Land Rover LR4 sleeping platform cabinets build.

[Mike W]

So I finally was inspired enough to setup my LR4 for inside sleeping. I did this for a few reasons. One is just simplicity of setup/camping. Another is weight. The LR4 is a great platform for sleeping inside not just because it is a huge box, but it also has air suspension which with the right toys can be made to auto level 4.5 degrees of pitch and roll. So you can sleep level on a lot more types of ground without ever bothering to put maxtrax or rocks under your tires.

So first the drawers. Should I have built something? @Michael new drawer system got me thinking about drawers. I did some research and I had a choice here. Timeline wise buying something is certainly easier. I am no wood worker, but my dad is basically a pro. But when looking at weight and considering materials I could have built it out of, I think a DIY version would have ended up heavier than what I ended up with.

I choose the Front Runner drawer system. It is made to fully utilize the 3rd row area and has custom panels to fill in the sides and make them usable space. They are made with aluminum extrusion, aluminum/steel panels, L track and carpet covered plywood only on top. The bottom is open. Now that is a key point.. they are light where they can be and they are open under which will become useful to this project later.

Now the weight situation. The 3rd row seats in this thing weigh about 200 lbs. You would never guess they could possibly weigh that much just looking at them in the car, but holy hell. Also, I had previously remove the 2nd row middle seat for an ARB fridge and that seat alone was heavier than the fridge. With this plan I decided to also remove the 2nd row because it is a quick 5 minute task, just 4 bolts. I could take the platform/cabinets out for family mode easily.

So the drawer system is at least 30 lbs lighter than the seats I took out.. and it give me about 5" of space under the drawer system which I can access from the front or by pulling the drawers all the way out and lifting a top panel. Great place for spare parts for the rig. I can store coolant, oil, belts, coolant pipes, EAS sensors, whatever in there. I might be able to fit the awning walls for my 23 zero 270 awning also.

Next the platform cabinets to give myself (6'2") room to sleep and store gear.

So designing this in my head was a total fail. We really did have to just get out and measure and template with cardboard. We started with the floor panels. We had to add one support board out near the door to give us a flat surface, level with the drawers. We were able to use the M10 seat bolt holes to secure the boxes. The box has to be an odd shape to use the space well... angled on one corner. We also wanted to allow access to the 3rd row foot well area and leave room for the fridge to breath and access room behind the fridge.

So they ended up looking pretty weird for shape, but loosing the space behind the boxes wouldn't be as good. 3/4" on top, 1/2" for the rest.

So the tops obviously don't need to be shaped the same. I wanted to be able to open them from each side and have it give me good sleeping area. We used piano hinges. I added some magnetic latches later. I'd like to add gas struts later also, but they stay up fine as it is. We upholstered as much as we could with the material we had, tops and sides and bottom inside. Matched the factory and front runner drawers very well. My dad is amazing... he built these start to finish in ONE day.

Driver side has a smaller lid so I can open it with my seat in the driver position without moving it. Passenger is a little larger and has a flip up panel on front to give my even more head space.

I can't begin to express just how HUGE these cabinets feel. I have room for days. I don't think I will need hardly anything out except my food bin, and I can leave my bedding out if I want or not.

Empty!?!? I have nothing else to put in here and the drawer side cubbies are almost empty too.

Camp kitchen stuff has more than enough room.

I installed an Xlifter module that lets me auto level the rig on uneven spots...

Relocated my air compressor to where the factory jack goes (I carry a safe jack kit so no need for it.) I also mounted my inverter to the other side of the drawer system in the side cubby.

And to top it off... nice little vents that just slot into the windows, with mesh screen on the inside for bugs. Good ventilation right by my head.

So.... phew... I am excited to get out. Get to test this out in Moab in a few weeks here. Hope to see some of you out on the trails.

 

[Mike W]

And fyi... this is how much space you have between the tailgate and the front passenger seat if you move it forward a bit and lean it forward. 79"

 

[Jim SoG]

Excellent job!

 

[trail_runn4r]

This is amazing, and so much storage!

