DIY Jeep Cherokee XJ Rear Pull Out Storage Platform

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Time to work on rear storage. Back in 2018 on our Europe trip we had a basic drawer system but when we weren't using it, it took up a lot of space. We use the Jeep for a range of adventures so versatility has always been priority with internal space. This time round we agreed on a simple pull out platform that will allow us to pull out the content of the rear for easy access but also not take up too much space when camping wasn't on the menu. I used heavy duty 100kg draw runners to make the platforms as strong as possible although its obviously an overkill. We will be using a DOMETIC Tropicool TCX-14, my home made MSR stove system, a basic Storage Box and an Ecoflow River Pro battery system a log with a wash basin and some other smaller storage organisers on this platform. All other items will be on the Cargo Rack, Gullwing Storage Boxes and Roof Rack. Thanks for watching and join me in the next video for the next stage. Mike

[@vigunfighter]

Mike, having a runner on either side is genius! Adds not only strength, but helps prevent twisting. Buying 4 instead of two is what I call a 'happy accident'. Well done, mate!

[@tukocan]

Mike your doing an amazing job of maximizing the limited space you have. The extension on the slide is giving me ideas, thanks. 😉

[@vv-kq4qo]

Hey Mike! I hope you and your family are well, It's great to see you are living life the best you can!

[@bas7905]

Aaah yes the prototypes. Nice one! I too have made a lot of prototypes over the years. Thanks for the video, looking forward to the batteries video!

[@888johnmac]

that looks far more versatile than a drawer system .. and yeah i've made many prototypes in the past & fully expect to make more in the future

[@7igerNinja]

Another Great vid! Makes me want to go tinker on the Xj every time i watch!

[@wodgesad]

Put a timber cross brace on the flexi board behind the second slide out. Then some ally u channel across the front. Job jobbed. Love your projects

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Thats a sound idea. I would like to keep it light, I will put on a cross member behind the second drawer as that will probably make all the difference. Some u channel is also on the cards for the edges. Thanks for watching

[@sguthrie]

That cheeky tease at 3:16 for the bushcraft fans

[@juanbarturen2726]

Like always.younhit it out of the park. I like the slide out work table. I see that the wood sagged a little at the ends. Try adding light aluminum angles to the ends. Great idea. I like it

[@TheDaveDryden]

Awesome build! I have yet to go camping with my 2 and 4 year old because of all the extra head aches with safety, storage, keeping them happy 'roughing' it. I prefer to escape my family and go solo camping so I can find peace😁🤫

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Solo is much easier isn't it. I love going out solo for solitude and peace. I like to get out with Megan and Max also but we just have the one child at the moment so it's a bit easier. Making family camping work is pretty tough.

[@TheDaveDryden]

You can find peace in the workshop too for moments where solo camping isn't on the table. Tools and building things are therapeutic for me, when it works!! Haha✌️

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I'm with you there!

[@warrenjansen7096]

You have such a great looking rig! It motivates me to paint the rust on my 95 😂!

[@eyeofthetiger4184]

G'day Mike, cool mate !!! I'm think'n some box tubing, (aluminum should do it), screwed crosswise east/west to the underneath of the ply to stiffn it up. There looks to be adequate clearance and you wouldn't lose any more space compared to doubling up on the ply or using thicker material. Cheers Duke.

[@47cav13]

Amazing idea!!! I am running a Jeep jku 4 door. You gave me some very good ideas. Thanks

[@officialWWM]

Nice job. This car is starting to look really awesome!

[@TheFishingExperience916]

I always enjoy your videos keep up the good work ...👍👍👍👍

[@cherokeexjcamp7458]

Always great idea and enjoy the detail of your amazing works

[@christianc1282]

I want to do that for my xj for my a jack and stands and also my tool box everything for offroad use

[@outdooradventureandbeyond8211]

Your video is very inspirational thanks for posting

[@GrizzlyPath]

I like the idea you’ve got going with the slide out for access and the rack for top storage! I ran into the same issue with 1/2” (12.5mm) plywood bowing like that and had to make a center brace. For your situation 3/4” (19-20mm) would likely work better unless you get fancy and integrate some metal or something. Looks good man!

