so i've been thinking about this for a few months now. i want to build a sled deck for my ranger that will hang over the bed rails a few inches to the outside of the bedsides.. and it will hang over the tailgate about 1 foot..

it wont be hauling anything more than about 800lbs, two racing lawnmowers cross ways, they fit perfect cross ways in the truck now but have to hang the front tires over the bedrail and it scratches it too much.. then i will have room underneath it for the gear and fuel.

im thinking 2 squares made from square stock steel, then 3 horizontal braces between the bedrails, then 2 more on the ends. then probably 4 hooks on each side, and a headache rack for the front to protect the rear window..

sound like a plan?? i should probably build this soon, then its ready when i get my truck back on the road and racing season starts in 3-4 months. it will be built to only hold 2 mowers, if i need to haul more then we will throw them in the trailer. what do ya'll think??

course every thread is useless without pictures so this is what im doing now but like i said before it scratches the bedrails too much.

 

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1000.00!!! ouch... its nice but i'd still have to modify it.. i wanna put a nice wood deck on. i dont wanna park em side by side because then they are wider than the truck which i dont want.

 

I meant to just look at it for ideas, I know it isn't exactly what you are looking for.

 

ya i know haha.. its very nice actually.. the first thing i saw was a bar in the middle vertically.. guess i should do that too.. i've only seen sled decks on full sized trucks never on a ranger.

 

Yeah, go ahead about build one, it shouldn't be too tough. I'd suggest a set of overload springs or airbags, but you should be fine as long as you don't expect your truck to handle too well in the corners. LR

 

im not too worried about it..haha... even when i put them in crossways the front end felt "lighter" but wasnt a problem. hopefully they wont stick over the top of the cab too much either since they are only like 25 inches tall.

 

Personally, I wouldn't do that since it'll make the whole truck top heavy. Too risky IMO.

Why not just get a trailer?

 

yea im on the trailer boat too i cant believe you load your truck the way you do now

another option is to keep bedlining the sides over the rail and tuch it up every so often

 

oh boy not you again.. you like pissing on other people's threads dont you?? i dont care what you would do..

i have a trailer that im going to build its mostly together that i will tow sometimes also but not the sled deck and trailer at the same time.. i haul a TON of stuff when i go by myself to races... plus the im adding another mower to the list. so at least a dozen car tires, 2 mowers, fuel, gear, sometimes extra parts, tools etc..
im not too worried about it being "top heavy".. doesnt matter what i put in the back of the truck thats about the same weight (700lbs) it still "sways" a little bit... when i go to races by myself its usually not more than an hour from the house (and i live 20kms out of the nearest town) and if i have a trailer and a sled deck i can haul the 2 mowers, gear, fuel, tools etc on the truck and throw some straw bales (for lining the outside of the track, car tires for the inside) on the trailer.

i was looking at it and most of the weight will be "in" the truck not hanging over the sides. plus i cant hang the front end of a 300lbs lawnmower over the bedrail by myself. we have a set of rock stairs in the yard thats perfect for loading and unloading the mower here at the house, i back up to the stairs flop open the tailgate, stretch two 10foot 2x8's from the gate to the stairs, roll the mower into the truck.. it will be even easier with a sled deck.

i've been figuring out how i want the mowers to sit and they will be crossways like they are in the picture i posted 2 days ago, but the *** end's of the mowers will be sitting on the driver's side bedrail. it'll work. i measured it out and they will only be sticking up 1 foot above the cab.

so ya'll are telling me that you dont even your rangers as trucks?? and i dont mean wheeling with it either.if not then what's the point in having it.. i actually haul **** with my truck not just ***** foot it around like a car.

 

i agree about the trailer. i haul things with my truck but i do so in a way that makes it safe for me and the other motorists.

i don't think that the B.C.DOT (or whatever you have) would consider two mowers hanging over the side or rear safe. seriously, how exspensive is a small utility trailer from crappy tire?

find a cap (your neighbours' grey one might fit) store all your loose stuff in there then load the trailer with the two mowers and any larger items that won't fit in the bed.

i gotta hand it to you, your imagination is great but i think sometimes you put too much effort into things. K.I.S.S man. keep it simple sancho...

please don't see this as a bashing, i'd hate to see you hurt someone or worse, kill someone if something happened to one of you ideas at crusing speed (no matter how fast or slow)

 

Meh, the truck'll handle the mowers fine, they're not that heavy. Being that your truck's a 4wd I don't see why the front end should be getting too terribly light, after all you have a full cast iron V6, tranny, t-case, and a front diff ahead of the cab plus the box is short so you're not getting much leverage on the back. My previous '93 came factory with front and rear swaybars so I imagine yours should too, so that'll help even more. You'll be fine, just don't drive it like a race car! LR

 

that's a nice idea,you should do it,and it's not like youre jacked way up in the air so roll overs wont be a problem, and just make the read end a little more stiffer to handle the load better,then you'll good to go,and it's not like he is building it to race with people haha

 

I'd do it, I've hauled a lot worse then that with no issues, like stated before, it's not like those racing lawnmowers weigh enough to make a difference. Like you said, the space for gear is invaluable in the Ranger. Go for it. Put some nice tie down points on it too!!

