neduro
Member
Well, that escalated quickly!
After a bunch of research, I decided to build my own flatbed. All the commercial bed options I looked at raise the bed by a minimum of 5” above the frame, and some as much as 7”. Since the interior dimension of my box is fixed at 52” to fit a bike, a taller bed translates to more height, more restrictions at places like airports, and presumably, worse fuel economy. So off I go on a project, and it started with a buying spree.
The first step was a trip to the steel shop, where I bought a load of stuff I thought might come in useful for the project.
Amazon sent a ton of stuff as well (nice of them)- goal was to have everything here before I need it, so I got L-track and bedliner and interior lighting and other odds and ends on their way.
I haven’t decided if I will put a box under the bed, behind the rear wheel. I’ll get into the project and decide whether the space looks useful. In front of the wheel it looks like it would be too shallow to be worth the trouble.
My idea for the outer structure was to use a piece of pipe cut lengthwise into quarters, so that I can lap all my sheet material underneath and minimize outside edges (as well as looking nice). To that end, I bought a piece of 8” pipe and set to work with the plasma cutter:
But after quartering it, the resulting quarter round just isn’t as rigid as I want. So, I think I will build an interior structure and skin it, which might be simpler. I’ve been debating if I want the box to taper toward the top, but that makes fab more complicated and the widest part of a motorcycle is also the highest part (handlebars), so I am inclined to make it square.
The doors will have a piano hinge welded to the steel structure at the top, and to the steel structure behind the door. I debated going with a beefier hinge but don’t think (hope?) it is necessary for the application. I’ll put a gas shock on both sides to support the doors in the up position. If that doesn’t work well, I can always replace them with some sort of mechanical approach.
The doors will latch down with two paddles latches each. The side doors will each have interior latches that, when closed, mean the doors can’t be opened from the outside. I’m picturing a two levers that engage the steel door frame, one at the front of the door and one at the rear, which can be left open when security is not an issue and locked when it might be. You’d have to be inside the box to lock or unlock them.
However, I want the rear door to use the stock locking mechanism.
This way, when I walk away from the truck, I can lock it with a push of the button. That’s going to take some figuring, but it seems possible to accomplish, and like it would make me happy every single time. Along these lines, another item I want to relocate are the Parksense sensors. The flatbed shops I’ve talked to claim it is a pain, but I don’t know if they just aren’t used to it, or they require some sort of calibration? I’m hoping to reuse the door and structure for DEF and Fuel. That will take a little fab but looks doable.
Last night I thought I’d pull the bumper as a starting point, but that went well and pretty soon the bed was off too.
I’m a bit terrified by how much I’m biting off here. This feels like the kind of project that could creep into weeks of work (and no truck to use!), but I’m not impressed enough with anything I’ve seen commercially available to go that route. My operational philosophy is “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic”.
Continuing with the banal nautical themed platitudes, I am taking the Cortez approach: when he reached the new world, he burned his ships, so his men would be motivated. In my case, with the bed off, I can’t drive the truck, so it is time to get to work!
After a bunch of research, I decided to build my own flatbed. All the commercial bed options I looked at raise the bed by a minimum of 5” above the frame, and some as much as 7”. Since the interior dimension of my box is fixed at 52” to fit a bike, a taller bed translates to more height, more restrictions at places like airports, and presumably, worse fuel economy. So off I go on a project, and it started with a buying spree.
The first step was a trip to the steel shop, where I bought a load of stuff I thought might come in useful for the project.
Amazon sent a ton of stuff as well (nice of them)- goal was to have everything here before I need it, so I got L-track and bedliner and interior lighting and other odds and ends on their way.
I haven’t decided if I will put a box under the bed, behind the rear wheel. I’ll get into the project and decide whether the space looks useful. In front of the wheel it looks like it would be too shallow to be worth the trouble.
My idea for the outer structure was to use a piece of pipe cut lengthwise into quarters, so that I can lap all my sheet material underneath and minimize outside edges (as well as looking nice). To that end, I bought a piece of 8” pipe and set to work with the plasma cutter:
But after quartering it, the resulting quarter round just isn’t as rigid as I want. So, I think I will build an interior structure and skin it, which might be simpler. I’ve been debating if I want the box to taper toward the top, but that makes fab more complicated and the widest part of a motorcycle is also the highest part (handlebars), so I am inclined to make it square.
The doors will have a piano hinge welded to the steel structure at the top, and to the steel structure behind the door. I debated going with a beefier hinge but don’t think (hope?) it is necessary for the application. I’ll put a gas shock on both sides to support the doors in the up position. If that doesn’t work well, I can always replace them with some sort of mechanical approach.
The doors will latch down with two paddles latches each. The side doors will each have interior latches that, when closed, mean the doors can’t be opened from the outside. I’m picturing a two levers that engage the steel door frame, one at the front of the door and one at the rear, which can be left open when security is not an issue and locked when it might be. You’d have to be inside the box to lock or unlock them.
However, I want the rear door to use the stock locking mechanism.
This way, when I walk away from the truck, I can lock it with a push of the button. That’s going to take some figuring, but it seems possible to accomplish, and like it would make me happy every single time. Along these lines, another item I want to relocate are the Parksense sensors. The flatbed shops I’ve talked to claim it is a pain, but I don’t know if they just aren’t used to it, or they require some sort of calibration? I’m hoping to reuse the door and structure for DEF and Fuel. That will take a little fab but looks doable.
Last night I thought I’d pull the bumper as a starting point, but that went well and pretty soon the bed was off too.
I’m a bit terrified by how much I’m biting off here. This feels like the kind of project that could creep into weeks of work (and no truck to use!), but I’m not impressed enough with anything I’ve seen commercially available to go that route. My operational philosophy is “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic”.
Continuing with the banal nautical themed platitudes, I am taking the Cortez approach: when he reached the new world, he burned his ships, so his men would be motivated. In my case, with the bed off, I can’t drive the truck, so it is time to get to work!
