Adding a removeable shelf to a topper

So I've been trying to figure out how to have a shelf near the tailgate for use when camping. I use the tailgate for my stove and stuff but a shelf right above there would be great. The shell has a ledge that runs both sides and I was thinking something about 60" wide and 12" deep would fit right there and be suspended at about the perfect height.

I'm not sure what to use though. A piece of hinged AL that would allow me to position it and then drop into place would be great, but not sure how sturdy with a hinge. Without a hinge it might a bit tricky to maneuver it into the spot given the slant of the sides going up. I don't have anything specifically suited to this, but kind of like this just not with 2x4s. Has anyone done something similar or have any ideas? Thanks.

 

I just used a piece of plywood cut to size. It got repurposed for another project and I haven't gotten around to making another.

 

How wide was it and did it slide in easy enough? I thought about plywood but it's kind of heavy and bulky if thick enough to be stiff. A lot cheaper than aluminum though. I was thinking about one of those adapter plates for Prinsu/Sherpa type roof racks. It would have more than one purpose that way, but they aren't wide enough to span the opening.

https://sherpaequipmentco.com/products/sherpa-adapt-plate

 

I would probably get some thicker aluminum or steel angle, drill some holes, and mount to your accessory rails. (Think like shelving brackets). Then mount a 2x12 in between for your shelf. You could slide it back and forth along the bed rails really simply using some wing nuts if you want it out of the way at times.

Edit: check out "bed shelf" in the search bar for some inspiration. I've seen Rago fab, KB Voodoo, and maybe a few others that sell shelves, but I'd definitely just DIY one somehow for much cheaper. Basically a shelf that ties into the bed accessory rails.

 

I was just looking at Home Depot at aluminum angle. I was thinking two pieces think enough to be stiff could span the opening and then I could put anything there for a shelf. When you say 2x12 are thinking wood or something else? 2x12 is kind of thick, but a cutting board would be multi use. Maybe one of the thinner plastic types.

 

I was thinking 2x12 wood, but not something to leave there full time. You could go 1x12, but you'd get some warping and bowing in the middle I'm sure. Check my edit above. Search for "bed shelf" for some inspiration if you wanna DIY it.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I have some ideas now. I don't think the utility track will work though. It doesn't come far enough to rear and I like the height of the top of the bed rail. I couldn't really find anything searching "bed shelf" though.

 

These are household, but may be sturdy enough for a hinge:

Folding Shelf Brackets Heavy Duty Floating Shelves Hardware, Floating Shelf Bracket 8", L Brackets for Shelves Folding Table Hinge Folding Shelf Bracket Folding Table Bracket Small Folding Bracket

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FQFZ3H...&pd_rd_r=6775ff8c-2854-4ed4-ae9d-86821e8e4890, though mounting is head scratcher

 

Thanks for all the ideas. I'm kind of narrowing it down to two possible approaches.

1. two pieces of angle iron (or AL) 60" long that I could just lay across the opening on the ledge of the topper and then drop anything I want between them - a cutting board or two, a long piece of wood or plastic, just about anything would work. The downside is dealing with two long pieces of angle iron and having to attach the shelf to the angle iron so things wouldn't fall if bumped.

2. using four z brackets and bolting one end to whatever spans the opening and using the other end to "hang" off the ledge. As long as the shelf material is stiff enough it should hold fine.



I'm leaning toward option 2 at the moment but still not sure what to use for the shelf. Plywood would be a simple and cheap option but kind of uninteresting and single function. Hmmm...

 

I have no idea the dimensions, it's been a while. It was just wide enough to rest on top of the shelf the shell creates on either side but I recall I had to cut a little off from my original measurement (which seems to occur in a lot of my projects ) and it was slightly angled on the ends so it kind of wedged into place. It wasn't very wide/deep though, just deep enough to put a laptop or some of those smaller Rubbermaid totes on it (I think they are the 3gal size); .

It would be easy to put a hinge in the middle and have something like a couple of brackets that pinned in place to lock it open or just cut it shorter and have it rest on a couple of L brackets that were mounted to the cargo racks. Another idea, you could use a pair of angle stock (ex. https://www.lowes.com/pl/Angles-Metal-rods-shapes-sheets-Hardware/3665408859) then cut a board to fit and have a couple of holes pre-drilled to drop some bolts with wing nuts; it'd take like two minutes to put together on site.

 

Maybe bed shelf wasn’t the best term for what I was trying to describe. Cargo rack/basket/bed shelf/bed divider, I’d search all of those things and get some ideas of a DIY that combines what you like about each. Here’s a pic of something I had in mind when I said make a mount to tie in the bed accessory rails, and then a shelf top out of whatever material you choose. Something roughly in this shape:
https://www.extremeterrain.com/fabt...fQavqqbVtj5YRoP-iY0aApTVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

In my Tundra

 

Nice. Could you expand on that a bit? Did it just happen to fit that opening? Did you add anything to mount/hold it? Thanks.

 

Thanks. I'm kind of leaning towards something along those lines maybe. I was looking at various molle panels and thought maybe I could connect two together and maybe be able to store them small and then kind of "swing out" one side and bolt to make the full 60". So far I having anything specifically that would work and not be real expensive but I'm sure something exists. Or use some angle iron and a board. Still contemplating.

 

I used aluminum angle bolted to the holes or the OE side rails. I later added 1"x4" aluminum rectangle tubing to get the platform almost level with the edge of the canopy and have a little more support.
It's enough that I can lay down on the platform and it holds strong.
I narrowed the platform and put the slats closer together. If I had to, I could have easily shortened it to fit between the rails. I like that I have pretty much unlimited mounting options for whatever I want to mount on top (tool box, jumper cable box, tow strap and air hose box) or hang below (shovel, axe, spading fork, roll up construction sign holder, and jack handle mounted on the bottom).

 

Did a little mock up. I bought two lengths of 1x6 oak and looks like it will fit great. It also slides along the rails front to back wedged between the window and topper clamps for storage. I need to smooth up the edges a bit and maybe knock a bit off the corners to help it slide in, but otherwise I think this will work. Wood was a bit more expensive than I was hoping but oh well.