Little OT: 8' truck bed going away

On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 21:42:29 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>
>> On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:47:37 -0800 (PST), rlz <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>or
>>>put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue).
>>
>> Tailgates don't bow from plywood resting on them.
>
>No, but the plywood does.
That's why you need to buy tuba's when you buy ply

Puckdropper <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
> [email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>
>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>
>
> You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
> tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
> remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>
> The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
> other covers not so much.
>
> Puckdropper

I like my original Truxedo ... seven years and it's going strong.

http://www.truxedo.com/images/trax/gallery-half-lg.jpg

--
www.ewoodshop.com (Mobile)

> Puckdropper -- Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

The ply manufacturers should make the ply 6' long, instead of 8', to accommodate the truck market.

Sonny

<[email protected]> wrote:
> On 09 Feb 2013 20:48:40 GMT, Puckdropper
> <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>
>> [email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>
>>>
>>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>>
>>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>>
>>
>> You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
>> tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
>> remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>>
>> The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
>> other covers not so much.
>>
>> Puckdropper
> 10 minutes will take the cap off my Ranger. About half an hour to put
> it back on..
>
> With a hard toneau, about 3 minutes off, and about the same back on.
>
> The snap-op toneau I had on my '57 Fargo Custom came off in about a
> minute - went on in about 3 if it was warm and dry - forget about it
> if it was cold and/or damp. It was made of convertible top material
> and fit like a drum-skin.

The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.

On 2/7/2013 9:27 PM, dpb wrote:
> On 2/7/2013 1:47 PM, rlz wrote:
>> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
>> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
>> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
>> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
>> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
>> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
>> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
>> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
>> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
>> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
>> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
>> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
>> and electric locks and seats?
>
> They all (GM, Ford, Dodge, Toyota) _make_ 'em; you may have to order it
> w/ options you want if you're in a metro market. Out here in farm
> country they're still around altho even here the super-cab is more
> prevalent.
>
> In general for farm work for what a PU is used for the shortbed will
> handle it; if it's actual hauling even a 8-ft isn't adequate so they opt
> for the extra passenger room over the bed length. Most guys will put a
> bale bed on one and a utility/maintenance bed w/ the
> compressor/welder/etc. on another and then have a shorttail for the
> "town" truck and maybe two or three others for off-road as well...
>
> Not quite the suburb configuration... :) I've got the "townie" that's
> 1/2T 2WD w/ a topper that's extended but not full 4-door cab and the
> 8-ft 3/4T 4x4 w/ the diesel tank for field maintenance/service duty and
> another w/ the bale bed.
>
> OBTW, I've not looked at last couple of years but until then and I
> presume still can--Dodge and Chevy built a full 4x4 w/ a longbed, too--I
> don't know Ford. But, the wheelbase is long--it's not something you'll
> likely want to drive in town (or write the check for, either, likely,
> altho you have to bite real hard on any of 'em any more, anyway).
>
> --
I don't understand the cab stuff.. to me a pu is just that a bed for
hauling. __The seats in the back are so small in most of these, unless
you get a crew cab that they are not worth it.__ Except in
Kalifornicating where it's illegal to ride in the bed... as well as some
other states (remember the illegals 10 riding in the back who were
running from the cops and flipped killing most)

--
Jeff

On 2/8/2013 9:22 AM, Sonny wrote:
>
>> Puckdropper -- Make it to fit, don't make it fit.
>
> The ply manufacturers should make the ply 6' long, instead of 8', to accommodate the truck market.
>
> Sonny
>
Shut up!

They already are making 3/4 1/32 thinner each year soon the 3/4 will be
1/2 and the thin veneer will be painted on.

--
Jeff

"rlz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
> and electric locks and seats?

Oh boy, you had to bring this topic up. A pet peeve of mine. OK, here it
goes.

I was brought up on a farm. We used to LENGTHEN truck beds. Since we did
actual WORK we were concerned with cargo capacity. I then went to pickups
with 8 foot beds that I could put sheet goods in and close the gate. Very
nice. I even had a station wagon that I could put plywood and 2 X 4's in
and haul it home. I then drove, for many years, a Jeep J-10 pickup with a
seven foot bed. Since I did some off roading, this was nice. A little
shorter than 8 foot, but adequate for most jobs. I still missed the 8 foot
bed though. If I had to haul 8 foot stock, I had to either leave the tail
gate down or put it on the top of the tail gate.

