DIY Load Bearing Bed Cover

I had a coworker help me because I know absolutely nothing about welding. We have a spool gun here at the shop, so that is what was used. I haven't dove in to trying to get the slag off, but I guess I'm about to learn what you already know!

 

Nah, you're fine! No slag from a spool gun, so you're in luck. See the crust coming off the actual weld material? That's slag and you'd notice if you had it, for sure. Tap a weld with a hammer and nothing brittle should crumble off.



What you see on your bed topper is the actual weld and some of the off gassing/ smoking from burning metal. Just wipe it off or hit the weld with a wire brush and that's it!

If you want smoother more perfect surfaces for the parts that will create a seal on your bed rail, you'll have to grind or sand those areas. Other than that, no real slag cleanup needed.

 

Okay, I see what you are saying. You are correct, there is no brittle slag coming off the welds.
I will for sure be grinding the outside surfaces well enough to ensure whatever seal I end up getting adheres well.
I just went out and hit the bottom of the cover with a DA sander and it made pretty easy work of the "off gassing/smoking" material.
I also plan on using the DA sander on the top surface to give the bed-liner a little more mechanical adhesion.

 

This looks great and, not wanting to take the thread off on a tangent, but has anyone seen a similar project that integrates the Yakima Outpost HD? I'm getting massively frustrated that you have two options on the market and need to drop around 2k dollars to make it happen. Thinking about constructing a vinyl cover myself (with a similar frame to the one on this thread). Any thoughts / links appreciated.

 

I imagine you called out the Yakima rack because that’s the one your set on, but have you seen the cab height bed bars that allow you to use a soft cover?

https://www.hiredgunoffroad.com/pro...KWW5mQVVollPpMa9FVCb3aL8WNdV8YUgaAjpiEALw_wcB

 

Thanks! I've already got the Yakima Outpost HD and their tent too, but can't bring myself to part with 2k for the retrax tonneau, so thinking about adapting something already on the market or even constructing it from scratch. I'm just looking to keep things dry and somewhat secure. A hinged section to help access would be a plus but not necessary!

 

Totally understandable! I wonder if you could fab up some mounts similar to these:
https://www.max-modular.com/attachment-brackets/tonneau-brackets

 

I took the grinder to the edges of this cover to get rid of the high areas where we plug welded this thing together. After that we took it to a press to straighten it out. It bowed a bit due to the welding, which wasn’t really a surprise. After we got it straightened we threw it on the truck for the first time.

 

My coworker and I (400ish pounds) were able to move around in the middle of this thing without it budging.

 

Got two 48” pieces of L-Track delivered this week along with some Raptor bed liner. I will hopefully position the L-Track and drill/tap the mounting holes within the next week.

 

Welp. I am going to go through this build thread at least 10 more times and then build my own I think. How is the Raptor liner holding up on this thread? it looks like its been a while since you last posted on this. Highly interested.

 

I have not applied the Raptor Liner yet. If I'm being honest with my lazy self, I may never do it.
The DA sanded finish looks just like it did the first day I put it on.

One recommendation I have is be mindful of how this thing is going to move when you start welding on it. I did not do a very good job thinking about fixturing, heat mitigation, etc. After the welding was completed, the bed cover had a little twist to it. Luckily, I work at a place with large bed presses and was able to flatten this thing out.

 

Awesome. Thank you, and I appreciate your honesty with the raptor liner. I myself enjoy a good " I may never" moment. I think I'll have to find help here in Albuquerque. I do not know how to work with aluminum other than cutting and bending. Thanks for the update.

 

You bet!