build log 11
At this point I needed to address the lack of a bed. I have always wanted to do some tube work on an off road truck. I have done one cage in a 1989 3 series bmw and helped build one formula SAE car so this would be my 3rd try at this kind of work. I had a few design goals
• I wanted the bed to be similar in weight to the stock bed. I expected that the weight would be more but I didn’t want hundreds of pounds more.
• I wanted the bed to accept a 4ft wide sheet of plywood. I use my truck for house construction projects too.
• With the tailgate down I wanted to be about 8ft long.
• I wanted to be able to drag a tree down the side of the bed and not worry too much about dents
• I wanted bed sides to keep camping gear in.
• I wanted lots tie down points for ratchet straps
• I wanted the fuel fill to stay in the stock location ( I have had issues with filler necks on flat beds before not working well).
• I wanted a hoop behind the cab that could be tied into a front exo cage in case I ever go that route.
• Really just wanted an excuse to play with my welder and waste money.
I looked at just about every tube bed / flat bed ranger on this site and the internet and pulled inspiration from these two in particular.
At this point I designed the base of the bed in Solidedge to get an idea of the weight.
Once that was nailed down I ordered the material from alro steel. 20ft sticks and had it dropped off at my work.
Some guys might not like this but instead of steel decking or expensive aluminum I chose to run 1x6 yellow pine lumber to keep the weight down. If this truck was going to sit outside all the time I would have spent the money on aluminum. However it lives in my garage 98% of the year. The decking is actually wood from a school gym seating that they were getting rid of. So if this wood ever wears out I have lots more to replace it with. After a few years though it looks pretty new yet and has performed well. I will let the pictures speak for the fabrication process. The main tubes are 2.5 box tube with 0.080 wall to keep weight low. The cross bars are 1.5 box tube 0.190 wall. This keeps the 1 inch wood deck flush to the top of the sides. I used 1.5 inch angle iron at the front and back edges. The sides are 1.5 inch erw tube with 0.125 wall. If I recall the bed is about 100lbs more than a stock long bed, but don’t hold me to that exact number its been a few years. If you wanted to copy but planned to spend more time on your side than the wheels I would bump up to DOM tube and a bit thicker on the 2.5 inch box. Also a big thank you to my friend who let me borrow his mandrel tubing bender for the main hoop and bed sides.