Eventually, the tail gate started to show signs of wear with things stacked
on top of it. I ended up with making my own gate because the original wore
out with me stacking things on top of it. I don't have a truck right now
and it is really a problem when I want to haul something. I remember fondly
the days when I could drop by a garage sale, buy something, and haul it
home.

I talked to a truck salesman recently. He told me that nobody actually uses
trucks for work any more. The problem, he told me, is that everything is
build on certain length FRAMES. And they insist on adding an "extended cab"
to the truck, they needed to subtract bed length. And the extended cab
thing. If they just want to add a foot or so, they wouldn't be so bad. But
they want to put SEATS back there. Even if only small children could fit in
those seats. Then you have the DOUBLE CABS! These take up even more space
on a fixed length frame. The truck beds gets even shorter.

If you want to get an eight foot bed, You need to get a truck in a "regular
cab" and specify a "long bed". The language is changed. What was once a
normal truck bed has become a "long bed". Even in the used trucks, they now
represent no more than 5 or 10 % of the used truck market. And they sell at
a premium because they are a "long bed truck". That seems so bizarre to me.
That is like saying in I am hung like a horse because I am totally average
in size. And nobody hauls sheet goods any more.

This same truck salesman told me that nobody actually does any work any more
with trucks. Trucks are for partying! Trucks are for hauling people!
Sheet goods are either delivered or use special trailers. Gotta have the
music, air conditioning and internet access. Nobody does actual WORK any
more! My take on this, we are going to hell. On the farm, we built and
modified what WORKED. Because we actually worked. When trucks become party
vehicles, we are all gonna die.

Yeah, I know. I am an old fart. But when I get another truck, it will have
an 8 foot bed. And it will actually be used for WORK. I know, I am a
dinosaur. But I am comfortable in my own skin. And I think that all trucks
with 6 foot beds or shorter should be rounded up and melted down. So we can
make trucks that can do actual WORK. And a little waterboarding on the
folks who actually buy these things would be a good thing too.

<grumble, grumble, bitch bitch>

On 02/07/2013 12:47 PM, rlz wrote:
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
> and electric locks and seats?
>

I bought a used 2004 Chev Duramax diesel with a regular cab and long bed
in 2007 to tow a 5th wheel. At 3 years old and 54k miles, it was less
than half the price of a new one. Now at 128k miles, it is just about
broken in. It also gets up to 23 mpg highway and 14 mpg towing a 10k lb
trailer. There are used trucks from RV users because they want a long
bed to avoid having to use a sliding 5th wheel hitch.


--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

DJ Delorie <[email protected]> wrote in news:[email protected]:

> I have a full size pickup. My wife has a minivan. Both can hold a
> full sheet of plywood - the pickup with the tailgate up, the minivan
> with the hatch closed. However - the minivan has a higher cargo
> capacity (5/8 vs 1/2 ton) and the plywood won't get wet in the rain.
>
> Of course, once you need more than just "some plywood", the truck
> rules :-)

I had a truck for a couple of years, and now we've got a minivan. The only
thing the minivan doesn't have that the truck did was 3-abreast seating in
front. That made it easy to get plywood without making a special trip.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

[email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:

>
> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
> travel with the suitcases back there.
>
> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>

You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.

The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
other covers not so much.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On 02/09/2013 04:45 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> On 09 Feb 2013 20:48:40 GMT, Puckdropper
> <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>
>> [email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>
>>>
>>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>>
>>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>>
>>
>> You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
>> tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
>> remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>>
>> The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
>> other covers not so much.
>>
>> Puckdropper
> 10 minutes will take the cap off my Ranger. About half an hour to put
> it back on..
>
> With a hard toneau, about 3 minutes off, and about the same back on.
>
> The snap-op toneau I had on my '57 Fargo Custom came off in about a
> minute - went on in about 3 if it was warm and dry - forget about it
> if it was cold and/or damp. It was made of convertible top material
> and fit like a drum-skin.
>
The Truxport and Truxedo soft tonneau covers use velcro rather than
snaps and are much easier quicker to deploy or roll up regardless of
temperature. Also, having had the snap type in AZ, the snaps are really
hot to the touch in summer!

