My truck has a big fat as5, as some of you may have noticed from this and other pictures. The truck is going on a diet, and since they sell Bed-B-Gone at Autozone by the case now, I'm looking for some feedback before starting the weight loss program.
All the liquid weight is centered behind the cab, and assume it won't slosh much...the tanks will be baffled. Nothing sits higher than 14" above the floor of the stock bed, and the bedcage should allow it to be at least two inches lower since the bed sits an inch or two above the frame rail, more at the front of the bed.
The blue (water tank) and red (fuel cans) chunks will be changed to a pair of equally sized boxes, with water at the front and ideally lower (denser). 30g will fit in the aux fuel tank and the water tank, they'll take up slightly less room to the rear than in the drawing since fuel will be in a single box rather than six separate boxes--width will be about the same as in the current drawing. It'll cut the weight, too...no need for six brackets. The aux fuel tank will fill from the left, water from the right. Aux fuel gets to the main tank via splice to the stock vent line and electric pump with dead/closed anti-siphon valve. Backup is a Super Siphon. The electric pump will allow me to drive something like 650 miles until the tank is empty, or the bladder is full, whichever comes first.
Orange is recovery ladders. I'll trim them to fit the length if it looks like they'll hit the tanks. They'll ride at the bottom of the bedcage (under the spare tire), in a rail to allow easy loading and access--about where the gap is now between the frame and the bottom of the bed. They're 2" thick.
The yellow boxes are the approximate size of the boxes I'll make to house a pair of Odyssey batteries. Vertically, they fit between the top and bottom of the frame rail. That's as close to the rear axle as they fit without interfering with the shocks and whatnot.
The only things with CG behind the axle will be the batteries (~100#), spare tire (no more than 150#, hopefully more like 120#), and recovery ladders (~70#?). None of those except the spare will be more than 20" behind the rear axle (the tires are 40x14...I might not run that large, but I know I'll have the space).
The green box, believe it or not, is a rooftop tent. Closed, it's 11.5" deep and weighs about 110#. It fits between the bed rails, a couple inches down (at 15" above stock bed floor, possibly less), so I'll be able to see out the back and the CG of the tent should be no more than 21" above the floor of the stock bed. That's only 30# more, but a good half a foot lower CG than my CanBack (IIRC from the tape measure mob scene). If I put a pivot at the front and a subframe under the tent, it could be raised like a tonneau cover with the help of a pair of gas assist tubes and a simple drop-down brace to hold it steady while it's raised.
I'll be able to fit a pair of utility boxes at the front corners of the bed, under the glass, same at the rear of the bed...aluminum or Nidacore or something, or just a couple of ammo cans bolted to the cage.
If the cage wraps around the end above and below the spare tire, it'll provide rigidity side to side as well as fore and aft, and a simple drop gate can hold the short recovery ladders and allow access to the long ladders and the spare tire. What do you guys think about tying it to a cab cage later? I think it can be done, bolting through the rear of the cab like a sandwich the way my sliders are attached to the frame ("door car" roll cages are footed this way), since the cage will always be in compression at the top the bolts will only need to hold friction to keep the cage and body from twisting. If it's braced properly, the front of the bedcage will provide a roll bar (not that I ever *plan* on rolling) as well as rigidity through the bed.
Right now, the rear of the truck is too wide, too heavy (when it's all loaded), too high, screens too much to the side, and when the truck is twisted up to the stops I can't close the doors properly . I think this cage will solve all those problems.
Opinions? What do you guys think of the layout? I'll do a new drawing with the two tanks instead of all the gas cans, and a vertical drawing as well as a cage sketch, later.
All the liquid weight is centered behind the cab, and assume it won't slosh much...the tanks will be baffled. Nothing sits higher than 14" above the floor of the stock bed, and the bedcage should allow it to be at least two inches lower since the bed sits an inch or two above the frame rail, more at the front of the bed.
The blue (water tank) and red (fuel cans) chunks will be changed to a pair of equally sized boxes, with water at the front and ideally lower (denser). 30g will fit in the aux fuel tank and the water tank, they'll take up slightly less room to the rear than in the drawing since fuel will be in a single box rather than six separate boxes--width will be about the same as in the current drawing. It'll cut the weight, too...no need for six brackets. The aux fuel tank will fill from the left, water from the right. Aux fuel gets to the main tank via splice to the stock vent line and electric pump with dead/closed anti-siphon valve. Backup is a Super Siphon. The electric pump will allow me to drive something like 650 miles until the tank is empty, or the bladder is full, whichever comes first.
Orange is recovery ladders. I'll trim them to fit the length if it looks like they'll hit the tanks. They'll ride at the bottom of the bedcage (under the spare tire), in a rail to allow easy loading and access--about where the gap is now between the frame and the bottom of the bed. They're 2" thick.
The yellow boxes are the approximate size of the boxes I'll make to house a pair of Odyssey batteries. Vertically, they fit between the top and bottom of the frame rail. That's as close to the rear axle as they fit without interfering with the shocks and whatnot.
The only things with CG behind the axle will be the batteries (~100#), spare tire (no more than 150#, hopefully more like 120#), and recovery ladders (~70#?). None of those except the spare will be more than 20" behind the rear axle (the tires are 40x14...I might not run that large, but I know I'll have the space).
The green box, believe it or not, is a rooftop tent. Closed, it's 11.5" deep and weighs about 110#. It fits between the bed rails, a couple inches down (at 15" above stock bed floor, possibly less), so I'll be able to see out the back and the CG of the tent should be no more than 21" above the floor of the stock bed. That's only 30# more, but a good half a foot lower CG than my CanBack (IIRC from the tape measure mob scene). If I put a pivot at the front and a subframe under the tent, it could be raised like a tonneau cover with the help of a pair of gas assist tubes and a simple drop-down brace to hold it steady while it's raised.
I'll be able to fit a pair of utility boxes at the front corners of the bed, under the glass, same at the rear of the bed...aluminum or Nidacore or something, or just a couple of ammo cans bolted to the cage.
If the cage wraps around the end above and below the spare tire, it'll provide rigidity side to side as well as fore and aft, and a simple drop gate can hold the short recovery ladders and allow access to the long ladders and the spare tire. What do you guys think about tying it to a cab cage later? I think it can be done, bolting through the rear of the cab like a sandwich the way my sliders are attached to the frame ("door car" roll cages are footed this way), since the cage will always be in compression at the top the bolts will only need to hold friction to keep the cage and body from twisting. If it's braced properly, the front of the bedcage will provide a roll bar (not that I ever *plan* on rolling) as well as rigidity through the bed.
Right now, the rear of the truck is too wide, too heavy (when it's all loaded), too high, screens too much to the side, and when the truck is twisted up to the stops I can't close the doors properly . I think this cage will solve all those problems.
Opinions? What do you guys think of the layout? I'll do a new drawing with the two tanks instead of all the gas cans, and a vertical drawing as well as a cage sketch, later.