3rd Gen Magnetic Gray Thread

Jim Beam distillery, Clermont, Ky.

 

He was making a joke about OP's reverse rake... aka Carolina Squat.

 

Does kinda look that way!

 

After being inspired by Australian UTE trays for a long time I decided that I wanted to build one. I think the look and advantages of UTE Trays in general are awesome for so many different things and can allow you to switch between setups easily, not to mention increased platform space that the Flatbed can offer.

In the U.S. there are so many Heavy Duty trucks with steel flatbeds that are just a bit too heavy for the mid-size truck market so I set out to build something as close as possible to the stock bed and bumper weight of a Tacoma. I have a 2016 DCLB with the LB overall dimensions being 84" from front of bed to back of bumper and the width of the bed changing at the rails and wheel wells. My goal was to create a slightly shorter overall length with a slightly larger overall usable width while keeping the width of the bed close to the profile width of the truck, and kept that theme going with the shape of the headache rack. The width of the bed is 71" and the length is 81". The headache racks have 4" of vertical adjustability. The constructed weight of the tray is 320 lbs which by my measure is around 20-40 lbs heavier than the stock bed and bumper configuration. I still have a few items that I will add to the truck but this is the tray in its 95% finished form!

Other notes on the look: I am running 35x10.5 Kendas on a 2.5" lift with a re-gear and a tune and it drives amazing - no change in how the vehicle drives with the bed whatsoever. I have also since integrated the reverse cam and sonar sensors into the back and am building a steel bumper to serve as a recovery and towing point.

Let me know if you have any questions! Here are some pics from its inaugural voyage. Since I am not totally set on this design, I was wondering if y'all could help me out by answering a survey on my splash page to help gauge TW familiarity with Ute Trays and overall flatbed interest. I am a man of the people and always want to keep in tune with the DIYers out there so any responses would help me gear what I am doing toward the people as much as possible! Here is a link to the splash page with a survey: https://bigbodytruckco.com/

 

2023 Trail. 2 in. Icon leveling kit in front and 2 in. Rough Country lift block in back. 17x9 Bronze SCS F5 wrapped in 285/70/17 Toyota R/T Trails.

 

First camping/kayak fishing trip with the taco. Loved it and really happy I went with the long bed

 

Looks better with the mud

 

At the local BMX track

 

new tires wheels level kit today.

 

My TRD Sport tool and lumber transporter and daily driver.

 

It isn't just a myth.
Even without a box those stock leaves are flat.

 

Did some exploring over the weekend

 

Hauling a 2023 Honda CRF300L Rally

 

Do you have the story/explanation posted somewhere?

 

Truck got hit from the side merging into a turning lane