I need a proper set of Flat Bet plans with Materials List to suit a 1985 F150 long bed
Steel Aluminum I don't care I vew found plenty of how to do builds but they arn't giving me the detail I need. I would like some thing like the Highway products strong back It doesnt need to be Aluminum

ALUMINUM TRUCK FLATBEDS - lightweight , save fuel, and look great! by Highway Products

your help will be appreciated

 

I have a home made flatbed on my 84 F250, you can check it out in my gallery. I found it on a similar year truck in a junkyard, picked it up for $90; I couldn't buy the materials to build one for that price. I reworked it a little bit, removed the wood deck and added a steel one. Mine measures out at 8' by 6.5' which is perfect for a SRW truck. I built mine heavy because I wanted the weight for snowplowing.

 

Cheers thanks for that I tried local wreckers. They were all want $1400 - $2000 and a new ugly tray $4500. The minute you say you have an F series here they just add an other $1000 to the price I did try to buy one of the strong backs but freight was going to cost me the same price as the tray The Bed will be carrying a welder generator a 400 piece Took kit 2 160 liter Lpg (propane) tanks chain saw an power tools

 

Holy smokes! $1400... $2000?! That's highway robbery, I could build at least 2 maybe 3 really nice flatbeds for that kind of money! I wish I could send one your way, I see quite a few older trucks running around with them on the back out here in MI.

 

Not sure on the sizes but I saw some on E-Bay when I was searching using flat bed dump in the search box. I agree used may be the best route IF you can find what you want.

 

Have you considered a service bed like this... Truck Utility/Service Bed trailer all Cabinets lock:eBay Motors (item 180442317874 end time Dec-16-09 18:00:00 PST)
I just thought it might work out if you're hauiling a lot of tools

 

This would be perfect as I could modify It perfect
1999-09 CHEV/GMC DUALLY FLAT TRUCK BED :eBay Motors (item 170418610714 end time Dec-17-09 09:06:48 PST)
but the freight would kill me about $1200 us

 

If you know basically what you want, why not just start sketching & correcting, then when you have it sorted on paper, build your own ? (I'm guessing you weld) - I'm doing the same myself for my truck.
I'm a self employed engineer & I'm slowly wrecking the original bed by carting steel, heavy jobs, machinery etc

 

A place like Ullrich would have all the Aluminium sections you require Aluminium Transport Extrusions for the Transport Industry from Ullrich Aluminium, but you'd have to figure out what you need yourself. I think the pdf of the available sections shows them at full size when you print it out in A4.

My tray measures 2.0x2.6m, but i've seen them longer. I don't have any detailled pics of its construction but I could possibly get some. Aluminium isn't cheap but you could build pretty much anything you want, it's not too complicated. From what I can recall, most of the pieces that go into making it up are straight cut or have a 45deg mitre.

 

The design is pretty simple for the most part, most use cross rails spaced evenly, about 18" or so apart, you can set them closer if you wish. Stitch weld them to the plate which is the surface of the bed, run channel or square tube for the perimeter, then two rails for above the frame to tie it all together. If you need, I have two beds that I can get pics from. One is currently in use, the other is on a truck that I am debating whether I should fix or scrap...

 

Thanks for that guys especially your input Mustang I was talking to Ullrich in Perth today about it They cant get the stuff in till end of January
Yes Ken I weld but I don't have the bending equipment I want the square round look instead or the normal sharp edge look of the tray
I dont suppose you ve still got the drawings an measurements for your interior Ozstang I d like that in my ute to best interior I ve seen yet

 

It depends what you use for a material to build with. You can just notch the tubes or channel to get it to bend, then reweld and grind it back down for the smooth look.

 

Times the issue there fellro86 I ve got 2 week min 3weeks max
With the plans I could get every thing prefabbed ready for me to weld as well as get engineers approval and main roads approval for the mounting of 2 160 litre lpg tanks With the plans I could add in the brackets an supports for the tanks and the engineer can sign them off. Not that I don't like engineers but doing the drawings up my self would then require 3 trips to an engineer or him to come to me its an added cost we pay that we shouldn't need

 

As tray Needs a load rating
the Tank mounts need to approved (if my tanks were under 90 litres they wouldnt need approval)
Then the Ute has to go over pits to be approved with said tray an all the rest of the stuff whiles its there they check every thing else out If there is some thing they don't like
you have to fix it and if you don't they cancel your registration then you loose your insurance then if your pulled over driving you could even loose your license

 

nice truck really want that bumper
looks like a truck out of mad max but in great shape