Also, there are folding and retractable hard covers although a bit pricey.


--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

$5-$6/gal will speed the process along.

Lew

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:40:02 -0500, woodchucker <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On 2/7/2013 9:27 PM, dpb wrote:
>> On 2/7/2013 1:47 PM, rlz wrote:
>>> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
>>> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
>>> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
>>> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
>>> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
>>> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
>>> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
>>> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
>>> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
>>> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
>>> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
>>> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
>>> and electric locks and seats?
>>
>> They all (GM, Ford, Dodge, Toyota) _make_ 'em; you may have to order it
>> w/ options you want if you're in a metro market. Out here in farm
>> country they're still around altho even here the super-cab is more
>> prevalent.
>>
>> In general for farm work for what a PU is used for the shortbed will
>> handle it; if it's actual hauling even a 8-ft isn't adequate so they opt
>> for the extra passenger room over the bed length. Most guys will put a
>> bale bed on one and a utility/maintenance bed w/ the
>> compressor/welder/etc. on another and then have a shorttail for the
>> "town" truck and maybe two or three others for off-road as well...
>>
>> Not quite the suburb configuration... :) I've got the "townie" that's
>> 1/2T 2WD w/ a topper that's extended but not full 4-door cab and the
>> 8-ft 3/4T 4x4 w/ the diesel tank for field maintenance/service duty and
>> another w/ the bale bed.
>>
>> OBTW, I've not looked at last couple of years but until then and I
>> presume still can--Dodge and Chevy built a full 4x4 w/ a longbed, too--I
>> don't know Ford. But, the wheelbase is long--it's not something you'll
>> likely want to drive in town (or write the check for, either, likely,
>> altho you have to bite real hard on any of 'em any more, anyway).
>>
>> --
>I don't understand the cab stuff.. to me a pu is just that a bed for
>hauling. __The seats in the back are so small in most of these, unless
>you get a crew cab that they are not worth it.__ Except in
>Kalifornicating where it's illegal to ride in the bed... as well as some
>other states (remember the illegals 10 riding in the back who were
>running from the cops and flipped killing most)

I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
travel with the suitcases back there.

What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)

On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:47:37 -0800 (PST), rlz <[email protected]> wrote:

>This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
>I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
>market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
>and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
>are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
>trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
>with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
>bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard),

It's not unsafe if you take a minute to string a single strap around
it from latch to latch.


>or
>put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue).

Tailgates don't bow from plywood resting on them.


>I've seen a
>few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
>luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
>cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
>and electric locks and seats?

Say no more. Get a Toyota Tundra. I got the smaller, 4.7L V-8 and it
has -much- more power than I want or need. They're very luxurious,
come with all the goodies, and cost less than the crap Obama Motors,
Mercenary Dodge, and <sigh> even Ford put out nowadays. They even have
dual HVAC systems in the cab so the wife can be warmer, and the
tailgate is assisted. You can flip it closed with one thumb. My '07
replaced a 1990 F-150 and the difference was as startling as going
from Neanderthal to Normite tools.

--
Newman's First Law:
It is useless to put on your brakes when you're upside down.
--Paul Newman

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 06:22:01 -0800 (PST), Sonny <[email protected]>
>The ply manufacturers should make the ply 6' long, instead of 8', to accommodate the truck market.

Nah! Cut the plywood into four foot squares and then glue them back
together after you reach your destination.

Geez, got to tell you people everything.

dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 2/10/2013 8:15 AM, Leon wrote:
> ...
>
>> The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
>> and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.
>
> Some bicycle hooks (or similar) and pulleys from the garage ceiling make
> short work of it--can do the cab-height hardtop shell on the SB by self
> <20 minutes and drive out from under it...reverse to replace.
>
> --

Assuming there is a garage.

On 2/7/2013 1:47 PM, rlz wrote:
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
> and electric locks and seats?
>


Almost all dealerships inventory what sells. What you are looking for
is not a big mover these days. However, you can order just about any
version truck you want if you are willing to wait. Toyota offers a long
bed 2 door with a 5.7 V8 producing about 380hp and mine gets about 16.5
MPG in town.

