Gettin ready to start a flat bed. I have some good ideas rolling around in my head. Just one quick qeustion. Weld to the frame or bolt on? What is everyone doing?

bolt

if you use bolts, make sure you're not relying on your bed for structural strenght for a roll bar, etc. it'll work, but I'd rather know for sure that I'd be safe. that's assuming you can weld :flipoff2:

I welded 4 towers of 1.5x1.5 to four corners, then I braced them with diagonal pieces. Then i connected the two in back with 1.5 flatbar. Then I set bed on top of that flatbar and drilled through both bed and flatbar and put 5 bolts per strip of flatbar, 10 total. REAL sturdy plus it is easy as pie to take off.

Same basic design as Chris Geigers but mine is removable. i like simple flatbeds.

what not piecing the old bed together. Make sure you check the legality issues. definetly bolt on though. You know that you are going to want to take it off in the future at some point. Not going to do that if it is solid. ;)

Hey Mike. Yes I am piecing the old bed together, but just to get through inspection. Flat bed will take a little bit of time, which I am running out of very quickly. Flat beds are perfectly legal. Look around. As long as they have mudflaps of some kind and cover the tires.

I am going to bolt mine on to the factory mounts using jeep body mount bushings. I like the idea of being able to remove it.

. that's assuming you can weld
Yes I can weld. And I do plan on expanding it into an exo somewhere in the future.

I prefer bolt-on.....more versatile.
Jay

Originally posted by JamisonWorkshop
what not piecing the old bed together. Make sure you check the legality issues. definetly bolt on though. You know that you are going to want to take it off in the future at some point. Not going to do that if it is solid. ;)

That is what grinders are for:rolleyes: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: I think I would weld it on, so you can use it as a slider with no play and fasten your roll cage right to it.

Bolted mine on. Like Jay said, much more versatile....never know when you might need to pop it off.

just giving you a hard time about welding... I suck at it:p I definitely like the idea of bolt-on. all of my bumpers/sliders are bolt on, but for something that will be part of your body protection (as in you, not your truck), I'd still take a serious look at weld on. I like the idea of welding the corners down and then making the bed removable from that. or I'd tie the roll cage directly into the frame and make a bed (probably have to be sectional) that can be removed from around the roll cage.

Originally posted by Black_Panther
...........or I'd tie the roll cage directly into the frame and make a bed (probably have to be sectional) that can be removed from around the roll cage.

good line of thinking there!:D

thanks. I figured I'd keep throwing out ideas until someone heard one they liked. it's kinda like Vegas - if you keep betting on black long enough, eventually you'll be a winner :D

i bolted mine on in case of frame repair in the future

Wouldn't welding it make the frame a little stiffer. Wouldn't that be a good thing. Less flex= Less stress. Or am I backwards or this.

weld it

ask me again why I think tying the rollcage into the frame is a good idea... welding is a good thing! (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=43733)

Bolt it, on both of the flat beds I built I used original mounting points, this made it much easier when it came time for a change. I put my truck on its side more than once and never had a problem with the bed being bolted.