Tundra UTE Flatbed Build Begins
- Thread starter HNewman
- Start date
HNewman
Member
UPDATE: Time to trim down the headache rack!
As you may have noticed the headache on this bed model is a bit too high for the cab. After hearing that @PNW Matt needed to trim his to fit the cab over I was getting to work the next morning.
Here it is in factory form. Simply unbolt the horizontal bars and the mesh.
Here you can see I am all marked up and ready to remove 5 inches from each vertical bar. I was able to accomplish this with a cut off wheel on a grinder.
You can see I was able to use the lower horizontal bar moved up into the top position with some trimming. This is required as the original top bar will not be long enough to span the new distance. Just a little cutting and drilling and it is all back together and looking good.
I should have done this on day one! Very happy with how it turned out. Makes the bed feel more like it was made for my truck.
If you like where things are going with this truck I have more to come!
I will be starting a custom trailer build in the upcoming weeks. This will be more oriented around carrying tools and sports equipment than camping. Although it will be small and high clearance. Sort of like my mobile garage work bench. I will link it in this tread.
As you may have noticed the headache on this bed model is a bit too high for the cab. After hearing that @PNW Matt needed to trim his to fit the cab over I was getting to work the next morning.
Here it is in factory form. Simply unbolt the horizontal bars and the mesh.
Here you can see I am all marked up and ready to remove 5 inches from each vertical bar. I was able to accomplish this with a cut off wheel on a grinder.
You can see I was able to use the lower horizontal bar moved up into the top position with some trimming. This is required as the original top bar will not be long enough to span the new distance. Just a little cutting and drilling and it is all back together and looking good.
I should have done this on day one! Very happy with how it turned out. Makes the bed feel more like it was made for my truck.
If you like where things are going with this truck I have more to come!
I will be starting a custom trailer build in the upcoming weeks. This will be more oriented around carrying tools and sports equipment than camping. Although it will be small and high clearance. Sort of like my mobile garage work bench. I will link it in this tread.
Kpack
Adventurer
HNewman - The cut down headache rack looks much better. I haven't been around a lot of utes, so I'm curious if it's heavier or lighter than the stock bed. Is the bottom of the tray at about the same height that the wheel well was at? And do the bedsides rattle or make noise when you're on a rougher road?
And if you feel comfortable, I'd love to know the cost (without shipping) of it. I'm looking at all my options for replacing my damaged bed.
And if you feel comfortable, I'd love to know the cost (without shipping) of it. I'm looking at all my options for replacing my damaged bed.
HNewman
Member
Now that is a sick truck!
HNewman
Member
Thanks! I checked out your build thread. Sorry about your truck.
The bed is significantly lighter than stock and larger (6.5'x7'). It does raise the deck to the wheel well height. Makes for a high load height with a lifted truck. However it leaves space for a storage drawer under the deck. Under tray boxes are available from UTE ltd. However you can find cheap better looking options (More the tapered style of Norweld).
The fold down bed sides are a 300$ option. They do not rattle and the latches have springs to keep closure tight. They also remove quickly with no tools which is nice.
I would imagine some custom work being involved to make a bed like this work with your rear bumper. UTE does offer smaller sizes that might be better for your application. I didn't want to spend the money without getting an upgrade in capacity. In my configuration the bed came in under $4000 shipped for pick up at a local warehouse. Depending on which options you want the price will change. If it were me I wold ditch the rear bumper and just mount stuff in the bed. You should have better clearance and increased payload without that hunk of steel on the back. Maybe sell it to help fund the bed.
Check out the UTE ltd website. I called and the owner Randy was very helpful answering my questions and my bed shipped quick!
Kpack
Adventurer
Thanks for the info. That is very helpful. Good to hear that the bed sides are tight and rattle-free. I wouldn't have expected that by looking at them.
The problem I have with ditching the rear bumper is I need the integrated tow hitch. I won't go back to the factory one because it hangs so far down. I need every bit of clearance on the truck, and the high-clearance bumper moves the tow hitch about 12" higher. So that creates a problem.
Price for what you got is better than I expected as well. Not bad with shipping. Out of curiosity I checked Norweld's prices and....ouch. Granted, they are in Aussie dollars, but that doesn't help much. Basically for a tray I'd be looking at ~$8K....and at least another $8K for a canopy. That's nuts. My truck isn't worth that much.
