trimster

The sheets of decking will unscrew as whole sheets. So full width of the deck and 4' wide. My MDT had 1/8" x 1" wide rubber glued to the rubs to stop any rattling. The stainless hex head screws were counter sunk into the deck. I could have deck plate off in 5 min. Might be a few more screws/bolts to un-do on this one as there will be tie-downs and wheel chocks that need backing plates, possibly tied to the 2x2 ribs. But it will be easier than trying to create hatches and access holes. I do like the look of the 'beaver tail'. That's the only compelling reason to do the extra work. I am going to need to check how many inches my hitch spring system settles before going away from the beaver tail. I could raise the hitch either putting it on square tubing risers or the hitch itself has vertical adjustments. After measuring, I find I can't put the winch under the bed like I wanted. Having dual axles kinda takes up a lot of that space under there. So I will come out of a receiver hitch, built into the side rail of the bed, with a tubing riser and the winch on top. I can store the parts in the ramp storage boxes.

Ya.... or slow on the uptake. SketchUP is free and frustrating. When I was teaching at the university, I got the full version for free. I do miss the extra features but just can't justify the price. I don't use it that much. Mostly us the skills I got in high school drafting class. Pencil, eraser, paper, and ruler. I did 5 version that way.

Darryl&Rita: Part of the pain to learn SketchUP free is offset by process of drafting it out and figuring where stuff needs to go, what extra plates/supports are needed for stuff like tie-downs, wheel chocks, and where the winch is going to be mounted. I want a dorm box of some sort up front, so I'll put some steel up there to support the mounting brackets. I'm leaning towards buying pre-made under bed boxes and stacking them. So the design is leaning towards loading the toy (car, trike, GoldWind...options!) from the passengers side. I'm not sure why one would load from the drivers side unless the car is pulled up backwards. Thoughts appreciated on this. Ribs across the bed will be 2x2, thick-wall steel. The bed rail will be 2"x4" C-channel. I'm also working the structure to use the space above the rear boxes (sloped) for storage. It won't be weather sealed but good 'stuff' storage.

So, part of the build has started. The frame was extended 25", hitch installed, bumper configured and installed, truck frame doublers (2"x6" C- channel), fenders, wiring to the rear. The drawings do not show the structure elements for the bumper, hitch. And yes, the frost is on the pumpkin this morning. 18*.

So, cold weather brings time to learn Sketch-Up. I'm doing a mind-dump of the bed build...when things get warmer. Like above 50'ish. That could be March around here (Salt Lake). Not every structural detail is shown. Might get to those if time permits. The under-deck ramp boxes go all the way across the bed. There will be a wall inside keeping the ramps from sliding across the width of the bed. That allows for 2' deep boxes on the drivers side and the needed 6' deep for the ramps. The bed width is 102". The rear boxes are 22"w x 31"d x 18"Tall. Should be big enough for a generator on one side. I'm also thinking about a fuel cell between the frame rails for the generator, located just over the rear axle. I might add skirts around the wheels. We'll have to see how the build goes. The deck on my MDT was diamond plate that was screwed down. I could remove any of the sections as needed to work on stuff under it. I'm thinking of doing that with this bed. NOT the polished diamond plate. I've had my fill of keeping that stuff looking nice. Most likely will bed-liner the entire thing. I used gray color before. Shows dirt more, but not so hot in the summer months.

What size winch did you settle on?

In Utah, they are very relaxed when it comes to registering as a motorhome. It took us about 6 weeks to get the truck ready for RV pulling. 1- commercial hitch removed (dlr did it as part of the sale) 2- brake controller. 3- Jackaloppe. 4- microwave, porta-potty, 5- frame extended 25", hitch installed, rear bumper, (had fabrication shop do this) 6- electrical/tail lights, new mud flaps. 7- 4 camera monitor system, which means some dash work. We rolled out on our first trip without wheel wells/fenders on the rears. No issues in 3 states, from the authorities. You will be very lucky to find a truck that doesn't need some work. Ours needed; - front tire (miss-matched load ratings) - front brakes - DEF converter sensors + volvo dlr computer error reset and regen. - 4 of 8 rear tires replaced. - lots of little stuff like engine & cab air filters, fuel filter. - air leaks in firewall connections and passenger seat. Being retired and working out of the house garage, helped get it done faster. If I were working still, it would have taken mucho longer.

