our extrusion supplier is TNutz.com — feel free to have at it.

 

[tlin]

Nice. At $34.99 for plans when most on mud happily share their ideas for free, I'll pass.

It reminds me of Bill Gates, everyone was sharing open source software. He wanted to make money off it.

I'm kinda busy right now, but if I have some I will look up the extrusion you are using and share the info for free.

I found this thread completely by chance (I was scrolling elsewhere and the 'Similar Threads' section below caught my eye......and I landed here).

I'm on the GX470 side and did purchase the instructions and linked complete parts (via TNutz) for my build from @amongmany, FYI. The time he saved me measuring, cutting, ordering random pieces/components, ordering more pieces after I realized I forgot something, making mistakes and/or avoiding a bunch of "whoops" moments was MORE than worth the small fee he's asking for the time he put in. The instructions he put together are 100% professional-grade and I can't even begin to guess how many hours were invested in that effort alone. I don't know the guy, just honest feedback.

@sedonut - I totally get it and am not quarreling with you (not much anyway....haha). I've also benefitted tremendously over the years from Mud for FREE advice, factual information, instructions, phone calls when doing maintenance from members willing to give me a remote hand despite never having met in person, etc. (I used to have a '92 FJ80, now have a GX470). That said, in this case, the fee didn't bother me one bit - it actually got me moving forward on a project I wanted to do years ago but never found the will to get going.

Whether you go rogue or use these instructions, build it. You won't be disappointed, I really like mine. Cheers!

 

[amongmany]

I'm on the GX470 side and did purchase the instructions and linked complete parts (via TNutz) for my build from @amongmany, FYI. The time he saved me measuring, cutting, ordering random pieces/components, ordering more pieces after I realized I forgot something, making mistakes and/or avoiding a bunch of "whoops" moments was MORE than worth the small fee he's asking for the time he put in. The instructions he put together are 100% professional-grade and I can't even begin to guess how many hours were invested in that effort alone. I don't know the guy, just honest feedback.

Thanks! Really appreciate the vote of confidence and I'm glad to hear that you found value in what we're offering. Genuinely appreciate it.

 

[jmanscotch]

Most people here contribute information like this to be a part of a community; sharing ideas, measurements, part numbers, etc. This is often our attempt at repaying a community that has helped and shared so much with us in the first place. I've spent 3 years and countless hundreds of hours typing up information to be shared (for free) on similar forums for my DIY off road camper build. All because I gained information from them in the first place and wanted to give back. It's the spirit of online forums.

Members who form plans and then create a product, incurring cost to build/make it specifically, are who tend to charge something, rightfully.

At the end of the day though, it doesn't matter what I think about it. If folks are willing to pay and appreciate the service, then their actions speak louder than my opinion. I just don't think it's in line with the spirit of our community here is all.

Cheers guys!

Jake

 

[re_guderian]

MUD has the entire gamut of give-it-away, to side hustles, to full on business from its members. I'm good with everything. The only input I have is in how the pitch was made in the first post. "Plans are available here" v "Plans for sale here", or maybe a better introduction of, "I've been selling these plans for years over on the 470 side" would kind of clue people in that this is your (small?) side-hustle, rather than giving the appearance of sharing, with no mention of the cost until they click the link. That can induce a feeling of bait and switch. Especially when you explicitly mention cost of materials, but pointedly don't mention the cost of plans.

Having said all that, I designed and built my own shelf system for my 100 series. There was lots of hemming and hawing, and staring at things, and drawing, and mocking-up, and hoping until I finally broke out the saw. I'd pony up the money if I liked the design. It would save several hours, and likely pay for itself in reduced material purchases.

 

[r2m]

Yeah, maybe edit your first post above to add the cost of the plans.
I have to agree with both sides of this (wee bit of) drama.
As an R&D engineer, I am more than capable to design and 3D model (I have my own license of SolidWorks) and make plans myself. but there are many that can't design their way out of a wet paper bag or their wife's won't let them pick up a saw or hammer for fear they'll be driving their husband to Urgent Care.
So for some, the cost of plans are a great deal, especially when going out for a reasonable dinner with the spouse these days would cost far more! Or perhaps more relevantly about 7 latte's from Starbucks. Heck with inflation the way it is, you may lose more than that in your sofa cushions!

For others like myself, (take no offense) but I think I may be able to come up with a better platform and cheaper. But also taking into consideration that my needs/wants of how I build it would/may be different from others.

