Truck Bed "extenders" for carrying long loads in pick-up trucks?

[Melensdad]

I have a 5.5' bed on my truck. Often carry 8' lumber, trim, etc. That is not an issue, it gets tossed in with the tailgate up and strapped in, no big deal. I can lay down sheets of plywood, drywall between the wheel wells so they are flat on the floor and usually just wrap a couple straps around them to hold them in place.

But with a 5.5' bed, roughly 7' of flat surface with the tailgate down, I hesitate to carry 12' lumber. Thinking of some sort of an extender. I've seen a lot of extenders that are mounted to the HITCH. Basically a square tube with a support that holds up the load a few feet behind the bumper, but then I saw this thing. Called the SHEETT. $179 for a reinforced heavy duty fabric sheet that conforms to the shape of a load with some straps that hold the load into the bed. Honestly seems over-priced, but damn it seems like a good idea too.

Looks a lot more convenient and a lot more flexible than the square tube systems.

Anyone got any other solutions to carrying long loads in a pickup that does NOT involve using a trailer or a larger truck?

Sheett™, Canvas Truck Bed Extender, Universal Fit

Perfect for hauling anything that sticks out past your tailgate, the Loadd Canvas Truck Bed Extender can add up to 8' of usable length to your truck bed and conveniently folds up like a blanket when not in use. Store it under your backseat and be prepared to haul any load with the Loadd canvas...

loadd.co

 

[Melensdad]

Harbor Freight and a couple dozen other companies sell things like this metal square tube extender.

$59.99 at HF seems like a bargain, but still seems far less of a solution than the SHEETT. But I have to assume, perhaps incorrectly, that there is something else out there that is reasonably priced but does what the SHEETT does?

Truck Bed Extender

Amazing deals on this Truck Bed Extender at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Doc]

Interesting. From the pics here I prefer the harbor freight one. Especially at that price.

 

[Melensdad]

Interesting. From the pics here I prefer the harbor freight one. Especially at that price.

The style sold by HF, and many others, are known to rust, wobble, rattle, etc. They also require lots of strapping of the load so it doesn't slip off. But they are proven and come in many price points from cheap to expensive, with lots of adjustments and features. For as often as I'd use one, the cheaper versions would be plenty good enough, it would spend most of its life stored inside a garage.

The SHEETT is pretty much an integrated strap and wrap system all in one, more compact to stow, obviously wouldn't rust, but the price seems outrageous.

 

[Doc]

Agreed. Mine would spend most time in a garage also, so rust would not be a major concern for me.
I would like a modular bottom bar that could be made 3' or so shorter. It would be stronger and still support enough of the 12 footer to carry it I think.

Opps. Edit to add. If it is just 8' boards being carried in the pic then you sure could not shorten the bottom bar.

 

[pixie]

Those two products have different functions. The Sheet thing wraps and contains the load but doesn't support it. The 2" trailer hitch thing supports it but doesn't contain it.

If you have several sheets of plywood or a bundle of 2x4 and tie down the Front end, the Sheet thing will help them support themselves. With the hitch extension, tying down the front is less critical but you need to tie the items together in the middle.

 

[Melensdad]

Those two products have different functions. The Sheet thing wraps and contains the load but doesn't support it. The 2" trailer hitch thing supports it but doesn't contain it.

If you have several sheets of plywood or a bundle of 2x4 and tie down the Front end, the Sheet thing will help them support themselves. With the hitch extension, tying down the front is less critical but you need to tie the items together in the middle.

I think the sheet thing relies on the rigidity of the items being hauled to essentially support themselves, but the fact that they are wrapped and contained and then tensioned into the bed with the integrated straps helps the sheet support the loads.

Honestly wondering if I can simply use 2 or 3 sturdy straps (which I already own) and a small sturdy tarp (which I already own) and make a poor man's sheet carrier.

Take a sturdy 6'x8' tarp. Fold it over into a 4' by 6' size and run a strap inside the fold. Attach that strap to the lower strap points in my bed at the tailgate. Wrap the load with the folded tarp so it is 2 layers of tarp thick and the strap through the 'fold' is under the load, attach another strap or two to the grommets and tighten that over the upper portion the folded tarp that is laid on top of the load and then to the upper strap anchor points at the tailgate of the truck. Tighten all the straps and it seems like it would work. Not quite as elegant or simple, it would require a test first, to make sure the hooks of the tarp fit through the grommets; might take a couple sturdy caribeneers in the grommet holes?

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I have the HF type one. It is useful when needed. If I had to do a longer haul though I would probably want to use both of them.

 

[Melensdad]

Thanks all.

I didn't know what solutions exist out there other than the HF hitch style. Looks like really there are only 2 solutions, the hitch style and the SHEETT thing.

I have the HF type one. It is useful when needed. If I had to do a longer haul though I would probably want to use both of them.

My hauls are typically from the big box store to home. Roughly 20 miles. And 15-16 of those miles are down a 4 lane, straight as an arrow, highway. The last handful of miles are rural 2 lane roads. So I'd trust either solution.

Longest payload I'd carry would be about a half dozen 12' pieces of lumber. Mostly I carry 8' and don't need either thing. I've relied on friends for carrying 12' lumber, or paid for delivery. But with a potential greenhouse build this summer I could see the utility of getting something to help with longer loads, even if it is the only time I'd need to use it.

With a 5.5' bed, tailgate down, there is about 7' of flat surface to support a 12' load, or just about 55% of the load. Clearly I need some solution.

With a 5.5' bed, tailgate down, there is about 7' of flat surface to support a 12' load, or just about 55% of the load. Clearly I need some solution.

The more I think about this reality, the more I think the HF type hitch mount might be needed. It would give me support out to about 8.5' which is 75+% of the length of the load. But I still think I might use my tarp idea to help secure the load onto the hitch extender.

Actually found this one, got good reviews on various websites. For sale on Amazon for $59.99 with free Prime delivery. Looks better than the HF one at the same price?

70231 | maxxhaul

www.maxxhaul.com