Wooden Bed Builds

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

 

I know that there are a few people out there that have a wooden bed on their trucks. I am looking for pictures of wooden bed builds. Also some ideas. Is there anything that you would do different ? What are the main supports made out of ? How are the main supports attached to the truck ? It would be nice to have pockets in the bed to store any ramps for Smart cars or any utv. What kind of drill bits is anyone using to drill the frame ? I remember Gregg talking about drill bits but I don't remember what kind he was talking about. I think the drill bits might have need carbide. I don't have a mag drill. It will have to be done my hand.

 

Looking forward to ideas,

Al

[NoDirectionHome]

I can help a little. The rails are quite soft and you can drill them Very easily by hand. Layout and center punch the position and drill a pilot hole with an ~1/8" drill bit. You don't need anything special but cobalt will last longer. You DO NOT want carbide as it will likely chip or shatter. (as well as damage your pocket book).

Then just drill the 5/8" standard bolt holes (or whatever size you choose with a 1/2" drill motor with a side handle so if it catches, you don't break your wrist.

[Darryl&Rita]

Rent a mag drill. Use an annular bit. Lots of cutting oil. No worries about bit catching.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

The bits that Gregg was talking about was a Reamer set.

If you're going to do wood, look into the composite deck material like Trek decking. Doesn't rot, etc.

[GlennWest]

Pilot hole should always be the diameter of the flat tip of the final bit. It is a mistake to drill multiple holes getting bigger and bigger. It overloads the bit and brakes or wears badly.

[Dollytrolley]

Dollytrolley came with the most basic wood deck you could imagine........IF you started building the deck after breakfast you would be hard pressed to have anything left to do by lunch.......

 

The main support rails were a pair of Douglas fir 4 X 6 on edge on top of the frame rails with tops notched for the standard draw U-bolts that pass on both sides of the frame to a cinch plate at the bottom of the frame rails (same as the standard mounting methods used on truck mounted cargo vans for ever). The top decking was 2 X 6 Douglas fir cross planked, IF you desire a heaver deck you could cross plank with 4 X 6 lumber......... the side edging of the wood deck can be nicely finished with 2" X 2" X 1/8" angle with the outside leg turned down to cap the ends of the cross planks, just drill 5/6 countersunk holes in the top leg of the angle and cinch up from below with fender washers and nyloc-nuts.

 

With the standard U-bolt mounting of the bed 4 x 6 rails you do not have to drill ANY holes in the truck frame whatsoever.........more time to drink Dr. P...........two U bolts per rail will secure the bed nicely......

 

EXAMPLE: https://www.nutty.com/Grade-5-Square-Truck-Frame-U-Bolt_c_429.html

 

 

As I recalled a forum member .....a retired pipe-fitter with a nice KW has a very nice wood bed with wood storage that has the fine-furniture look that would shame most metal beds at their best.

 

One of the nice thing I loved about a wood bed was the handy feature of placing tie-down rings anywhere I wanted on the bed with just a few 3/8 X 3 hex-head lag screws and the DeWalt impact driver without even crawling under the truck (Geezer-lazy).......

 

Another thing to consider is that most farm supply and trailer stores have a selection of semi-custom flat-beds that have many options of decking and headache racks for fair prices.......

 

Composite decking has some nice features but it is NOT a good choice when overhung-loads are considered and so it is vital to consider that IF you deck a TWO-RAIL deck cross planked with composite decking then the ends of the cross planks must be supported with a structural member to carry any tie-down loads of any normal loads.......not a deal breaker but something to consider........

 

Wood decks are not for everyone but with some care in construction they can even be made into works of useful art.....

 

Drive on..........(U-bolt the bed......down)

[rickeieio]

Me thinks (always dangerous), that a nice wood deck would be really cool on something like a Pete or KW conventional. I saw one on a green KW one day in Missouri, with rack painted to match the cab.

 

OTOH, making that work on an aerodynamic style truck might be tougher.

[Randyretired]

I didn't have a mag drill when I built my bed. Just used HF bits but sharpened them between each hole with a Drill Doctor.

[GlennWest]

I really like Hougen bits. Works like a hole saw

[bmzero]

When I did my hitch, I rented a mag drill. With the drill I had, it was way more trouble than it was worth. I ended up drilling the larger holes (3/4") with a bi-metal hole saw. It worked perfectly and easy to do with a basic cordless drill. Hole saws definitely have their drawbacks, but for my needs in that situation, they worked very well.

 

I used a piece of steel already cut to the specific hole size as a guide, clamped onto the frame, to keep the saw from wandering. It also let me perfectly center up the hole before cutting.