So, in short, thank you for offering these plans and for those who scoff, there are free CAD programs to help you design one yourself! And maybe even sell it too!!

 

[amongmany]

Given the responses here, I'd like clarify a couple of things... I'm an enthusiast owner of a GX470. These platforms are not my full-time job, nor am I raking in money hand over fist by selling the plans. (Stop and think about it — it's primarily fellow enthusiasts who want something like this. The market is very small.) I built the platform for the 470 because I wanted one for myself. The reaction was positive, so I went and documented the build process into a usable manual. The reaction to that build manual was positive and folks started asking for a similar manual for the 460 (and a number of other vehicles).

Each platform takes many hours of work to design and build, and each design is specific to a vehicle. Once the design is done, creating the step-by-step build manual with links to where to purchase parts, etc. is also many hours of work. These aren't Ikea instructions that are a few pages of pictures — the build manuals range from 90-135 pages outlining every single step of the build as well as ideas for storage, customization, etc.

In order to make all of the work above worthwhile (especially for a vehicle that I don't even own), I didn't feel that a small fee for the manual was unreasonable. I also wasn't trying to hide the fee when I posted this thread — I posted quickly to share and I didn't anticipate that everyone viewing would assume that the build manual would or should be free.

So all of that said, if you don't want to purchase the manual — totally cool — no one is forcing you to. If you have a degree in engineering and you can build something better/faster/cheaper — totally cool. If you want to sell your design to make a buck — totally cool. If you want to give your design away for free — totally cool. If you want to walk out to your GX and take some careful measurements and then use the photos above to copy what I've done without purchasing my build manual — totally cool.

And if you want to take advantage of the hours I put into designing something that you think will be useful to you so that you don't have to take a bunch of measurements, figure out all of the parts you need to buy and in what quantities, potentially make some mistakes along the way resulting in placing multiple orders for parts, waiting for each order to deliver, and then figuring out how all of those pieces go together — totally cool. For that pleasure I'm asking for a few bucks to compensate for the time, energy, and expense that went into creating that thing.

I fully appreciate the wealth of knowledge that floats around MUD. I try to contribute to that repository myself. In the spirit of the MUD community, I'll refrain from posting any future products here. I will, however, continue to contribute to the community in other ways when I feel I have value to add.

 

[Itsky]

I don't see a problem at all. Keep posting and sharing your good ideas how ever you see fit.

 

[r2m]

With all due respect, I was just seeing both sides. Personally I appreciate you posting this! Along with anyone that posts anything of worth, for free or $$. Then as you say it's up to the individual to decide the personal value for themselves.
Do we all need a little more trail time in the woods to clear our heads and not over think this so much!?

Of course we all know you're making hand over fist with this and sitting in your lounge chair on Malibu Beach sipping rum & coca cola listening to Jimmy Buffett's MargaritaVille!!

(Just trying to lighten the mood...)

 

[RCRA guy]

Nice design! Looks pretty similar to my buildout

 

[re_guderian]

Given the responses here, I'd like clarify a couple of things... I'm an enthusiast owner of a GX470. These platforms are not my full-time job, nor am I raking in money hand over fist by selling the plans. (Stop and think about it — it's primarily fellow enthusiasts who want something like this. The market is very small.) I built the platform for the 470 because I wanted one for myself. The reaction was positive, so I went and documented the build process into a usable manual. The reaction to that build manual was positive and folks started asking for a similar manual for the 460 (and a number of other vehicles).

Each platform takes many hours of work to design and build, and each design is specific to a vehicle. Once the design is done, creating the step-by-step build manual with links to where to purchase parts, etc. is also many hours of work. These aren't Ikea instructions that are a few pages of pictures — the build manuals range from 90-135 pages outlining every single step of the build as well as ideas for storage, customization, etc.

In order to make all of the work above worthwhile (especially for a vehicle that I don't even own), I didn't feel that a small fee for the manual was unreasonable. I also wasn't trying to hide the fee when I posted this thread — I posted quickly to share and I didn't anticipate that everyone viewing would assume that the build manual would or should be free.

Of course! We get it.

