Bed Extenders

[Gomez]

I'll be getting a new truck soon and was wondering how well the bed extenders I see available work. Initially, I was determined to get an 8' bed, but it seems that the majority of trucks with extended cabs come with the shortened bed. Since I'm leaning toward a new F-150, I've already given up on the manual trans. I also was hoping to get leather for easier (dog hair) cleaning, but you can't get a Lariat/SuperCab with an 8' bed.

Bed Extender

 

[Inspector507]

The bed extenders are good, but they won't hold lumber from falling out.

 

[yooperdave]

I bought something from MENARDS which is an adjustable "T" bar that fits into my 2" receiver hitch.

My 6.5' long cargo bed can haul 16' lumber with NO PROBLEM.

I would strongly recommend one to anyone trying to maximize their hauling capacity of their pick up.

Yooper Dave

 

[mikim]

<font color="blue">My 6.5' long cargo bed can haul 16' lumber with NO PROBLEM </font>
What does the law say about something hanging out 10 feet past your bumper / tail lights? I'd like to find out if it's legal in Texas .... seems I heard once that 4 feet was max...do you know Bird?

 

[KubotaSteve]

I just bought my dad one for Christmas from Harbor Freight. It goes into the 2" receiver hitch and on the T bar that goes across, it has hooks on either end to tie rope, ratchet strap, bungee cord, etc. He has used it yet, but one drawback I would see is that if your vehicle does not set up very high it could drag when going over hills. His truck sets up fairly high and it doesn't look like it will be a problem. The other downside is the weight limit is 350 pounds which isn't a lot of weight. I think for occaisional use it would be ok, but not for everyday use. As far as the length, I thought that as long as it was flagged it was ok. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Inspector507]

In Ohio, it's 4' beyond the body must be flagged

 

[jpr62902]

Mine's from Harbor Freight too and came with a red flag that had a grommet to fit through the height adjustment pin. That T-bar was a Godsend when I had to haul 60+ sheets of 12' drywall.

 

[Egon]

P/U's and bed extenders.

P/U's are terrible for hauling long loads. Bed extenders will have legal limits and requirements. They may also allow you a clear view of the sky if the load is long and heavy.

A small trailer is the easiest for hauling those odd long loads that always seem to increase in size.

Egon

 

[Inspector507]

Was a 16' wood garage door with glass in one panel too much for in an 8' bed on and old F100?? Hee Hee took it slow because I kept lifting the front wheels......or so it felt /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[yooperdave]

I think mine is made by HITCH HAND. I believe it is rated for 650#. The elevation of the T is adjustable, so the load can be raised at the end even if the back of the truck is going down. The support is approximately 11.5' from the front of the load. I have used mine dozens of times going 85 miles to my farm.
I do use several red flags on the end.

Yooper Dave

 

[yooperdave]

Here is some more information.

http://www.off-road.com/atv/HitchHand.htm

Yooper Dave

 

[RET]

Gomez,
I got the Lariet 04 F150 supercrew a couple of months ago. It comes standard with the bed extender. The standard bed length in the supercrew is 5.5'. You can get it in the 6.5' (I think) bed length. With my 5.5' bed, I still can't get the preverbial sheet of plywood in the bed with the extender opened up (to beat it all, the corners of the extender are deeply beveled, like the pic on the web page you attached to your original post...reduced room even more).
The bed extender just got in my way....so I took it out and its gathering dust in the shop. Maybe I'll use it again whenever I have a mid-size load to haul...but doubt it. Anyway, I just installed a tonneau cover that rolls up to the cab. The cover hardware interferes with flipping the over, so if I want to use it, I must install it in the open position, then remove it when finished.
I would recommend you look into one of the T-bars the other guys are recommending. The Bed extender just doesn't seem to give you much more usable room at all....especially for the price.
I had already decided when I bought the truck that I would use my trailer for any long loads....thus the short bed was not an issue for me.
roger