Looking at going to HDT

[Jack Mayer]

Thanks Jack, at least he will know what to look for. My truck has had no major issues so far. I did replace the cargo door latches inside the compartment with thicker steel ones. The ones Herrin put in bent causing cargo doors to open when on the road and items were lost at night.

 

Also did some mods to the Smart car ramps and compartment to make ramp access a lot easier. Pics available if you want.

 

Roger

 

On edit, BTW mine was a smokers truck. RDO had some Ozone treatment. It took them 3 weeks to prep the truck. It smelt like new and the smoke smell has never returned and I am allergic to cig smoke, my nose plugs up and eyes water....so whatever they did works.

Roger, I'd be interested in your mods. I've also had the metal bend and the door open.

[HERO Maker]

OK Roger, there's three of us now with whatever metal bending and a door opening. What did you modify to stop it?

[rdickinson]

I will send pics thru regular e-mail to Jack. He can post them if he likes. Also have mods to ramps and ramp storage. In a nutshell, I cut off both ends of the pin joining the 2 sections of ramps together. A washer was welded on one end and a hole drilled close to the other side of the ramp with a cotter pin. This reduced the overall width of the ramps.

 

I got some aircraft cable and heat shrunk some material over the wire. This was attached in a loop on the non hinge end of the ramps specifically the dirt end. This for pulling them out without wiggling from side to side and pinching fingers again.

 

Also put 2 strips of 1/4" x 3" slippery plastic in the bottom of the ramp storage compartment, 2 for each ramp and tite to the edge of each compartment. I use Velcro 2 side to stop ramps from splaying open when handling them. Strips are 4' long and bolted at front and as far in as I could reach..... Bevel both front and back of the plastic 'cus the hinge end will grab the plastic...it drops down about 1/8" + -. Chamfering the back edge prevents that.

 

Also made some thin metal boxes to box in the lock mechanism in the deck storage boxes. I've had cords and other items shift around when driving preventing the lock from opening of being unlocked. I had to disconnect the trailer and drive around a bumpy right or left turn fast to get the stuff to shift out of the way.....What a PITA.

 

Also got some 1/8" thick by 12" long pces of angle iron. I drop one side in between the 2 sections of ramp. The other side sits on top of the ramp. This has reduced the breakover angle just enough to prevent the underside of the car from getting ripped off. It seamed a year and a half ago, I was the only one having the problem.

 

I have to give Chris at Level 1 Industries, here in Victoria a lot of credit. I dream up the ideas and he makes it happen.

 

A West Coast version of RV Haulers.

 

Pics will be sent later this pm. I am Pacific time.

 

Roger

[Jack Mayer]

I've had zero issue with my ramps or with the car hitting. It simply never happens and I never, ever have hit either coming up the ramp, or the nose hitting going down. And I have NEVER dumped the air in my suspension. There has to be something different about either your truck or the car.

 

I have had the boxes open, though - a couple of times. So I'll be interested in your fix.

[rickeieio]

I've had zero issue with my ramps or with the car hitting. It simply never happens and I never, ever have hit either coming up the ramp, or the nose hitting going down. And I have NEVER dumped the air in my suspension. There has to be something different about either your truck or the car.

 

 

Perhaps gravity has a firmer grip on some of us, making our bottoms drag.

 

I'm not fat, I'm just short for my weight.

[rdickinson]

We went thru this last time. The nose misses by a good couple of inches but I have the repair bills from Three Point re underside repairs. Not interested in getting into that again.

 

I also took pics to show underside hitting while truck was on level ground.

 

I fully recognize I am the oddball here.

 

I will send "other" non related pics this pm.

[Jack Mayer]

Roger, I'm not questioning if you are hitting or not. I'm just curious as to the root cause.

[rdickinson]

I remember getting hammered on last time so I left for a year or so. I try to document accurately or research as best I can knowing that others are much better at a lot of things than I am. If I make a claim, generally it can be checked out like Brian Williams.

 

So, I read up as best I can, make my own decision and get the work done without advertising it. if I see someone with a similar problem, I will PM them rather than get dumped on here or told that I am the problem. The Devil is in the details, they are what I go after. Anything to prevent more crushed fingers or preventable repairs.

 

So far modifications have worked out.

 

Pics are on the way. I will have to retake one of the right side of the ramp with the cotter pin as it is in the shade and not clear.

 

I hope they are of help to some.

 

Roger

[HERO Maker]

No problem here with ramps either.

 

So I'm thinking that you think items shifting in your box can hit against the lever and open the door? Mine are always locked (unlike Jack's) and I had one side box open on it's own. Only lost maybe 1 roll of TP (yes, this is the only box that my DW gets to have for storage). But I had to unlock the lock in order to get it to close up again. Not sure what happened there!

[Big5er]

Rocky, I don't have the mileage that you and Jack have but that is something I have never had happen. I'll have to keep an eye on that. All of my doors are tight on the handles when I open/close them.

[rdickinson]

My doors were latched and locked with the key. The tabs or latch were the problem, they bent. Bend them back and they bend again.

 

 

Not any more, 1/4" steel doesn't bend in that application.

 

Like I said, I am the oddball here but bottoming out is no longer an issue. So lets move on. Or drive on.

[Star Dreamer]

To the OP, the truck looks like a good deal, but you may want to check the bed out as the picture you posted looks like it has some side rails that may have to modified to carry a car or golf cart.

 

Be sure to check date codes on all the tires as they may need replacing and can be expensive.

 

Does the truck come with an air-ride hitch? Be sure to add that to your budget if not there. As others have said keep a reserve fund for repairs.

 

To Jack, Rodger & Hero & Big5vr, on your doors, measure the size (H & L) of the doors that you have had and not had any problems with. We found on our larger doors, the bumps and vibrations would allow the door to bend the latching tab on the box but it did not happen on our smaller doors. We never had a door open but I could tell it was loosening up. I added an L angle to reinforce the latch area probably similar to what Rodger did and that solved our problem. I am assuming that it is more the length of the door that is causing an issue if the hinge is at the side of the door. For any new beds we build, I have revised the design to add reinforcement in this area. I am also considering a bumper at the bottom of the door opening for the door to rest on when closed to reduce the space it can bounce in.

 

Dave

[rdickinson]

I asked for a 3 point lock system. Turn the handle and 1 rod goes up, another down and one goes horizontally. But things didn't happen that way.

 

They are all sizable doors and have had problems with all. Jack has pics of 1/4" thick replacement latch part.

[HERO Maker]

Dave, that sounds like a good idea.

[rdickinson]

In looking back, the doors could have been tighter but I don't recall them all being loose. In Millwork if the door is wider than tall, we call it oversquare. No idea where the term originated. We had problems with doors sagging. Too much door weight with hinges too close together. We spread the hinges further apart. It helped.

[Jack Mayer]

I've had the same issue as Roger with the doors. I've had the two rear ones open at least 2 times each. I know the cause, and it is the same as Rogers. The plate is too thin and bends - it is mild steel. His fix will resolve the issue. I just have to do it.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByGqkdpvPB93eklPTi1XcHJzUk0/view?usp=sharing

[HERO Maker]

So is that a 1/4 inch piece of steel used?

[rdickinson]

Yes, 1/4", I sent a couple of pics from different views.

 

I'm wondering if Chris could make a bunch up, if there was enough interest and they could be mailed to those who want them.

 

 

I only put them on the 4 body cargo doors.

[Jack Mayer]

This should give you a link to all of Rogers modification pictures that he sent me. LINK.