[Gabbie]

Drilling the frame? why? the original big fifth wheel hitch that come off was bolted to angle iron..on mine any way. There are lots of holes to choose from on these angle iron supports. I added another length of angle iron to the back of the frame using existing holes in the frame...I may have had to drill one hole in the frame to connect that peice of angle iron.

Then I used 6x6 as my webbing. drilled holes right through them to the holes on the angle iron. Then squared off the back with another peice of angle iron so I could add the big plate my trailer hitch sits on. Easy as that. No drilling holes in the fram railes needed. Big grade 8 bolts to hold it all together. Mine deck is ugly but it works for me..

Kevin

[Broncohauler]

Me thinks (always dangerous), that a nice wood deck would be really cool on something like a Pete or KW conventional. I saw one on a green KW one day in Missouri, with rack painted to match the cab.

 

OTOH, making that work on an aerodynamic style truck might be tougher.

Totally agree

[bigstick]

Agree with Darryl. Rent a mag drill! Annular bits are the way to go! Also agree with Flapper on using angle brackets from commercial hitch and using existing holes.

RANDY A has a nice wooden deck. Well built (like he always does) and good looking!

You mentioned ramps for loading a smart car? Dont know how that would work with a wood deck? You may need a steel frame to load and park a car on.

[Brad & Jacolyn]

No one mentioned it here but I believe that you are only supposed to drill through the sides of the frame rails not the top. Just saying. There are probably enough holes existing already to make use of if you look around a bit.

 

When I had a wood deck I just had 2 x 4 on the rails and used 5/4" decking on top of that. It would NEVER hold a Smart but since we were just starting out AND did not have a Smart it worked fine for us.

 

Brad

[alan0043]

Dollytrolley came with the most basic wood deck you could imagine........IF you started building the deck after breakfast you would be hard pressed to have anything left to do by lunch.......

 

The main support rails were a pair of Douglas fir 4 X 6 on edge on top of the frame rails with tops notched for the standard draw U-bolts that pass on both sides of the frame to a cinch plate at the bottom of the frame rails (same as the standard mounting methods used on truck mounted cargo vans for ever). The top decking was 2 X 6 Douglas fir cross planked, IF you desire a heaver deck you could cross plank with 4 X 6 lumber......... the side edging of the wood deck can be nicely finished with 2" X 2" X 1/8" angle with the outside leg turned down to cap the ends of the cross planks, just drill 5/6 countersunk holes in the top leg of the angle and cinch up from below with fender washers and nyloc-nuts.

 

With the standard U-bolt mounting of the bed 4 x 6 rails you do not have to drill ANY holes in the truck frame whatsoever.........more time to drink Dr. P...........two U bolts per rail will secure the bed nicely......

 

EXAMPLE: https://www.nutty.co...Bolt_c_429.html

 

Hi Dollytrolley,

 

Thank you for posting the idea about using u bolts. I forgot that bmzero uses u bolts for his bed system. I like bmzero bed system but the timing is wrong right now for me. I looked at pictures from the West Coast Rally and there was a truck with a nice looking wooden bed in the pictures. The reason that I asked question about drilling the frame is to mount the hitch at the rear of the truck. I also need to lengthen the frame about a 12"/16". It would be nice to have a receiver hitch also on the truck. More questions will come later.

 

Kevin, I do have the angle iron on the truck from the commercial hitch. Thank you for reminding to use it. I have talked to ' Lights' and he also used the angle iron for his bed build.

 

Al

[ICPete]

Hi Al,

 

This past April I rebuilt my wooden bed completely. It had been built two owners ago in 2007, using Green Douglas Fir that was not treated. When I started to install D-rings to secure a motorcycle, I found the planking was rotted. After removing some planks I found the longitudinal stringers were also rotted, as were sections of the transverse 4x4s. So I stripped off ALL the old wood and started from scratch, using pressure-treated wood.

 

 

Here are more photos of the finished bed:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/61dlcubfab62vz4/AACW-aR8w8G5f8kNyU21-SeDa?dl=0

 

There are six transverse 4x4s bolted to the truck frame rails. The rearmost two make use of existing holes in the original fifth-wheel-hitch angle iron members. The other four beams use "fish plates" under the top flange of the frame rail, so the bolts are just touching the frame rail flange, but no holes needed to be drilled. IOW the fish plates clamp the frame flange up against the bottom face of the wood beam.

