Slide Out tray options for cargo area?

[jclark]

I have a 4-door and am looking for options/recommendations on a slide out tray for the cargo area that will still allow access to the infloor OEM storage compartments and allow me to secure gear (like a cooler, gear boxes, etc.). I also have a Trailgater tailgate table and would like to be able to use that when sliding out the tray. Are there options other than Diabolical and M2M to consider? Is anyone using either with the Trailgater tailgate table?

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[CalvinT]

I think Buckle-Up makes something like the Ford slide out tailgate.

I saw the Diabolical slide out at Overland Expo West. I took a close look and had a lot of questions for them. Nice people btw.

It's a nice looking unit. It will allow access to the OEM storage compartments without having to remove the drawer. You just pull it all the way out and you can pull up the Ford floor panel.

It comes in three boxes. You can order the first one now, and the others later. There's no difference in price.

1. Slide Floor 2.0, which has a 4 inch or 6 inch face plate. Useful as a fridge slide. Supports 400 lbs.
2. Slide Floor Cover, turns the Slide Floor into a drawer. There's a 2.5 inch gap between the Slide Floor Cover to clear a tailgate table.
3. Bronco Stage Drawer Faceplate, comes in 4 inch or 6 inch height. Allows you to lock the Slide Floor.

I'm putting it on my list for new additions for next year.

 

[jclark]

I think Buckle-Up makes something like the Ford slide out tailgate.

I saw the Diabolical slide out at Overland Expo West. I took a close look and had a lot of questions for them. Nice people btw.

It's a nice looking unit. It will allow access to the OEM storage compartments without having to remove the drawer. You just pull it all the way out and you can pull up the Ford floor panel.

It comes in three boxes. You can order the first one now, and the others later. There's no difference in price.

1. Slide Floor 2.0, which has a 4 inch or 6 inch face plate. Useful as a fridge slide. Supports 400 lbs.
2. Slide Floor Cover, turns the Slide Floor into a drawer. There's a 2.5 inch gap between the Slide Floor Cover to clear a tailgate table.
3. Bronco Stage Drawer Faceplate, comes in 4 inch or 6 inch height. Allows you to lock the Slide Floor.

I'm putting it on my list for new additions for next year.

I havent' seen the Diabolical in person, but did have a chance to see the M2M at Super Cell East. It was installed with the full M2M cargo area molle panels (so panels on each side of the cargo area as well). Becasue it is designed to work with their side panels, I believe the spacing of the rails and tray are a bit narrower than the Diabolical. It is also a bit shorter front to back since the tray edge is square and set back to clear the tailgate bump out on the non-hinge side of the tailgate door. It was sturdy, easy to operate and the tie down edges and openings in the tray surface itself seems to provide lots of tie down versatility. I also like the "flat" front edge - so no lip to catch on things loading and unloading.

M2M approached accessing the in floor storage by having a removeable part of the back of the tray. Diabolical approaches this (based on videos I've seen) by releasing the tray from the slides so that you can pull it a bit more out beyond the normal stop point. I'm not sure if this has a secondary stop to keep the tray from being all the way out of the rails or not - as I have this fear of being on an incline and having the whole tray slide out of the rails when trying to get to the floor storage....

I also believe the Diabolical tray is deeper - so more surface area to reach over to get to the infloor storage when needed. They don't have the dimensions on their web site, so I've contacted them for that info.

 

[CalvinT]

I havent' seen the Diabolical in person, but did have a chance to see the M2M at Super Cell East. It was installed with the full M2M cargo area molle panels (so panels on each side of the cargo area as well). Becasue it is designed to work with their side panels, I believe the spacing of the rails and tray are a bit narrower than the Diabolical. It is also a bit shorter front to back since the tray edge is square and set back to clear the tailgate bump out on the non-hinge side of the tailgate door. It was sturdy, easy to operate and the tie down edges and openings in the tray surface itself seems to provide lots of tie down versatility. I also like the "flat" front edge - so no lip to catch on things loading and unloading (Diabolical offers this as a configuration option as well).

M2M approached accessing the in floor storage by having a removeable part of the back of the tray. Diabolical approaches this (based on videos I've seen) by releasing the tray from the slides so that you can pull it a bit more out beyond the normal stop point. I'm not sure if this has a secondary stop to keep the tray from being all the way out of the rails or not - as I have this fear of being on an incline and having the whole tray slide out of the rails when trying to get to the floor storage....

I also believe the Diabolical tray is deeper - so more surface area to reach over to get to the infloor storage when needed. They don't have the dimensions on their web site, so I've contacted them for that info.

I'm trying to remember if he had to release anything to access the floor storage. Not sure. But access looked good to me. They didn't have a lot in the tray so not sure about access. I guess I'll have to wait for next year's Overland Expo to take a closer look. I'm also not clear on how flush the top would be with the floor when the seats are folded. But I know there was no gap. They mentioned using a mattress.

I agree with your fear of being on an incline.