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

So I finally was inspired enough to setup my LR4 for inside sleeping. I did this for a few reasons. One is just simplicity of setup/camping. Another is weight. The LR4 is a great platform for sleeping inside not just because it is a huge box, but it also has air suspension which with the right toys can be made to auto level 4.5 degrees of pitch and roll. So you can sleep level on a lot more types of ground without ever bothering to put maxtrax or rocks under your tires.

So first the drawers. Should I have built something? @Michael new drawer system got me thinking about drawers. I did some research and I had a choice here. Timeline wise buying something is certainly easier. I am no wood worker, but my dad is basically a pro. But when looking at weight and considering materials I could have built it out of, I think a DIY version would have ended up heavier than what I ended up with.

I choose the Front Runner drawer system. It is made to fully utilize the 3rd row area and has custom panels to fill in the sides and make them usable space. They are made with aluminum extrusion, aluminum/steel panels, L track and carpet covered plywood only on top. The bottom is open. Now that is a key point.. they are light where they can be and they are open under which will become useful to this project later.

Now the weight situation. The 3rd row seats in this thing weigh about 200 lbs. You would never guess they could possibly weigh that much just looking at them in the car, but holy hell. Also, I had previously remove the 2nd row middle seat for an ARB fridge and that seat alone was heavier than the fridge. With this plan I decided to also remove the 2nd row because it is a quick 5 minute task, just 4 bolts. I could take the platform/cabinets out for family mode easily.

So the drawer system is at least 30 lbs lighter than the seats I took out.. and it give me about 5" of space under the drawer system which I can access from the front or by pulling the drawers all the way out and lifting a top panel. Great place for spare parts for the rig. I can store coolant, oil, belts, coolant pipes, EAS sensors, whatever in there. I might be able to fit the awning walls for my 23 zero 270 awning also.

Next the platform cabinets to give myself (6'2") room to sleep and store gear.

So designing this in my head was a total fail. We really did have to just get out and measure and template with cardboard. We started with the floor panels. We had to add one support board out near the door to give us a flat surface, level with the drawers. We were able to use the M10 seat bolt holes to secure the boxes. The box has to be an odd shape to use the space well... angled on one corner. We also wanted to allow access to the 3rd row foot well area and leave room for the fridge to breath and access room behind the fridge.

So they ended up looking pretty weird for shape, but loosing the space behind the boxes wouldn't be as good. 3/4" on top, 1/2" for the rest.

So the tops obviously don't need to be shaped the same. I wanted to be able to open them from each side and have it give me good sleeping area. We used piano hinges. I added some magnetic latches later. I'd like to add gas struts later also, but they stay up fine as it is. We upholstered as much as we could with the material we had, tops and sides and bottom inside. Matched the factory and front runner drawers very well. My dad is amazing... he built these start to finish in ONE day.

Driver side has a smaller lid so I can open it with my seat in the driver position without moving it. Passenger is a little larger and has a flip up panel on front to give my even more head space.

I can't begin to express just how HUGE these cabinets feel. I have room for days. I don't think I will need hardly anything out except my food bin, and I can leave my bedding out if I want or not.

Empty!?!? I have nothing else to put in here and the drawer side cubbies are almost empty too.

Camp kitchen stuff has more than enough room.

I installed an Xlifter module that lets me auto level the rig on uneven spots...

Relocated my air compressor to where the factory jack goes (I carry a safe jack kit so no need for it.) I also mounted my inverter to the other side of the drawer system in the side cubby.

And to top it off... nice little vents that just slot into the windows, with mesh screen on the inside for bugs. Good ventilation right by my head.

So.... phew... I am excited to get out. Get to test this out in Moab in a few weeks here. Hope to see some of you out on the trails.

Who makes the neat window vents ?
How did you know the 4runner box would fit your LTD4 ? Why did the boxes you built for the front need to have tapered sides when the top is square ?
Is the whole platform roughly the height og your wheel wells inside your rig ?

You have a very functional set up, wish I was physically able to do something similar for my solo outings where I cant take my camp trailer. Good job, thanks for the pictures !

