Sleeping Platform in the Jeep JK

A member in the Hamilton Area Jeep Club has this great design to create a sleeping platform inside the Jeep. No mounting hardware and no screws needed, it is a truly ingenious design for the traveller on a small budget. But don't take our word for it, have a look at CheaperJeeperTV.com. The documentation here has the changes for the JK and builds on the original design from CheaperJeeperTV.com. It is important that you watch and read the CheaperJeeperTV instructions first.

The design reminds me of my “Shaggin' Wagon” I had in the 70s. The sleeping platform was a wood frame with panels. The table supported the panels that folded to a bench during the day. This VW Van got me the 3,800km from Zürich in Switzerland all the way up to Nordkapp in Norway. This three months trip ignited my craving for travels to remote areas. Norway, Sweden and Finland are as beautiful and wild as Canada. Needless to say, I'm not the beach going type.
Back then, I invested in solid plastic storage boxes that are still being used today on our travels.

Back to the sleeping platform in the Jeep. My wife and I talked about this great idea from CheaperJeeperTV.com. Sometimes we just want to go for two or three days. Any fun destination is 400+ km away, one way. Hotels are expensive, or fully booked. Setting up a tent works in some cases, but takes time and requires a flat ground and no rocks. And since the fish bite best early in the morning, I can roll out of the bed and reel in breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sleeping in the Jeep seems like an excellent idea.

Some minor modifications are required.
The height of the platform has to increase by 1 inch. Remember the plastic boxes I talked about above? Most of the tools, gear and food are in them and the boxes are just over 9 inches.
The Cargo Section remains in the Jeep during the active travel season, that's from January to December.
The front panels are stored in the Garage and installed when we need them. On longer trips, the seats will be removed from now on. We easily fill the Jeep with gear when we're on the road.
Talking about the rear seats in the Jeep JK. Ours is a 2013 model. The screws go through the floor and come out under the Jeep. About 3/4 of an inch is exposed to rain, snow, salt, rocks and whatever else that can harm the thread. Now that they our out, we can honestly say that is was 4 hours well spent. We have to find a way to make this process more efficient.

With the COVID-19 lock-down this spring, we had some spare time and started with scrap panels to build a prototype. The CheaperJeeperTV.com design is based on a JL. It turns out that the cargo area in our JK is wider. The rear door hinge attachment is inside the sub-woofer casing, therefore leaving more width immediately behind the seats. The width of the seats is likely the same and a 4 foot wide panel fills the space.

Now to our fancy cargo platform. This is how it fits into the back. The white platform is the prototype. The red lines mark the JL width from CheaperJeeperTV.com. The JK has more width closer to the seat. The sub-woofer needs space to the rear.
The increased width to the front depends very much on the height of the platform. The rounded wheel well makes it a hit & miss jig saw adventure. The final measurement is further down.

After we assembled the platform, we didn't like the spacing of the Cargo Legs. The grey boxes don't fit snug between them. The 3/4" wood panels are strong enough to span more than the 22 inches.
We added a hinge (for now). The split of the cargo panel was based on the size of the scrap wood we had, purly coincidental.
With the carpet left in the rear, the OEM scissor lift jack and storage compartment below the carpet are inaccessible. This will change when we hit the road, carpets will be left in the garage.

JK modifications
The next page is about a modification we did after two trips. Read this document first, all relevent thoughts are in this document. The next page holds the changed specifications and improvements with the handling of the panels.

We started with minimal changes to the overall width of the Cargo Cross Piece. The driver side cut was moved to the left by about 2 inches. There is no need for the bottom cut-outs on both sides of the cross piece. The JK has a flat cargo area.
What we learned: Check the size of your storage and tool boxes and make sure they will fit under the platform. Adjust the cuts accordingly. We had to increase the width between the cargo legs to 24 inches.
The Cargo Cross Leg was a piece of art and did the job very well.

After a few weeks, we decided to replace the Cargo Cross Leg. After adjusting the front platform size, we knew that the Cross Piece had to be as wide as possible. Fitting the piece, we had to find the correct placement so the bolts and tie-down loops are not obstructing the cross piece. They are actually just behind the board and hidden from view when looking into the cargo area.

The final version is simpler. It turns out that the cuts are evenly spaced in our installation. No obstruction on the Jeep floor. We didn't make the cuts that support the front platform. As a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, our travel plans changed and we won't be using the sleeping platform this summer. We did however measure and cut the boards. Details are below.

The Cargo Leg on the passenger side is about two inches from the sub-woofer. Works for us and wastes very little space. We cut two holes into the panel. Just behind the sub-woofer is a power outlet, which is now accessible again. Towards the front of the Jeep, the 2nd hole makes it easier to get access to smaller pieces. We always travel with toilet paper, spare garbage bags, rubber gloves, a blanket and emergency rain gear. And that's where we keep it.

And the final version looks like this. The tape is there so we don't get splinters. We used a low grade board for this.

After the modification, the boxes fit. Easy to slide out and access the storage space.
Still enough room left for more "stuff". A big 1 by 2 feet box closes the remaining space.

