Thinking of building a sled deck

[Ram]

Way to go Whopper809 !
Don't need it to be retractable , or it'll be off the truck in minutes !
Thanks a lot for sharing !

 

[Culvert]

So is there anymore pics of homemade decks out there? What are key features to put into a deck? Looking at picking up a used homebuilt. Just want to know what to look for, safety, road legal,(max length, max width)

Are you guys able to pull a trailer aswell as sleds on the deck?

 

[mb1]

So is there anymore pics of homemade decks out there? What are key features to put into a deck? Looking at picking up a used homebuilt. Just want to know what to look for, safety, road legal,(max length, max width)

Are you guys able to pull a trailer aswell as sleds on the deck?

Look at the welds, aluminum is known for cracking after a while. you need side clearance lights, amber up front and red rears, plus 3 rear clearance lights.

My bro and I are just putting the finishing touches on one. We built with a crane so no ramp. I only have a few pics. One of the nice things is all the room under the deck.

 

[Zar]

I am curious how do you load sleds and quads with just a jib crane onto a deck. I see the pipe mount for the crane mast I like your deck pictures. It looks the lightest I have seen.

Look at the welds, aluminum is known for cracking after a while. you need side clearance lights, amber up front and red rears, plus 3 rear clearance lights.

My bro and I are just putting the finishing touches on one. We built with a crane so no ramp. I only have a few pics. One of the nice things is all the room under the deck.

 

[mb1]

I am curious how do you load sleds and quads with just a jib crane onto a deck. I see the pipe mount for the crane mast I like your deck pictures. It looks the lightest I have seen.

My bro has pics of it with a sled loading up. Should have them up in a day or so.

We don't have a quad, but I think it should be very similar loading just that you would need a strap rigged up to pull from above the center of gravity. I'll have to find someone with a guinea pig quad.

 

[J_E_SUMMIT]

Don't have any pictures of it off the truck right now, might be able to get some later though. I made this deck this fall. Steel, with 12" folding sides, 16" beaver tail, 9' deck, 8' ramp, old bed liner for ski slides, and extruded headache rack. Materials, including shop supplies cost me about $900, and the bullet hinges are greasable. I made it with the folding sides instead of telescoping after struggling with a friends deck. I wanted it to fold so because I drive into some tight places for work and I needed it to be narrow when no sleds were on.

Jason Elliott's Photos | Facebook
Jason Elliott's Photos | Facebook
Jason Elliott's Photos | Facebook

 

[mb1]

Heres some pics of ours with a machine on it.

Advantages:

No ramp
Superior cargo space
Angled corners

 

[mikee-ultra]

hey do u have plans for your crane. how tall is it.

 

[Longhorn]

We built this one last year...we are still tweaking it, but it worked real well...

In the shop now, putting bigger legs on the rear, and moving them back further. We built it based on a Chev, and I need the legs further back on the Dodge, and wider stance. We are also building brackets under the box, it will bolt in this year.

 

[mb1]

hey do u have plans for your crane. how tall is it.

I'll get my brother to take a measurement or 2. The horizontal arm is telescoping, we weren't sure what would be the best length. New plan is to mount the winch right up on the top so the cable only has to make 1 bend. That will also make it easy to pull the whole crane and lay it over when there aren't any sledding trips upcoming. It looks nice and stealth but still a little worried about parkades, garages etc.

 

[collins590]

Mb1 what size aluminum tubing did you use for the frame, looks like 2" but I'm not sure. Also What 2 sizes did you use for the slide and are they a snug fit? And if not how did u make them snug?

Thanks

 

[Brians04]

just curious what width you guys are making the decks? I was lookin into buying one, but dont have that kinda cash in the budget currently, but have a welder and enough skillset to build one.

Are there any downloadable plans or anything to use as a sort of general base idea that you could customize to fit your needs?

 

[Longhorn]

just curious what width you guys are making the decks? I was lookin into buying one, but dont have that kinda cash in the budget currently, but have a welder and enough skillset to build one.

Are there any downloadable plans or anything to use as a sort of general base idea that you could customize to fit your needs?

I couldnt find any I liked, so we designed our own. Used an STF as the starting point and then custom from there...

 

[Brians04]

Sorry if i'm a little slow, STF?

 

[ponyboy]

i have a deck that needs to be finished . i want what i have in material $400 780 515 1324 chris

 

[Brians04]

i have a deck that needs to be finished . i want what i have in material $400 780 515 1324 chris

Thanks for the offer, but i'm down south of the border from ya and rarely ever make it up there.
what thickness tubing did you use out of curiosity?

 

[ponyboy]

yep ..... long way to go to get a deck thats for sure . i did not see where you live . it is made out of .065 wall .... very lite

 

[mb1]

Mb1 what size aluminum tubing did you use for the frame, looks like 2" but I'm not sure. Also What 2 sizes did you use for the slide and are they a snug fit? And if not how did u make them snug?

Thanks

Yes 2", and I can't remember the other, 1-1/2 or 1-1/4. They aren't snug, but when they're not extended the wood keeps everything snug, and when they're extended the weight of the rail and wood alone keeps them from moving much, then when a sled is loaded obviously nothing moves.

I believe the max width you can run on the highways is 8', I think the max width of ours is 70.5".

I'd sell mine if anyone's interested make an offer. 1 yr old baby now I doubt I'll make it to the mtn's at all.


edit. Just saw over 10,000 hits on this thread. wow.

 

[dirtryder]

How did you mount it to the bed and did it sit directly on the top of you box or was there a gap so it doesnt rub?

 

[mb1]

Bolts through the legs, made sure that they would go through the "c" channel that supports the bed. I put a small chunk of rubber under each leg, and those 4 places are the only contact to the truck.