Flatbed ideas

[maineman]

Any good ideas or links for an efficient flatbed plan? I'm thinking of building an aluminum flatbed with storage boxes in front of and behind the wheels and capped with a slide on nida-core cube-shaped camper. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[OutbacKamper]

I am hoping to do something very similar. I would like to build a custom aluminum flat bed with storage in front of, and behind the wheels and a trundle drawer accessible from the rear. However I may decide to buy a premade flatbed and just add the storage boxes. Here are some premade trays:

http://www.oztray.com/

http://www.uteltd.com/

Here is my favorite. It is a custom built aluminum tray owned by a friend in Australia:

Please let me know if you find any other good scources of trays/flatbeds

Cheers
Mark

on edit: here is a thread from RV.net on this subject:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/17978710.cfm

 

[Clutch]

Check out utility bed manufactures, they can fab you something up.

http://www.3wtruckandequipment.com/utility_beds_0.html

 

[maineman]

Thanks. Mark's australian friend's bed design is very, very close to what I'm planning. It makes a lot of sense doesn't it. Even when not on a trip, those boxes would come in very handy on jobsites for tool storage. Hmmm...

 

[navara-au]

Hi maineman
I have a drop side alloy flat bed (6"x6" app) on my duel cab Navara (Frontier) They are very versatile and give you a lot more space to work with also you can worry less about getting them damaged. I have ladder racks on mine for work and when I go away I use it for my 11' alloy boat or Kayak. You can also get them in steel with timber deck if you prefer that look.
Here a pic
BTW if you need any close up picks of mountings and so forth let me know.

 

[OutbacKamper]

Thanks. Mark's australian friend's bed design is very, very close to what I'm planning. It makes a lot of sense doesn't it. Even when not on a trip, those boxes would come in very handy on jobsites for tool storage. Hmmm...

I agree, but there is one thing holding me back....$$$
The custom built unit cost approx $10,000 Australian dollars, while the Oztray is about $4,000 CDN (but that is without storage boxes). Either way it is probably $8,000-10,000 CDN when you are done.

Cheers
Mark

 

[Clutch]

If you look in the Truck/Equipment Trader (USA), you may find a used one. the aluminum ones are a bit rarer, but, I have seen them pop up from time to time.

 

[maineman]

I had no idea this would cost so much money. But then again, I'm perpetually shocked at the cost of almost everything nowadays.
I wonder how much a local fab shop would charge. I'll make some visits over the next couple of weeks and let you all know what I find.

 

[navara-au]

Mine cost $1600 au fitted (standard premade tray)and the rear box's were made out of 3mm alloy and cost $280 each. The last truck I had had a box underneath, went the full length and was about 3 1/2"high, with a lid cost $4oo you can get slide out trundle for around $600. These are all Oz prices.

 

[allochris]

wow, if you have a bit of fab skills, with $1600 bucks & some time, you can get yourself a welder, & material & still have $left over after finishing the flat-deck yourself!

 

[Grim Reaper]

wow, if you have a bit of fab skills, with $1600 bucks & some time, you can get yourself a welder, & material & still have $left over after finishing the flat-deck yourself!

In the US?....keep dreaming! Go price 3mm aluminum, aluminum extrusion for the frame and a decent Tig welder that it would take to do the job.

New on a decent tig with tank you are looking about $1200-1400 on the cheap end for a Miller, Hobart or Lincoln. Yeah raw materials not counting the welder you could do it for less than $1600. Still have an easy $800 in material unless you can buy wholesale.

http://store.cyberweld.com/milec230vol.html <----that's a good low tier tig and Cyberweld is usually hard to beat on the price.

 

[maineman]

And I probabably wouldn't trust my first-time-ever tig welding skills to hold the back end of my truck together. I've learned the hard way that for some things it's best to just hire a guy who realy knows what he's doing rather than doing a half-assed job myself. It's just my yankee cheapness getting in the way again.

 

[navara-au]

Judging by this post http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=604

Someone must be mass producing flat bed trays in the states?

Mine is very similar to that (the one on the chev) and they usually make them in a few different basic sizes that will easily adapt to other vehicles.

Once you have the basic flat bed you can start adding other bits.

I was thinking about getting the self supporting set up in the photo below for my work tool box's so i could quickly remove everything on weekends.

 

[Westy]

Here is a photo of my flatbed Toyota. Still needs the aluminum floor and under-bed storage but you get the general idea...

 

[maineman]

Now that's a truck!