Trailer Hitch Bed Extender

I know some of you guys have this product...

For those SB guys...How much extra length does it actually give you....Our beds are what...5 foot? almost 7 with the tailgate down???

How long is it with this extender...It says extends your bed by 3 feet, but is that 3 feet from the hitch?

I need to haul some 12 foot pieces of metal in a few weeks...I was wondering if I would need to get a bigger extender or would this one do?

I found one that is a foot longer but its also about 150$ more too...

 

From the pic looks like about 3 feet from the hitch. For $40 it would be worth it for the upright portion- you might be able to engineer an adjustable length extension out of some slightly oversize square stock and a couple of bolts.

 

I know some of you guys have these...

I read a few threads a few months ago about them...

Can somebody tell me how long it makes your bed after its installed...

Bed + tailgate + Extender = xxx Feet...

I think the bed is 5 foot...plus about 2 feet for the tailgate...plus another 1 foot for the extender??? So is that 8 feet total? or does it extend longer than that???

And if so, will it drag under a load?? Ive seen a few that were curved in the back...

 

You've got a short bed? Wouldn't a load extending 7' past the end of the bed be illegal?

 

i think its only gonna add a foot... but...
it says a 350# limit

 

My problem is, I need to haul 12' pieces of lumber, tin, metal, rebar, and all sorts of other stuff...Siding, fascia...And everything is 12 foot long...

I was thinking...What if i bought that bed extender...and then bought this as well... That way i would have an extra foot if needed...55$ for everything...

They both say 350# limit...That would give me 9 feet from the cab to the extender then there would only be 3 feet sticking out the back...

I just hope sticking it back that far wont make it drag too bad over bumps and things like that...They make them that are angled in the back to prevent drag, but the cheapest one i found was 89$...

Its this one here...

 

hmm well from my experience I would say no!
I have worked with things like siding and you want things that are flat and don't have thin edges (like in the item your are showing)to carry them or set them on
Rebar gets heavy... FAST

But you sparked up an interesting thought...
Built a 12' x 4' pallet
ya know on 16" centers
and lay it in your bed when you gotta haul stuff
that should provide the support you need for your materials
But remember
all long loads need to be flagged!

And theirs also the other option...
Buy a trailer

 

only problem i see with your pallet idea is that then the pallet itself would want to tip off the back of the truck....

 

no no no! see tahts why we put straps over it it maybe a couple feet off the cabin wall
ya know those really nice 3500(maybe thats wrong) lb 3" straps?
the big yellow ones but you would have to install some tie down points that were big enough
(check TSC or somewhere like that)

 

I have a similiar extender and have used it for 14' pressure treated lumber with no problem just last week. It is an older model but the same kind of thing. Its worked well imo. If you can wait til tomorrow I can put it on the truck, take measurements & a pic.

 

ya thats lumber though...
what about siding? maybe un even weight transfer could cause damage to siding

 

I am sure you are right, never done siding, for lumber this works great for smaller loads, other stuff or larger loads we use our trailers.

 

Thanks...I would really appreciate that...

Building a house is a mess...lol...and i had to either sacrifice a long bed or a 6 speed manual transmission...They dont make both for some reason...So i drove both and decided i would rather have the stick shift...Now i wish i would have got the long bed...

You win some and you lose some...Oh welll...Still have one hell of a truck...

As for the trailer idea...I have one...but its made to haul ATV's and it doesent work too well with long loads...it has a big ramp for a tailgate that sticks up like 5 feet in the air...and i dont have the dough right now to buy one for hauling...but i could fork over 50$ no problem...

So thats the delima...I'll wait for the pics tomorrow....thanks again...

 

ok I will do that for ya in the a.m.

 

then I say the lumber to build the platform and the straps (which you should have anyway if your hauling things) and a couple of tie down spots should run you a little over 70
20 for the ply
another 30 or so for the 2x4s
and another 20 for some nice tie down spots

that should do it all
jeez you build a house top to bottom?
you really need a trailer!
bad!
i used to build houses and i would say either have the lumber company drop off the lumber on site (prolly costs more but maybe you can charge it to home owner?)

if not... im not trying to sound like a know it all but I would say my pallet idea is the best overall
extreme strength, long flat surface for even weight distribution and around your price range

and if your smart youll just charge it off to one of the home owners and build it on the job when theyre not around then itd be free

 

All you'd need is a long piece of plywood to lay over the extender crossbar and tailgate- instant support.

 

Run the long pieces of metal under your truck and strap it to the rear axle housing and the skid plate up front.

Marc M

 

Ya approach angle may be an issue
but I built homes for over a year
And never had an issue with approach angles... usually steep drives are in the city limits where the yard is only 40 foot anyways from house to curb so he could just park their and pack it over to where it goes

he only wants to spend 50 dollars...
but ive started wondering...
have you upgraded your shocks?
you will be draging for real!
specially with a load of rebar...
maybe you should take out a small business loan and buy a trailer