DIY Sleeping Platform (1 Viewer)

[Norigreenthing]

This is excellent and I appreciate you sharing! I now have a Spring project to work on! Cheers

No problem. Glad to hear you are going to give it a shot! I bought the PVC connectors on Amazon. Home Depot only had a limited supply of the multidirectional connectors.

 

[Laxal550OT+]

No problem. Glad to hear you are going to give it a shot! I bought the PVC connectors on Amazon. Home Depot only had a limited supply of the multidirectional connectors.

Would you mind sharing a shopping list of the items you ordered and used?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNIZMBO?tag=lexusgx-20

 

[Norigreenthing]

The 1 inch PVC connectors are as follows:
1. 3 way, qty 4
2. 4 way, qty 6
3. 5 way, qty 2

Here are photos of the Amazon connector listings.

 

[WheelsFeels]

That’s a seriously clean build! Taking the time to measure, cut, and install everything yourself to get a perfectly flat sleeping surface is no joke. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of building your own setup and hitting the trail with it.

As people who spend all day 3D scanning trunks and engineering these setups at Wheels Feels, we can totally appreciate the amount of sweat equity you put into making those lines sit right.

By the way, if you ever need to use your rear seats, our sleeping platforms are designed to be incredibly practical. You can easily fold them down and store them right behind the back seats, so they do not take up any valuable cargo space when you are not camping.

Here is a photo of the layout:



If you ever get tired of lifting the platform to grab your stuff and decide you want to add heavy-duty pull-out drawers or modular dividers down the road, feel free to give us a shout.

Enjoy the nights out on that platform. Nothing beats a sleep setup you built with your own hands!

P.S. - we’re running a Father’s Day Special with 20% OFF for the next 7 days.

 

[togs]

With summer approaching, here is a DIY Sleeping Platform project perfect for camping in your GX550 OT/OT+. I saw various online retailers selling GX550 sleeping platforms from a simple sleeping platform for $550 to an elaborate sleeping platform system with drawers and extension tables for $5000. I thought to myself, I can build a sleeping platform myself for a fraction of the retailer’s prices. I built a perfectly flat sleeping platform that sleeps 2 for $250 from materials bought from Home Depot and Amazon. I want to share some pictures of the platform in case any GX550 OT/OT+ owners are interested in giving it a try. You just have to be moderately handy.

To get the 2nd row seats to fold back perfectly flat, I put a 2x4 (50 1/2” length) underneath the rear portion of the seats with tie down straps using the existing seat hooks. Normally, the 2nd row seats are at an angle when folded back. You can see the 2x4 placement in the photo.

The plywood (23/32” thick) platform is 43” wide and 42 3/8” length. I used 1” diameter PVC pipe and connectors. #8x2 inch wood screws through the connectors held the PVC frame to the plywood. The platform legs will be longer in the front of the platform with each row of legs progressively getting shorter toward the rear to get a level platform. The leg feet are rubber chair tip protectors (1.25” dia). On the platform underside I put metal hooks with tie down straps so the platform doesn’t shift when driving. I applied a felt covering using 3M Adhesive spray to glue it down. Sprayed the underside with flat black paint. Used rubber edge trim on the front and back of the platform so there were no sharp edges. The four 1” wide ratchet straps are 3.3 ft in length.

Genius! I didn’t think to simply level the middle row. Saved me tons of time on research and hundreds of bucks. Thanks!!

 

[Norigreenthing]

I’m glad to share my ideas to make things easier for like minded GX550 owners. Cheers!

 

[togs]

Genius! I didn’t think to simply level the middle row. Saved me tons of time on research and hundreds of bucks. Thanks!!

Is there a trick to getting the built in middle seat tie down to fit just right? Mine comes loose easily. Thanks.

 

[Norigreenthing]

I had to cut off the existing OEM straps on the back side of the middle seats to fit new heavy duty tie down straps with a cam buckle. Here is a picture of straps I used and they hold the seat down securely. Bought them on Amazon.

 

[YellowLab]

I was able to fit a Full Size (52”x73”x3”) trifold mattress on the platform. I had to trim the mattress foam around the cup holders above the rear wheel wells and the very back cargo area corners near the hatch. I bought it on Amazon. Basically, the entire area behind the front seats is a mattress for 2 people. There is still room for gear with the mattress folded up.

Did you add stainless or aluminum trim to the end by the rear hatch? Looks like its shiny.

 

[togs]

I had to cut off the existing OEM straps on the back side of the middle seats to fit new heavy duty tie down straps with a cam buckle. Here is a picture of straps I used and they hold the seat down securely. Bought them on Amazon.

View attachment 24561

Awesome!

 

[Norigreenthing]

Good eye Yellowlab. The edges are just black rubber 3/4 inch edge trim with self adhesive. Keeps the plywood edges from scratching the GX’s interior panels. I had the sleeping platform in the back of my GX continuously for the last 6 months with no warping or rattling.