On 2/10/2013 8:26 AM, Doug Winterburn wrote:

> The Truxport and Truxedo soft tonneau covers use velcro rather than
> snaps and are much easier quicker to deploy or roll up regardless of
> temperature. Also, having had the snap type in AZ, the snaps are really
> hot to the touch in summer!

I plan on either carrying over my Truxedo to a new truck one of these
days, or purchasing another Truxedo.

For my purposes (and the ability to _quickly_ convert to carry tall
items like cabinets and furniture) of all the pickup bed cover solutions
I've used down through the years, the Truxedo is the most versatile,
fastest (under a minute), and has the fewest compromises of all.

Of course, YMMV ...

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:47:37 -0800 (PST), rlz <[email protected]> wrote:
>>or
>>put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue).
>
> Tailgates don't bow from plywood resting on them.

No, but the plywood does.

[email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:

> On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 21:42:29 +0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote in
>>news:[email protected]:
>>
>>> On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:47:37 -0800 (PST), rlz <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>or
>>>>put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue).
>>>
>>> Tailgates don't bow from plywood resting on them.
>>
>>No, but the plywood does.
> That's why you need to buy tuba's when you buy ply

But I don't know how to play the tuba...

> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence.

Another option you might consider is a small utility trailer.

I have one I pull with my old 1976 Rabbit. It only cost a few hundred
dollars for the trailer and wood sides. Licensing is less then $20 a year
and it's covered by my car insurance.

I routinely haul full sheets of plywood, lumber, sheetrock, finished
projects, etc. Not to mention loads of barkdust, garbage to the dump, or
whatever.

In one trip I can haul a load of building supplies in the trailer, tools in
the back of my car, myself and three passengers, stop to pick up groceries,
and still get 25mpg. :)

Not to mention, my car is a lot more driveable and easier to park than a
big truck when I'm not hauling supplies.

One other benefit, I can disconnect the trailer if I don't want to unload
it at that moment.

Anthony Watson
Mountain Software
www.mountain-software.com/about.htm

On 2/10/2013 12:28 PM, Swingman wrote:
> On 2/10/2013 8:26 AM, Doug Winterburn wrote:
>
>> The Truxport and Truxedo soft tonneau covers use velcro rather than
>> snaps and are much easier quicker to deploy or roll up regardless of
>> temperature. Also, having had the snap type in AZ, the snaps are really
>> hot to the touch in summer!
>
> I plan on either carrying over my Truxedo to a new truck one of these
> days, or purchasing another Truxedo.
>
> For my purposes (and the ability to _quickly_ convert to carry tall
> items like cabinets and furniture) of all the pickup bed cover solutions
> I've used down through the years, the Truxedo is the most versatile,
> fastest (under a minute), and has the fewest compromises of all.
>
> Of course, YMMV ...
>


http://www.freep.com/article/20130207/BUSINESS01/130207027/Toyota-unveils-2014-Tundra-Chicago-Auto-Show?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

On 09 Feb 2013 20:48:40 GMT, Puckdropper
<puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:

>[email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>
>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>
>
>You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
>tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
>remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>
>The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
>other covers not so much.
>
>Puckdropper
10 minutes will take the cap off my Ranger. About half an hour to put
it back on..

With a hard toneau, about 3 minutes off, and about the same back on.

The snap-op toneau I had on my '57 Fargo Custom came off in about a
minute - went on in about 3 if it was warm and dry - forget about it
if it was cold and/or damp. It was made of convertible top material
and fit like a drum-skin.

On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:47:37 -0800 (PST), rlz <[email protected]> wrote:

> I just want a nice truck
>with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material.


Are you crazy? If you put material in the bed it will get all dirty.
Could even get a scratch. Trucks are used to portray a manly image
while taking the kids tot he ball game.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:04:05 +0000 (UTC),
[email protected] (Larry W) wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>, dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
>>On 2/10/2013 8:15 AM, Leon wrote:
>>...
>>
>>> The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
>>> and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.
>>
>>Some bicycle hooks (or similar) and pulleys from the garage ceiling make
>>short work of it--can do the cab-height hardtop shell on the SB by self
>><20 minutes and drive out from under it...reverse to replace.
>>
>
>Some years ago I bought a used full size 86 Chevy that had a Leer cap
>on the bed. I was able to remove and install it myself in about 10 or
>15 minutes by using a pair of 2X4s as ramps to slide it off the bed
>sides and onto the ground, and vise versa. As I recall only 4 bolts
>and nuts held it on, one at each corner. This was a pretty simply made,
>very basic bed topper, I'm sure that there are others that are too heavy
>to be done this way by a single person.
>
>
Mine fastens with 4 aluminum "G" clamps.

rlz wrote:
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
> and electric locks and seats?

