Bed Extension

[tx river rat]

Mike
This was built from scrap I had around the house

The frame is built out of 1 1/2 square tubing .072 wall or 14 gauge
with 1/2 water pipe as brace mashed flat on ends

I put a couple loops that I could fasten ropes to and got some screw in bed
pocket adapters and a couple screw clevises

instead of looking for a piece of 2 inch tubing I tacked a rod on the top rear of tube and bottom front to give me more angle

I had to cut and bend the tube up some more so it was level with the bed
burned a hole for the pin and it was ready.

ok for the improvements use 1" pipe for the cross bar instead of square tubing slide on plastic pipe for rollers and then a pool noodle over that
then use bolts thru the pipe instead of welding on pegs.
With ropes attached it carries load really well no bounce
Hope this helps
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

Nice job, Ron. Looks like I can "borrow" the neighbor's clothes pole and git to work.

 

[FlaMike]

That's just great, Ron!

I've saved all the above so I can print it out and put it in front of my next door neighbor's nose. As I said, he's a welder and probably has everything needed to build one of these just laying about in his shop.

The guy's built several trailers to haul cars around, so something like this should be a breeze for him.

Might have him replace that ball hitch that's bolted to my truck's bumper with one of those square tube, pug-in hitches, then make the bed extender so it will plug in to that.

Got a 12 ft aluminum boat sitting around that I have no use for, think I'll trade him that for the work.

I can see where this will work fine for my Pirogue, with it's flat bottom. The next boat will be one of Matt's multi-panel designs, so I'm thinking that a pool noodle cradle in the bed of the truck will let me use the extension for that one too.

I'll keep my PVC boat rack, as it makes a good storage rack for the Pirogue. Besides, if I want to carry two boats, I can put one on the rack, the other below it, using the extension. Might have to make a second extension for that, as the boat under the PVC rack will sit a little higher, but that would be easy enough to do. (Sorry, just thinking out loud here.)

Thanks again!

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[tx river rat]

Mike
You can make the extender wider and carry two boats on it and if you want to get fancy u can make the center adjustable for a v bottom.
also If you don't want to replace your hitch just buy an inexpensive ball hitch and mount on the end of the tube with a couple of pieces welded to the side to keep it from rotating go to a little bigger ropes. question does your bumper have just a hole for the ball, are one for the ball and one on each side of it.
Ron

 

[FlaMike]

The truck is a 2000 or 2001 Nissan Frontier XE. The rear bumper has a step in it, with a single hole for the ball. There are a pair of hole next to the ball mount, but they are for those clips that help hold the plastic piece that covers the step.

As far as how to make this a "quick-detach" unit for my truck, I'll probably leave the details to Charlie, the next door neighbor. He's a bit of a genius when it comes to that sort of thing.

For the roller thing on the end, I can see where it would be pretty easy to make that part detachable, using pins to secure it, a flat one for flat-bottom boats, another for those with more of a "V" bottom.

Here, I'm talking about maybe the last foot of the extender being a separate piece, that slides on and off, being held in place by a large pin, one of those with a clip through it to hold it in place. I forget what you call them. ("a separate piece," that would make for a nice book title! )
Of course, the idea is to keep it simple, I'll not do anything to mess that up. As I said, they way you built yours, it would be no real trouble or expense to make one for both types of boat bottoms.

The one "complication" I will probably add would be a detachable "light bar" that would let me hang some boat trailer lights on the end, just in case I find myself driving with this rig after dark. (Just for safety, I mean.)

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[Kayak Jack]

Hell, Mike. I'd put a drink holder out on the end of it. Truckers could sneak up behind, grab a sip, and melt back into the darkness - all unbeknownst to you.

At home, when seeing an empty bottle in the rack, you get that warm feeling that you've extended (REALLY extended) hospitality to the Knights of the Road.

 

[a Bald Cypress]

ext

Mike,

With the Nissan, just put a ball in the hole. Go to any trailer place and buy the reciever end and weld it on.

It will just hook up like a trailer.

At least thats what I would do. Unless you really want a removable type hitch set up.

 

[FlaMike]

Hey, Ron!

What do you think of that idea Bald Cypress posted about using the trailer hitch on your bed extension?

Been thinking about that, and at first, I wasn't so sure about it, as it's not all that stable, compared to mounting the extension on one of those square tube, plug-in things.

But now I'm thinking that shouldn't be a problem at all, since the extension is stabilized by the two ropes running from the truck bed corners out to the cross-bar at the end of the extension.

The more I think about it, the more I like it. (Thanks, Baldy! ) And I already have a ball hitch mounted on the bumper.

Thing is, I've no experience with any sort of extension like this, so I' like to hear what you think, before I turn the pics and text over to my neighbor for building one.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[tx river rat]

Mike
Ok with a hitch hook up welded to the bed extender have your buddy weld two pieces on the hitch one on each side that rest on the bumper
an angle will work well this will stabilize the hitch so it can't roll from side to side. I will say this with that set up you are changing my concept from the extender holding the weight and the ropes as braces to sole dependency on the ropes and the stake pockets. also that will let the back bounce up where my setup is stiff.
Ron

 

[FlaMike]

Thanks, Ron.

I think I understood all that. Sounds to me like I might be better off going with the original idea. I have no problem with installing one of those square tube-type "plug-in" trailer hitches, but I'll turn the whole idea over to Charlie, next door. Mechanics is his thing.

I'm late getting out the door, gotta 'run!

