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Hindsight is Foresight - Hauler Bed Builds


bmzero

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Wonna build it, I'll send you a file?

I might incorporate the convertible part of it. I have been thinking of some ways to make the table position adjustable to make it level when I have to park the truck in a spot that isn't level.

 

I appreciate the offer. You can send the file to brit.mansell@octanemedia.com. Thanks!

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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I don't have things I would do again but I have a suggestion and a gotcha to watch out for. I load my Smart from the passenger side but it is set up for either side. I have only loaded from the drivers side once but it was handy.

The Gotcha is the Linex. Be aware that the fine print does not mention this but that lifetime warranty is 'Only for pickup beds'. Any warranty for anything else is strictly from the installer. Make sure it goes on thick. I learned this the hard way and paid for it twice. Also if your chocks (or anything else) bolt to the bed make sure there is no Linex to Linex contact. After a few days and a little heat they will bind together and the Linex will rip off the bed before the pieces will come apart. Did that one also.

 

Brad

Brad and Jacolyn
Tucker the Wonder dog and Brynn the Norfolk Terrier
2009 Smart "Joy"
2004 VNL630 "Vonda the Volvo"
2008 Hitch Hiker 35 CK Champagne Edition
VED12 465 HP, Freedomline, 3.73 ratio, WB 218"
Fulltiming and loving it.

 

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Brad,

 

You are so right. I coated my wheel chocks with Herculiner and I'm not sure what product JW put on my bed but after a week had to remove them for some mods. I noticed that as I was taking them off the bed liner started coming off. Ended up cutting around their footprint with a boxcutter and when I removed them the whole bottom was adhered to the bed liner. Had to reprep the bottom and the square footprint on the truck and coated with an epoxy primer and coated with black Rustoleum. Hope I don't have to remove again.

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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Linex, Rhino, etc are good products when applied correctly, so are a bunch of others. It's all in the prep work and base material (paint, bare metal, etc.). One client "insisted" on Linex so he could have "warranty all over the country". OK, it's your buck. They didn't like our polyurethane paint, we had to grind it off from the whole bed surface to the bare metal, what a PITA job that was. These are local franchises so you are paying for a franchise fee and the "country wide warranty" is BS you are dealing with another franchisee and he has to deal with the original guy who screwed up to get paid for the screw up (with you in the middle). All the other truck we did we used off brand products (for half the price of the job) and the last couple of truck we became "certified applicators", whoopee!

DSC_0443.JPG

 

DSC_0437.JPG

 

DSC_0444.JPG

 

With that big hopper gun it took literally 15 minutes to spray the whole bed, which included mixing two batches of material (4 parts) The whole kit: two part urethane, color, rubber crumble, the gun, prep tools, chemical etch prep, etc. was around $700, there was enough material in it to do two beds like this (or four pickups). You can get material, without tools for around $400. We got the stuff from Scorpion. http://www.scorpioncoatings.com/scorpion/

Like I said the job takes no time, masking the truck and protecting the shop (this crap really flies) took a day. Incidentally we also covered with it the toolboxes

DSC_0447.JPG

 

where these are exposed to the tires flinging the stuff at them.

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I don't know if it has been mentioned yet but hinge your compartment doors so they swing side to side and not top to bottom. So many of the prefab boxes are hinged at the top or the bottom. You either have to lean under the open door or lean over it. Doors that hinge on the side make it much easier to get stuff out of.

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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I don't know if it has been mentioned yet but hinge your compartment doors so they swing side to side and not top to bottom. So many of the prefab boxes are hinged at the top or the bottom. You either have to lean under the open door or lean over it. Doors that hinge on the side make it much easier to get stuff out of.

 

I will probably end up building all of the boxes and hinge mechanisms just so I can maximize efficiency and space. I had planned on opening from the side, but just by coincidence. I hadn't thought about how difficult it would be to get in them if top-hinged. Thanks for the advice.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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If you park it at an angle and enclose the area you'll have a lot more storage area as well. If you do this I would make the whole set up removable so you can go flatbed at anytime.

 

If I ever get the chance to finish mine, my plan is to put the largest water tank I can fit behind the right rear wheels and mount the generator behind the left rear so I can unload some weight from the front axle.

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If you park it at an angle and enclose the area you'll have a lot more storage area as well. If you do this I would make the whole set up removable so you can go flatbed at anytime.

 

If I ever get the chance to finish mine, my plan is to put the largest water tank I can fit behind the right rear wheels and mount the generator behind the left rear so I can unload some weight from the front axle.

 

Keeping the genny rearward would also help keep some of the noise and vibration out of the cab if the generator was running. The Champion 3100 is pretty quiet, but every little bit helps.

 

A water tank is a definite for me as well. We use a lot of water when washing bikes/quads/UTV's with the pressure washer. You can never carry too much water. I will also pressurize the tank so we can push water up into the trailer. We do that now with barrels and it works pretty well. It's amazing how little air pressure it takes to blow a barrel up like a balloon, though.

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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My tool boxes have the bottom hinge. That works great for a step to get up on the bed.

2007 Volvo 780 Ultrashift Trailersaver Hitch
2017 Momentum 397th
3 Yamaha Banshees
2 Honda 400EX's
Polaris Outlaw 50

Polaris Outlaw 110 EFi                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2018 Polaris RZR S 1000 Stealth Black
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My tool boxes have the bottom hinge. That works great for a step to get up on the bed.