Have you looked on the manufacturer's web sites?

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/7/2013 2:47 PM, rlz wrote:
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
> and electric locks and seats?
>
How things have changed. My parents had a family station wagon when I
was a kid. I think it was a '72 Ford Torino. It wasn't advertised for
tradesmen, but you could get a 4x8 sheet inside, *flat* on the "bed"
between the wheels, and shut the tailgate. I seem to remember my Dad
doing just that, with several sheets.

On 2/7/2013 4:02 PM, Lee Michaels wrote:
>
>
> "rlz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
>> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
>> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
>> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
>> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
>> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
>> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
>> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
>> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
>> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
>> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
>> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
>> and electric locks and seats?
>
> Oh boy, you had to bring this topic up. A pet peeve of mine. OK, here
> it goes.
>
> I was brought up on a farm. We used to LENGTHEN truck beds. Since we
> did actual WORK we were concerned with cargo capacity. I then went to
> pickups with 8 foot beds that I could put sheet goods in and close the
> gate. Very nice. I even had a station wagon that I could put plywood
> and 2 X 4's in and haul it home. I then drove, for many years, a Jeep
> J-10 pickup with a seven foot bed. Since I did some off roading, this
> was nice. A little shorter than 8 foot, but adequate for most jobs. I
> still missed the 8 foot bed though. If I had to haul 8 foot stock, I
> had to either leave the tail gate down or put it on the top of the tail
> gate.
>
> Eventually, the tail gate started to show signs of wear with things
> stacked on top of it. I ended up with making my own gate because the
> original wore out with me stacking things on top of it. I don't have a
> truck right now and it is really a problem when I want to haul
> something. I remember fondly the days when I could drop by a garage
> sale, buy something, and haul it home.
>
> I talked to a truck salesman recently. He told me that nobody actually
> uses trucks for work any more. The problem, he told me, is that
> everything is build on certain length FRAMES. And they insist on adding
> an "extended cab" to the truck, they needed to subtract bed length. And
> the extended cab thing. If they just want to add a foot or so, they
> wouldn't be so bad. But they want to put SEATS back there. Even if
> only small children could fit in those seats. Then you have the DOUBLE
> CABS! These take up even more space on a fixed length frame. The truck
> beds gets even shorter.
>
> If you want to get an eight foot bed, You need to get a truck in a
> "regular cab" and specify a "long bed". The language is changed. What
> was once a normal truck bed has become a "long bed". Even in the used
> trucks, they now represent no more than 5 or 10 % of the used truck
> market. And they sell at a premium because they are a "long bed
> truck". That seems so bizarre to me. That is like saying in I am hung
> like a horse because I am totally average in size. And nobody hauls
> sheet goods any more.
>
> This same truck salesman told me that nobody actually does any work any
> more with trucks. Trucks are for partying! Trucks are for hauling
> people! Sheet goods are either delivered or use special trailers. Gotta
> have the music, air conditioning and internet access. Nobody does
> actual WORK any more! My take on this, we are going to hell. On the
> farm, we built and modified what WORKED. Because we actually worked.
> When trucks become party vehicles, we are all gonna die.
>
> Yeah, I know. I am an old fart. But when I get another truck, it will
> have an 8 foot bed. And it will actually be used for WORK. I know, I
> am a dinosaur. But I am comfortable in my own skin. And I think that
> all trucks with 6 foot beds or shorter should be rounded up and melted
> down. So we can make trucks that can do actual WORK. And a little
> waterboarding on the folks who actually buy these things would be a good
> thing too.
>
> <grumble, grumble, bitch bitch>
>
>
>
I looked for a long time to find my 2005 Chevy Astro Van. It can carry
8 people comfortably and is relative easy to get into. It is
comfortable even in the back seat.

