Project 1 from Worntorn- Pickup truck bed extender

I made this a couple of years ago out of materials on hand. I had a look at a ready- made unit, but the cost was $800 and it was very flimsy. The salesman demonstrated how it could handle sliding in and out with 8 concrete construction blocks on it. I think if he had added one more it would have collapsed!

The ready-made unit had little 2" rails and bearings with an od. of about 1.5"

I used some thin wall 4" rails and 3.5" bearings. The maximum load I have placed on it fully extended was about 1/2 ton of cement gravel. It also got loaded with a similar amount of pasture fertilzer last month. Even with a half ton on there it slides in or out easily.
The only item purchased was one sheet of 3/4" fir plywood for the deck.

The extender and rails are easily removed from the truck (no bolts) but I find it so handy to have it in there that I rarely remove it.

Glen

Here it is getting used to load my Norton . I took the Norton along on a trip my wife and I made back to the Canadian Prairies. The Norton got unloaded and used on several day trips along the way.
For hauling motorcycles, I had to cut a slot in the deck where the front tire sits. This drops the front end down low enough that the bars clear the canopy. The front wheel then rolls on the truck bed when the extender is slid in or out.

Loading and hauling a motorcycle is not the main use of the extender, but it does work quite well for this.

The main use of the extender is getting good access to your truck full of tools/materials without having to climb and stumble over everything inside the canopy.

Glen