 

The original bed then used 2x4 longitudinal stringers lying flat, but I used 4x4s instead. These are bolted to the transverse beams using a single 1/2-inch hex bolt at each intersection, counterbored at the top to leave a flat surface for the planking. However where two of the stringers lie directly above the frame rails, they use lag bolts into blind holes in the transverse beams, since the frame rails would interfere with through-bolts.

 

The planking is 2x8s and is fastened with two #10 x 3-1/2" torx-head deck screws at each stringer.

The edge banding (painted black) is 2x12s and was drilled using hole saws for all the lights before painting and installation.

I made sure the planking is slightly short, so one or more planks can be removed easily when needed (IOW they are not butted tightly against the edge banding 2x12s).

 

I feel this bed is robust enough for the 650-lb motorcycle shown in the photos. I think it will probably be adequate for a Smart car as well. The ramps shown are 14-foot by 19-inch wide from Discount Ramps. For the bike I position them against each other for a single 38-inch-wide ramp. I drilled holes for 1/2-inch lag bolts to secure the top of each ramp during loading. For loading a Smart I would have to separate them of course. I have designed (in my head) a kind of step-bracket that would sit on the frame rail where the top of the step is, and would provide a cantilevered shelf for the forward ramp to rest upon. So the bracket would act like a temporary filler for the missing section of planking. Not sure whether it would need to remain in place while the Smart is on the deck (I like having that area open to provide better access to the tank filler).

 

The total cost of materials (wood and fasteners) for the bed was about $1050. Of course I supplied all the labor! It took me probably 40 hours of work to dismantle the old bed and build the new one. It's hard to say because while the bed was off I did a lot of service to the truck suspension over several weeks. And I work pretty slowly!

 

The ramp holders are a custom design; I included a PDF drawing in the photo folder linked above. I wanted robust and secure confinement of the two ramps on the bed, and designed the hold-down system specifically to make it hard to steal the ramps. The straps over the top of the ramps are 1/8-inch by 2-inch 304 stainless steel, secured by padlocks to stainless steel hasps bolted to the bed. The outer ends of the straps are trapped in welded stainless hinge-pin brackets. The bolts go through the bed into tapped aluminum plates underneath, which are 1/2-inch thick. Each aluminum plate has two holes, so it cannot be rotated to unscrew it. The heads of all the bolts are trapped under the straps, so there is no way to get a wrench on them. An angle grinder or torch would make short work of the straps, of course, but short of that I think they are pretty secure. My total cost for fabrication, metal, and hardware to make this hold down system was about $750. The ramps were about $1000. Yeah, I know, the economics don't make sense. The fabrication cost for some of the bending and welding got out of control because I was in a hurry and didn't have time to scout around for the best pricing. Custom fabrication gets expensive very fast!!

 

BTW, the motorcycle cover is only used while parked, not while driving!

 

Let me know if you want any further detail, such as dimensions. I don't have a drawing of the bed itself, but could take more photos and/or measurements. The deck planks are exactly 96" long.

 

Peter

[ICPete]

Al,

 

I should mention that the ramp placement I worked out would probably not work with a Smart car instead of the motorcycle, unless the hitch and ramps could be moved aft about a foot or so. Right now there is about 38 inches between the step cutout in the bed and the front edge of the forward ramp, as shown. This is just enough for the two ramps to be positioned for loading the motorcycle. The step cutout is maybe 15 inches wide, so that brings us up to 53 inches (assuming the trike is no longer carried there). One would need another 12 inches for the Smart, I believe, maybe more. Alternatively, removing the fairing wings and changing the exhaust to a weed-burner arrangement might come close to providing enough width. Otherwise I would have to find another way to carry my ramps, if I went to a Smart car. Shifting the hitch aft and extending the bed would probably be the easiest solution. I could probably splice the longitudinal stringers, reuse all the planking, and would just have to re-make the two 2x12 black edge bands (the pieces with the wheel cutouts and lights).

 

Obviously if you build your bed from scratch you can design it for a Smart car up front, and locate the hitch as required!

[alan0043]

Hi Pete,

 

Thank you for the help. Your details is going to help me. I have an idea about a bed but I need to check with a semi truck junk yard for some material that I would need to pull this idea off. Right now it looks like this idea could work. The problem will come if the junk yard does not have what I am looking for. I don't think that the parts need to come off a Volvo. But they need to be the same size as the Volvo ones. The plan is to go to the junk yard on Tuesday morning. If I can find the parts, I will post my idea later. Maybe I will even post some pictures.

 

Al

[RandyA]

bigstick - RANDY A has a nice wooden deck. Well built (like he always does) and good looking!

You mentioned ramps for loading a smart car? Dont know how that would work with a wood deck? You may need a steel frame to load and park a car on.