It can carry all of my camping gear, with all of the paintings and items
needed to set up my wife's display tent when she goes to Art fairs.

I can carry a dozen plant behind the rear seat, and if I take the back
two seats out, about 3 times that. I can carry patio blocks, groceries,
packing boxes, furniture, and many other things.

When I need wood I can easily slide ten footers under the seats and shut
the rear doors. If I need sheet goods like plywood or MDF, I can take
the rear seats out and the 4X8 sheets will lay on the floor in the back.
I brought a set of cupboards for the Utility room home about a year ago.

It has the power to pull my 21 foot boat.

Though there are much bigger vehicles available like the Ford
Expedition, BUT there is currently no replacement for this VAN. What a
shame. If I ever have to replace it I guess I will have to buy one on
those electronic toys. Maybe a Smartcar! ;-)

Guess who is called when my daughters wants to buy new furniture or any
thing else of any size?

In article <[email protected]>,
Lee Michaels <leemichaels*nadaspam* at comcast dot net> wrote:
>
<<...snipped other story...>>
>Oh boy, you had to bring this topic up. A pet peeve of mine. OK, here it
>goes.
<...snipped...>
>I talked to a truck salesman recently. He told me that nobody actually uses
>trucks for work any more. The problem, he told me, is that everything is
>build on certain length FRAMES....

<...snipped...>


Take anything a car salesman says with a few grains of salt. It's certainly
true that more people buy trucks for recreational and other non-work
purposes today than in years past. Dealers will stock up on the popular
models because the higher demand for them means more profit for the dealer.
As another poster pointed out, you can still order a truck with practically
any option or variation you want. Look at any large fleet buyer and you
will see that 8 foot bed models, with or without extended cabs, are still
available from Ford, GM, Dodge (Ram nowadays) and I'd expect from Toyota
and Nissan too.



--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation
with the average voter. (Winston Churchill)

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

On 2/7/2013 1:47 PM, rlz wrote:
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years. Now I'm in the
> market for a new truck with an 8" bed. This is to mainly haul plywood
> and other sheet materials. Upon looking around, it seems that 8' beds
> are almost non-existence. Why is this? It seems that all of the
> trucks have an extra cab with a 4-6' bed. I just want a nice truck
> with a powerfull motor and a long bed for hauling material. A 6' truck
> bed means that you have to leave the tailgate down (safety haxard), or
> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue). I've seen a
> few bare-bone trucks with the 8' bed, but I'm looking for a more
> luxury as well. Any suggestions on who might make a decent V8 regular
> cab truck with an 8' bed with some luxury features like cloth seats
> and electric locks and seats?

They all (GM, Ford, Dodge, Toyota) _make_ 'em; you may have to order it
w/ options you want if you're in a metro market. Out here in farm
country they're still around altho even here the super-cab is more
prevalent.

In general for farm work for what a PU is used for the shortbed will
handle it; if it's actual hauling even a 8-ft isn't adequate so they opt
for the extra passenger room over the bed length. Most guys will put a
bale bed on one and a utility/maintenance bed w/ the
compressor/welder/etc. on another and then have a shorttail for the
"town" truck and maybe two or three others for off-road as well...

Not quite the suburb configuration... :) I've got the "townie" that's
1/2T 2WD w/ a topper that's extended but not full 4-door cab and the
8-ft 3/4T 4x4 w/ the diesel tank for field maintenance/service duty and
another w/ the bale bed.

OBTW, I've not looked at last couple of years but until then and I
presume still can--Dodge and Chevy built a full 4x4 w/ a longbed, too--I
don't know Ford. But, the wheelbase is long--it's not something you'll
likely want to drive in town (or write the check for, either, likely,
altho you have to bite real hard on any of 'em any more, anyway).

--

Doug Miller wrote:
> Larry Jaques <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> On Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:47:37 -0800 (PST), rlz <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>> or
>>> put the end on the top of the tailgate (bowing issue).
>>
>> Tailgates don't bow from plywood resting on them.
>
> No, but the plywood does.

If you leave it in there for a couple of months.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

On 2/7/2013 11:47 AM, rlz wrote:
> This is a little off-topic of woodworking, but I thought I would ask.
> I've had a long-bed (8') dodge pickup for many years.


You are shopping in the wrong places....

