I decided the other day to make a cargo/sleeping platform for the back of the 200.
I’ve seen the various other setups posted here, and while drawers seem super useful, I was looking for something a little more modular/lightweight and wasn’t quite ready to fork out the cash required. What I came up with weights approx. 70lbs and can be installed/removed in about 10min. Six bolts from the factory 3rd row seat locations, and it lifts straight out the back. It’s the right height and length that I can comfortably sleep in the back, with no flexing or sagging felt in the platform.
As any good design begins, I came up with the original idea on a napkin, that I then transferred to CAD. Dealt with some dimensional/material constraints, made some quick revisions on the model, and I had a design ready for testing.
It’s made primarily from Douglas Fir 2x6 and 2x4 , and Cedar 2x6 and 2x2. There’s also a LVL laminate in there. It’s all wood that was around the house, nothing special, and all available at Lowes/HD.
I started with mocking up the rearmost leg, base pad, and side frame. I decided to omit a floor as seen with most drawers, and kept a clear span from the left to right of the platform. I used the 3rd row armrest/cupholder area as the level reference as I was building. You can also see in the below picture the cutouts I had to make in the 2x6 outer frame to clear the wheel well. It reduces to 2” for the last 6” above the well.
I mirrored each side, and then created some joists to span the distance. The front most is cedar 2x6’s, the middle are cedar 2x2s, and the rear is a 2x10 LVL laminate. The reason for such a large crossmember in the rear was to reduce sag upon loading/unloading and It’s certainly overkill.
Also found some underbed storage totes to slide underneath. I had about 9” to work with and these are 40X20X7 ½” so they fit perfectly.
I recessed the mounting bolts for the forward most leg as well as to not interfere with cargo. Note that the mounting bolts for the 3rd row on the wheel wells are not level to the floor, they go in at a bit of an angle. I went to Ace Hardware to find the M10x60mm JIS flange bolts I used for mounting; stock hardware is too short. I slotted the rear most mounting holes, so these front legs locate the platform within the LC.
I sheeted the top of the platform with ½“ ACX playwood, and made sure the grain was perpendicular to the framework. Here you can also see the 48” continuous hinge, and the mockup of the front flip down fill plate.
Continued on next post
I’ve seen the various other setups posted here, and while drawers seem super useful, I was looking for something a little more modular/lightweight and wasn’t quite ready to fork out the cash required. What I came up with weights approx. 70lbs and can be installed/removed in about 10min. Six bolts from the factory 3rd row seat locations, and it lifts straight out the back. It’s the right height and length that I can comfortably sleep in the back, with no flexing or sagging felt in the platform.
As any good design begins, I came up with the original idea on a napkin, that I then transferred to CAD. Dealt with some dimensional/material constraints, made some quick revisions on the model, and I had a design ready for testing.
It’s made primarily from Douglas Fir 2x6 and 2x4 , and Cedar 2x6 and 2x2. There’s also a LVL laminate in there. It’s all wood that was around the house, nothing special, and all available at Lowes/HD.
I started with mocking up the rearmost leg, base pad, and side frame. I decided to omit a floor as seen with most drawers, and kept a clear span from the left to right of the platform. I used the 3rd row armrest/cupholder area as the level reference as I was building. You can also see in the below picture the cutouts I had to make in the 2x6 outer frame to clear the wheel well. It reduces to 2” for the last 6” above the well.
I mirrored each side, and then created some joists to span the distance. The front most is cedar 2x6’s, the middle are cedar 2x2s, and the rear is a 2x10 LVL laminate. The reason for such a large crossmember in the rear was to reduce sag upon loading/unloading and It’s certainly overkill.
Also found some underbed storage totes to slide underneath. I had about 9” to work with and these are 40X20X7 ½” so they fit perfectly.
I recessed the mounting bolts for the forward most leg as well as to not interfere with cargo. Note that the mounting bolts for the 3rd row on the wheel wells are not level to the floor, they go in at a bit of an angle. I went to Ace Hardware to find the M10x60mm JIS flange bolts I used for mounting; stock hardware is too short. I slotted the rear most mounting holes, so these front legs locate the platform within the LC.
I sheeted the top of the platform with ½“ ACX playwood, and made sure the grain was perpendicular to the framework. Here you can also see the 48” continuous hinge, and the mockup of the front flip down fill plate.
Continued on next post
