For several years now I've been continually getting annoyed by all the chips on the top of the bedsides, mostly from people I employ throwing ladders and conduit in any-which-way. So, I need bedrails.

Also, I wanted a headache rack because I like the look of them and also, it gives me a high-up place to mount tiny little strobe lights, helping with visibility while we're working around the truck or loading/unloading because people around here seem to enjoy driving over my cones and I'm tired of replacing them.

Also also, I wanted to mount a round 15-gallon DOT-legal tank I bought as well as a small portable generator *above* the bed so this way the bed is still completely useful for longer items - plywood backboard, conduit, and so on.

So with these three things in mind, and a plethora of curb-plucked exercise equipment (and some leftovers from past projects), I started building all three things as one complete unit.

How things will be mounted:



Making of the hoop:



First coat of paint:



The step by step is here if anyone is interested: Headache Rack / Bed Rails

I'm not too happy with the shape of the headache rack frame, but after spending several hours frustrated while trying to figure out where in the pre-formed bends I should cut, I went the "monkey route" and just hacked the sides up and called it a day. I can always cut it off and weld something else down the road if it annoys me that much.

I didn't build the insert yet and probably won't until spring but at least it's framed out and integrated with the bedrails and generator/fuel tank supports.

The tank is a DOT legal tank, and I visited the local state police to discuss the mounting of this tank in this fashion, and the two officers I spoke to had no issue whatsoever with my doing this, since the tank itself is DOT legal. The only thing they suggested is the tank should not extend past the roof line or the side of the cab, so during a roll-over the tank is very unlikely to be dented and/or punctured.

Of course if I'm pulled over we'll see how *that* officer feels about the legality of this DOT tank being mounted there.

So, that's as far as I got today. As part of this there will also be a waterproof, 250W halogen "light on a pole" that will be removable for driving and easily set up and run off the generator. The generator is a bit of an oddity - it provides 25A @ 120V (3000W) through a 15A duplex mounted on the generator head - after taking it apart to see how that could be, I discovered the generator has two windings, one connected to the top half of the duplex, the other connected to the bottom half of the duplex, with neutral in between. So that's 12.5A to each half of the duplex. Interesting I thought.

 

Nice job. Is the tank just for fuel to run the generator? Post pic of the light pole when thats done to.

 

The tank is for both the generator that will be mounted with it, but also for my bigger 15KW portable generator I put in a shed next to my house - that one has a 17 gallon tank and the idea of having multiple 5 gallon cans sliding around didn't thrill me, so this tank (which is 15 gallons) allows me to avoid all that.

 

That's how to recycle steel there! My gf gives me crap about all the scraps of steel items I keep around, you never know when you will need a little piece of angle or something. (bed frames are great)

 

My better half calls me Sanford.

 

I have the same issue. Most significant others are not fond of yard-stored "honeypots".

But that's okay, every so often I "thin" the piles, getting rid of the thinner, less useful stuff and keep the bigger stuff for projects like this. You can always cut a smaller piece out of a bigger piece

 

mine wont even let me keep the parts from the pull a part in the house....you guys are lucky... they at least go straight on my truck so that helps I think!

 

Looks nice! I wish I could weld. How long did it take you to make that?

 

Fred has a spot hidden in his garage where his wife can not see the pile of steel stock that would make a machine shop owner jealous.

 

I always enjoy these threads.

 

Probably about three hours of actual work, spread over five or six due to all the usual distractions.

Hidden spot? At this point it's the whole darn garage. I can't even walk in there any longer, hence why the piles started to accumulate outside. A couple of months ago I made three trips over the scales getting rid of stuff that had started to rust far beyond my desire to clean it up and use it for something, and the yard is still a disaster.

The problem is, anytime I see gym equipment at the curb, I must stop, must load it, must take it home.

 

i do the same thing with snow plows.

i just picked up another one yesterday. complete meyers setup for 99-04 superduty
this thing is only 4 years old, and has the best of everything. paid $600 for it.
he paid $3000 4 years ago

 

$600 for a plow? Wow.

 

complete with truck side mount, upper hoop, night saber lights, and an E-60 pump.
the E-60 pump alone is selling on ebay for $700 to $1000

 

Well, wow again