Folding Rear Deck Mod - The best of both worlds?

[LivinLite AZ]

Hello Aluminites.

I have been lamenting the butt dragging rear deck on our 13QBB on this forum for a while now. But I am working towards a 'best of both worlds' mod to allow me to have it both ways. I am seeking to gather feedback from you in hopes of vetting this concept. Some devil's advocacy to divulge fundamental flaws or point towards a better way of accomplishing this.

So, here's the plan...

1) Remove the factory rear deck and relocate the bumper to the factory location for non-decked CLs.

2) Reinforce / gusset the rear bumper / framerails since I will be adding a 2" receiver to the mix too.

3) DECKING: Source or have made two Aluminum 42"Lx80"Wx2"H decking sections - currently looking at prefab portable modular stage platforms like these:
)

4) LEGS: Some of these come with locking folding adjustable legs, so this solution might take care of the folding leg engineering aspect.

5) ATTACHMENT: I plan to use heavy duty piano hinges painted to isolate dissimilar metals and aliminum sheet metal screws to secure the deck halves together. Still a little foggy on how I want to attach it to the bumper - piano hinges if possible, or some steel brackets with some quick release receiver pins for axles at the rotation points.

5) FOLDING: The deck structure will accordion flat 'Jacob's Ladder' style to secure vertically against the back of the trailer with rubber isolators, with clasps / lock pins, etc to secure in place in transit.

7) REINFORCEMENT: I have not fully fleshed out the actual structural requirements yet. More and beefier bracing in the right places will be the ultimate solution. So the bracing shown in my mockups is just a loose proposition until I can figure that out. I want to make it sturdy enough to carry a load in transit in its half folded state. Additional bracing for this has not been factored in yet. Suggestions welcome.

6) VENTING: The lower refrigerator vent will be obscured by the deck halves in their stowed upright position. There will be a 1" to 2" air gap, but I'm not sure if that will be enough or not. If this looks to become an issue, then I could cut out a rectangular section from the frontmost deck section to line up with the fridge lower vent and use some sort of vented grate / traction plate to fill that section. This would provide more like a 4" to 5" air gap. If that's not enough, then I will do the same thing to the rear deck half too.

Our fridge will partially freeze anything on the top shelf even in its lowest setting, so I'm hoping that none of this venting monkey business will be necessary at all. However, it would be a non issue altogether if I utilize traction plate for the full deck surfaces. Something tells me this will be more expensive and heavier too. I'm still looking for a source in the size that would be required.



In a perfect world I'd like to source off the shelf components for this mod (should I be so lucky). Making it a little narrower to match the closet prefabbed deck halves I can find would be fine with me. Worst case scenario, I would need to custom build each deck half from scratch (reinforced perimeter frame, one or more bespoke sections for each deck top surface, track down the perfect folding legs and engineer a folding/locking mechanism, etc.)

Your feedback, suggestions, and criticisms are appreciated.

All this effort would provide a lightweight deck that:

• Is actually large enough to use as a real deck
• Stows up and out of the way (preserving departure angle)
• Can be deployed half unfolded to retain secondary storage capabilities in transit - technically unnecessary with our receiver basket, but nice to have on the fly.
• Allows for receiver access when deck is stowed.
• Has adjustable legs to accommodate uneven terrain when fully deployed.


Now for the images and animation. These are a little rough, but you will get the idea...

Concept Animation (not perfect)

Factory Deck Removed, Bumper Moved, Receiver Added

Stowed Upright Position

Deck Half Extended

Deck Fully Extended

Thanks for looking!

: ) Steve

[Scout]

saw this one on tv the other day. Forest river seems to have quite a few option for the folding deck. Not sure if you could find a size that fits and buy manufacturer direct?

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a1/57/29/a15729a194e0f640fdfca5b33cd80bd6--toy-hauler-rv-fifth-wheel-toy-haulers.jpg

[Merlin]

Hmmm........what's the use for the deck? Making it strong enough for a person(s) to get on might be expensive/complex/heavy. And, if so, why, as devil's advocate, would you need to sit on a deck at a campsite? On the other hand, if you just want a handy, deployable table for use at a campsite, there are gobs (technical term there) of choices for sturdy, versatile camp tables. As it is now, your camper seems to have a valuable place to put lightweight things for traveling, like outdoor mats and containers full of stuff (another technical term). I've run out of commas, so that's it for now.

[LivinLite AZ]

saw this one on tv the other day. Forest river seems to have quite a few option for the folding deck. Not sure if you could find a size that fits and buy manufacturer direct?

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a1/57/29/a15729a194e0f640fdfca5b33cd80bd6--toy-hauler-rv-fifth-wheel-toy-haulers.jpg

Hi Scout. I saw this design a while back. Thanks for chiming in : )

S

[LivinLite AZ]

Hmmm........what's the use for the deck? Making it strong enough for a person(s) to get on might be expensive/complex/heavy. And, if so, why, as devil's advocate, would you need to sit on a deck at a campsite? On the other hand, if you just want a handy, deployable table for use at a campsite, there are gobs (technical term there) of choices for sturdy, versatile camp tables. As it is now, your camper seems to have a valuable place to put lightweight things for traveling, like outdoor mats and containers full of stuff (another technical term). I've run out of commas, so that's it for now.

Hi there Merlin. Thanks for the great inquiry.

The reason I keep laboring the point of the deck mod is because it currently drags with minimal provocation (IMO).While I carefully avoided dragging it during our recent Utah trip, even with the new 3.5 inch lift + factory off road package, a couple of times I had less than an inch to spare. When we got home and I towed the CL across the minor ditch to get it into the back yard again, I dragged and popped off a tail light (for like the fifth time now).

While on our trip, we were able to get to one of our secret spots without dragging which would not have been feasible without the added lift, there are many other favorite spots we are now planning to go that would certainly mangle the bumper/deck. Hence, the deck in its current form must go so we can access these places next season.

I have been of the mind to simply cut off the deck and re-weld the bumper back on. However, I have come to appreciate the utility of the deck because it's a great place to put stuff once parked and the campsite is setup, but I don't have plans to put anything back there in transit.

So why the deck at all? Mainly because the wife wants to have a level place off the ground to put our anti gravity loungers, but I just think it's kind of cool, and handy too as mentioned above. Regarding the structural rigidity of the prefab 1m x 2m deck sections that I plan to use, they support 185 Lb pet sq/ft, but only weigh 40 lb per unit with the adjustable legs. I figure that removing the existing deck will give me back 30 or so pounds, so adding 85lb back in isn't such a big deal, towing wise.

We are already flush with tables of various kinds and it would feel indulgent to put one on our new deck with room to spare. Now about those fridge vents...

Best,
   Steve