Back seat doggie deck

[Truckin']

Our first and most important project was to make a safe and comfortable place for our dogs to ride. We spent the first weekend we had our Ridge designing and building this deck.

We'd spent enough time at the dealer crawling through the trucks on their lot, that I realized making something sturdy and level would be tricky. That's when the inspiration came to me to buy the underseat storage to provide the back end support for the deck. We made the front legs fold to make it easier to get the wood planks in and out of the back.

The front area of the floor space isn't level either, so we had to make the outside leg slightly longer than each inside leg. We used half inch plywood for the plank.

I also insisted that we make this in two pieces, allowing for the split seat to operate by taking out one or the other of the planks. That way if we want to give a person a ride, I can sit in the back with the dogs requiring minimal effort to rearrange their dog bed to stash the smaller plank under their cushions.

The plank behind the passenger seat is longer because I have shorter legs, so my front seat is pulled forward. There's no reason besides this to make it a different width than the piece behind the driver's seat.

[Truckin']

After we got this far, we had to go back to the design table. The front legs fold back under the plank and they collasped under the dogs on our test drive. We still wanted the hinges there, and a brace would have compromised the access to the small storage area from the doorway.

I had a bright idea: Drill a hold and drop a bolt down the center. That works great, it keeps the legs solidly in place. You can see it on the top of the carpet. We glued on a large washer and attached a chain to keep it handy. Next we had to secure the back a bit to keep it from slipping forward. We made a small wooden "L" that snugs right up to the corner of the underseat storage. Just for good measure, I added a velcro strip on the inside edge where the boards meet.

[Truckin']

The end result is a very sturdy, cozy accommodation for our furry children. They are content and happy in their new truck.

You can see in one of the pics that I have the small seat down for a passenger. I've riden there and it's not bad. The girls love me being in back with them.

[Northwood]

Wow, that's a lot of work and love.
Wanna see a pic of my dog carrier?

[Truckin']

Sure. Does your dog carrier go in the cab or the truck bed? Just as long as they get to go, most dogs love rides.

[F6Hawk]

I can't believe you make your dogs ride on that harsh, uncomfortable carpet. What kind of dog lover installs carpet without padding? The NERVE!

Just kidding, great job, it looks very nice! My dog is small, so I think she will fit nicely on the floor in front of the seats. But it gives me an idea for how to handle those long, cross-country trips!

[nwdiver]

Truckin', what do you have on the armrests? You've got a good idea there...we put our two Whippets in the back--they loved it except they couldn't look out the windows.

[ridgeNH]

Thanks for the tip,

Going to buy the under seat storage system next and build one for my dogs.

[SSquire]

Couldn't you just as easily build support for the rear, rather than buy a storage system? I'll have to look when I pick mine up.

[Texmex1]

Wow, I just use an old sleeping bag folded over in my Ridgeline, and our Lab loves it