My simple slide out bike rack and bed platform

Picked up this canopy for $550 cad and had to drive 8 hours one way to get it. They are hard to come by where i live.

Yes, it came with windows but I removed them all to give it a good wash and to re-seal them.


The bed platform sits on the right side, with a bike rack on the left. ( More on that later)
It is made of of two halves, so I can choose to sleep with my bike or with my girlfriend. And its supported in the middle, no cross members getting in the way.


Having the extra height in the canopy, I wanted to raise my bed platform up a bit to have some actual useable storage space underneath. I made these brackets that mount in the T-slot. There is 4 on each side and they are very sturdy, I am not worried at all about the T-slot failing. I get a few extra inches of room underneath and it makes a big difference.


These are the center posts. I used 5/8" plywood which is plenty stiff enough, so no need for 2x6 cross members.




I wanted a bike storage solution that would hide our bikes in the back of my truck. I have seen many people make drawers for them but i didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on slides, and have something mounted in the back of the truck like that. I have also seen people bolt the fork mounts directly to the truck bed, which would making loading both bikes with the bed platform beside them a nightmare. To me, this was the best of both worlds.

It is just a piece of 1/2" plywood, with fork mounts bolted to it. Cheap and low profile, but still slides in and out easily to load the bikes. The wheel well and legs for the bed platform do a good job keeping it inline when sliding it.



The fork mounts don't hold the bikes as securely as i would have hoped, but one ratchet strap wrapped around them like this gets the job done. I just have to make sure to keep it clean to avoid scratching them too much.



Slides out far enough to load the bikes, without feeling tippy.



I used lag bolts originally but they were not going to last. These nuts that suck into the plywood work amazingly, and don't hang below and get in the way like a regular nut does.



I didnt like how leaned over the bike was on these (due to the steep head tube angle) so I cut and re-welded them at a more appropriate angle. Now the bike sits more upright.

 

Nice work!!