bed cutting

for a 4" hole, do i want a carbide holesaw or a diamond cutter like the tile guys use?

 

That's a big hole!. I think carbide is tough enough to cut through plastic.

 

Carbide or plain Jane high speed steel. HSS is probably better though.

 

Carbide for composites. Diamond is for ceramics or stone.

 

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a simple $10 hole saw. The bed is plastic and fiberglass composite, not cold forged oil quenched and tempered 2" thick steel.

 

Putting a smoke stack in the bed

 

Use a new steel blade with fine teeth, iE a normal hole saw. The bed material is harder than you think, but you don’t want a blow-out or anything to delaminate from an aggressive or coarse cutter.

Apply masking tape to both sides of the hole to protect the start and end of the cut from fibres tearing out, and minimize skipping. Do not press hard or you’ll blow-out the back side. Have patience.

Ive drilled a couple holes in my bed by this method and it was fine.

 

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thanks for the tips. i want to cut a fresh air intake on the drivers side of the bed where the access cubby was on the previous edition. over the hole goes a kayak deck hatch ring & cover. then maybe some insect screen to admit fresh air and create a draft to the upper vent. passive/ no fan wanted on the cap. certainly don't want to deter the potential buyer for this masterpiece!

$12 SEAFLO 4" - 8" Black Circular Non Slip Inspection Hatch w/Detachable Cover (4")

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076T87Z8Q/?coliid=I1H05BJ5JZWWJ2&colid=FEDCRO6LYELH

thanks again

 

That's a pretty slick idea if you've got a hard shell that you sleep in, with no windows, or dogs maybe?

 

Maybe he’s got a traveling chem lab of some sort or is transporting “customers” across the border?

 

Just FYI, your tire tends to sling water and mud into that area. As cubby owner I have to occasionally clean and dry out the contents I store there.

If it were me, I'd still put more passive ventilation on the topper. Marine vents come in all shapes and sizes and would be relatively easy to find one that is a little more discrete than an RV roof fan. Reason being, you aren't going to get much more airflow from that 4" inlet than you would from the gap that already exists underneath your tailgate. Plus it's easier to explain to the next buyer a vented topper than a vented bed.

Edit, I was bored while making coffee this morning so I did the math. The diameter of a 4" circle, without cover or screen restricting it, is 12.5 sq in. The area of a 53 inch x 0.25 inch tailgate gap, also assuming no restriction, is.... 13.2 sq inches. So in essence you would be doubling available area from imperceptible to slightly more than imperceptible.

 

Hey wait a minute, u don't drink coffee.

 

You got me. Coffee flavored bourbon then.