Forum Discussion
Bert_the_Welder
Apr 17, 2021Explorer II
Just for the sake of spitting this out of my head, as it's been rolling around, thinking of the issue here of getting the weight of the TC spread out over the truck bed. And also just in case someone conciders doing this way:
If you build a platform for your TC to sit on in the bed, either to raise it for cabover clearance or as in the case of a getting it above a crown in the middle of the bed. Make sure you don't just build an exterior frame, say of 2x4's, and through a sheet of ply on it. Without any support through the middle of this "riser box" all your TC's weight is going to be on the perimeter framing and that weight is just going to be transferred to the perimeter of your bed. The "riser box" need plenty of crisscross frame members or sections of structural foam to spread the weight out over the whole bed. Having a crown in the center of the bed may require framing around this section or shaving the underside of the frame that goes across the crown. Or in the case of foam sheets, cutting around the crown or gouging out the underside so the contact is even, avoiding "hot spots" of pressure.
*Again, I'm only typing this out so it's out of my head. 95% of people are probably going to think of this. I'm just putting it here in case one of the 5%'ers doesn't and happens to see this and has an "oh yeah" moment and is saved from damaging their truck or TC.
If you build a platform for your TC to sit on in the bed, either to raise it for cabover clearance or as in the case of a getting it above a crown in the middle of the bed. Make sure you don't just build an exterior frame, say of 2x4's, and through a sheet of ply on it. Without any support through the middle of this "riser box" all your TC's weight is going to be on the perimeter framing and that weight is just going to be transferred to the perimeter of your bed. The "riser box" need plenty of crisscross frame members or sections of structural foam to spread the weight out over the whole bed. Having a crown in the center of the bed may require framing around this section or shaving the underside of the frame that goes across the crown. Or in the case of foam sheets, cutting around the crown or gouging out the underside so the contact is even, avoiding "hot spots" of pressure.
*Again, I'm only typing this out so it's out of my head. 95% of people are probably going to think of this. I'm just putting it here in case one of the 5%'ers doesn't and happens to see this and has an "oh yeah" moment and is saved from damaging their truck or TC.
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