 

[Mike W]

Who makes the neat window vents ?
How did you know the 4runner box would fit your LTD4 ? Why did the boxes you built for the front need to have tapered sides when the top is square ?
Is the whole platform roughly the height og your wheel wells inside your rig ?

You have a very functional set up, wish I was physically able to do something similar for my solo outings where I cant take my camp trailer. Good job, thanks for the pictures !

I'll address your questions one at a time.

1. Window vents are from here. LR3 LR4 (Discovery 1 & 2) 2nd Row Doors Window Vents (set of 2)

Here is the inside.

2. The drawer system is from Front Runner Outfitters, nothing to do with 4 runner the model. They make a variety of drawer systems for specific models and also some more generic drawers that can go in anything. The model specific 'kits' often come with specially made side panels and finishers so that it fits into the sides of the vehicle perfectly. The Land Rover LR3/LR4 kit is the "Large SUV drawers" with brackets and side panels.

Why are the boxes tapered? Well if you look at the image below, you can see that the side of the back area comes in more and is in the way. The wheel wells are really inside those side panel areas, so they don't intrude on the cargo space at all. I will use the 2nd row area on top of these cabinets for my head/torso, so I was able to build the cabinets to take advantage of the space near the doors.. its wider there.

The drawers I have are 13" tall from the original rear cargo floor area (where the factory cargo rings are located if you look at my pictures without the seats). The cabinets are actually large enough for a full 15L scepter jerry can upright and then some.

Like I said, the LR4 is a big box and its nice for this type of thing. Even with 13" tall drawers, I can pretty comfortably exist in the cab even on my thick air mattress. My kids throughly tested also for functional space.

 

[nateh]

LR3 guy here with nothing like what you've got here but I'll be in Moab this summer so if I see your white LR4 I'll wave you down!

 

[Loanrangie]

Looks great, i prefer to sleep outside but i like your storage solutions.

 

[Mike W]

Looks great, i prefer to sleep outside but i like your storage solutions.

I generally go for a ground tent, but when on a solo trip where I may want a lot more flexibility for locations, side of a road, on rock or in ground with vegetation and no flat spot... this will be great. I’m not interested in trailers or roof tents.

 

[Snufkin]

Exquisite! I have been thinking of something along these lines recently - already have the FR drawers. Do you have any more drawings, cutouts, and precise measurements that you would be willing to share?

 

[Mike W]

Exquisite! I have been thinking of something along these lines recently - already have the FR drawers. Do you have any more drawings, cutouts, and precise measurements that you would be willing to share?

I could probably work up some plans if you are interested. You will probably want to customize it for yourself though. The main thing is how you want to design the floor and how large you want everything.

 

[NomadRad]

So I finally was inspired enough to setup my LR4 for inside sleeping. I did this for a few reasons. One is just simplicity of setup/camping. Another is weight. The LR4 is a great platform for sleeping inside not just because it is a huge box, but it also has air suspension which with the right toys can be made to auto level 4.5 degrees of pitch and roll. So you can sleep level on a lot more types of ground without ever bothering to put maxtrax or rocks under your tires.

So first the drawers. Should I have built something? @Michael new drawer system got me thinking about drawers. I did some research and I had a choice here. Timeline wise buying something is certainly easier. I am no wood worker, but my dad is basically a pro. But when looking at weight and considering materials I could have built it out of, I think a DIY version would have ended up heavier than what I ended up with.

I choose the Front Runner drawer system. It is made to fully utilize the 3rd row area and has custom panels to fill in the sides and make them usable space. They are made with aluminum extrusion, aluminum/steel panels, L track and carpet covered plywood only on top. The bottom is open. Now that is a key point.. they are light where they can be and they are open under which will become useful to this project later.

Now the weight situation. The 3rd row seats in this thing weigh about 200 lbs. You would never guess they could possibly weigh that much just looking at them in the car, but holy hell. Also, I had previously remove the 2nd row middle seat for an ARB fridge and that seat alone was heavier than the fridge. With this plan I decided to also remove the 2nd row because it is a quick 5 minute task, just 4 bolts. I could take the platform/cabinets out for family mode easily.

