bmzero Posted April 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Here are a couple of photos of Kyle's bed installed on his truck at the ECR. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 I got the new run of bed kit parts in today. I can't wait to get this assembled and installed on the truck. The design changes are mainly around ease of installation and allow the use of thicker ramps in the ramp storage compartments. I also went with aluminum surface plates this time. They will still get Line-X on the upper side, but no fear of rusting and much easier to handle than their steel counterparts. View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo The little Colorado that could, hauling all 864 lbs. of Modular Truck Bed. View High Resolution Photo "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan0043 Posted May 23, 2016 Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 Hi Brit, Please keep posting pictures of the new bed build. It would also be nice to see the new ramp design attached to the bed after the bed is on the truck. Keep up the good work, Al 2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger " Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood " 2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 Hi Brit, Please keep posting pictures of the new bed build. It would also be nice to see the new ramp design attached to the bed after the bed is on the truck. Keep up the good work, Al I definitely will. Thanks. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imurphy907 Posted May 23, 2016 Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 Cant wait to see the newest rendition. 2016 Road Warrior 420 2001 Volvo VNL 660 Alaska Based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raquel Posted May 23, 2016 Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 We are sure interested in the outcome (and pricing) of your modular bed. Trish & Raquel -------- "Road Runner" -- 2005 Volvo VNL780, 500hp Cummins ISX, Ultra-Shift, ET-Hitch, 198" wb "Wile E." -- 2013 Heartland Landmark San Antonio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdickinson Posted May 23, 2016 Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 How will you deal with the 5" increase in width for the Gen 3 cars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 We are sure interested in the outcome (and pricing) of your modular bed. Thanks. I'll be able to get specific pricing after I see how the new components work. How will you deal with the 5" increase in width for the Gen 3 cars? That's the beauty of this kit. All we have to do is change the spreaders and floor plates between the beams to fit any specific track width. That being said, the beams themselves are wide enough to easily and safely accommodate more variance in track width than what we're talking about here. The entire floor structure is supported throughout, not just directly under the beams. My Polaris General and the MIG adventure trailer both greatly surpass the width of the Smart (61.4") and they ride well back there. If a bed kit was ordered for someone already owning a new Smart, I would ship the kit with spreaders to perfectly match up the width of the Smart for perfect alignment of the wheel net system. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Dreamer Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Brett, did you swap the bed over from your truck so Kyle's at the ECR and if so how long did it take and did you disassemble it? Dave 2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch 2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you! Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/ for much more info on HDT's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpar19 Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Also looking forward to your outcome. I enjoyed talking to you at the ECR about my 630. Gave you a few minutes break form the install on the other truck lol. I'm keeping mine tandem so the modular design greatly appeals to me. Looking forward to doing bed when you get set up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Brett, did you swap the bed over from your truck so Kyle's at the ECR and if so how long did it take and did you disassemble it? Dave We did do that. It took quite a bit longer than I expected. The time we spent removing and installing is the reason I changed up the design of a few components. All of the bed surface plates are now installable/removable without having to get under the truck. The finished product isn't much different, just the install process. My goal is to be able to install all 3 sections in under an hour. That's going to be tough, but doable, I believe. That's also assuming the use of a cordless impact driver. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Also looking forward to your outcome. I enjoyed talking to you at the ECR about my 630. Gave you a few minutes break form the install on the other truck lol. I'm keeping mine tandem so the modular design greatly appeals to me. Looking forward to doing bed when you get set up You have a beautiful truck. I love the color combo. I really hope to get a bed on your truck, and I appreciate your interest in the bed kit. I still have your measurements. Hopefully the new design works well and we can get started on yours soon. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I spent some time welding together the main beams of the next kit yesterday. I'm very happy with this design and the fit of the components. View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo I should be able to finish it up today and get it ready for coating. I'm leaning toward a zinc or oxide finish for this one. The bed plates will eventually get Line-X, but I want to try them raw for a little while. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I think you said the new deck plates are aluminum. Would an anodized finish hold up for your demo unit? Probably too expensive for most. Nigel 2006 Volvo VNL 430, 2006 smart cabrio cdi, 2000 Triple E Topaz 30' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 Anodized coatings wouldn't hold up to the friction/marring the tires would give it. It scratches fairly easy. For a demo unit a "SEMA" type show it would look great though. Or even just have all the hardware Anodized would give it "Bling" Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 Just curious, but did you have a robotic welder make those welds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I think you said the new deck plates are aluminum. Would an anodized finish hold up for your demo unit? Probably too expensive for most. Nigel That would work, but my concern is traction. The Line-X on my last bed worked well. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 Just curious, but did you have a robotic welder make those welds?Ha, no, but I'll take that as a compliment. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 Ha, no, but I'll take that as a compliment. Then all I can say is WOW!! Those are some of the best looking welds I have seen in a long, long time! I am a retired pipe fitter and have seen lots of welds. The prettiest in my opinion is when a welder TIGs and walks the cup perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I spent most of the day welding out the aluminum bed surface plates. I'm very happy with the outcome, but it took quite a bit longer than I expected it would. There are at least 8 of these in a complete kit, possibly 10 depending on length. View High Resolution Photo "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Then all I can say is WOW!! Those are some of the best looking welds I have seen in a long, long time! I am a retired pipe fitter and have seen lots of welds. The prettiest in my opinion is when a welder TIGs and walks the cup perfectly. Thanks, I really appreciate that. "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted May 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 The test fit was a success. All of the new components go together perfectly. View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo These are not the bolts I will be using for holding down the bed plates, but they worked for the test fit. The head of the bolt sits nicely below the bed surface. View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted June 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2016 I finally was able to work out pricing on the coating for the steel components. After spending quite a bit of time back and forth with the coating provider, I have decided on Zinc. The Zinc coating will only add 10-12 microns of thickness and will provide complete (inside and out) corrosion resistance for up to 15 years (based on 12 microns). After the 15 year mark, if the components need attention, the beams can easily be removed and re-dipped or painted, right on top of the existing coating giving maximum flexibility. The ability to not have to strip or sandblast the components is a huge plus for these components outlasting the vehicle to which they are attached. If these components were painted or powder coated, the re-coating process would be significantly more expensive and time consuming. With the very small amount of thickness added by the Zinc coating, I can maintain very strict tolerances between components. Zinc also has a very high ability to resist abrasions due to the hardness of the inner layers of the coating (actually harder than the steel), but abrasions shouldn't be an issue in this system since the bed components are separate parts. As soon as I return back to Birmingham, I'll drop off the new beams. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted June 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2016 I dropped off the new bed kit parts for Zinc coating. Very cool process. Science! They should be ready Monday. View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmzero Posted June 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 The steel components are back from Zinc coating now. NuTec Metal Finishing knocked it out of the park on these. The coating only added 12 microns of thickness and made the steel even more scratch resistant than it already was. Also, the Zinc is a perfect under coating for paint and powder coat. That way, even if the outer layers get chipped or scratched, the steel will not rust. I'm going to leave this one the gold color, for now. View High Resolution Photo View High Resolution Photo "Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy HaulerT-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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