The cargo platform rests on a 10 inch high frame, the original design from CheaperJeeperTV.com uses a 9 inch frame. When you change the height, the front panel my need the cuts adjusted.
NOTE: The whit panel prototype shown above is not exactly cut to the specs below. We learn as we use the platform in our daily trips to the grocery store. Not many other options during the COVID-19 lock-down. The prototype is cut from two panels of the same width. It is therefore not possible to completely fold the rear panel back and leave it folded. The drawing fixed this issue.

The measurements we used are as follows and based on two boards with a hinch to connect them.
The front one is 48 by 18.5 inches with the cuts for the wheel well.

The rear one is about 41 by 14.5 inches with the cuts for sub-woofer and door handle.
We left a gap on both sides to slide a pool noodle on the edge. Now the panel is wedged in the back and won't move or rattle. We marked the exact location of the hinge AFTER we placed the two pieces on the Cross and Cargo Legs. They didn't line up in the exact centre and are off by close to an inch. But they have enough play and don't touch the plastic side panels.

We ordered hinges to keep the two panels in place. We'll update the pictures when they are installed.

Now working on the front platform. We hope to have the updated version by the end of May.

Up to now, we documented the modifications to the Cargo Platform.

Front Section of platform
We increased the width of the platform to 52 inches and the length is 39 inches. The layout is different in the JK and the Front Cross Legs have to be built with two pieces.
The center console extends behind the front seats. The Front Cross Legs are two equally cut pieces.
The odd shaped cut is due to the folded seats head rest. We used 3/8th plywood and enforced the legs.
The Front Leg is from an 18 by 18 inches board. We extended the top by two inches for additional support. The 18" width is an exact fit to place the feet between door frame and the center shaft tunnel.

The front panels fit perfectly with the front seats moved all the way forward and the back fully flipped forward. We don't have to remove or change the Front Cross Legs or the Support Pieces. They always stay locked in the same position. The Front Platform is a solid panel including the 'head' piece. We don't need additional support, the 3/4 inch panel is strong enough.

This is where we paused the project for now. It is April and our camping trailer is parked in the driveway and needs prep work. Installing the battery, testing and cleaning the water supply, mount the solar panel on the roof and inspecting all the pieces.

Finishing the project
It is early November and the temperatures jumped up to the high teens. On Friday and Saturday we finished the platform so we could go out there and enjoy these last warm days of 2020. The hinge is installed and the rear section flips all the way back to allow easy access to the plastic box. The pieces fit perfectly to provide a big enough surface for two adults.

We used some leftover wood for the platform support and anchored them into the front legs. The structure is solid and will not slide apart.
We removed the driver side rear back seat, but left the other in for now. Couldn't get the screws out, they were rusted into place. We'll deal with this problem next year. As we found out, the space is desperately needed and both seats have to be removed.

To test the sleeping platform, we went back to Cobalt, Ontario. We knew that there is plenty of Crown Land where we could spend the night. The sleeping platform performed very well. It was already November and the sunset was just before 5pm. By 5:30, it was basically pitch black. We didn't allow enough time for the first time setup and get a fire going. It was likely 7pm when all the pieces were put together, the bags stowed away and the fire finally produced some heat. The night sky was clear and millions of stars were up there. No noise, no pollution, no cloud, it was magical.

The two images below demonstrate the two problems we had.
1. We drove on dirt roads and the Jeep got dirty. Setting up the platform from the rear door was simple, but we got all the dirt from the Jeep on our pants. We actually had to wash the fender before we finished the job and were able to climb in. The seat on this side is removed and there is room for bags, shoes and stuff.
2. The folded back seat fills the space below the sleeping platform and leaves just enough space for a pair of shoes and some flat items behind them. This seat has to get out for our next trip.

One word of caution. Our feet/sleeping bag touch the rear window and could damage the heat coils on the glass. On our first overnight trip, we brought a big piece of cardboard to protect the glass from scratches. The problem is now resolved with our custom Window Covers.

Platform with flush mount hinges
May 2021, all the hinges are finally installed. Storing the two front platforms for driving was a complicated undertaking. We cut them 11 inch shorter and attached a hinge. The plastic boxes under the platform were a great success. We were looking for some smaller boxes to drop the platform by one inch. We found the Straight Wall Containers from ULINE.ca and cut 1 1/4 inch from the hight. Entering and exiting the Jeep is now so much easier. We are looking for a foldable step, about 10 to 12 inches high. That will be ultimate in comfort when exiting the Jeep.

The panels fold and stay in place with the front seats moved all the way to the back. All equipment below the platform is invisible.

The cargo platform got the hinges last year. This makes it much simpler to load, or just leave it open.

The size of the platform sections allow a configuration where the passenger side is setup for sleeping, but the chair for the driver is in a driving position.
We don't have Support Pieces under the head section, the 3/4 inch panel hold the weight. Keep in mind that the legs are only an inch or two behind the door frame.

We thought about placing the Support Pieces flat and decided to hold this change for now. There is a good chance that we will modify the front legs, the current version is bulky. By dropping the platform by 1 1/4 inch, we had to make some adjustments to the panels and legs. The new sizes are documented in the JK Sleeping Platforms V2.0