My Rear Cargo Slide DIY (Version 2.0)

[Impish123]

Each summer we take 2-3 weeks and go explore as a family. Generally focusing on National Parks, but hitting up cool places as we go. Started before my wife and I were even dating when we planned a trip to Alaska together in 2004 (started dating during the planning of said trip). 2010 we did Colorado and Utah in my 2005 LJ, camping the whole time. 2012 we flew to California and did two weeks there and found out she was pregnant out there actually. We bought a Forester (I kept my LJ) and we did Michigan's UP the next year in our little backpacking tent... All that to say, we've been doing this a while at this point. Bought a LivinLite 10.0 popup in 2017 and in 2021 started traveling with Sarge. Right off the bat I built a cooler slide that just slid into the back and then had a spot for the kids' bikes (I'll see if I can find some photos), but as the kids got bigger and the trips got more complex we needed a better way to haul their bikes and I wanted a 12 volt fridge.

So build cargo slide version 1.0 in 2024 and it worked real well (first couple of pictures). But needed to be a bit stiffer (used thin-ish plywood) so I am working on version 2.0 now. I am reusing the slides which are anchored on the forward tie-downs (I removed the D-Rings and just bolted the 1x6's in their place...).

This time I am using 1x12 shelf boards cut to size and have added a dedicated cooler slide as well (the batteries used to be under the fridge in version 1.0, they will be off to the passenger side on version 2.0). I will post photos as I think about it and get around to it since it is still very cold here in Ohio!

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[JeepDaddyJT]

i used those same drawer slides on mine and found that the washboard roads going from nevada to idaho shook all the roller balls out of the tracks. need to make it wedge or squish into something when shut to keep it from shaking apart.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

Following. I am looking at a cargo slide setup in the near future. I've seen a couple DIY designs now, curious to see what you do for version 2.0

 

[Impish123]

i used those same drawer slides on mine and found that the washboard roads going from nevada to idaho shook all the roller balls out of the tracks. need to make it wedge or squish into something when shut to keep it from shaking apart.

I ran it last year from Ohio to Olympic National Park with no issues... BUT not a lot of off roading that trip. It did hold up though since then as I left it all installed the whole year. (It's so darned handy having access to the back of the bed with a slide!)

 

[JeepDaddyJT]

we did a 5600 mile Ohio to Wyoming/montana / idaho/washington/oregon/nevada/utah/colorado trip last summer , seen about 15 ghost towns , and hit 19 trails ( Thank you TRAILS OFFROAD APP ). We did a dirt every day style trip with about 800 miles of dirt/ gravel roads. so yeah hours and hours of rough washboard roads and red / black trails too.

 

[Jaydebe]

What size bikes are fitting inside the bed with the slider?
The one looks like a small.

I've been wanting to get a topper to do the same thing, but with a Med. and Lrg full-sun enduro bikes, I'm afraid they won't fit. I need about 38-39" of bed to roof.

 

[Impish123]

What size bikes are fitting inside the bed with the slider?
The one looks like a small.

I've been wanting to get a topper to do the same thing, but with a Med. and Lrg full-sun enduro bikes, I'm afraid they won't fit. I need about 38-39" of bed to roof.

The one on the left is a 24" Coop kid's mountain bike and the one on the right is a size small 26er (pretty heavily updated with a modern-ish 1x10 microshift groupset...).

I did update it to fit my oldest's new full suspension small 27.5 and will be building the new one to handle the 27.5 and the 26er as my youngest is growing like a weed still. I also made an extension to allow me to toss in my medium 27.5 hardtail, BUT my 29er full suspension will NOT fit (it's just too long). BUT that's why they make tailgate pads!

This is PART of the reason for the upgrade. The biggest is the sag and the fact that the first one wasn't square (my saw guide slipped and it worked well enough and I was out of time and then just lived with it...) so it was a bit wonky... ALSO, the desire to install a drag chain for the power AND the separate slide for the cooler...

 

[Impish123]

Ok some more photos.

DONE:
Thus far I have about 80% of it done.

1. We have the 5 1x12 boards (glued and dowed, is that a phrase?)
2. A frame on the front and both sides ON TOP of the 1x12s made of 1x3s driven in with 3 inch deck screws to provide a bit more structure.
3. We then have a separate slide for the cooler with brackets to keep it on there, last time I did NOT strap it down and it was fine... we'll see if I have the same luck this time.
4. t is painted "black" with some exterior satin paint wallyworld had discontinued for $10 a gallon..
   1. Imight have bought 5 gallons cause you never know when you're going to need some cheap crap paint...
   2. There are 3 coats on the floor and sides AND THEN one coat on the floor with some anti-skid sand added in... and then 1 more coat on top
5. A "box", more of a crate or something, for a couple 500 watt hour battery packs
6. Previously I ran 12V to the bed and installed that in the outlet spot... BUT my stupid battery bank wants 14-25V so I am also going to build an adapter to take that 12V and bump it to 15V, just running at 5 amps so no huge draw
   1. That's wired into the passenger side heated seat fuse... which I don't have and draws FAR more amps than I need