 

[jclark]

I'm trying to remember if he had to release anything to access the floor storage. Not sure. But access looked good to me. They didn't have a lot in the tray so not sure about access. I guess I'll have to wait for next year's Overland Expo to take a closer look. I'm also not clear on how flush the top would be with the floor when the seats are folded. But I know there was no gap. They mentioned using a mattress.

I agree with your fear of being on an incline.

Another option I found in web research - but haven't seen in person or read anything additional about - is the Packhorse by Wicked Relics Offroad. https://www.wickedrelicsoffroad.com/product-page/overland-sliding-cargo-system

 

[CalvinT]

I want one with a top so I can also sleep in the back.

 

[RagnarKon]

My personal favorite is American Adventure Lab (link). They have something called the "MASS" system of modular drawers, slides, etc. Super high-quality, super awesome stuff.

The downside is shipping can be quite a bit. Not an issue if you are local-ish (southern Utah). But to get a basic setup out to me on the east coast was $550 in shipping alone. So I personally couldn't justify it. But, if I suddenly came across a bucket of money, I'm buying that.

I ended up with the factory slide-out tailgate. Has tie-town points for securing gear, allows access to the cargo storage, and it works perfectly my Trailgater (video here). It can also double as a table, a chair, you can sleep on it with a flat load floor—whatever—just very flexible overall. Most of the other slide-out trays on the market can only really be used for storage, so I wasn't real crazy about the lack of flexibility. My hunch from your post is you really only care about the storage, so it's probably not what you're looking for honestly. But it was the best combination of price (coupon codes & FordPass points helped) and function for me at the time I bought it.

 

[jclark]

I want one with a top so I can also sleep in the back.

Diabolitical will be the way to go on that front - I haven't seen any other options outside of a storage box that accommodates that use case - and you loose access to the OEM floor storage with those.

For me, I want to put a 12v fridge in the back, along with some storage boxes and have a method to keep them secure and still have access to the infloor storage. I have the DV8 in floor storage box to get more room out of that area for storage and keep my tools, hand saw, tire repair kit, and a bottle jack in that - and still carry the OEM scissor jack, flag, and some other items in the other in floor area. Mostly things I don't use unless there is an issue or break down - but still want to have with me.

This is also my every day driver - and I don't have the storage boxes with recovery and air gear or fridge with me most of the time - but when I do, I want a way to keep from sliding around, and still have access to the in floor area if needed.

Lots of options if I don't want access to the in floor storage and to build out as a dedicated overland config - but not too many for just securing items in the back with access to the in floor storage.

 

[jclark]

My personal favorite is American Adventure Lab (link). They have something called the "MASS" system of modular drawers, slides, etc. Super high-quality, super awesome stuff.

The downside is shipping can be quite a bit. Not an issue if you are local-ish (southern Utah). But to get a basic setup out to me on the east coast was $550 in shipping alone. So I personally couldn't justify it. But, if I suddenly came across a bucket of money, I'm buying that.

I ended up with the factory slide-out tailgate. Has tie-town points for securing gear, allows access to the cargo storage, and it works perfectly my Trailgater (video here). It can also double as a table, a chair, you can sleep on it with a flat load floor—whatever—just very flexible overall. Most of the other slide-out trays on the market can only really be used for storage, so I wasn't real crazy about the lack of flexibility. My hunch from your post is you really only care about the storage, so it's probably not what you're looking for honestly. But it was the best combination of price (coupon codes & FordPass points helped) and function for me at the time I bought it.

I've actually watched a few of your videos - including that one. The Ford tailgate is a nice option to extend surface area and still have everyday access to the cargo area and in floor storage - and bonus that it levels out the back with the seats down.

If that were the use case I was going for - it would be at the top of my list.

I have some items form AAL - great products - but outrageous shipping costs. After multiple options for mounting recovery boards on the back of my Bronco, I ended up with their spare tire mounting option but delayed ordering it because shipping was crazy expensive - even after contacting them to confirm the web site calculated it correctly, they responded acknowleding the costs were "a little absurd but accurate". Their MASS system is top notch - but I loose access to the in floor storage.

I think I need a second Bronco so that I can dedicate one to offroad storage and one for everday driving... lol.

 

[RagnarKon]

I've actually watched a few of your videos - including that one. The Ford tailgate is a nice option to extend surface area and still have everyday access to the cargo area and in floor storage - and bonus that it levels out the back with the seats down.

If that were the use case I was going for - it would be at the top of my list.

I have some items form AAL - great products - but outrageous shipping costs. After multiple options for mounting recovery boards on the back of my Bronco, I ended up with their spare tire mounting option but delayed ordering it because shipping was crazy expensive - even after contacting them to confirm the web site calculated it correctly, they responded acknowleding the costs were "a little absurd but accurate". Their MASS system is top notch - but I loose access to the in floor storage.

I think I need a second Bronco so that I can dedicate one to offroad storage and one for everday driving... lol.

I too would like two Broncos.

Anyway, you can still access the underfloor storage with the AAL solution. They have little square clip-in covers that pop up and give you access.

I think a good “basic” AAL setup would be the following:

• MASS Platform
• Fridge slide
• 7x4 flat slide (probably optional)

BUT, yes… shipping will be an issue. And for that alone it’ll probably knock it out of the running.