Inspection...absolutely. we paid $250 for a really good inspection on a truck we ended up not getting. Truck was stellar...Covid shutdown airline flights. We had to pass. Wheelbase is measured center of front wheel hub to the midway point between the rear axles. Our Volvo is 210". We added 25" to the frame for the hitch. Total length is now 29'. To get the truck on the road/registered in Utah, costs a bit over $5k. $2700 was the frame extension and hitch install. There were some issues like front brakes were toast. Miss-matched steer tire ratings. DEF sensors were bad and Volvo had to run a forced regen. I replaced the sensors which saved $800+. I bought from a dealer so I had them do stuff as part of the sale. Oil change, pull the commercial hitch (leaving the hitch rails to mount the bed), air filter. I had to pay Volvo to pull the computer error codes ($120). This is a must-do. I was able to find the last owner and he gave me tons of history. That owner, gave the dealer all the service records and the dealer threw them away. There's more expenses, and I can give you those if you like. In the end... we're really enjoying the truck. We've has 1 ton, MDT. Mucho better with HDT.

We found our 700 watt microwave on Facebook Marketplace for $15. Never used by the first owner. Width is key. Oh, keep some bubble wrap inside. The glass rotating platter rattles going down the road.

Yup. Done. Rain is draining nicely today.

Whooa... sun and 47 degrees. please discount the 45mph winds as the cold front moves in. Just enough to bolt on the mud flaps. The window wells (aka fenders) have pre-drilled holes in them. Cut some angle iron and drilled to match the fenders and the mud flaps. Stainless hardware...and wa-la. Now, I'm legal. Whew. Now to dig out the snow blower for tomorrow. Ya, I know. some of you are shoveling sunshine. We all have our burdens. Bob and Lisa

So... with this thread ricocheting all over the map, is there a conclusion about the Comfort Ride hitch? Good? Bad? Once you get one, fix it? Stay away from this puppy?

I'm getting 4 isolation mounts for the gunny. About $8 ea. as I recall. That should help with transmitting motor vibration into the truck bed.

Phoenix2013 this is very much what I am looking to do. My box will be narrower but deeper. I'm getting a feel for what will work. I'm still hoping to have the box be the acoustic dampening cabinet.

I have a 5+ yr old Champion 3600 with few hours on it. Thought about pulling it from the frame. It's 17" w X 22" long X 14" tall. It's not the newer inverter technology, but I have rewired the output so one gets the full 30 amps thru the custom installed RV plug. I looked at 20 gal fuel tanks to mount between the frame, higher than the geney. Got room for that. Having 2 fuels on board is okay with me. I could use some backup gas for the Goldwing.

So my thoughts on the generator box being behind the rear wheels is that even with the mud flap between, there's going to be a lot of 'wet' around there on those rain days. Maybe not enough to worry about if I keep the vents inside the frame and to the rear. Exhausting (like all these projects, in the end) will need to be close to the box. Maybe the exhaust pipe wraps under the box and out the same side? It would be bend-ridden piece of work to take it under the frame, up to the cab, up the cab and out the top near the engine stack. I can't imagine the air resistance in that 28' run of inch tubing. The box will be 20" W x 30" D x 24" tall. Most enclosed generators like the Honda 2000i will fit in that space. The case of the generator silences the unit and more sound padding inside the box should create a fairly quiet unit. I need to figure on which side the generator takes in air and which side it exhausts the hot air. Not having looked closely, I'm thinking they pull from the front and hot air goes out the back, along with the exhaust pipe. My Champion 3600 w frame-type generator, sucks cool air in the back where the alternator is and this blows towards the engine. Most who mount these in RVs mount the hot air exhaust fan under the generator (through the compartment floor). I can create an extension on the generator exhaust pipe that will slide a few inches inside a slightly larger pipe. I might even find a heat resistent gasket/o-ring to fit the junction of the pipes. Flex-pipe is not an option, I would think, due to the drawer roll out of 25". Unless that pipe made the U-turn inside the box and exited through the floor in the outside(front) of the box. Not sure how flexible that stuff is. Bit of research needed. But it would add a lot of heat to the inside of the box unless it was wrapped. I plan on putting a 12v automotive radiator fan (small one) in the box to positive-pressure the box. Although it might be better to reverse that and suck the air out of the back (inside frame) side of the box. Just ramblings so far. Oh, Champion generators just announced a 220v 3600w diesel generator. Not sure it's available in the US as yet. It's the same small form factor as the inverter, enclosed generators. $1400 if I recall. Hmmmm.