Find a dealer that sells a LOT of commercial vehicles and there is where
you will find the standard 8' bed on the classic white pick up truck.

Ask any plumber or carpenter where he go his white pickup truck...

Go there...

In article <[email protected]>, DJ Delorie <[email protected]> wrote:
>Greg Guarino <[email protected]> writes:
>> How things have changed. My parents had a family station wagon when I
>> was a kid. I think it was a '72 Ford Torino. It wasn't advertised for
>> tradesmen, but you could get a 4x8 sheet inside, *flat* on the "bed"
>> between the wheels, and shut the tailgate. I seem to remember my Dad
>> doing just that, with several sheets.
>
>I have a full size pickup. My wife has a minivan. Both can hold a full
>sheet of plywood - the pickup with the tailgate up, the minivan with the
>hatch closed. However - the minivan has a higher cargo capacity (5/8 vs
>1/2 ton) and the plywood won't get wet in the rain.
>
>Of course, once you need more than just "some plywood", the truck rules :-)

I'd be really surprised to see an actual GVWR of any full sized pickup
built in the last 40 years that limited it to only 1000 lbs. What's
the curb weight of your truck, and what's the GVWR?


--
Make it as simple as possible, but not simpler. (Albert Einstein)

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

On 2/9/2013 2:48 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
> [email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>
>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>
>
> You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
> tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
> remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>
> The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
> other covers not so much.

Only the one "townie" SB has 3-doors w/ the relatively small seats in
back (the other "real" work trucks are straight 2D conventional cabs).
If had crews, etc., that would be a whole different thing but since
don't I'll trade the bed for the cab and keep the shorter wheelbase for
my purposes.

I've got a conventional molded topper on the SB; it's dressy for town
and while not terribly secure it is dry yet provides decent height for
more bulky stuff. We took it to West Coast (OR/WA) when daughter had
moved w/ a rear full of boxes of her stuff from TN house and three.
Comfortable enough if not luxurious in rear for us given none of us are
tall...

--

On 2/10/2013 8:15 AM, Leon wrote:
...

> The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
> and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.

Some bicycle hooks (or similar) and pulleys from the garage ceiling make
short work of it--can do the cab-height hardtop shell on the SB by self
<20 minutes and drive out from under it...reverse to replace.

--

In article <[email protected]>, dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
>On 2/10/2013 8:15 AM, Leon wrote:
>...
>
>> The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
>> and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.
>
>Some bicycle hooks (or similar) and pulleys from the garage ceiling make
>short work of it--can do the cab-height hardtop shell on the SB by self
><20 minutes and drive out from under it...reverse to replace.
>

Some years ago I bought a used full size 86 Chevy that had a Leer cap
on the bed. I was able to remove and install it myself in about 10 or
15 minutes by using a pair of 2X4s as ramps to slide it off the bed
sides and onto the ground, and vise versa. As I recall only 4 bolts
and nuts held it on, one at each corner. This was a pretty simply made,
very basic bed topper, I'm sure that there are others that are too heavy
to be done this way by a single person.



--
Often wrong, never in doubt.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 07:26:26 -0700, Doug Winterburn
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On 02/09/2013 04:45 PM, [email protected] wrote:
>> On 09 Feb 2013 20:48:40 GMT, Puckdropper
>> <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>>
>>> [email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>>>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>>>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>>>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>>>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>>>
>>>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>>>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>>>
>>>
>>> You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
>>> tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
>>> remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>>>
>>> The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
>>> other covers not so much.
>>>
>>> Puckdropper
>> 10 minutes will take the cap off my Ranger. About half an hour to put
>> it back on..
>>
>> With a hard toneau, about 3 minutes off, and about the same back on.
>>
>> The snap-op toneau I had on my '57 Fargo Custom came off in about a
>> minute - went on in about 3 if it was warm and dry - forget about it
>> if it was cold and/or damp. It was made of convertible top material
>> and fit like a drum-skin.
>>
>The Truxport and Truxedo soft tonneau covers use velcro rather than
>snaps and are much easier quicker to deploy or roll up regardless of
>temperature. Also, having had the snap type in AZ, the snaps are really
>hot to the touch in summer!
>

Forget the snaps being hot - the Fargo was metallic BLACK - you could
fry eggs on it on an average summer day


>Also, there are folding and retractable hard covers although a bit pricey.

On Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:34:41 -0500, DJ Delorie <[email protected]> wrote:

>Greg Guarino <[email protected]> writes:
>> How things have changed. My parents had a family station wagon when I
>> was a kid. I think it was a '72 Ford Torino. It wasn't advertised for
>> tradesmen, but you could get a 4x8 sheet inside, *flat* on the "bed"
>> between the wheels, and shut the tailgate. I seem to remember my Dad
>> doing just that, with several sheets.
>
>I have a full size pickup. My wife has a minivan. Both can hold a full
>sheet of plywood - the pickup with the tailgate up, the minivan with the
>hatch closed. However - the minivan has a higher cargo capacity (5/8 vs
>1/2 ton) and the plywood won't get wet in the rain.
>
>Of course, once you need more than just "some plywood", the truck rules :-)
In the mini-trucks even a 7 footer is getting real rare. I got a
1996 Ranger standard cab long-bos this fall to replace my PT, which
replaced a TransSport, which replaced 2 long body Aerostars. With a
bed-liner and a cap, it keeps everything dry and holds about as much
as the 'stars did with the seats out - and I don't have to heat the
whole bus to stay warm

On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 08:15:17 -0600, Leon <[email protected]> wrote:

><[email protected]> wrote:
>> On 09 Feb 2013 20:48:40 GMT, Puckdropper
>> <puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com> wrote:
>>
>>> [email protected] wrote in news:[email protected]:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I have a 12YO Ranger with the extended cab and four doors. There's
>>>> never been anyone in the back "seats" but I would never buy a standard
>>>> cab. I carry lots of stuff back there, locked and out of sight. We've
>>>> taken it on many trips (it's last will probably this spring) and we
>>>> travel with the suitcases back there.
>>>>
>>>> What I don't understand are caps and covers, particularly the solid
>>>> ones. If you want a station wagon, buy a station wagon. ;-)
>>>>
>>>
>>> You'll need a can opener to get the top off if you want to haul something
>>> tall. At least with the caps and covers (caps maybe not so much) you can
>>> remove them with a reasonable amount of hassle.
>>>
>>> The snap fabric covers make a lot of sense to me for a truck bed, the
>>> other covers not so much.
>>>
>>> Puckdropper
>> 10 minutes will take the cap off my Ranger. About half an hour to put
>> it back on..
>>
>> With a hard toneau, about 3 minutes off, and about the same back on.
>>
>> The snap-op toneau I had on my '57 Fargo Custom came off in about a
>> minute - went on in about 3 if it was warm and dry - forget about it
>> if it was cold and/or damp. It was made of convertible top material
>> and fit like a drum-skin.
>
>The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
>and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.
The 3 or 4 piece folders are nice. Fold them up, pull the pins, and
pop it off. Depending what you are carrying you can leave the tonneau
inside the box.

On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:57:02 -0600, Leon <[email protected]> wrote:

>dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
>> On 2/10/2013 8:15 AM, Leon wrote:
>> ...
>>
>>> The problem with a hard tonneau is that it is a two person job to remove
>>> and replace and then where to put it once it is removed.
>>
>> Some bicycle hooks (or similar) and pulleys from the garage ceiling make
>> short work of it--can do the cab-height hardtop shell on the SB by self
>> <20 minutes and drive out from under it...reverse to replace.
>>
>> --
>
>Assuming there is a garage.
ANd assuming you can get into it. There hasn't been anything
resembling a car or truck in mine for about 25 years - - - - .

Greg Guarino <[email protected]> writes:
> How things have changed. My parents had a family station wagon when I
> was a kid. I think it was a '72 Ford Torino. It wasn't advertised for
> tradesmen, but you could get a 4x8 sheet inside, *flat* on the "bed"
> between the wheels, and shut the tailgate. I seem to remember my Dad
> doing just that, with several sheets.

I have a full size pickup. My wife has a minivan. Both can hold a full
sheet of plywood - the pickup with the tailgate up, the minivan with the
hatch closed. However - the minivan has a higher cargo capacity (5/8 vs
1/2 ton) and the plywood won't get wet in the rain.

Of course, once you need more than just "some plywood", the truck rules :-)