The greatest advantage to owning a pickup is the amount of cargo space it affords, allowing you to transport large items or quantities of items with ease. To expand your carrying capacity even further, you may want to add a bed extender. This is an easy installation, though it does require a small amount of drilling into metal. As with any project that involves drilling into metal body parts, be certain before you drill that you won't be puncturing brake lines, fuel lines or other vital components.
Important: Your bed extender will come with mounting hardware and instructions for installation. Read and follow all instructions and diagrams carefully as there will be variations between installations depending on the style you've selected and your specific vehicle. Following is a summary of the basic steps as performed in our demonstration.
Materials:
Bed-extender kit including mounting hardware
Electric drill
Screwdriver, Phillips
Center punch
Grease pencil
- The extender kit comes with a template giving the proper placement for the brackets that will hold the extender in place. Once you've determined the correct location for mounting, it's helpful to tape the template in place so you can mark the drilling locations for mounting the brackets. Once you've marked the locations, use a center-punch (figure A) to dimple the surface for a better start when you drill.
- Before actually drilling, double-check the placement of the holes by holding the bracket in place as it will be mounted (figure B).
- Drill the holes at the marked locations.
Tip: If you're installing an extender on a truck with a bed liner, it's not necessary to remove or cut the liner before installing. Simply drill right through the plastic liner and into the metal. Whether there is a liner or not, it's a good idea to apply some silicone sealer to the drilled holes (figure C) before installing the screws to help prevent rust.
- With the holes drilled and prepared with sealer, install the bracket using a Phillips screwdriver or an electric drill with screwdriver attachment (figure D).
- Repeat the procedure on the other side to install the second bracket.
- With both brackets properly installed, position the extender in the brackets to ensure a good fit (figure E).
The extender can rotate back in the brackets, inside the truck bed, when it's not in use (figure F). With the extender rotated back inside and the tailgate closed, it creates an enclosure (figure G) that may come in handy for securing small items for carrying.
When the extender is in use, security straps fasten it in place at the side edges of the tailgate (figure H).
RESOURCES :
Vehicles provided by McNelly-Whaley Ford Lincoln Mercury
750 Dolly Parton Parkway
Sevierville, TN 37862
Phone: 865-453-2833
Web site: www.ford4u.com
Steel Horse Automotive truck-bed extender
Truck-bed extender in this demonstration is from
Steel Horse Automotive
Web site: www.steelhorseautomotive.com
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WINDOWS MEDIA VIDEO
