My Taco sled/ATV deck

I like the ATV deck, but it seems very steep to drive up.

 

Nice !!

 

Sled decks are awesome. If I lived where there are big mtns. I would definitely get one. Out there guys use sled decks over trailers so they can drive up the mtn. to 8k feet and start from there. No way you are pulling a trailer up some of those roads. Even here I would love a sled deck. Last year I got a flat tire on my trailer and it turned into a nightmare that really ruined my drive back home. Trailers suck.

 

Thanks very much for the extra pictures and the BOM! They're very helpful.

I'm going to start buying frame parts in a couple days and I have two more questions:
1) Did you choose 1.25" round tube for the ramp to ensure the carbides don't cut into the tube? I was planning on 1.50" (3/8" wall), which should still have enough clearance - even with 1/2" plywood.
2) Where did you find 5" x 2.5" x 1/4" AA channel? I can only find 6" with a 1/4" web (making anti-rattle more complicated).

BTW, the price of Aluminum has more than doubled since you built yours.

And it looks like the parts listed in the BOM actually weight almost 50 lbs less than stated (great!): the table says 40 ft of 3/16" square tube weighs 94 lbs; onlinemetals.com says it weighs 1.1547 lbs/ft - that's 46lbs; alternately, double the weight of your 1/8" tube to get 40 feet, then multiply by 1.5 to get 3/16" - that's 45 lbs.

Great design. We're hoping to get ours built in time for the snow. Pretty sure we'll be copying your suspension too.

Jethro: I've heard about trailer flats; hope I never get one at speed. And towing a trailer at 8K feet, I'm going 45mph and getting 6mpg. I spend a lot of time in turnouts.

 

Does it makes the truck feel tipsy? I would be scared to flip if I had to do an emergency turn to avoid something...

It's nice to see the fabricating skills of a fellow Quebecker! But I prefer to put mine directly in the bed!

 

1) I corrected my sheet, it's actually 1.25" inside diameter, Schedule 80 thickness which comes to 1.66" outside diameter. I didn't have any problems with carbides with that size.

2) I bought it at a metal wholesaler called Metalium in my town (Gatineau, Quebec, Canada). The top and bottom parts of the U-Channel are actually 5/16" wall thickness, only the middle of the U-Channel wall thickness is 1/4". It's labeled as 5"X2.5"X0.25" on my receipt.

As for my suspension setup, it's a bit bouncy on rough roads, especially with my sled. I'm adding the

$81 D29XL Leaf Spring

D29XL leaf to the Dakar leaf pack to see if it'll be better. Ideally, I would probably need shocks that would be revalved stiffer but it's still OK as is.

 

I do feel the weight but never had any problems. As mentioned in my previous post, you can feel the sled a lot more than the ATV, probably cause of all the weight out back. I still drive about 8-10 MPH over limit on paved roads. The extra weight actually helps on snowy surfaces and gravel roads.

I actually gotta give credit to the westerners for the idea. I went to Revelstoke BC for a snowmobile trip about 10 yrs ago and everybody uses them over there. I don't know why it's not more popular here cause I find it way better than hauling an extra set of wheels.

 

I like that you still have storage in the bed. Nice job OP. I looks like a production deck, not home made one.

My wife and I sled and have a 2 place covered trailer, but if it were just me, I'd have a deck like that.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=290691&stc=1&d=1411409476
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/at...nt.php?attachmentid=290693&stc=1&d=1411409476

 

Thanks very much for the answers, Imageoguy. I've updated my Bill Of Materials.

I have two more questions that may be of interest to other builders too:
1) Why was angle stock chosen over flat stock for the sides?
2) Why notch the crossmembers where they rest on the angle stock?

These are some of the less-obvious features of the original design that appeal to me:

One-piece crossmembers: In wood and steel construction, one-piece crossmembers span the shorter dimension and support multi-piece crossmembers that span the longer dimension.

Angle stock (sides): I've stood up and hit my head on the overhang of our full-size sled bed. I'd rather hit a flat surface than an edge. Also, since I always overbuild, I want the extra support for the last crossmember and the round pipe.

Angle stock (front): Others have walked into our sled bed corners. Again, a flat surface hurts less than an edge.

Headache Rack size: Ours can be slightly shorter because we have no brake light there, but height is important. The first time (only) I loaded a sled, I went too fast and got a ski up onto the HR. It saved the roof of my truck. The HR should be tall enough to keep the carbides from touching the roof until it becomes absolutely impossible.