 

i dont see it as bashing and i agree with what your saying. BUT.. the only reason why i had the mowers like that is because it was the only truck that we could use (dad's 93 F350 1 ton diesel dually was in the transmission shop) and it was a one time deal.. i dont like them hanging over the bedrail either, but its not the mowers will live on the back of the truck..


to the rest of you- thanks for agreeing with me... since my rear leaf springs are sagging and need replacing anyways i think im going to throw some explorer springs under it and possibly a 31 spline expo rear end. i do plan on putting a 3 inch body lift and 33's on the truck this year but for the amount that im going to be hauling the mowers on the sled deck it aint gonna make a difference.. i dont drive it like a race car when there's stuff in the bed anyways... only when its empty!! oh and i have a canopy for the ranger too..

it should be ok. most of the time we take my dad's truck to races anyways.

 

replace the leafs ..... i went to vegas when mine were still sagging and its dangerous ... all i had in the bed was a cooler of beer, my mtn bike, mtn bike parts, and sleeping gear with the topper and any time i had to come to a quick stop the front would lock up ... almost rear ended someone

 

hmmm.. mine seems fine, passenger side is sagging bad (its pretty much straight) the driver's side isnt that bad but its getting there too.. ya replacing the leaf's are on the list.. the water pump gasket is first, then leaf springs, then passenger rear axle shaft/hub and somewhere in there is tires..

the front end of my truck doesnt do anything weird because the rear leaves are saggin. once i fix the water pump leakage i want to go down to chilliwack BC and hit a hobby/go-kart shop and pick-a-part.

 

Maybe you can get some ideas from these. Looks like they have no problem with 2 atv's. Granted they are fullsize, but I doubt the racing mowers would be too heavy.
DiamondBack :: Covers as Tough as Your Truck

 

^^^ ya thats kinda the idea. not a foldable one though.no wider than the truck but stick out about a foot over the tailgate. my blue mower weighs 326lbs and the orange one weighs 316lbs give or take a couple pounds..

was thinking about building a simple frame thats the height and length of the truck bed.. then dad and i can open the tailgate and lift it into the truck close tailgate and then strap it down a bit so it doesnt move.. then toss the mowers on top strap them down and away we go.haha

 

lmfao!

i use my truck to hall stuff too, but putting stuff that just doesn't fit isn't something i do... i'm not trying to **** on your idea, if you do end up making this deck, i hope it turns out well... if anything, i would put the mowers on the trailer, and the stuff that was going to go on the trailer in the back of the truck, or even on the deck you build, so you have extra room for storage, i just think you are making it more difficult than you need...


in that case is it going to happen enough to necessitate building a deck for if this ever happens again?

 

i'll use it a few times a year.. i have 2 mowers now myself and my dad has 2 also..

when the deck and trailer are done, i'll decide what hauling method i will use for that specific race.. if i dont have to haul tires or straw bales i will use the deck and throw the gear and crap in the bed.. if i have to haul tires i will use throw the mowers on the trailer and the tires in the truck.. right now i can only fit 1 mower in my truck which sucks. i will be hauling both my mowers (the ford and the new john deere) to ALL races.

to me a deck would be easier to haul the mowers by myself instead of towing a trailer if i only need to haul the mowers and gear and a friend (for safety reasons).

i dont fit jamming stuff into my truck that doesnt fit either but we had to get the mowers out of the shopping mall and dad's truck was in the tranny shop.. the truck handled it fine, a little swaying but not much plus its flat all the way home.

 

i got some pics of the trailer that i will be building, the frame, axle with leaf springs,rims and tires.. i wont be using the rims and tires, will either use proper trailer rims/tires or truck tires. not sure yet.. i will post them soon.

 

here's the pics.. the quad rack thats on the top is not part of it, its just sitting there.. but the bottom piece is getting bolted/welded to the frame.

 

Who jacked off in your cheerios?

 

You know what?

Screw you. I post a legit question and my opinion that WASN'T bashing you or your decision. I was trying to understand fully why you wanted to make your rig top-heavy instead of using a trailer.


THIS was my stance. But your foolish comment says LOADS about your character.

I don't have the Ranger manual in front of me, but isn't there a section that explains how to load your truck? Considering what you're trying to do goes AGAINST the laws of physics and safety, we just wanted to know why. I wasn't bashing you for you choice.

But now I'm bashing you for your lack of comprehension skills.


EDIT: Just to make it CRYSTAL CLEAR. My post is towards the OP and NOT Mr. Joinedinseptember-weez