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Cheers mate. Hopefully it can bring back some comfort and make cooking easy. I've added a cross brace under the platform and it's made a big difference. It's just the very front thats not great but like you say maybe thicker wood. Thanks for watching

[@north.by.northeast]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness While watching I thought exactly the same as you both - some bracing underneath rather than thicker wood. As for the front (edge) then maybe a strip of angle iron, like 10mm x 20mm x however long you need, to keep the platform edge rigid The gullwings: If you stick to your 'prototype prinicple' (ahem) and knock up a couple of rough boxes out of cheap plywood then you can play with dimensions/shapes for a while especially as it seems you're not sure what you want to store in them. And as for the gullwings themselves then maybe heavier duty hinges that could lock open even with 6kg of water on, if such things exist, I guess 2 locking hinges rated at 5kg each would be enough - if that's do-able then that's a solution for both the concern that current hinges dragging when the gullwings are closed plus not having a centre fixed 'stay' to keep gullwings open... maybe

[@udx-483muddbucket5]

You have a car??? I can't imagine you in anything else. LOL. Great video. Thanks

[@forreststrong797]

I really like your ideas for rear storage. How about plastic for your table tops on your storage system like a thick plastic cutting board material? I'm trying to think of the name of that type of plastic, I've seen some skid plates made out of UHMW or that have a sheet of it attached because it's super durable and it slides better or something you may look into what UHMW is? I think a plastic cutting board material would be the stiffest option while also staying lightweight. I need to think of a rear storage solution, the only thing I'm thinking about having on a slide is the fridge and I'm going to try it without a slide first maybe. I really want a shelf like you made. I also don't want anything to be permanent so i have multiple uses and cargo space. I want to have an easily removable fridge I got a nice little plug and tie down kit for it because the fridge won't live in the car. I'm going to have to get creative for rear storage I am moving my 2nd battery from under the hood to the rear cargo area and that will be permanent, I have a viair dual air compressor system with a tank that will be permanent most likely in the rear and I also have a co2 tank that will mount on the roll cage somewhere on a quick release maybe in the backseat footwell then I have 2 recovery bags and a large tool bag and spares bag all that stuff needs a home and to be strapped down it won't always be in the jeep and it won't always have to all go but sometimes I may need all of it along with other necessitys. I also have a rear mounted winch setup, I have a permanent front winch and I thought about making the rear bumper also house a winch but I ended up making a somewhat lightweight removable receiver mounted winch I can carry in the rear cargo area if I want to but I'm not sure that will go with me very often. The rear shelf I think will be most important for me to make, I've seen some pre-made ones but I haven't really seen anything I like or that works for me JCR has my favorite rear shelf but I need to get my cage done to figure out how much room I have, I have an 8 point cage kit so I'll have a hoop and bars in the cargo area which may actually help with mounting a shelf I don't know yet. It's very important to have everything secured to protect everyone in the car in case of an accident like you mentioned or a rollover.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I think a hard plastic would be a good shout. Easy to clean and also kind of quiet in a way. I thought about a stainless cover over the whole thing. Like brushed stainless but then its just more weight. I'm not sure really, I have to look at some materials and just see how it goes. Aluminium is also an option, I spoke to the fab shop in town and they said they can cut out a metal cover in any thickness I wanted. The bars for your roll cage should help a great deal with the options you have for storage. You can mount whatever you like on them or weld some brackets to attach a removable cage for the back. The gear just mounts up doesn't it. Self sufficiency is key to a degree I guess so tools, spares, recovery gear and other such things. The cargo rack for me really helped so much. I always found that I had a huge open space at the top where I just wouldn't naturally stack things that high. I would like another in aluminium but I doubt that's possible in my case. I will try and get the gullwing boxes made soon, that should help again with some storage but the XJ is quite a difficult SUV to kit out if your keeping the rear seats in. Thanks again for watching!

[@7igerNinja]

Is there a vid on your baby seat setup? and the cargo cage? About to be a father myself and am wondering how you managed to install the baby seat.

[@nomadadventures-tv]

Great video. I like the way you explain the details. Im in Los Angeles and looking to build something similar for my XJ. Where did you find the sliders? Also, do you have a video on your electrical panel I see in the rear? Thanks. Andy

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

www.beslagsbutiken.se/rullskena-fr-206-vit-100-kg.html I got mine from here. Lots of different lengths also. They work well and are super strong but using four of them makes it much better. I guess you can use two and just build it well but in rubbish at this kind of thing. There isn't a specific video for the electrical system, but that's coming up next. Thanks for watching

[@drlehman73]

I'm pretty sure I caught some bushcraft going on at the 3:16 mark.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Little chest leaver there.

[@shaunmccaw2911]

Very impressive mate you always amaze me with the stuff you can do well done 👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Southern_Transplant_Garage]

Do you have a video on the cargo shelf and how you did it?

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Unfortunately, not. I can describe it to you. It bolts to two brackets on the gullwing window box's, and also connects to the back of the seats with two brackets. The brackets on the back of the seats are bolted into the metal seat back plate. It's not the best design, but it worked fairly well.