These are the changes we're planning to build into our new deck, some based on things we like about our current deck:

Crossmembers every 12": We often have two, sometimes three people on our other sled bed. Standing humans concentrate their weight into a small area and I'm afraid 24" spacing will allow too much flex. 12" spacing makes the surface rigid and lets us use 1/2" plywood, which is easier and less-expensive to replace. Four extra crossmembers weigh 28 lbs but 48 sq.ft. of 1/2" plywood weighs 15 lbs less than 5/8" and using 1/8" wall tubing for the (now 10-1/2") centerline pieces will get the total difference down to 10 lbs.

No wire mesh on the Headache Rack: I really like that the HR frame is beyond the rear window edges because it improves visibility (especially when the sled isn't aboard), but the wire mesh hurts it. Our other sled bed uses an extra horizontal bar.

Reposition the Headache Rack: Weld another crossmember to the front of the foremost crossmember and build the HR on it. (Maybe reinforce with angle stock across the entire front, notched around the window.) This facilitates a weathertight seal on the front edge of the plywood (no notches for the HR) and would extend far enough over the bed front to mount a rubber membrane to seal it from the weather.

Strengthen the Headache Rack: Use 3/16" wall tube for the HR instead of 1/8"; it may have to stand up to 700 lbs in motion. (BTW we sometimes sit on our HR, so we're keeping the tubes turned flat.)

Anti-snag: Cut the corners off the angle pieces used as mounting flanges so they don't catch on cargo/luggage.

Lighting: Add lighting like jml99's (nice job!), plus lighting underneath.

 

1- Mostly rigidity of the structure. I really beat up my truck on logging roads for work during the summer time and wanted the structure as solid as possible. Think desert runner with ATV on the deck. I wanted to minimize torsion and prevent fatigue. The tie-downs for both sled and ATV are on the angle as well adding a lot of stress, especially the ATV which uses 4 tie-down points. If I were mostly on pavement, I wouldn't of overbuilt it so much.

2- I wanted to keep as much of the vertical part of the angle over the plywood as possible and thought it was more aesthetic if it were flush underneath. It wasn't very time consuming to notch either. It would probably not make any difference if the cross members were simply lying on top.

I used the wire mesh for the headache rack because I often haul lumber and stuff that could easily break a window. As for the plywood, I figured thicker (5/8) would be longer lasting and offer more rigidity to the structure but might be totally wrong on that.

I'm really just an amateur when it comes to design and welding, I've only made a few welding projects and this has been my most complex. I hope you'll post a few pic of yours once you are done, I'm always open to improving.

 

That's what I was hoping to hear. (And I forgot to think about stress points for the quad.)

Great. Then all I need do is cut a slight bevel on the ends for the inner radius of the angle stock.

Your design cleanly overcomes the space limitations of the Tacoma and is quite rugged. I'll have to hire someone to do my welding; I have only 30 minutes experience with gas - none of it with TIG.

I'll post pics when we're done. Thanks for posting your solution and all the details!

 

Any questions im a jman in alberta. 8+ years with evrything including aluminum. More pics to come with mine an the new sled on it

 

I wish my welds were as nice as yours, or that Alberta wasn't 1500 miles away. So you ride in the Canadian Rockies (deep snow)? I'd love to see pics of a long-track on this sled bed.

I first rode snowmobiles in northernmost New Hampshire (somewhat near Imageoguy). In California, I heard talk of deep snow and long tracks. "Snobs" I thought to myself, "snow is snow". Then my daughter got the 136" stuck almost straight up and down in 12 feet of snow. After that, I always bought 155s (all equipped with Sno-Bunjes). A 155" hangs off our 9-foot sled bed by about 18" so I'm figuring 30" on this deck, which is already 20" longer than the Tacoma bed. Running lights will probably be mandatory.

 

My Skandic was nearly 12 ' long some how I think a trailer is more practical.

 

That's really some nice work. All your gear underneath and dry!

 

Yea british columbia has alot of nice riding good days it can be over 6 feet fresh snow no problem. I will post more in a week or 2 with my new 2015 freeride on the deck.

 

Nice!!!

I am looking at getting an ATV this winter and was wondering if a deck was possible.

 

I've been going for a yearly 3 day sledcation in Revy for the past 11 years. Gotta admit, the conditions there are hard to beat! I'll have a 2015 154" XM on my deck in a few weeks, hopefully we get lots of snow here in the east.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=294041&stc=1&d=1413603688 thing of beauty