Pics of steel flatbeds on 1st gens?

I'm going to do a steel flatbed on my 2001 double cab (with of course the 5 foot bed) can I getsome ideas?

 

Whyyyyyyy that's a lot of added weight do youbhave add a leafs or timbrens to handle it? Do you plan on regearing or putting a heavier flywheel in if you need to? If you're making it a true steel flat bed that's like 500+ pounds why not go aluminum?

 

I was thinking about it , how much would is weigh in comparison?

 

Aluminum is like 1/5 the weight for comparable strength it won't rot but will be much more money.... (not as much as it seems because you likely won't need to mod your suspension or engine much if at all)

 

How much more do you guys think it will be, the steel cost is around 450$

 

Aluminum will puncture though if you used too thin of a sheet on top so either go over kill here or line it with a horse stall mat... can be had for 35 bucks at a tractor supply store

 

@kmcmahon5 has a flat bed on his truck. Looks pretty awesome. Only first gen I can recall with one. You can search the "what have you done to your first gen today?" thread. He posted pictures of it in there.

 

Look up "first gen tacoma flatbed" on google. Quite a few pictures but I didn't see many double cabs.

 

Coming up in the next month or two I'm gonna start building a steel bed for my 04 xtra cab. I've been searching for ideas too and I really like the look of the beds in Australia from outback customs. I'm probably gonna do tool boxes like these and have some drop down sides instead of the canopy. Also the fenders are freakin cool. I plan on documenting it pretty good to post on here as I start to build it.

 

It's beautiful

 

Calm down.

Even if a flatbed weighs around 500lbs, the stock bed is probably around 200...Netting around a 300lb weight gain. I'm sure the last time you had a passenger you didn't feel the need to put in extra leafs, Timbrens, a heavier flywheel or regear your truck. What you are saying is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen posted on TW...and that's saying something.

 

If he went steel he's well over 500lbs for a flatbed thats strong enough to be worth it more likely 800lbs (family construction business even our lightest flat beds are about 1000)... His suspension looks level already even if it were only +300 lbs empty if he loads anything heavy enough to justify his want for a flat bed yes he will need all that or his ride quality will suffer significantly. if it was just driving around a farm who cares but i wouldn't take it on the highway like that without atleast a suspension overhaul.

Also if someone is looking into something that could require collateral mods its always best to warn them of every possible cost. Im sure the last thing the OP wants is for everyone to assume he's ready to shell out for things to help the suspension handle the load and tell him yeah man go for it. then he figures out the cost of his bed and once its done realizes it now sags too much or sways too much on the highway, or bogs down up hill..

What I suggested is what you would need to do to throw 600 lbs of added bed weight in his truck at all times plus another 500 or more when using the bed and have him not notice it on the highway, hills, or town. Im sure he doesnt want to drop cash into a flat bed's capacity or versatility only to then have the rest of the truck not be able to handle anything besides the empty bed.

 

Steel weighs .2833 lbs per cubic inch, where as aluminum weighs .098 lbs per cubic inch, so it's closer to 1/3. But... to build with aluminum you need thicker material, so in reality you may save half the weight if you put a lot of engineering into it. For a small truck I think you'd be hard pressed to make it more than 400 lbs out of steel. Unless you are set up to weld aluminum it's not worth it. Aluminum also costs near 4 times the price of steel. I say go for steel.

 

What are you smoking?

No 5 foot flatbed for a Tacoma is going to be 1000lbs unless you bolt lead underneath it.

Even if it did weigh 1000lbs, he wouldn't need to regear and get a different flywheel. That's just insanely over the top to think that.

Grow a pair or go fuck a blender so we don't have do deal with any more people like you on these boards.

 

*OP asks for pictures*


*comments are nothing but arguments*

 

.....well that escalated quickly.

 

I don't see in the original post where he says "tell me why I shouldn't make a flat bed".
I'm sure he knows the pros and cons of a flat bed.

In for flatbed pics.

 

"internet tough guy"
I never said his bed would be 1000 i said looking at a little over 500 in my first post. I brought up the 1000 from my business.

Are you 5 years old and not able to have differing opinions? Do you know exactly what hes going to use the bed for? I don't, I was just telling him if hes going to build a steel bed and use it to its max ability. Then yes he will need to mod many other things to make it a safe driver.. I'm not telling you or him how to make a crawler but I do understand Utility Vehicles and know first hand tacoma's need help if you plan to use and load one as such and drive it daily.

 

Apply your own advice and maybe try smoking something

 

No, I'm just not from the warm and fuzzy TW side of things where every thread and build is all about "expo wheeling", putting 5.29's on my truck with 33's and adding Tundra brakes because that's what TW says you should do or else you will kill a bus full of nuns on the highway.

The OP wants to put a flat bed on his truck, probably for the added flexibility in loading or just a look. Either way he's not going to be putting more than one skid of anything in a 5'x4' bed space.

I like people like the OP that think outside the box.