Bikes in 5ft bed pickup

[RayCharles]

Hey guys/gals. I found this website when doing exhaustive searches on the web for answers to my questions. I'm hoping someone here can help shed some light.

I'm looking to purchase a new quad cab pickup and have pretty much narrowed my decision down to a leftover 2004 Tacoma pickup. (wife scared of F150 size, no long beds on models that I like, dependability, gas mileage, etc)

Anyways, I have a pair of XR400 bikes that measure 78" long. (weighing in at about 475 pounds total)

The bed of the Taco is right at 61" with about a 17" tailgate when lowered. This makes total cargo area with the tailgate down about 78".

What I am concerned about is having the rear wheels of the bikes resting on the tailgate. Do you think that the gate could support this without bending or would I have to run bedlength 2" x 11" planks to distribute the weight better? Anyone have any better suggestions on how to redistribute the weight or if this is even necessary?

Thanks in advance for your input!

-RC

 

[rickyd]

I'd opt for a 2x6 the length of the bed.. I wouldnt trust the tailgate too support that weight while hitting bumps in the road.. Have you thought about a small trailer??
Rick

 

[RayCharles]

Thanks for the quick advice. I felt that way too looking the tailgate over. As far as trailers, I actually have one... just hate having to store it and was planning on getting rid of it. My wife pulled into the garage last weekend and pushed it into my workbench. Man, women drivers.... :)

I wanted to go truck only and keep the trailer at my brothers ranch for the hunting trips.

 

[rickyd]

Also too, you may want too look into the bar that goes across the front of the bed, the beds are weak where the front tire sits at.. I have heard of some beds actually bending in towards the cab, plus the bars they have have holders for the tire..

It is a hassle w/the trailer..

 

[XRpredator]

a piece of 1 1/2" angle iron will do the trick across the front of the box. You might also want to look into one of those AMP bed extenders. My cousin hauls his YZ450 and whatever else someone is riding in a Nissan X-cab without the 2x6 that rickyd suggested, no problems thus far . . .

 

[rickyd]

. My cousin hauls his YZ450 and whatever else someone is riding in a Nissan X-cab without the 2x6 that rickyd suggested, no problems thus far . . .

Is your cousins Nissan a 6ft bed?? Or the 4ft?? He was asking about a 5ft bed, that why i reccomended a board too support the tailgate fopr his truck :laugh:
Rick

 

[XRpredator]

it's an extra cab, so I assume it's shorter'n the normal 6 foot . . .

 

[truespode]

I have a Dakota Quad Cab and plan on using ATK bike shoes with the tailgate down.

Ivan

 

[Uchytil]

Here's what I did for my son. I welded a bike shoe from aluminum 2" X 3/8" bar. It holds the bike up without tie downs. I bolted it to a piece of sheet MDO (3/4" Ply works too) with a piece of aluminum channel down the lenth for rigidity and to hold the rear wheel from hopping. The entire rig slides out when you are not riding. Weight is minimal. He added a Ready Ramp for a portable loading ramp and it also looks cool. Now he wants to cover the MDO with polished diamond plate which will look trick. I designed some bike shoes like the ATKs but scraped the two I built due to weight (steel) and they are just not practical. There are better designs IMO. Lots of fun fabricating different ideas. My original shoe was a one-off that I realized when I sa a bicycle rack at a local college. I designed a 3 bike rack for my truck and miodified it for my son (shorter bed length). He's been transporting bikes for a few years w/no problems.

 

[RayCharles]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I really like the idea of the bike channel. I am going to start by using the 2"x 6" idea. That way if I change my mind, I can always use the lumber elsewhere. I ordered a 7' aluminum folding ramp that should be here tomorrow.

I'll take pics when I get it loaded (and God willing I don't kill myself in the process). :P

Thanks!

-Ray

 

[RayCharles]

Got the truck and got one of the bikes loaded in the back with the help of a folding 7' ramp that I bought from Dennis Kirk. Seems to fit in there nicely.

Can I link the pics out of my photobucket account or is the forum going to accuse me of spam? I am not familiar with the policies here on DRN but I figured that images of what it looks like might help someone in the future.

Thanks,

Ray