TO DO:

1. Shelf above the fridge/cooler slide for food and supplies
   1. We just use totes and just a shelf for the small one or two
2. Install a cross brace behind the slide to provide even more structure
3. Maybe another coat of paint on the floor...
4. Install drag chains for BOTH the main slide AND the cooler slide
   1. Have those on order from China now...
5. Insulate the area around the cooler for poops and giggles, with some 1 inch thick aluminum backed foam board
   1. Seems like a small price to pay for a wee bit of extra insulation
   2. Will also need to make sure I have some way to block the heat from the compressor... We'll cross that bridge when we get there
      
      
      
      

 

[Jaydebe]

The one on the left is a 24" Coop kid's mountain bike and the one on the right is a size small 26er (pretty heavily updated with a modern-ish 1x10 microshift groupset...).

I did update it to fit my oldest's new full suspension small 27.5 and will be building the new one to handle the 27.5 and the 26er as my youngest is growing like a weed still. I also made an extension to allow me to toss in my medium 27.5 hardtail, BUT my 29er full suspension will NOT fit (it's just too long). BUT that's why they make tailgate pads!

Thx for all of that. Helps me out in my planning a lot as my "new to me" JTR came with a drawer system installed, so no way to test the overall bed length vs bike being mounted to it without a whole lot of work

 

[Impish123]

Thx for all of that. Helps me out in my planning a lot as my "new to me" JTR came with a drawer system installed, so no way to test the overall bed length vs bike being mounted to it without a whole lot of work

I will say my oldest's bike would NOT be able to slide in and out fully if I had the front of the bike at the back, it's about 2 inches too tall for the Smart Cap (since the stupid thing drops down so much). Most of this is due to the height added from the fork due to the mount for the thru-axle. BUT it works fine to unscrew the thru-axle and lower the bike the couple inches and pull the bike out.
My medium hardtail is longer than the slide but works with a bit of a drawer extension that I have the fork mount on... it actually is short enough with less travel and slides in and out just fine even with the front of the bike at the back... I started with a mockup made of duct tape on the floor in the garage two years ago to see how much space I really needed and have worked from there.

 

[Lost1wing]

I'm going to have to block this post due to the fact that if my wife sees this homemade slide, I will have to do it too. Awesome job! I just don't have the time or motivation for another project.

 

[S3th136]

I have a homemade slide. I added some roller bearings on the tailgate to assist with the bowing once it starts to get extended.

 

[Impish123]

OK, a few more updates... I got the bike fork mounts installed. Been struggling a wee bit with this, but I think this will work for now. The issue is my youngest will be outgrowing his 24" mountain bike sooner rather than later (kids grow like weeds), so I was tempted to install the quick release mount such that my oldest's old 26'er would fit, BUT it is quite a bit bigger (much wider handlebars for example). SO! For now I am just going to make it work for the 24" and I will cross the 26'er bridge in the future. I will say, if you have never dealt with a thru-axle, they are SO, SOOOOO much more secure than the old quick release. I knew that, but man this really showed it to me again. Note, I have spacers in the 24" fork mount to account for the head tube angle changing as the handlebars are turned... Just used some washers for now, BUT I will need something a bit more permanent later. For now this works fine...

I am also working on painting the "legs" for the shelf over the fridge, BUT it's so cold, it's like put a coat on, wait a day, put another coat on... I have to say this cheap Wallyworld paint is not too bad, two coats on raw wood and it looks pretty darn decent. We'll see how well it holds up, BUT who really cares for something like this?

 

[AstroZombie]

Nice!!

 

[MaxStrategery]

Each summer we take 2-3 weeks and go explore as a family. Generally focusing on National Parks, but hitting up cool places as we go. Started before my wife and I were even dating when we planned a trip to Alaska together in 2004 (started dating during the planning of said trip). 2010 we did Colorado and Utah in my 2005 LJ, camping the whole time. 2012 we flew to California and did two weeks there and found out she was pregnant out there actually. We bought a Forester (I kept my LJ) and we did Michigan's UP the next year in our little backpacking tent... All that to say, we've been doing this a while at this point. Bought a LivinLite 10.0 popup in 2017 and in 2021 started traveling with Sarge. Right off the bat I built a cooler slide that just slid into the back and then had a spot for the kids' bikes (I'll see if I can find some photos), but as the kids got bigger and the trips got more complex we needed a better way to haul their bikes and I wanted a 12 volt fridge.

So build cargo slide version 1.0 in 2024 and it worked real well (first couple of pictures). But needed to be a bit stiffer (used thin-ish plywood) so I am working on version 2.0 now. I am reusing the slides which are anchored on the forward tie-downs (I removed the D-Rings and just bolted the 1x6's in their place...).

This time I am using 1x12 shelf boards cut to size and have added a dedicated cooler slide as well (the batteries used to be under the fridge in version 1.0, they will be off to the passenger side on version 2.0). I will post photos as I think about it and get around to it since it is still very cold here in Ohio!

Sweet. Which BedCap and does it let dust penetrate to the interior?

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