The DOOR???

MY PEOPLE SKILLS ARE JUST FINE.
~It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work.~

2005 Volvo 780 VED12 465hp / Freedomline transmission
singled mid position / Bed by Larry Herrin
2018 customed Mobile Suites 40KSSB3 

2014 smart Fortwo

 

 
 
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The DOOR???

My thoughts also.

Mine open side to side to full swing, no struts to stop them.

I will up date my bed photo's this weekend when I get the truck back from Cummins.

 

Here is a picture after I cleaned and etched the bed, You can see the rear doors are set to swing away from each other, this was done so I did not have to work around the rear door for complete access to the inside of the box.

 

Roger

 

P1040224_zps81uktkhh.jpg

GCTaaehl.jpg

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Here is a phone picture of Ole Red taking the SkyTrac back to the owner, top of bed is primed and will be heading to LineX for coating, which is done at this time just don't have a good picture to share..IMG_0490_zpsyyssclhg.jpg

Are you singled short (rear axle moved to the front axle location)?

Did you extend the frame rails?

If so, by how much?

Do you drag the back of the bed going up or down inclined roadways (such as the drive way to a gas station)?

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I would not pressurize the tank....Too much risk of a mistake. (I'm assuming a plastic tank?) I'd just put a 12 volt RV pump in the truck. With that you can plug the RV into the tank just like into a shore faucet and carry on. And if you plum it right you can use the pump for plenty of other things, too.....

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I would not pressurize the tank....Too much risk of a mistake. (I'm assuming a plastic tank?) I'd just put a 12 volt RV pump in the truck. With that you can plug the RV into the tank just like into a shore faucet and carry on. And if you plum it right you can use the pump for plenty of other things, too.....

 

I hear exactly what you're saying, but since this truck will almost always have air in it, at least the low pressure the tank would need, it would be hard for me to justify going to the trouble of wiring a pump, running a circuit for the pump, a switch, fuze, etc. If I remember right, we're only putting about 4-6lbs of air in the tank and that's on the high side. I believe 4 was enough. We used plastic barrels in the past. This would be a custom built aluminum tank with internal supports built into it to prevent expansion.

 

An adjustable inline regulator is all that would be needed. I already have an unused air circuit back there from the original hitch. That circuit could be plumbed into the tank with a shutoff valve.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Primefit-R1401G-Regulator-Steel-Protected-60-SCFM/dp/B00IDCYKEY/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1424980652

 

Still undecided, though. The pump does have its advantages and definitely less chance of issues. Everything is a compromise.

 

By the time I tie into the air system, it might be easier to do the pump. :blink:

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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Are you singled short (rear axle moved to the front axle location)?

Did you extend the frame rails?

If so, by how much?

Do you drag the back of the bed going up or down inclined roadways (such as the drive way to a gas station)?

Jim, those are the very questions I wanted to ask. Sure looks like it would drag on a very small incline. Will not take much to lift one wheel enough to cause the truck not to move. Looks like about the same wb base as mine, if I rebuild my bed I will single mid.

">9ed2381e-e012-485f-924a-b1f342a69abc.jpg

 

2001 610 Volvo -Volvo power 465HP/1650 -autoshift
2009 Smart Passion / cross loaded on Volvo
2014.5 Mobile Suite 41 RSSB4

VOLUNTEER CHRISTIAN BUILDERS

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Keeping the genny rearward would also help keep some of the noise and vibration out of the cab if the generator was running. The Champion 3100 is pretty quiet, but every little bit helps.

 

A water tank is a definite for me as well. We use a lot of water when washing bikes/quads/UTV's with the pressure washer. You can never carry too much water. I will also pressurize the tank so we can push water up into the trailer. We do that now with barrels and it works pretty well. It's amazing how little air pressure it takes to blow a barrel up like a balloon, though.

 

Couple examples which might "interest you" in regards to the two subjects

The truck.

7-16%2520Final%2520rear%2520view%2520com

Hitch are completely covered. Two very large compartments on either side in the area, The one on the left

7-16%2520Final%2520right%2520side.JPG

housed a generator.

7-15%2520Generator%2520open.JPG

Which would come out on rails for servicing.

7-15%2520Generator%2520outriggers.JPG

 

The underneath of the truck (under the hitch plate) was measured horizontally and vertically.

6-6%2520Water%2520tank%2520space%25201.J

 

6-6%2520Water%2520tank%2520space.JPG

 

Knowing the space allowed for determine the max volume and shape of the water tanks (two side by side = free anti-slosh baffle)

Water%2520tank%25201.JPG

 

Water%2520tank%25202.JPG

 

Single fill on top, equalizing hose on the bottom.

Installation in the truck.

Water%2520tank%25203.JPG

 

Incidentally, the battery box housed the starting battery for the generator on the other side, there was no room over there.

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7-15%2520Generator%2520open.JPG

Which would come out on rails for servicing.

7-15%2520Generator%2520outriggers.JPG

 

The tanks look good.

 

Out of curiosity, are there rollers on the generator sliding mechanism? I've been brainstorming ways to build a good quality drawer. I have seen several purpose built drawer slides, but I may try to build my own so I can get it just right.

 

The white "trays" are just inserted for servicing, right?

"Willy Mammoth" - Volvo 730, Sold

Heartland Cyclone 4000 Toy Hauler
T-Minus 26 years and counting to being a full timer.

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