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BUILDING A SLED DECK

attakbologna

Veteran
Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
33
Age
47
Location
Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada
Country
Canada
Snowmobile
2006 Yamaha Attak
HAS ANYONE ATTEMPTED OR SUCCESSFULLY BUILT A SLED DECK FOR THEIR TRUCK?
I HAVE AN 09 F150 WITH A 6.5' BOX AND WOULD LIKE TO BUILD ONE FOR MY ATTAK. IF ANYONE HAS PLANS OR ADVICE PLEASE GIVE THEM......THANKS A MILLION.
 

Not sure what you are looking to do but if you constrain it to a single sled in-box sled deck with ramp, you can do it for less than $200 or so plus your time which would be less than 1 day if you are handy. I replied to your HCS thread with what I did...
 
All you need is a tri fold ramp and a box liner. I built this! You can use the logging chain (doesn't rust) to secure the ramp and the sled once loaded. Plus secure the ramp when loading and its still there when you come back from your ride. Used to load a Warrior for a few years and have used it to load my XTX. 6' box GMC!
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Was going to build one too. Keep in mid a double plus deck will probably be too much weight. Ad it up and check your tire rating as well.

I have a nice inline 4place deep v, but still want one on my dually.


2014 viper, mpi
2009 Phazer 144"
 
Was going to build one too. Keep in mid a double plus deck will probably be too much weight. Ad it up and check your tire rating as well.

I have a nice inline 4place deep v, but still want one on my dually.


2014 viper, mpi
2009 Phazer 144"

Hmmm on top of box sled deck? I may have misunderstood and thought the poster was building a sled deck with ramp under it in the bottom of the box.
 
Wow! Talk about a top heavy load. As for two sleds up that high on a 6ft bed half ton? Ralf Nader needs a look at that! Put it in the box or on a trailer is my advice or roll it when that load starts the half ton to rock and rolling. One ton with dual wheels or one ton/ 3/4 ton with singles and 8 ft box maybe (no emergency maneuvers with that much weight that high up) but a half ton?

Including the weight of the deck that three guys could not carry, plus the weight of two Yamahas would be about 2,000 lbs total minimum. Then stick that weight about 5 feet in the air so you can load more weight in the box! Single wheel 3/4 ton is now at its limit! Quick guess would be around 3,000pds to max GVWR on a #3/4 ton! 6ft box would move the center of the load back behind the wheels not something I would want to do any emergency maneuvers with.

Not with a half ton ever! Accident waiting to happen IMHO!
 
That is a lot of weight high in the air for a very high center of gravity. I think that would make your truck very tippy and unstable. For the amount they spent on all the materials they could've bought a nice used trailer.
 
We have limited parking (single lane logging roads) in most of our riding areas, so sled decks are very common here. I did build one that uses hydraulics to pivot the deck up/over/down which allows the use of a much shorter ramp. I never did complete the project though as my truck is only a half ton and it was becoming obvious to me that I really needed a 3/4 ton truck to do it right. Since my truck was still new at the time and I didn't want to replace it, I ended up getting 2 place trailer with a Top Cap instead.

To do it right (and legal in some areas) a 3/4 or 1 ton truck is required and if I ever get a 3/4 ton truck I'll probably finish the sled deck project!
I do have a friend who uses a 1/2 ton truck and he has air bags, stiffer shocks, etc which helps. However it still has a 1/2 ton rear end and transmission.
The rear end is the biggest difference, a typical 1/2 rear end uses semi-floating axle bearings. While a 3/4 ton truck will usually have a full floater rear end which allows the truck to carry a lot more weight with out stressing the axle bearings/axles.

As far as building the deck is concerned, the most common construction method uses a frame that extends down into the box. Then the weight is being supported at the bottom of the bed. Some of the units will even use brackets that attach to the frame similar to how a 5th wheel hitch mounts, for a really sturdy set up!

Aluminum is the best material to use mainly for weight savings, although there are some nice steel ones out there as well. Also if you can afford it, having the sides slide in/out comes in REALLY handy for those times when your not hauling sleds!
 
We have limited parking (single lane logging roads) in most of our riding areas, so sled decks are very common here. I did build one that uses hydraulics to pivot the deck up/over/down which allows the use of a much shorter ramp. I never did complete the project though as my truck is only a half ton and it was becoming obvious to me that I really needed a 3/4 ton truck to do it right. Since my truck was still new at the time and I didn't want to replace it, I ended up getting 2 place trailer with a Top Cap instead.

To do it right (and legal in some areas) a 3/4 or 1 ton truck is required and if I ever get a 3/4 ton truck I'll probably finish the sled deck project!
I do have a friend who uses a 1/2 ton truck and he has air bags, stiffer shocks, etc which helps. However it still has a 1/2 ton rear end and transmission.
The rear end is the biggest difference, a typical 1/2 rear end uses semi-floating axle bearings. While a 3/4 ton truck will usually have a full floater rear end which allows the truck to carry a lot more weight with out stressing the axle bearings/axles.

As far as building the deck is concerned, the most common construction method uses a frame that extends down into the box. Then the weight is being supported at the bottom of the bed. Some of the units will even use brackets that attach to the frame similar to how a 5th wheel hitch mounts, for a really sturdy set up!

Aluminum is the best material to use mainly for weight savings, although there are some nice steel ones out there as well. Also if you can afford it, having the sides slide in/out comes in REALLY handy for those times when your not hauling sleds!

Problem is a half ton has about 2,000pds of capacity. That includes all the stuff under the back seat and the people and gear plus the sled deck and two sleds. So in the end a half ton is at the minimum a half ton plus overloaded. Even a 3/4 ton is just barely able to carry that load. With a one ton you have the capacity and I would even recommend dual wheels but hey I like dually's.

Problem two is where the weight is, a short box carries 40% of the vehicle weight on the rear axle, so does a 8 ft box. Short box however would have most of that deck sled weight behind the rear axle (scary) 8 ft box is better. Add to that the weight is 3ft plus above the bed of the truck multiplying the leverage on both the box and the wheels tires axles.

Box's are not even made of steel anymore, more like something resembling aluminum foil. I've seen fenders flapping from side to side because people remove the tailgate for better mileage so yes the sled deck needs to be supported and braced. Adding even more weight and taking up the space under the deck.

Proper truck for the job and a properly built deck I'm fine with it but a half ton like the above poster wants to do it with not a chance, pick up a 3/4 ton or one ton 8 foot box with single wheels 8ply 10 ply rated at least. One ton is my recommendation with dual's. I miss my one ton crew cab!
 
I deal with us dot all the time. They overlook non commercial vehicles, but are about to crack down....campers, enclosed trailers, whatever it is. Big one they are going to watch for is tire rating and registration tonnage needs to match loaded weight. Example: truck gvwr is 10k lbs trailer is 10k lbs equals 20k lbs or 10 ton. Your truck needs a registration tonnage of 10 ton. Some states walk around and ad up tire ratings especially if they feel your truck is over it's listing. So if you do the airbags, heavy springs you need to follow the above and be sure your tire ratings match.

But, every state is different. This is just a small requirement. Check your state.



2014 viper, mpi
2009 Phazer 144"
 
In NH they are cracking down on a few things.

If towing, mirrors must have view down side of trailer.
Tongue must be locked.
Brakes must function on trailers equipped with them.
No sled deck type device extending beyond 6" on the drivers side, so only duellys can legally mount them.
 
Never made it NH, but good information. I have no worries where ever I go, but there are plenty that need the education.


2014 viper, mpi
2009 Phazer 144"
 


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