So the drawer system is at least 30 lbs lighter than the seats I took out.. and it give me about 5" of space under the drawer system which I can access from the front or by pulling the drawers all the way out and lifting a top panel. Great place for spare parts for the rig. I can store coolant, oil, belts, coolant pipes, EAS sensors, whatever in there. I might be able to fit the awning walls for my 23 zero 270 awning also.

Next the platform cabinets to give myself (6'2") room to sleep and store gear.

So designing this in my head was a total fail. We really did have to just get out and measure and template with cardboard. We started with the floor panels. We had to add one support board out near the door to give us a flat surface, level with the drawers. We were able to use the M10 seat bolt holes to secure the boxes. The box has to be an odd shape to use the space well... angled on one corner. We also wanted to allow access to the 3rd row foot well area and leave room for the fridge to breath and access room behind the fridge.

So they ended up looking pretty weird for shape, but loosing the space behind the boxes wouldn't be as good. 3/4" on top, 1/2" for the rest.

So the tops obviously don't need to be shaped the same. I wanted to be able to open them from each side and have it give me good sleeping area. We used piano hinges. I added some magnetic latches later. I'd like to add gas struts later also, but they stay up fine as it is. We upholstered as much as we could with the material we had, tops and sides and bottom inside. Matched the factory and front runner drawers very well. My dad is amazing... he built these start to finish in ONE day.

Driver side has a smaller lid so I can open it with my seat in the driver position without moving it. Passenger is a little larger and has a flip up panel on front to give my even more head space.

I can't begin to express just how HUGE these cabinets feel. I have room for days. I don't think I will need hardly anything out except my food bin, and I can leave my bedding out if I want or not.

Empty!?!? I have nothing else to put in here and the drawer side cubbies are almost empty too.

Camp kitchen stuff has more than enough room.

I installed an Xlifter module that lets me auto level the rig on uneven spots...

Relocated my air compressor to where the factory jack goes (I carry a safe jack kit so no need for it.) I also mounted my inverter to the other side of the drawer system in the side cubby.

And to top it off... nice little vents that just slot into the windows, with mesh screen on the inside for bugs. Good ventilation right by my head.

So.... phew... I am excited to get out. Get to test this out in Moab in a few weeks here. Hope to see some of you out on the trails.

 

[NomadRad]

So I finally was inspired enough to setup my LR4 for inside sleeping. I did this for a few reasons. One is just simplicity of setup/camping. Another is weight. The LR4 is a great platform for sleeping inside not just because it is a huge box, but it also has air suspension which with the right toys can be made to auto level 4.5 degrees of pitch and roll. So you can sleep level on a lot more types of ground without ever bothering to put maxtrax or rocks under your tires.

So first the drawers. Should I have built something? @Michael new drawer system got me thinking about drawers. I did some research and I had a choice here. Timeline wise buying something is certainly easier. I am no wood worker, but my dad is basically a pro. But when looking at weight and considering materials I could have built it out of, I think a DIY version would have ended up heavier than what I ended up with.

I choose the Front Runner drawer system. It is made to fully utilize the 3rd row area and has custom panels to fill in the sides and make them usable space. They are made with aluminum extrusion, aluminum/steel panels, L track and carpet covered plywood only on top. The bottom is open. Now that is a key point.. they are light where they can be and they are open under which will become useful to this project later.

Now the weight situation. The 3rd row seats in this thing weigh about 200 lbs. You would never guess they could possibly weigh that much just looking at them in the car, but holy hell. Also, I had previously remove the 2nd row middle seat for an ARB fridge and that seat alone was heavier than the fridge. With this plan I decided to also remove the 2nd row because it is a quick 5 minute task, just 4 bolts. I could take the platform/cabinets out for family mode easily.

So the drawer system is at least 30 lbs lighter than the seats I took out.. and it give me about 5" of space under the drawer system which I can access from the front or by pulling the drawers all the way out and lifting a top panel. Great place for spare parts for the rig. I can store coolant, oil, belts, coolant pipes, EAS sensors, whatever in there. I might be able to fit the awning walls for my 23 zero 270 awning also.