Thanks again.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[Kayak Jack]

Ron, I follow your thinking. Instead of having a pivot point a like it would be with a ball hitch, you are saying that a square tube slud into a square socket will not bounce up and down?

If a guy used rope to pull up the back of the boat, it has only tension. If a pole or rod was added to limit the upper travel of the ropes, then they would pull up tight against that and travel (bounce) would be limited. The further out the rods are attached, the better the bounce damping would be.

Jack

 

[seedtick]

watch Harbor freight or similar store near you for sales. I bought a "store bought" one for $20.

The tail piece is about three feet long and fits into the two inch receiver with a pin and the cross piece is tee shaped and drops into the end of the tail piece and is adjustable for height, the top of the tee is four feet wide.

I can't go to the scrap pile and cut out, layout, weld and paint for $20

 

[bearridge]

Friend FlaMike,

There iz a heap a things ya kin do with a hitch...receiver. Pull a big trailer, several folks (Fulton 'n Yakima) sell racks that plug in, a heap a fellas round here plug in a tray they put a cooler, charcoal, assorted junk (so they have more room inside), etc. Go ta a SEC football game 'n walk the parkin' lots....some folks plug a whole kitchen inta their hitches.

No tellin' what that convict Martha Stewart kin come up with. :?

regards
bearridge

Some earnest souls have gone so far as to aver that impeachment has distracted President Clinton from ... raising taxes, destroying health care, appointing 1960s bakeheads to high political office, soliciting felonious campaign contributions, hanging friends out to dry for Arkansas real estate frauds, giving missile secrets to the Chinese, taking credit for the benefits of a free market about which he knows little and cares less, using U.S. military forces as fig leaves for domestic scandals and au pairs for the U.N., leading foreign policy back into the flea circus of Jimmy Carterism, having phone sex, groping patronage seekers, and snapping the elastic on the underpants of psychologically disturbed school-age White House interns entrusted with the task of delivering high-level government pizza.  P. J. O'Rourke

 

[FlaMike]

I really appreciate all the replies from everyone in this thread!

I did quite a bit of looking around on the 'Net after re-reading all of it and learned more than I expected to about receiver hitches. I thought they would be expensive, but found several made for my make & model of truck from $89, most averaged $140. Now that I know what to look for, I could probably pick one up locally and avoid the average $45 shipping charge.

As soon as I can get with "Next-door-Charlie," I'll give him the info I've gathered and see about getting things done!

What I'm now looking to put together is one basically like Ron's, that plugs into a receiver hitch, with a roller on the end piece, and that end piece will be adjustable in height. (Couple of reason for that.) Might make that end piece detachable, if I decide I need a second, much wider one to carry two boats. I doubt I need to make up a different one for a V-bottom, I'll just make up a foam cradle to stabilize it after loading.

Pool Noodles (or other foam) will let cradle just about any boat in the bed I'd want to carry, and the adjustable height of the extension will allow me to use it AND the PVC truck rack, if I need to transport a small flotilla of boats, all at once! :lol:

Adding those tie points on the rear of the truck bed sides is an idea I really like, too.

It may be a bit before I get this done, but I'll post a thread about it when I do.

Thanks again! :wink:

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[tx river rat]

Mike
On the receiver hitch if all you are going to do is light hauling they make one that has two bolts that bolts under your existing bumper or your buddy could build that .
Ron

 

[FlaMike]

Thanks, Ron. That's pretty much what I was thinking.

With the pics and text from this thread, I'm sure Charlie will be able to build one with everything I need. Knowing him, he'll probably come up with one that's better than I ask for, and for a lot less $ as well.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[Bootlegger0173]

Looks like I am not the only one who cuts PVC stakes to use as rod holders for bank fishing.

I have a store bought bed extention. Comes out of the reese hitch for abut 5ft., makes a 90 degree bend up, and comes to a T-bar. I padded it with pool noodles. When I bought it, I told the wife that it was to better transport plywood. :idea:

 

[FlaMike]

Right now, I'm kind of on the fence about putting a bed extender together, as I'm now looking at having to transport a pair of 15 footers, a Freedom 15 and a Southwind 15-30.

For that, I'm thinking about converting an old 4X8 utility trailer. But still, I'll probably be making most of my trips solo, so I guess it would make sense to have both the bed extension and the trailer.

I don't intend to back that trailer into the water, just put a 2-boat, boat rack on it. I'm not so sure trying to transport both of those boats on a bed extension would be very easy with my Nissan Frontier.

But, I'll play with the idea, as I really don't like having to mess with a trailer.

Not sure how it works, but it seems that most every time I'm undecided about what to do, posting my indecision on the Forum helps me make up my mind.

Yep, I'll build the bed extension and convert that trailer. :lol:

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[oldsparkey]

For two boats or more the trailer is really nice , plus you can make the trailer up so you have camping gear storage in it along with the boats. It just takes some imagination to accomplish this.

Step back and visualize what you want it to look like , then do it.

Chuck.
PS. The Commodore ( Harry) has the idea set up , 4 boats and all the storage under them for everything.

His was almost like mine , except his was with the angled brackets to take 4 boats , 2 on each side and the box was the full length of the trailer.
Later I put a lid on mine so a 2nd boat would fit on there.

 

[FlaMike]

I should know better by now, but I am continually surprised by the amount and quality of information that pours forth on this Forum, often as a result of the simplest question!

I LOVE this place! :mrgreen:

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL