A platform mountable in a lower part of a die casting machine below the platens. The platform includes at least one pair of first and second coupled plates, the first plate affixed to an underlying base of the platform. The second plate is movable between first retracted positions overlaying the first plate to a second extended end-to-end co-planar position relative to the first plate to form an elongated co-planar platform surface. The base can support two pairs of coupled and longitudinally spaced first and second plates. An actuator coupled to each second plate for moving each second plate between the first retracted position and the second extended position.