Didn't catch that you had the 3rd row out for some reason.......

 

I'm lucky if I have a need to use the third row once a year. Doesn't make sense for me to keep it in the truck...better use of that space with my SAR gear...we get called out half dozen times a year at least.

 

I use my 3rd row a ton..........4 kids !

 

well, there you go!

 

Do you have any idea how much gear a family of 6 has for a weekend trip 220 miles awway ?? Not for the weak ....that's for sure !!

 

Finished the rear head unit mount for the VHF/UHF and the associated rear speaker.


Now the last bit is to add another power source for the audio switcher and mount it in the console next to the radio. That will let me switch between the front and rear speaker without having to unplug and plug the leads. I thought of a splitter, but was unwilling to cut the audio by 1/2 to the speakers and to have both "always on".

Filling up quick:


From front (left) to rear (right), top to bottom - FireBox rechargeable lantern, Pelican rechargeable light, Yaesu FT7800 VHF/UHF face, Bearcat remote speaker, DTMF speaker for the 7800, 3 socket power port (top port for the TigerFlare charger, middle port has a PowerPort-to-Terminal adapter to power misc stuff that has bare leads, the bottom powers the RigRunner), 1 in 5 out RigRunner.

Now I'll go in and trim up the border with some angle aluminum, and maybe carpet the side bulkhead and panels. I think I'll redo the drawer face and put some plexi over the front of it.

 

thats cool, I'm also planning on building some storage back there... I have all my **** in crates and totes and its exhausting keeping up with it and finding things when I need them. I find myself using the "wrong" tool because its easier than looking for the right one.

 

Great job on that build. That'll give you a lot of useful space and it looks like it'll handle the weight of a tank!

I have a bit more modest needs and need something that will let me keep the 3rd row installed (3 kids and quad captains chairs) and leave me room for the luggage and "supplies" to drive the family to Disneyland so I went with the Cargo Caddy:

Cargo Caddy for <br>Truck, Van and SUV <br>Police SUV Organizer



With the 10% off coupon and free shipping I'm out the door for a total of $279 and it looks like it'll hold most of what I need.

 

I ended up spending just over 200 because I bought some fasteners I didn't need.

I did see those, and for my particular application I was worried that of the list of items they 'suggested' putting in, nothing was 'heavy'. I keep breaching tools, bolt cutters, the tow hitch assembly, and a lot of other heavy tools in there and the plastic had me worried.

And another thing that worried me was it makes no mention of fastening to the truck at all. In an accident if it's not fastened somehow, it will become a missile. I thought of just getting longer bolts to fit into the existing cargo tie down points and just drilling through the plastic, but in the end after pricing it out it made more sense to just build one.

Looking back on mine, I did do some serious over-engineering in the thickness of the wood I chose, etc. etc., but hey, it was a learning experience. I think I'll eventually make a metal version that will hopefully weight half as much as this one did!

 

Please post pictures of how that cargo caddy fits in your ex, and how bad the drawer (s) droop at full extension loaded. that is really cheap and I wonder how well its built. If that thing looks/works well, I might get one of those for now since I'm tight on money.