Next the platform cabinets to give myself (6'2") room to sleep and store gear.

So designing this in my head was a total fail. We really did have to just get out and measure and template with cardboard. We started with the floor panels. We had to add one support board out near the door to give us a flat surface, level with the drawers. We were able to use the M10 seat bolt holes to secure the boxes. The box has to be an odd shape to use the space well... angled on one corner. We also wanted to allow access to the 3rd row foot well area and leave room for the fridge to breath and access room behind the fridge.

So they ended up looking pretty weird for shape, but loosing the space behind the boxes wouldn't be as good. 3/4" on top, 1/2" for the rest.

So the tops obviously don't need to be shaped the same. I wanted to be able to open them from each side and have it give me good sleeping area. We used piano hinges. I added some magnetic latches later. I'd like to add gas struts later also, but they stay up fine as it is. We upholstered as much as we could with the material we had, tops and sides and bottom inside. Matched the factory and front runner drawers very well. My dad is amazing... he built these start to finish in ONE day.

Driver side has a smaller lid so I can open it with my seat in the driver position without moving it. Passenger is a little larger and has a flip up panel on front to give my even more head space.

I can't begin to express just how HUGE these cabinets feel. I have room for days. I don't think I will need hardly anything out except my food bin, and I can leave my bedding out if I want or not.

Empty!?!? I have nothing else to put in here and the drawer side cubbies are almost empty too.

Camp kitchen stuff has more than enough room.

I installed an Xlifter module that lets me auto level the rig on uneven spots...

Relocated my air compressor to where the factory jack goes (I carry a safe jack kit so no need for it.) I also mounted my inverter to the other side of the drawer system in the side cubby.

And to top it off... nice little vents that just slot into the windows, with mesh screen on the inside for bugs. Good ventilation right by my head.

So.... phew... I am excited to get out. Get to test this out in Moab in a few weeks here. Hope to see some of you out on the trails.

 

[Mike W]

Small update. I am working on replacing my dual AGM battery setup and going to a LiFePo4 setup. I figured out that I can fit two 170AH Renogy LiFePo4 batteries UNDER the drawer system. These 170AH are about 6.1" tall on their side which fits with about a fingers width between the under side of the drawer and the battery.

I'll have 4,080 watt hours of battery under here. More to follow.

 

[Mike W]

Small update. almost done, just waiting on a Wagan 1kw inverter.

I installed Facon 7-1/4"x25" RV Tank Heater Pad Under the batteries and wired it up to the Victron Smartsolar load connection so i can monitor its power use and turn it on/off via bluetooth.
The smartsolar connects via bluetooth to the VE network that the smartshunt is also on. Smartshunt has the optional temp sensor. So both can use that for temp compensation and low temp cutoff.

So far the heaters keep them at a nice 45F which is perfect. They pull ~150w when both running, but they don't run very long. I could run them for 3 full days even if they stayed on 24/7. I put some aluminum heat sinks in the middle so the heating pads have something to warm. (they were too large and covered more area than just the batteries, I didn't think folding them was a good idea as it could break the heating elements)

I have the victron 25amp shore power charge on board, so I can just directly plug in at a camp site or wherever. The 50 amp redarc is setup also. Hope the alternator can keep up with this setup.

 

[Mike W]

I should also add that I got an exped megamat duo. Its a perfect fit for this setup and is way more comfortable than that single size thermarest I had.

 

[H&B Adventures]

That looks great!

 

[Errant]

Looks good!

 

[North American Sojourner]

Looks cozy! And it's important to be cozy.
Nice work Sir.
Zim

 

[NomadRad]

I should also add that I got an exped megamat duo. Its a perfect fit for this setup and is way more comfortable than that single size thermarest I had.

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I am super impressed. Looks awesome. I would botch that job so badly with my 10 small fingers and no thumbs :). Envious. Are you interested in doing another one? If so, let me know.