Flatbed Information Thread

It’s funny I was dead set on not bothering with marker lights but the harness kit I got with my tail lights that are for a utility body came with marker lights and grommets so I started looking at them mocked up and don’t hate it. Might end up doing it once I’m done with the build mostly because the tail wires are right next to the tail lights easy enough to tie in. I considered the third brake light too at some point. I’d wanna run the wiring in the rack to keep it clean so if it’s not so easy ain’t happening haha

 

I have to find a spot where the side markers won’t get broken. My bed has plugs meant to be filled with marker lights and I have already broken those on trees. May make some brakes that mount them in a more protected spot. Won’t look great but will be legal.
I was going to put my third brake light in the middle of the bed on the bumper end. Currently my cab brake light is blocked with the cap.

Not the best picture but can kinda see what I mean. Don’t want to bother installing the light in the cap since it will be in and off so much and I’m trying to keep it as water tight as possible.


Do you have a link to your lights and harness you got? I may be redoing all mine so would be interested with what you went with.

 

Went with Knapheide after trying to source some Australian lights I would see on most tray videos I watched and seemed difficult to get what I wanted. One day saw them in person on a new mechanic truck at work and liked how flat they were, then started noticing the same lights on other work trucks as well. I ended up only using the taillights and the direct connection plug I removed from the harness. I will reorder the connector and put the full harness up on eBay at some point. I was stock piling parts long before I started the build so really didn’t need the full harness kit once I got into it.

https://parts.knapheide.com/knaphei...5-light-surface-mount-light-kit-knap-20128850

 

Check out the strobe options it comes with..

https://youtu.be/UbFycpcaaoQ?si=ib4ilqtOoEtG89aA

 

Oh that’s neat. Thanks for the link. Looks like some really good commercial lights.

 

How it sounds in my head..

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C49lIb2SIJ3/?igsh=MTE0eTAzbnFyNGFtbw==

 

Looking clean! Excellent work, Chux.

Is that 8”x2” R’ tube you’re using for the runners?

 

Yea 8x2x3/16. Originally gonna make a rear bumper with it but then decided to recess the tail lights. I got most of the material well before building, without an actual plan just working with the idea I had several changes along the way. Glad I was able to use them cuz I wouldn’t be able to return them and had no idea what I’d do with a 12’ piece of 2x8 aluminum. Using them as the rails worked out better than I coulda planned making it easy to add a trundle drawer later..

 

Progress

 

fyi, buyers also has a stop/tail/turn/reverse/strobe light, in a more compact 6" oval, as well as a 4" round. we use them on almost every truck at work, and i have plans to integrate them into my roll bar design later. they can be grommet, or surface mounted, with all the parts included.

4"
https://www.buyersproducts.com/prod...d-stop-turn-tail-backup-and-strobe-light-8595

6" oval
https://www.buyersproducts.com/prod...d-stop-turn-tail-backup-and-strobe-light-8589

 

Those remind me of the ones you see on Aussie trucks a ton. Hmmmmmm. Might be buying those for mine

 

Looking good! Love the press brake setup lol.

 

Starting to feel like my build thread up in here

Progress




This rack design kicked my stubborn ass. I wanted to pull off the design as one full piece of rect tubing… I mocked it all up with 2x4s to figure out what angles and lengths I wanted, then transferred the angle cuts needed to the 12’ piece of 1.5x3”. First attempt was off, the bottom ended up wider than the flatbed by 2.5”. I took that into consideration and bent another 12’er and it ended up wayy to small landing on the edge of the flatbed. Both attempts had cracking at the folds of 22.5° that didn’t sit well with me. I tried to heat it up super hot and even tried to drill out the two ends of the bend for relief but didn’t help. I said fuckit and decided to just make the whole thing from individual pieces..

 

This looks great!

...can't wait for the production version.

 

Weird how it’s so close to a full canopy build but I’m not going that direction to save time.. Yet I’m still not done.

 

Love this thread! I’m flatbedding my Tacoma as well via modifying a used bed I bought on marketplace, lol. Anyways, when using the 5 to 4 trailer adapter using a stop/turn/brake single light, I’m assuming that this harness covers that and your running a separate wire for the reverse light by finding the reverse light wire on the harness close by?

 

I believe you are correct. I used the old taillight harness to make it plug and play so I’m not entirely sure about where to pick up the reverse. I have some pictures of the wires at the taillights on the first post. I’m sure the colours would match up down the harness but can’t say for sure.

 

Ok, that sounds good, I might could do the same thing as far as plugnplay cause I could rob a parts truck in the yard,

 

Both are good options. I personally didn’t want to cut up the harness so robbing the harness from the taillights worked. Was still able to sell my housing too as you usually keep the harness from them. The write up on the first page worked for my 2010.