Anyways, love your build. Looking forward to seeing more of it as you keep working on it.
HNewman
Member
Totally understand the bumper dilemma. I plan to fab a raised hitch at some point myself.
After some debate I am looking at building a canopy similar in shape to a norweld. I'm going to use wood frame and skin with insulation for winter camping. Not only for a cheap option but also to minimize condensation issues. Poor mans fiberglass for the skin. Desil heater eventually.
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rruff
Explorer
An easy way to see how much flex you get is to drive into a ditch at an angle so all your weight is on diagonal wheels. If you think it's too much flex for your camper, you can hold it to the flatbed with spring mounts, or make your camper so it flexes without too much stress.
I thought the sweetspot for a small camper was making it tall enough to sit up in straight. Any less and it's too cramped, and annoying to spend much time back there. Storage or a small sleeping berth over the cab are nice as well...
PMF seemed more like a heavy duty coating than good structure in my experiments. Fiberglass is much better, and I'd highly recommend that as an outer layer. 20 years ago I built one using a wood+XPS core, 1/8 luan skins (all glued with PLPremium to make a structural sandwich panel), and fiberglass hand-laid on the outside, and was very pleased with how it functioned. Light, cheap, insulated, very durable.
whatsawrench
New member
HNewman - how did you attach the fuel filler? Did you have to modify the fuel hose? Do you have any issues filling gas?
I have a 2006 Tundra DC and the exact same UTE flatbed as yours sitting in my garage. I am just getting everything ready to get started, so I was really happy to come across your thread. I am planning to do pretty much the same as your install. I saw the discussion on spring mounts in this thread, but I think I am just going to mount the tray with some Energy Suspension bushings instead of the aluminum spacers from UTE to get a little flex.
Your truck looks awesome! Definitely a good upgrade from the factory bed. The rear looks much better without the factory bumper too.
I have a 2006 Tundra DC and the exact same UTE flatbed as yours sitting in my garage. I am just getting everything ready to get started, so I was really happy to come across your thread. I am planning to do pretty much the same as your install. I saw the discussion on spring mounts in this thread, but I think I am just going to mount the tray with some Energy Suspension bushings instead of the aluminum spacers from UTE to get a little flex.
Your truck looks awesome! Definitely a good upgrade from the factory bed. The rear looks much better without the factory bumper too.
HNewman
Member
That sounds like a good plan. I only used a bunch of spacers in the rear to line the bed up with the door trim.
For the fuel filler I just hammered the factory bracket into a shape that fit under the bed. The hose was not modified. Just zip tied it in place. Fills just fine. Only problem is road dirt and ice gets thrown into it. Still not a big issue even here in alaska.
For a better long term solution there is a ute bed thread on Tacoma world. Dude replaces hoses and mounts it up between the headache rack and cab. Super slick and protected.
Hope this helps. Post up some pics of the process!
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whatsawrench
New member
That's a great idea. Simple and elegant! After hearing horror stories about flatbed filler necks, I'm glad you made it work. I was thinking of mounting the factory bracket into another bracket (a bent strip of aluminum or similar) under the flatbed. In essence, what you did, but a lot more work
I am getting started in the next couple weeks (wrapping up some truck work). Time permitting, I want to put up a build thread (the flatbed is for a camper). I'm glad to see 1st Gen Tundras going strong out there with folks like you doing cool stuff with it. Thanks for the great write-up, and can't wait to see how yours turn out.
HNewman
Member
Dude that's dope. Got a camper on mine right now for some backcountry snow adventuresThat's a great idea. Simple and elegant! After hearing horror stories about flatbed filler necks, I'm glad you made it work. I was thinking of mounting the factory bracket into another bracket (a bent strip of aluminum or similar) under the flatbed. In essence, what you did, but a lot more work
I am getting started in the next couple weeks (wrapping up some truck work). Time permitting, I want to put up a build thread (the flatbed is for a camper). I'm glad to see 1st Gen Tundras going strong out there with folks like you doing cool stuff with it. Thanks for the great write-up, and can't wait to see how yours turn out.
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