Project Information
I got tired of either having lumber shoot out the back of my truck because I didn't tie everything down right, or spending half an hour tying things down until my paranoia was satisfied, so I started looking into commercial tailgate guards and bed extenders (my truck bed is six feet, just over eight with the tailgate down, and 90% of the materials I buy is 8 feet long). I found a nice flip-down tailgate extender but as it cost $300 + installation, I decided to knock something together myself.
I used a couple sections of 3/4" plywood, joined with a continous hinge so it could be folded up when not in use or flipped down for loading (a lesson learned after the first incarnation hehe). I used some spare chains attached to spring clips to lock it in place when loaded (lesson learned from the SECOND incarnation!), and attached some 1×2 scrap to the bottom that drops in the gap between the tailgate and bed, then the weight of the lumber keeps the platform locked into place.
No more picking up lumber in the middle of the street for Jei!
I used a couple sections of 3/4" plywood, joined with a continous hinge so it could be folded up when not in use or flipped down for loading (a lesson learned after the first incarnation hehe). I used some spare chains attached to spring clips to lock it in place when loaded (lesson learned from the SECOND incarnation!), and attached some 1×2 scrap to the bottom that drops in the gap between the tailgate and bed, then the weight of the lumber keeps the platform locked into place.
No more picking up lumber in the middle of the street for Jei!