It looks like I have room to construct an under-bed box big enough to hold a typical 2500- 3600 watt generator behind the rear wheels of my Volov. I want it enclosed, on a drawer so it can be rolled out and serviced. Able to run with the door closed. Airflow is the big issue and exhaust. Something cleaver needs to be done so the generator can move in and out and still have a clear exhaust pipe path out. Thoughts on this are appreciated. I have some ideas but need input on how one might keep the elements out of the opening where fan(s) would draw in or move air out of the box. And how to deal with the exhaust pipe from the generator. TIA Bob

This pretty much says it all...

First crack at doing something like that. Well, most of what I am doing now is a first for me. Learning a ton and enjoying it more. Thanks for the complement.

Busy last 48 hrs. Mass paint day yesterday. Prep, prime, paint.... Weather was stunning. Today the build went together. Managed to get the passanger side assembled. Weather will close in tomorrow. But the drivers side will be assembled before the day is done.

Just performed a distructive test on the Rustoleum adheasion promoter. Power washer. Took it off. No sticky. Bulldog stuff clear winner. Worth the money.

Plugged in the numbers and my ramps for the Goldwing....need 14' ramps. Not offered. 12' is the max. So the Wing WB is 66.5". Ground clearance = 4.9" Bed height looks like 48". I think the solution is to load/unload aired down.

Update on painting the plastic. Tried the Rustolium bonding promoter. Was not impressed until 3 days later. Stuff works. Rustolium paint applied to the bonding promoter adheared. Got a few cans of the Bulldog stuff. Spendy by the way. $26/can. Be warned that this is really caustic stuff. In Calif it will kill you. Outside Calif., you will just get cancer and die. Respirator and good ventilation required. But I first scrubbed the surface with a prep scrubby and a paste abrasive for plastic. It broke the surface of the plastic like one would lightly sand any other surface. It went really fast. Then painted directly over the Bulldog stuff and 24 hrs later, the Rustolium paint is still tacky. I'll give it a bit more time before calling it good or bad. But it is way more 'bonding' than the Rustolium bonding promoter. As of this morning, all fenders are mounted, drilled, and fit. Now I will pull the assemblies apart and finish paint, etc.

What? Wait! You're supposed to do something between... 1 and 3 before you grab the 4# hammer and start beating the crap out of it? 1. Observation of a problem or issue the truck is having 2. Hypothesis ( a testable statement) 3. Experiment - Repair or attempt at fixing the issue

The first 2 fenders (passengers side) are mounted. They sag about 1/2" on the outside ends because the bed frame rails are not tightened down all the way and they are not tied with the cross members to the other side frame rails. Still, the wheel clearance (shown aired up), looks good. The 1-1/2" x 1/8" stiffener strap on the inside/underside of the fender works great. With the 4 stainless carriage bolts in place, these babies are solid. This shot shows how the surface binding paint is rejected in certain places on the plastic. My guess is that it's residue from mold release agent. I'll hit it again in those spots with soapy water. Most release agents are soluble with water and soap. The fender flanges between the tires will be connected with stiff mud flap material. This should reduce their vibration and keep the crap thrown by the tires from getting between the fenders. There's 8+ predrilled holes in each flange, to mount the connecting material. Piece of cake. The big time consumer that reared its ugly head on this build was when I decided to put ramp storage under the bed. I had cut and welded the fender brackets before that decision. It has added a full day of 'futzin' ' to the build to tweak the brackets so they will clear the soon-to-be fabricated ramp storage boxes that run the full width of the bed. I also changed my mind (often) on how the support arms would be connected to the frame rails. First plan was to weld them in place. I changed to bolting them on. Better plan for a number of reasons, but drilling sixteen 1/2" holes in the brackets and frame rails is time consuming. And tiring for these old arms. So my thoughts on using these plastic window wells for fenders...... I like them. They are beefy. the downside is appearance. They have mold marks on the most visible, outside edge. That could be filled with some of the plastic body filler. If you're concerned about overall appearance, maybe the expensive 'for truck' fenders will fit your needs better. However, these are not awful by any stretch. Covered in bed liner, most of those small defects will disappear. Sunday the snow flies here...again and the temps are on a long term, downturn. I'll have both sides done and the rest of the build can hold until we get back in the 60's. Maybe April... the lord be willing and the river don't rise. Oh, I am going to put 1/8" vinyl between the truck frame and the bed frame. The matting material is used under shower pans in home construction. Tuff yet flexible. I've used it in other 0ff-label applications and its proven to be tough. The other material I considered was the the rubber material used on roofs to help with frost/freezing damage. Commonly referred to as 'bitch-o-thane'... cause it's a pain to work with. This stuff is softer than the vinyl which could prove to be a problem with the weight of the bed. Finished install photos after the weekend. Thanks for all the great input. It's been very helpful.