Pull-Out Platform for Kitchen Module (Now with YOUTUBE Video!)

BorealOverland

Active member
On my last camping trip i used my DIY kitchen for the first time and it worked great.
But because i had to place it on the tailgate getting to my other gear in the back of the car
was not that easy of course.


So this is what i made:

BorealOverlandKitchenModule1..jpg

And this is how i build it:

I decided to build a pull-out platform to make life a bit easier on longer trips..
Because i like to keep the car relative light weight since it's my daily driver i did not want to use
a (heavy) wood base plate in the back of the car to bolt the pull-out platform on.
So after some thinking i decided to use a 2040 aluminum extrusion as a crossmember
(sorry don't know a better word in English for it) and bolt it to the factory tie down nuts behind the back seats.
Because they lay a bit deeper in the floor i had to fabricate two solid spacers.

This chunky block is what i had laying around.. Try and use stuff i already have.
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Something like that.. two solid spacers to bolt the crossmember on too.
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So with that sorted i now could figure out how to build the pull-out platform and how to bolt it to the crossmember.

Taking a couple 1000 measurements lol.
BorealOverlandimage00012.jpeg

BorealOverlandimage00011.jpeg

After al the measuring i had a fairly clear idea how i was going to build the platform and the dimensions
i can use.

To be continued..
 
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BorealOverland

Active member
I ordered all the parts i needed and begun building.
The most expensive part where the 90CM - 130KG rated locking drawer slides of course.
And at 6KG they are also half of the total weight of the platform.

I build a base frame out of 2020 and 2040 aluminum extrusions that fit between the tailgate
and the 2040 crossmember in the back.

I made myself a jig for drilling the oversize holes in the center of the extrusions.
It can be done without a jig but this way i have better results..
BorealOverlandimage00023.jpeg

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Super light and strong construction.

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The bracket i made in the front of the frame is where i bolt the frame to a rivet-nut i made near the tailgate,
it's in a steel structure underneath the plastic cover..

BorealOverlandimage00025.jpeg

So before i could attach the drawer slides to the frame i had to make a couple of brackets first..
And again i used a aluminum plate i already had laying around.

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A couple days later i found some ready made brackets in a hardware store..
That would have saved a decent amount of work but they looked a bit weaker so
i am still happy i made these myself and the way they look.
 
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BorealOverland

Active member
With the base frame and the brackets ready it was time to attach the drawer slides to the base frame
and make the top of sliding platform.

BorealOverlandimage00026.jpeg

I used 12mm Poplar plywood because it's lightweight and my kitchen module mostly sits
on top of the drawer slides with its weight so i don't need a super strong and heavy wood.

BorealOverlandimage00032.jpeg

I decided to make the plate even more lightweight.

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Starting to look like something..
I was thinking about painting it with something like bedliner, that would be looking great.
But because i was on a bit of a budget, i used a rubber mat i still had laying around.

BorealOverlandimage00034.jpeg

I cover the plate with rubber and trim the edge with aluminum.

BorealOverlandimage00029.jpeg
 
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BorealOverland

Active member
So with most of the work done i wanted to have a look at the locks on the drawer slide
and see if we can make this a one-hand opening slide.
Of course we can lol, just have to figure out how and make it work..

It was fairly simple..

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Easy peasy.. Nice!

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Only thing to do was to make two brackets that connect the base frame to the crossmember in the car.
I wanted to make a sort of quick detachment for taking the pull-out platform quickly in and out of the car,
but decided to just bolt that sucker to the crossmember instead.
Because the weight of the extended platform, the full kitchen module (20 KG) and maybe some pans with boiling water
pulling on these brackets i feel safer to just bolt it instead of some sort of a quick release tingy..

BorealOverlandimage00038.jpeg
 
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BorealOverland

Active member
And in the back of the car.

Looks like it's taking up the whole back of the car in this picture,
but the pull-out platform takes up exactly half of the available space so i can still fit a drawer
or Alu box on the other side.

BorealOverlandKitchenModule1..jpg

BorealOverlandKitchenModule2..jpg

I can't wait to go on the next trip and see if all works out as planned!
It sure was a lot of work.. many long days.. but i am very pleased now it's done and ready to use.

Well.. that's all for now, hope you like it.

Safe travels!
 

BorealOverland

Active member
Amazing job, I wish I had your skills and ambition.

Thanks much!
Well, sometimes i have more ambition that skills and things don't always go according to plan.
I have found over the years that just starting a project and just see how far you skills take you
works out better than expected. We don't fail, we learn.. lol.
A man can do and build sooooo much more than he thinks, we just have to give it a try!
 

BorealOverland

Active member
Nice work! Does using stainless steel bolts into aluminum cause any problems??

Hi, i didn't use stainless.. unless one sneaked in somewhere..
I had all the bolts i needed for this project in stainless,
but like a nerd i ordered "normal" bolts. (sorry, don't know the English name)
I know stainless and aluminium don't do well together, causing oxidation over the years (outside) unless you use
a special kind of grease between them.
For this project i would not be to concerned about it, but why not do it the "correct' way.

Steve.
 

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