DIY PVC Bed Extender 1st Gen

First thing's first... Paying homage to the person(s) who came up with this AND was/were kind enough to post it online.
https://thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/409351-30-bed-extender/

I really wanted a bed extender to give me a little more bed space for my second job. There was no way I was going to spend upwards of $300 for one (if I could even find one). Even though they do that cool flip thing; I couldn't bring myself to drop that kind of cheddah.

This setup here ran us around $75-$80 (add $20 for the cutter cause I didn't have one)

Materials:
5 pieces - 5ft 1.5" PVC
10 pieces - 1.5" elbows
8 pieces - 1.5" T joints
4 pieces - Bungee Cords (optional)
2 pieces - Reflective tape (optional)
1 can - PVC cement

Tools:
PVC cutter or some kind of saw (I would recommend miter saw for clean, level cuts).
Drill for the anchor points (unless you come up with another method).

Measurements (for 1st Gens; what I used). I will mention that we used these measurements because the Tacoma has a BAKFlip G2 bed cover. The extender needed to sit inside the bed with the cover closed when not in use.

Top Horizontal Section:
2 pieces - 22.5" (for the width portion of tailgate)
2 pieces - 13" (for the depth portion of tailgate)

Middle Horizontal Section:
2 pieces - 14.25" (for the width)
2 pieces - 5" (more for the width)
2 pieces - 13" (for the depth)

Lower Horizontal Section:
2 pieces - 14.25" (for the width)
1 piece - 14" (center section of the width)
2 pieces - 13" (for the depth)

ALL vertical sections:
7 pieces - 3"

Overall... it's not perfectly lined up and dress-right-dress, but it certainly gets the job done and I think it looks good. I will try to get some better pictures tomorrow in the daylight.

 

Nice, there is a dude that lives near me and had the same idea to use pvc pipes but he made a roof rack for his jeep lol

 

One of these days I'm gonna get me a welder and learn how to fabricate some sh*t.

If I wasn't on a budget, I would have made the bed extender out of steel pipes.

 

See i have a welder but im to lazy to learn how to weld lol, so i just buy what I need...

 

Full time day job... part time night gig. HaHa! The wife would think I was avoiding her if I had a welder.

 

Great idea.... So how do you fasten it, so it's solid, to the box when it sits out on the tailgate?
tough rubber bungie strap? or a small ratchet tie-down strap? or did you make a bracket of some sort?

 

The black rubber bungee cords. I think they're called "Tarp Straps" at Lowe's.

With a total of four bungees, I consider it solid. Time will tell. Going to be using it for the first time tonight at my second job. Will post back with results.

Here's a better picture in day light.

 

What exactly are you trying to keep in the bed?

 

Those big loads of weed when you gotta delivers to the clubs.

 

Whaaaaaaaa? Pshhhh. Nah. *cough*

My second job is collecting house-hold trash bags from door-steps (apartment complex) and taking them to the dumpster. A little bit of extra space would help. The Tacoma doesn't have a ginormous bed.

I'm hoping this PVC solution will do. I didn't want to spend an entire morning at Lowe's trying to find a 2x12x8 plank that didn't have a crack through it (I started there... spent about 10mins and gave up).

 

Come on man its colorado it’s legal there, you guys got the weed church

 

Good job coming up with this. But, why? Around here they're frequently on CL. I recently picked one up on CL for $40. I go to CL even before Amazon.

 

For trash pvc should work. A couple bungee cords would probably work as well.

 

How recent? I saw one on CL for $40. Missing the bolts, but spray painted. That was the only one I found. I will keep looking. I would like to have the metal one that locks to the bed AND allows my bed cover to close properly. I wanted to start using this thing right away though, and my impatience got me over to Lowe's that day.

Indy; you are correct. The PVC worked out great with 4 bungees to keep it strapped to the tailgate.

 

Given the scant load capacity of our trucks, using steel pipe doesn't sound like the smartest thing, lol...

I can't tell from your pics, but do you have an extra cab or a double cab? Reason I ask is I considered a bed extender for my doublecab to keep my motorcycle gear in place. However 2 issues: 1) my rear tire still sticks out slightly behind the tailgate (extender won't fit), and 2) I wouldn't be able to remove the extender with the motorcycle in place (the commercial ones anyway).

 

You right. HaHa! But it's the "project" idea that got me excited. I've always wanted to be able to fabricate. Never had the means. If I did now? Shoot. The wife would almost never see me.

I have an xtra-cab.

You can angle some wood, I suppose. Make it a V-Shape that hangs slightly off the tailgate but is held in place by chains, instead of bungees. I hope you have better luck locating the lumber than I did. And if you used those spring action... things; it would be easily removed to unload the bike. Just a thought.

Hmm. Some D-Rings on the sides of the wood to lock it down to the tailgate with a ratchet strap. Sounds secure... in my head anyway.

 

Today. Pretty sure it will fit Tacoma.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/pts/d/truck-bed-extender/6530649562.html

 

I would try and fashion clips that use the tailgate latches, not unlike the commercial ones. The bungees are simple and cheap, but not very user friendly. All you'd need is a flat square piece of metal (like a belt buckle, lol), and tie a strap to it, then attach the other end of the strap to the upper sides (near the corners) of your extender.

Of course that may require a redesign of your extender, since you'd probably want to reinforce the corners for better vertical strength.

It's amazing how few tools you need to "fabricate" things. Angle grinder with a cut-off wheel, drill (step bits are really handy). For the welder, just tell your wife you'll make her some yard art or outdoor furniture or something - that's what I did..

 

Amen! I typically get in trouble when I go to Lowe's or Harbor Freight.

There may be some adjustments I make to this thing. Mainly in strengthening those horizontal bars with vertical inserts. But it's not necessary right now. It's working exactly as intended.