 

[jclark]

I too would like two Broncos.

Anyway, you can still access the underfloor storage with the AAL solution. They have little square clip-in covers that pop up and give you access.

I think a good “basic” AAL setup would be the following:

• MASS Platform
• Fridge slide
• 7x4 flat slide (probably optional)

BUT, yes… shipping will be an issue. And for that alone it’ll probably knock it out of the running.

That would def be a very nice setup.

I don't see where the MASS offers access to the OEM jack storage area, but I do like the overall concept of the support structure and then pannels on top.

I'm also using a smaller 12v fridge then most (Iceco APL35) - so I need a slide that allows for a more narrow fridge (even the Iceco offering for this is wider than it needs to be). I don't want to give up half of the back for a slide base if I don't need to -

 

[CalvinT]

My personal favorite is American Adventure Lab (link). They have something called the "MASS" system of modular drawers, slides, etc. Super high-quality, super awesome stuff.

The downside is shipping can be quite a bit. Not an issue if you are local-ish (southern Utah). But to get a basic setup out to me on the east coast was $550 in shipping alone. So I personally couldn't justify it. But, if I suddenly came across a bucket of money, I'm buying that.

I ended up with the factory slide-out tailgate. Has tie-town points for securing gear, allows access to the cargo storage, and it works perfectly my Trailgater (video here). It can also double as a table, a chair, you can sleep on it with a flat load floor—whatever—just very flexible overall. Most of the other slide-out trays on the market can only really be used for storage, so I wasn't real crazy about the lack of flexibility. My hunch from your post is you really only care about the storage, so it's probably not what you're looking for honestly. But it was the best combination of price (coupon codes & FordPass points helped) and function for me at the time I bought it.

It doesn't look like the Ford slide-out tailgate allows for storage. It's just a shelf that extends. Or am I missing something?

 

[jclark]

It doesn't look like the Ford slide-out tailgate allows for storage. It's just a shelf that extends. Or am I missing something?

From my research, it allows for full access to the OEM in floor storage, and a tad of extra storage under the top platform and behind the pull out when in its stored position (the pull out is not as deep as the full cargo deck). It also maintains the OEM tie down locations.

My need for the pull out is to bring secured gear (like a fridge) out from the cargo area for accessibility. Since I have a tailgate table on my tailgate, that's just as convenient to open up if I need surface area for something (versus a pull out tailgate work surface).

 

[RagnarKon]

It doesn't look like the Ford slide-out tailgate allows for storage. It's just a shelf that extends. Or am I missing something?

No storage. Well... I guess there is a tiny bit of new storage under the load floor. But in general, no storage.

I think what @jclark is looking for (he can correct me if needed) is a basically a shelf (or several shelves) that he can tie stuff down to, that also pulls out for accessibility and also so he can reach the small storage compartments under the load floor. Not necessarily looking for drawers or storage cabinets or anything.

I also was looking for something similar, but didn't really like what I was finding aftermarket. There are the giant shelves from Diabolical and M2M that were discussed already, but I personally don't necessarily want one huge giant shelf. The slideout tailgate is what I compromised on, but the big downside is if you want to access stuff under the load floor, you have to take everything out of the Bronco.

 

[jclark]

No storage. Well... I guess there is a tiny bit of new storage under the load floor. But in general, no storage.

I think what @jclark is looking for (he can correct me if needed) is a basically a shelf (or several shelves) that he can tie stuff down to, that also pulls out for accessibility and also so he can reach the small storage compartments under the load floor. Not necessarily looking for drawers or storage cabinets or anything.

I also was looking for something similar, but didn't really like what I was finding aftermarket. There are the giant shelves from Diabolical and M2M that were discussed already, but I personally don't necessarily want one huge giant shelf. The slideout tailgate is what I compromised on, but the big downside is if you want to access stuff under the load floor, you have to take everything out of the Bronco.

Goose and AAL both make "system" floors that allow various add on mounting options for drawers, slides etc. Both sacrifice most or part of the access to the OEM in floor storage.

I've replaced the platic molded in floor OEM box with the metal DV8 offering - nearly doubled storage in that area for me, allowing me to put nearly all of my tools, hand saw, tire repair kit and bottle jack and accessories in that single storage area. And I still carry my OEM scissor jack and a few other odds and ends stored in the OEM jack area. It's very useful space that I don't want to loose use/access to - even though most of the time I hope I don't need access to it or use of the stuff in it....

When we go on rides or road trips, I have a 12v fridge and at least 1 hard case and a bin for my recovery gear and air equipment (It's a Raptor, no option for in engine mounting of a compressor). I actually went with the ToughBuilt stacking tool storage system becasue the mechanism to detach them is one button on the front - which makes them easy to get to when stacked in the back cargo area. When I drive on trails with this setup - it will and does shift. Thus the desire to want a tie down option.

...which is why I had landed on something like the M2M pull out tray (Diabolitcal, Packhorse, etc.).

The unicorn would be a slide out platform that still allows for access to the in floor storage, AND lets me install a slide out for the 12v fridge on top of it - so I could pull out just the fridge, or the entire back...

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