Fridge slides

[chorky]

So, I finally got around to checking a few things on the slide that I purchased with the fridge, and a few questions come to mind.

First - with how truck bed's are, what do those of you who have slides do to make sure the things are level? I used a bolt and washers and by measurement it seems that the ridges in the bed are about a half inch tall. So, I could go and just get some half inch plywood....but it would be nice to see what others have done first, since plywood and water don't tend to mix well.

Also, I'm curious if others slides are larger by a few inches than their fridge. I'm sure ARB fits like a glove with how they are designed - but I'm wondering if this much space is too much space and if I should consider other slides before drilling holes in the bed. The slide itself weighs about 35 pounds, so it seems heavier than it should be. I want to drill holes only once if at all possible.. Not looking forward to that anyway since the potential for rust is opened up.

dont mind my terribly bad floors that need replacing....

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[Fpolanco]

Here's what I did:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/soft-top-over-my-bed-rack.63041/

I used half inch plywood for the front half and back half and some left-over half inch slats for in-between so I had something to screw into.

I'll prob pull everything out once or twice a year to clean and replace anything that needs to replace.

I've also seen ppl use vinyl flooring (tongue and groove) instead of wood. I have some left over from when we redid our family room so I may go down that route at some point.

 

[chorky]

Here's what I did:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/soft-top-over-my-bed-rack.63041/

I used half inch plywood for the front half and back half and some left-over half inch slats for in-between so I had something to screw into.

I'll prob pull everything out once or twice a year to clean and replace anything that needs to replace.

I've also seen ppl use vinyl flooring (tongue and groove) instead of wood. I have some left over from when we redid our family room so I may go down that route at some point.

Yeah, most likely wood is what I will end up using as well... Looks like you have had some good success with yours! Can't imagine the cost of a half inch sheet of aluminum would be lol. I'd rather find another solution but not sure where to even look for a half inch by 3" by 26" boxed alum.... or if it would be strong enough.

I see you did a whole bed sheet of wood. I probably will just do what is needed under the one small portion of the slide so it can bolt through the bed. That way I can attach some L-Tracks in the rest of the bed to tie things down.

 

[Fpolanco]

I wanted to avoid going through the bed of the truck so I screwed the slide directly to the plywood.

And I used 2 sheets of half inch plywood. This is what allowed me to get behind the wheel wells and still have some left over for the slats underneath.

You may be able to mount the L track directly to the platform. Again, I'm just not keen on poking holes through the bed...

 

[chorky]

I wanted to avoid going through the bed of the truck so I screwed the slide directly to the plywood.

And I used 2 sheets of half inch plywood. This is what allowed me to get behind the wheel wells and still have some left over for the slats underneath.

You may be able to mount the L track directly to the platform. Again, I'm just not keen on poking holes through the bed...

Yeah - I'm not particularly thrilled about it either lol. But I figured even with a sheet of plywood it would need to be bolted down itself somehow? I haven't drilled holes just yet so I'll think on that a few more days.

 

[Fpolanco]

Yeah - I'm not particularly thrilled about it either lol. But I figured even with a sheet of plywood it would need to be bolted down itself somehow? I haven't drilled holes just yet so I'll think on that a few more days.

Just throwing out ideas and I won’t take it personally if you tell me to go STFU ?

how about using the corner loops or the tie downs if you have the bed rails...

 

[chorky]

how about using the corner loops or the tie d

Haha thanks for the laugh!

yeah I didn't think about that too much actually. the front tie downs could be an option with just a standard L bracket I suppose. Not sure about the rear though. But I do have the 813 mole panels which uses a decent sized bolt that goes through the existing hole next to the tie down loop there so that could work as well? hmm.....

The other question though is how heavy is a sheet of 3/4 marine grade plywood? not sure how much weight that adds to the bed. I dont have easy access to that stuff. But, it certainly would reduce the need for drilling holes through the bed. And that in itself is easier as it doesn't require paint and inspection for rust, etc...

 

[Fpolanco]

Haha thanks for the laugh!

yeah I didn't think about that too much actually. the front tie downs could be an option with just a standard L bracket I suppose. Not sure about the rear though. But I do have the 813 mole panels which uses a decent sized bolt that goes through the existing hole next to the tie down loop there so that could work as well? hmm.....