 

I am extremely glad to see some discussion on bed building with something other than structural steel and plate. Not everyone who owns a HDT has or wants to devote the many thousands of dollars required for steel nor do they have the needed skills or tools/facilities to do it themselves. "Wood" is a viable alternative that if properly selected, engineered and installed can not only look good but last many, many years. And, yes, such a "properly engineered" bed could easily support a Smart and ramps, after all it is the same wood that supports many houses with floor joist spans much greater than 8'. Additionally, the extra needed support is before the wheel wells so there is plenty of room for using heavy, close spaced stringers to support a Smart's weight. I would use a combination of 2x6's 12" OC with a double outer band. Push-down on the edge from ramps would not even phase such construction - If done properly (no 2x4's or nails )

 

The construction methods described by ICPete and Paul are the same as I used so I will not belabor going over them again. The major difference is my use of composites and even concrete backer board. The frame itself is from individually selected PT 4x4 Yellow Pine (straight and dry - proper end grain). The deck is Trex and the sides PVC fascia board with the corners capped in aluminum angle. The rear "bumper" has 1/2" James Hardie concrete backer board attached to the wood 2x8's to give a tough but uniform flat surface. It was easily modified and rebuilt when I singled in Jan. 2013 - something I could not have done with steel at a comparable price or time frame. When damaged it does not require an expensive visit to a body shop or high dollars for repainting.

 

I did learn something extremely important when I did the rebuild - Use ONLY stainless steel or galvanized fasteners! I found the standard bolts I had used with the original bed nearly dissolved by rust when I took things apart to single. PT wood and water make a very corrosive combination. Every fastener was upgraded to SS or galvanized when I rebuilt - even the so called ceramic coated deck screws.

 

The use of Trex has had some disappointments as well. It has a significant expansion when hot sun hits it and shrinks the same when it is cold. When hot it becomes more pliable and can sag with any significant weight. Added support is needed - my original 16" OC 4x4's were reworked to have 8" OC 2x4 stringers. My Trex is solid rather than the newer product that has several concave grooves along the underside. Supposedly this has cured the center swelling of the product and given it greater strength. My son has the "new style" Trex on his deck and after 4 years it still looks new (and flat) with just an occasional PW wash down.

 

I've given some thought to rebuilding my bed, but not out of need - just to make it different. Rather than Trex I would use AA intermediate grade MARINE plywood self treated on the ends and sides with several wet coats of used diesel motor oil - much more durable than Thompson's Water Seal . The top would be coated with a quality polyurethane bed liner applied over a paintable water sealer or 4x8 foot sheets of 1/8" diamond plate aluminum (seconds with a few cosmetic scratches for $70 a sheet). Price would be about the same ($300) for either surface treatment. Either way, panels could quickly be removed for under bed access. This could require umpteen L brackets or some drilled angle iron to fasten the decking from the bottom rather than the top where screws show and collect water.

 

Wood is good - it has held up our houses, decks and porches for centuries. And, at 70 I don't expect to be around when it begins to rot in 30 years . My ideas and needs change frequently, wood construction has allowed me to easily make changes. BTW - we do carry a 1,000 pound golf cart on the front of our wood framed deck. Been doing it for the past six years.

 

Just showing the use of 4x4 cross beams - stringers were later added in between 4x4's

 

Yes, that is concrete backer board used in residential showers and floors as a sub base for tile. Glaze the countersunk screws and one seam with some Bondo, sand and paint. It is as smooth as steel.

 

 

Finished and painted. BTW - paint is color matched water borne premium house paint applied with a foam roller. It is durable, touch-up is always easy and the finish is smooth and glossy.

[GlennWest]

If I had had time I would love to have done this. That wood doesn't get as hot as my steel bed either.

[lappir]

like.

[Stan Wright]

This is a great thread. How many inches of spacing do you allow when the air bags are drained? Would it hurt if the bed slightly touched the tires (I'm thinking a cheap parking brake)?

[rickeieio]

Alan,

 

You might be able to pick up a used stake bed with racks for cheap. Wood decking might need replaced, but with some refurbishing, it could look cool and be functional for more than just an rv.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Knapheide-Stake-Rack-Bed-1-Ton-Chevy-Ford-Dodge-No-Reserve-/272128933122

[bigstick]

I had mentioned earlier how nice Randys bed was and how I didnt think wood would work for a smart. I grossly underestimated Randys engineering and construction abilities! Apologies to Randy!! With proper planning and ability anything is possible

[GlennWest]

Construction haulers will put back hoes on wooden beds. No problem for a Smart.