Forum Discussion

93Cobra2771's avatar
93Cobra2771
Explorer
Oct 15, 2014

Under frame cooking table storage for travel trailer

As I'm sure a lot of you do, I travel with a cooking table to do most of our cooking outside. However, having a travel trailer, storage of a six foot long cooking table is a bit of an issue. I got tired of carting the table in and out of the camper, as I had to store it on top of the bed when traveling.

I considered getting a folding table that folds to three feet. After looking at them, I realized I would never be happy with how they don't open up perfectly level. After all, how are you supposed to cook a killer batch of bacon if all the grease won't pool up where you need it to on the griddle?

So, I started brainstorming on a way to carry the table. Really, the only place that would work was under the frame of the TT. The trick: how to do it with a minimum of weight but strong enough to not give any problem?

I searched the internet over for ideas. Found a few that stored their spare tire, and other odds and ends under frame. However, my TT has an enclosed underbelly, so I wasn't going to be able to use any of that space.

I decided that slotted angle would be the best bet. I would make some drop brackets and bolt them to outside lip of the ibeam frame. Then run a six foot piece of angle to the other side of the TT. I even considered using the angle to make a sort of underbelly box that I could store other things in, such as chairs, etc.

As I started sketching it up, I began to realize that it might be more cumbersome than I first thought. My plan was to let the edges of the table rest on the angle and basically slide it in and out kind of like a drawer.

As I was brainstorming with a friend, he remarked how neat it would be if it could be on rollers, kind of like a garage door. Just so happened, I have rollers, and garage door rails!

Now, I was cooking. New plan.

Drill into the side of the table, and stick garage door rollers right in to the table. I drilled through the soft plastic and then into the metal frame of the table, like so:


image by 93Cobra#2771, on Flickr

Mount garage door rail instead of angle. Much lighter weight. Plus, if it can hold up a 300# garage door, I imagine it will be OK with a ten pound table. I drilled four holes per rail. I had to mount to the outside lip only, as the inside lip wasn't accessible without cutting into the underbelly, as well as notching a piece of channel that the underbelly is retained by. *Note, in this photo, the angle and the rail are temp mounted for mock up purposes.

image by 93Cobra#2771, on Flickr

Once I got the rails spaced correctly, and mounted (I used grade 8 hardware on all of it), I then fashioned a removable piece of slotted flat, with pins and clips, to retain the table in place while traveling FYI, the table is 6'. The distance from the outside edge of my driverside ibeam to the outside edge of my passenger side ibeam is exactly 6'. Happy accident. The below picture isn't great, but you get the idea. And, even though it looks like it is crooked, it is actually perfectly straight - curvature of the lens on the camera makes it look bent.

image by 93Cobra#2771, on Flickr

I have close to 1000 miles on this mod, and everything looks as good as the day it was installed.

I was originally going to paint it black, and my do that in the future. However, I'm so dang proud of it that I'm leaving it as is so people will see it and ask about it. :-)

Hope this helps someone in their quest on how to transport their cooking table.

20 Replies

  • DrewE wrote:
    Very slick and clever!

    Do you travel with the table upside down or right side up? I'd think the legs might be prone to flop out if it's right side up, which would obviously be a bad thing, but upside down it would seem likely to collect any water that splashes up.


    I initially was going to do it right side up. Then realized I would have to fashion a way to keep the legs retained with a pin or such. Decided I would go the more simple route and go upside down.

    The table fits VERY close to the underbelly, so I'm hoping that it won't be full of water when I go check it out today.

    I considered the folding tables, but a few of my friends have them and they don't sit level enough for me.
  • goducks10 wrote:
    JMO but wouldn't it be easier to haul two 2'x4' tables flat in your truck bed?
    I've struggled with both and the two 2'x4' is easier to deal with.
    Nice idea though.


    or a table that hinges in the middle, don't remember the exact sizes that I have seen.
    bumpy
  • Very slick and clever!

    Do you travel with the table upside down or right side up? I'd think the legs might be prone to flop out if it's right side up, which would obviously be a bad thing, but upside down it would seem likely to collect any water that splashes up.
  • goducks10 wrote:
    JMO but wouldn't it be easier to haul two 2'x4' tables flat in your truck bed?
    I've struggled with both and the two 2'x4' is easier to deal with.
    Nice idea though.


    I typically throw our chairs (4), loading blocks (4 stacks), sewer hose support (1), firepit and assorted firewood, 14" small round weber grill, and other assorted odds and ends in there. Gets a bit crowded.

    Plus, my bed is the 5-1/2' bed, so the table won't fit in there with the tailgate up unless I leave it sticking out the top. And I really like only having one table to deal with.

    Which means my bakflip bed cover has to be opened up at least one panel. Which gets my chairs wet if it's raining.

    So, no, it wouldn't be easier. :-)
  • JMO but wouldn't it be easier to haul two 2'x4' tables flat in your truck bed?
    I've struggled with both and the two 2'x4' is easier to deal with.
    Nice idea though.
  • downtheroad wrote:
    Good idea, nice write up.
    Question: Does the table get filthy riding under there while on the road?


    That is a great question. I will know today when I go check it out. We just got back from Myrtle Beach, and the last 150 miles were in the rain.

    I can say that in non rain conditions, table seemed to stay pretty darn clean with very little dust. It is mounted three feet in front of the TT wheels.

    If I feel it is getting too much filth on it while traveling, I'll put a wind deflector made of coreplast in front of it to shoot the air down. In fact, I could fully box it in with coreplast if I wanted, as I work for a printing company and I can get 4x8 sheets of black coreplast at cost.
  • Looks really good. But it wouldn't work for me as I travel a lot of Forest rds and it would get covered with mud & dirt. But for paved rds mostly and campgrounds it looks like just the ticket. Nice write up and pics.
  • Good idea, nice write up.
    Question: Does the table get filthy riding under there while on the road?

About DIY Maintenance

RV projects you can tackle on your own with a few friendly pointers.4,382 PostsLatest Activity: Jul 24, 2025