DIY: Wrangler Layflat Platform
Hi All,
I’ve been wanting to take this project on for a long while and I finally got around to it. I removed my back seats last year wanting to build a flat platform to provide more cargo area for camping supplies when I head out into the wilderness. It could also serve as a sleeping platform.
There were four things I wanted from the design:
1: The platform required no drilling into the Jeep
2: Easy removal for repairs
3: The strength to hold up under tow straps and rocky terrain
4: Maintain the factory look
So…here it is! More info past the pics..
The design is very simple and only requires the following items:
1: 3/4″ Oak Plywood (dont buy the cheap stuff)
2: Assorted wood screws (you can use most of the existing factory bolts for the rear seat
3: Outdoor carpet
4: Carpet glue
5: Swear words after you muck it up the first go around
6: Jig Saw with wood blade
7: 4×4 metal brackets (See pictures)
8: Saw horses
9: Circular Saw (optional…the Jig Saw worked just fine
10: Waterproof sealant for wood
11: T-square
12: 4×4 wood post
I did all of this for under $150. Most of the items on the market cost upwards of $400 and require drilling into the body of the Jeep. Enjoy the pics below. If you have any questions let me know!
The Desert Files 
June 3, 2016 at 11:30 am
Awesome! Was it hard to take out the back seats? Thinking of doing something like this when I go out on trips…. need to be able to put the back seats on for the kiddos.
June 3, 2016 at 11:56 am
Hey Simon!
Not hard to take the back seats out but it did help that I had a person helping. The seats crumple together between the single seat back and twin seat back (hope that makes sense).
It would be a bit difficult to take this out frequently to put the seats back in. You’d have to remove the screws holding the 4/4 posts in place (the screws that attach the 4×4 steel bracket to the wood) then remove the rear bolts, pull it all out, etc.
However, you might think about creating a bracket that can clamp down the back seats when they are folded down to prevent them from flopping up and down everytime you hit a bump on the trail. That way you have the whole rear space flat, you can prevent the shifting of your gear (with the bracket), and don’t have to worry about taking the back seat out.
Let me know if you need any help!