Thanks Scott.

Yeah I figured I'd just make boards out of the plywood sheets I used on the bed frame I made from Bob Jones' pdf files.

The bed strips were included with the bed, so I used them. It's only 48 bolts... And working from the inside out made it a lot easier to get to everything.

 

It occured to me that some of you may have figured out that I won't be using the spare tire carrier that mounts under the F4 now that I have this shorter bed. The tire would be sticking out the back.

So if anyone is interested, pm me. Stu said he doesn't need it any more.

I do not have the correct hanger bolts, as I believe they are made of unobtainium.

 

Is there any room behind the axle to move the tire forward? It would be a shame to lose the spare. No one else has one, and it looks too cool.

 

No, I can't move it forward. It's hard enough to raise and lower without having the rear end in the way too.

Once I made the decision to keep the 8 foot bed, I knew the spare tire carrier wasn't going to work.

That's why I posted this... so maybe someone else can use it. But it's no good without the hanger bolts anyway.

 

This surprises me, Joe, that there is less room under an F-4 than there is under an F-3. My spare is a 7.50-17" at 34" diameter which has maybe a bit greater diameter than your spare if it is a 225/70R19.5" at 32". Yet mine extends only to the ends of the rear frame rails.


It's also interesting that the big truck hanger is exactly the same piece as the stock F-2/F-3 hanger, aside from the two lugs on the big truck version vs cage on the F-2/F-3 version. The third one pictured is just a later F-250 unit for comparison. Stu

 

Stu, my hanger bolt mounts are much closer to the back of the frame at only 11" whereas yours appear to be 2 1/2 feet from the rear of the frame. My 8R19.5 tire is 33.5" in diameter. That puts the tire 5.75" out behind the frame ends. I lied earlier when I said it was 6".

So, if I had a 9 foot bed, the tire would still stick out behind the frame, but would be covered by the bed a full 6.25".

 

Yeah, it's just interesting, maybe even counter intuitive. The rear axle is that 5.75" closer to the rear despite the 12" added frame length. No doubt to distribute the weight correctly across the bed. Stu

 

I'll admit I know nothing about the smaller, more popular trucks, but I know the frame on mine was designed to hold the spare outside the frame.

 

OK, I changed my mind. I'm going to hang onto this spare tire carrier.

Since they're so hard to find, I might want it someday.

Is this the beginning of a hoarding problem?

 

Since they're so hard to find, I might want it someday.

Is this the beginning of a hoarding problem?[/QUOTE]

It is. And it really comes back to bite you when you move all that stuff to a new location.

 

No, not at all, this is normal, really...

Seriously, you should see my dad's garage. He and I have all sorts of extra stuff we could get rid of. The problem is until we get done with all the various projects we don't know which parts are extra.

 

And that's why we're going to move before I really start to hoard stuff!

BTW, how's the move coming along?

 

Since I currently only have one project truck, I don't have too much extra stuff lying around. Most of it fits in a couple of milk crates and the bigger stuff is in the shed with my bike.

But the whole idea of having a big shop is to have room to add more projects and have storage for trucks and a tractor and a snow blower, etc....

 

Joe,


Are you by chance moving to a larger place????


Well, then. by all means, you better hang onto that spare tire carrier, and that..... ....and then there is that......


...oh, yea....and that other thing......


Congrats on your first major step out onto that slippery slope. Welcome


Bobby

 

Well, isn't that the way it's supposed to be? Just keep storing stuff until you run out of room, then move into something bigger? Rinse and repeat?