Rack for full size Quad in Stepside bed
 

Needed a way to make it easy to put my Honda TRX450R into the bed of my steppie.
Quad is 1" narrower then width of bed rails but 1" wider then risers at the tailgate. When riding quad up ramps front tires would hit the wheel wells and stop then you need to lift front of quad over wheel wells while lifting rear over tailgate riser.
Came up with this, built out of 1 1/2" and 1/2" square tubing. Tig welded with Lincoln Precision TIG 185.
Whole thing comes apart and fits behind front seats in cab when out riding.

Thats pretty sweet

Looks great, nice work!

wow, thats awesome. great work

looks great, how do you like it so far?

Thanks,
It severs it purpose, a bigger truck would be nice and something lowered haha!
It works great there is room in the middle between the rails for my ice chest and gear bag, ramps go under on each side and there is a space between the back rack and tailgate to fit two 5 gallon gas containers.
I don't use the wench much did at first as it pretty intimidating riding the quad up you got the feeling the tires would roll off the bed sides but I have gotten use to it.
I made it last year and have used it a good dozen times, I also made a lock that drops into the receiver for the hoist and hooks the front of the frame of the quad, makes it impossible to remove so I can feel safer leaving it in the truck overnight if I get back late.
If I ever make another one there are a few things I would change but they are minor. No weight sits on the bed rails everything is supported by the bed floor.
If you look at the picture with it disassembled you can see on the bed a little bracket that locates the cross rails for easier assembly.

very different and i do like though. some questions...
are you able to close the tailgate? i'm guessing yes since you said there was room between the tailgate and the rear portion for some containers.
could you lower the height to make it a little more flush with the tops of the fenders? the only reason i said this was cause your truck's height and the aproach angle make it look like a steep trip up. of course if you did lower it you would have to build around the wheel wells and brace accordingly.
do the ramps attach to the rack so as not to slide out from under the atv?

Thanks morris, to answer your questions yes the tailgate closes as you figured out. Your idea about lowering the rack to go around the wheel wells instead of over them is a good idea but it doesn't solve the original problem of getting the rear tires over the the tailgate riser when riding the quad up into the truck the two show stoppers are the wheel wells for the front tires but the rear tires hit the area where the latches for the tailgate lock into. The only way to get the quad passed that is to lift the quad up and over, my idea was to ride it up and all the way into the truck.
After a few times you get use to the height and I have found if I back up to a berm or small rise I can lessen the angle and the hoist makes loading the quad really simple but it is time consuming and awkward to climb up and remove the hoist to get the quad all the way into the bed.
I made a small angle at the beginning of the rails to bring the rails and ramps up to just clear the risers and then the quad drops about two inches when sitting in the truck.
The ramps have a channel that drops into the rails to secure them when loading, originally I used straps to secure the ramps but that was a hassle to unhook after loading and attach to remove so I added a small channel to secure them works fine feels very stable when riding up or going down.
This extra height gives me room under the rack to slide the ramps in when loaded. The space between the two rails the tires roll on give me space for my icechest and gear bag. folding chair and all my other gear need for a day of riding.
When loaded the quads tires are inside the truck not at bed rail height and with the lock that drops into the receiver for the wench I don't need to use straps in the front just in the rear to hold the quad secure.
If I where to make another one there are somethings I would change but all in all I think the design is good as no weight is on the bed rails but on the legs of the rack.
I hope this answers your questions.

yea for the most part. i still don't kow what riser? could you point it out in the pics?

Hey morris, here is a pic of what I call the riser it is behind the latch, don't know the right term I guess. The short rail that the ramp hooks to and the tire sits on is angled down to the rest of the rack so the quad doesn't rock back when loaded. In the pic you can see the elevation of the vertical riser and rail which lets the quad roll over it and not stop when the rear tires hit.
Front track of quad is 1/4" narrower then the distance between the left and right risers as the rear track (Second picture) is 1/2" narrower than the inside dimension of the bed at the top of the fender.
I hope this helps explain it.

yea, i get it now. the verticle braces that are built into the sides of the bed. including the ones that those rubber flaps (somehow helps gas milage) attach to. to clear those you have to have it that high.

So thats what those flaps are for, yes that is why I had to go that high. The first time I tried riding the quad into the truck with out the rack I almost went over the bars.
I thought the problem would be the wheel wells so I was concentrating on keeping the front end lined up and wasn't paying attention to the rears, when they hit the "vertical brace" the quad just stops.
Steppies beds are so useless anyways with the rack it almost makes it truck I only lose a small amount of storage.
I have used it with a small single axle camping trailer to go out riding for a week and except for gas for the week I can haul everything I need for riding in the truck.
I am thinking about raising it up to the bed rails. I want to change suspension to a wider track +2" front and back for better handling if I do It won't fit anymore. My have to completely redesign it, by a bigger truck, or maybe I'll build a flatbed instead.

NICE Job.... too bad my R wouldnt even fit in it lol.... id have to build some over the rails setup to make it work, measuring in a 52'', with the +3 arms....


I like the idea tho!

Yea, so rub it in, I have been wanting to go wider since I bought my R but 48" is as wide as I can go right now. Don't know what will happen this winter. Over the bed rails or Flatbed but the quad is going wider.
I'll probably make my own arms don't know what suspension set up yet but next spring things will be different.

I got lucky, and picked up my set used, for 900, i got motowoz LT Shocks, Quad innovation A arms, +4 G force axle and the proper brake lines up front, all i had to do was trad the stock suspension components so the guy could go back to stock, mines an 04 with a healthy motor in it.... she runs pretty quick... heres a pic for ya LOL

Attachment 100034

Nice, what tires are you running and your suspension looks sweet, now I am jealous
Where in Ontario do you live, I use to spend my summers as a kid up @ Balm Beach on Georgian Bay. The corn in the background reminds me of there.

The tires are old school, all that the local place had in stock, fast trekkers, probly wont ever buy them again, im in south west ontario about 40 mins from detroit, georgian bay is about 4-5 north of me....


if you keep an eye open well enough you can find a complete front end for around 1k with the shocksand a g-force axle is cheap, i believe 199,

So you are in the Windsor Area? I was wondering on the tires as I don't think I have seen them before. Around here the rocks are so sharp we have to run 6 ply I had to layout 500 on new tires all the way around over Labor Day shredded both lefts crossing a ditch picked up Maxxis Razor2's hope they last. So suspension will have till wait, figured I would make my own arms and find a good set of shocks to rebuild.
But then I'll have to figure out how to haul it out to the dessert.

That's awesome man, great work