The other question though is how heavy is a sheet of 3/4 marine grade plywood? not sure how much weight that adds to the bed. I dont have easy access to that stuff. But, it certainly would reduce the need for drilling holes through the bed. And that in itself is easier as it doesn't require paint and inspection for rust, etc...

Yeah that stuff gets heavy real quick. I knew I’d be coming close to the payload rating on my Mojave so I just went with the half inch plywood ?.

I’m sure I’ll redo the platform at some point with different/btr materials but this was the cheapest option just to see if I’d even like it.

 

[chorky]

Here's what I did:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/soft-top-over-my-bed-rack.63041/

I used half inch plywood for the front half and back half and some left-over half inch slats for in-between so I had something to screw into.

I'll prob pull everything out once or twice a year to clean and replace anything that needs to replace.

I've also seen ppl use vinyl flooring (tongue and groove) instead of wood. I have some left over from when we redid our family room so I may go down that route at some point.

Thinking about this again. I didn't see any good L brackets that would work at the hardware store today. but I was wondering how much you think your fridge bounces around with the plywood not being attached to the bed...

 

[Lost1wing]

I have the ARB fridge and slide. I have a rubber bed liner and installed the slide directly on top of it. The ARB slide had predrilled holes for mounting. After a quick measurement on the Gladiator bed. I found those holes lined up perfectly to pickup the channel and not just the bed sheet metal. I siliconed the underside of the 4 bolts. No plans on taking it back out. If I had to, I would install 4 new bolts painted to match.

 

[chorky]

I have the ARB fridge and slide. I have a rubber bed liner and installed the slide directly on top of it. The ARB slide had predrilled holes for mounting. After a quick measurement on the Gladiator bed. I fount those holes lined up perfectly to pickup the channel and not just the bed sheet metal. I siliconed the underside of the 4 bolts. No plans on taking it back out. If I had to, I would install 4 new bolts painted to match.

What channel are you talking about? that was one of my concerns of all that weight being held by just 4 bolts, so I picked up some large washers but they're zinc so I'll have to use metal protectant on them.

 

[Lost1wing]

I used stainless steel hardware. The aft channel is right above the rear of the spare and the forward channel is just above the axle. I can easily close the tailgate with it plugged in.

I know what you are thinking , this thing has never been offroad. It has been in some bad places, I just had the opportunity to clean it right away every time. Can't have mud in the carport so she says.

 

[chorky]

I used stainless steel hardware. The aft channel is right above the rear of the spare and the forward channel is just above the axle. I can easily close the tailgate with it plugged in.

I know what you are thinking , this thing has never been offroad. It has been in some bad places, I just had the opportunity to clean it right away every time. Can't have mud in the carport so she says.

Gotcha I see what you mean now! I'll see how my holes line up too thats a good idea. I haven't been under to see the bottom side yet. Also got stainless hardware - except for the washers...that was the only thing I didn't find in stainless.

 

[Fpolanco]

Thinking about this again. I didn't see any good L brackets that would work at the hardware store today. but I was wondering how much you think your fridge bounces around with the plywood not being attached to the bed...

I normally have enough stuff back there that the platform is pretty weighed down , usually with my wife and kid.

But if I’m running solo (way less stuff), especially in extreme heat, I’ll have no problem throwing the fridge in the back seat (which is what I’ll be doing for my trip to Moab).

My theory is that if the fridge is bouncing around, I either need to slow down, pick a different line or things have gone horribly wrong that the fridge is the least of my concerns ?

 

[chorky]

I normally have enough stuff back there that the platform is pretty weighed down , usually with my wife and kid.

But if I’m running solo (way less stuff), especially in extreme heat, I’ll have no problem throwing the fridge in the back seat (which is what I’ll be doing for my trip to Moab).

My theory is that if the fridge is bouncing around, I either need to slow down, pick a different line or things have gone horribly wrong that the fridge is the least of my concerns ?

Haha thanks for the chuckle - yeah good point, I'm usually pretty slow but some of the roads here are just full of washboard.

How hot does MOAB get in the shoulder seasons? too hot for the fridge to stay in the bed?

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