[@chopperchuck]

See if you can find some of the plywood that they use for signage it's a better grade than what one would build a house with Are the same type of plywood that they make skateboard decks out of just saying

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I know what you mean. This stuff isn't too compact. I will keep my eyes pealed or maybe put in a cross member and stack another layer to create some internal compartments. Thanks for watching

[@belableier]

Hi Mike! Do you have any Amazon or ebay link of those runners? I looking for something similar here in the UK. By the way amazing job. Even if it's a prototype. 👌😉

[@Brookspirit]

Maybe Blockboard would be better than plywood, it's stiffer.

[@ryanslade2591]

Hi howzit man if possible could i have some measurements for that draw system we want to do the same design for our jeep build

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I made a note to measure the platform and add some measurements to the description. I wont be able to do it tonight but I wrote it in my work book so I will remember tomorrow!

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

The platform is 82cm deep and 107cm wide. It sits 16cm above the base of the surface its mounted on.

[@ryanslade2591]

Thank you very much

[@ChuckUnderFire]

Novel idea. Trying to keep an SUV as a Sporty, utility-y vehicle.

[@nickstewart1218]

I built a 2 drawer system in the back of my xj. One drawer is for my stove, other is just storage. May be "borrowing" some of your ideas. Not super happy with my stove drawer

[@jared2235]

LOVE it 💪💪

[@JaffaGaffa]

Jepp... När kommer de intressanta videorna på huvudkanalen åter? Min vän frågade

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Jag är inte säker på att jag förstår frågan helt. menar din vän den andra kanalen? eller gillar han bara inte de här videorna? Jag kommer inte att filma på min andra kanal på länge. det jag filmar nu är jobb som jag gör just nu. Jag ska snart ut och campa igen.

[@JaffaGaffa]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Tack för svaret! Det låter bra

[@vigunfighter]

totally unrelated, but can you tell me what the mood is in Sweden regarding the Ukrainian invasion? Sweden has maintained neutrality for many decades, but I'm hearing that they are now considering joining NATO. I know Poland and especially the Baltic countries must really be concerned. What's the feeling of the average person, the 'man on the street' in Sweden?

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

They are taking on quite a lot of refugees. The general feeling is concern as there has always been pressure from Russia to stay neutral and not join nato. They are considering joining nato now and the general population are for it from what I can read and hear. The airforce seem to have ramped up here. The Russians flew some jets over swedish airspace as a way of saying "we don't like what your doing". I guess we are pretty close to Russia and its all a big chess game is the worry.

[@vigunfighter]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Thanks for the insight from over there. It's hard to get a handle on what is actually happening. Everyone has there slant. While I'm rooting for the Ukrainians, I take what they say with a table spoon of salt. It's interesting that they are punching way above their weight, while to Russians are floundering, flailing about like they haven't a clue. I take in info from as many sources as I can and then take an 'average' ;) Wasn't it Sweden that published a survival manual a couple of years ago and distributed it to every household in the country? Seems they've been concerned about 'threats' even before this latest thing. I guess Georgia and Crimea were eye openers. At the 11th hour, Ukraine passed legislation easing regulations regarding gun ownership. Do you think other countries in the area are contemplating similar moves? Apologies for getting 'political', and feel free to ignore this, I won't be offended, but you are one of switched on folks I follow that are in a position to provide a different perspective for me. My thoughts are with you. May Meagan, Max, and yourself remain safe. (here is link to an English version of the booklet: rib.msb.se/filer/pdf/28706.pdf)

[@north.by.northeast]

I appreciate living in Sweden or Finland is of course a serious worry but both countries are in JEF and have pacts with Norway along with other partnerships with the EU and the US, so while I'm certainly no political or military expert it seems the NATO link is already strong, and if things do escalate then actually everyone on the planet has to worry :(

[@jamesa7506]

"Is it OK to use this stove here?" "Well that depends, sir, are you on rock?" Seems like a legit criteria for whether or not someone is qualified to use a camp stove. 🤔

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Its because of the forest fires we get here every summer. The highest level fire ban means no open flames at all and that includes stoves so technically you shouldn't use them. But high up in the mountains on rock Its not such a big deal. More just common sense I guess

[@jamesa7506]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness my mistake, sir, you meant "on rock" as in camping on a literal rock 🪨 with no chance in the rock catching fire! I thought you were being cheeky and saying that if someone was "on rock" as in a drug addicted crack smoker, then yeah they probably shouldn't be trying to use a camp stove! Which I thought was funny as all get out!!🤣 and my comment was a hypothetical scenario between a park ranger and a suspect looking "camper"! At any rate, I found it quite astonishing that there are so many crackheads over there too that you so casually refrenced them in a joke. Glad to hear that you actually meant on a rock.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

@@jamesa7506 Hahahah! That's so funny! I could never of imagined that but reading that back made me burst out laughing as I imagined the scenario! LOL Thanks for watching.