In the spirit of the MUD community, I'll refrain from posting any future products here.

eesh, no need to go there. Keep posting. The (current model) Lexus community is strange (compared to GX/LX 470 and LX450). It's full of people who literally spend 10's of thousands of dollars on upgrades after spending 40 grand or more on a used vehicle, and ones that are more budget conscious. You are competing with professional drawer providers, and many on this forum have no qualms at all about dropping 2 grand or (significantly) more on a professional drawer system. Many would never dream of putting plywood and extrusions in their rigs unless it was rubberized, powder-coated and slathered in Grey Poupon, or even putting ANYTHING in until the warranty expires. Then there's the DIY crowd - which you're targeting. I was just trying to help with your "marketing". Post away. There's lots of people that market very, very useful mods, gadgets, etc. Just act like a vendor, maybe buy a vendor star, and make your sig a little more obvious that you're selling. It might even help you sell more!

 

[amongmany]

Nice design! Looks pretty similar to my buildout

I may have been inspired. The 460 also warrants a design similar to this. Our 470 design is dramatically different.

 

[amongmany]

Of course we all know you're making hand over fist with this and sitting in your lounge chair on Malibu Beach sipping rum & coca cola listening to Jimmy Buffett's MargaritaVille!!

Don't let the cat out of the bag!

 

[amongmany]

Just act like a vendor, maybe buy a vendor star, and make your sig a little more obvious that you're selling. It might even help you sell more!

If I decide to continue posting things, then yes, I'll join the small bus. vendors.

 

[jmanscotch]

eesh, no need to go there. Keep posting. The (current model) Lexus community is strange (compared to GX/LX 470 and LX450). It's full of people who literally spend 10's of thousands of dollars on upgrades after spending 40 grand or more on a used vehicle, and ones that are more budget conscious. You are competing with professional drawer providers, and many on this forum have no qualms at all about dropping 2 grand or (significantly) more on a professional drawer system. Many would never dream of putting plywood and extrusions in their rigs unless it was rubberized, powder-coated and slathered in Grey Poupon, or even putting ANYTHING in until the warranty expires. Then there's the DIY crowd - which you're targeting. I was just trying to help with your "marketing". Post away. There's lots of people that market very, very useful mods, gadgets, etc. Just act like a vendor, maybe buy a vendor star, and make your sig a little more obvious that you're selling. It might even help you sell more!

Agreed.

While my opinion is critical of the spirit of it, I by no means intend to deter the OP from posting it here and would much prefer he continue to, as it will help folks. I merely wanted to suggest that we all contribute the same hours of time, energy and effort in sharing information here and thus offer a respectful attitude check of sorts. When someone was critical, your response was:

I don't feel that the small fee to take advantage of my time and work is unfounded

It's not unfounded, but it is uncommon here...is all, so the right attitude would help cover the difference.

You mentioned you’re not necessarily doing it to make notable money, but you are charging money, so you are interested in making some money. Most in this position don’t stop with selling the idea and instructions. They’d assemble kits of the bolts, feet, joints and cut lengths of aluminum parts needed (leaving, say the wood to be sourced locally) and sell that.

Again, I’m just sharing my single opinion on the oddity of where you stopped in the hustle process. By all means, if it works, keep doing what you're doing my man, it is indeed welcomed.

Jake

 

[amongmany]

It's not unfounded, but it is uncommon here...is all, so the right attitude would help cover the difference.

You mentioned you’re not necessarily doing it to make notable money, but you are charging money, so you are interested in making some money. Most in this position don’t stop with selling the idea and instructions. They’d assemble kits of the bolts, feet, joints and cut lengths of aluminum parts needed (leaving, say the wood to be sourced locally) and sell that.

Again, I’m just sharing my single opinion on the oddity of where you stopped in the hustle process. By all means, if it works, keep doing what you're doing my man, it is indeed welcomed.

Jake

Sorry Jake, didn't see this response before. I've covered this issue in our FAQ's but I'll address it here as well.

I'm basically a one-man show. This isn't my primary job, nor do I have visions of it becoming so. The difference between a business focused on selling build manuals vs. a business selling completed builds or kits is massive. One requires a computer and some time commitment. The other requires a machining shop, parts inventory, packaging materials, shipping partnerships, etc.

All of that would still be necessary if we were selling kits instead of completed builds. There's essentially zero difference between selling a kit vs. what we provide today, except that the materials come from someone who's full-time focus is on providing those materials instead of me working out of my garage to box it all up. I guarantee they can do a better job, and the build manuals include one-click access to a pre-loaded shopping cart that lists everything you need while still allowing room for customization if someone wants to change something. (This is also a noteworthy point — I can't accommodate every single person's needs for their rig, but each individual can manage their own customization without much hassle.)

This is why I've created build manuals instead of kits or complete platforms (I can't imagine dealing with the shipping headache of moving those around the country). If it still sounds odd...