And I thought I had some loaded down ranger pics. Mine have nothing on you!!. I did it and hauled it like 20 miles in some cases, but was always worried the axle bearings would go out on that axle with 300,000 miles. Those new body style Rangers seem to have stiffer springs than the old square body one I had.
Can I post a pre-loaded truck pic? I'm hoping to cut wood this weekend, and promise a loaded truck pic once I do. I just got this receiver-mounted cargo platform yesterday. I've been looking for "the right one" for years (I'm very picky and frugal). I'm planning on using it to haul my saws, fuel/oil, and tools, so that I can free up all of the space in the bed for wood. I'm going to build a lockable, plywood box to mount on the platform, in order to keep my stuff secure in case I stop for a burrito after cutting wood. Who else is using one of these? Do you have any type of storage mounted to it?
I have one. I have used it for everything from deer to tools, saws, gas (to keep out of the SUVs ), wood. If you put a box on it, make sure to bolt it to carrier and use a locking pin on the hitch. Also you won't be able to lower tailgate with it on, and if you bolt a box onto it, it will make it very heavy to install into the receiver. I have had one for like 17 years.
Thanks for the tips! Yeah, the tailgate issue is a pain. I've thought about getting one of those receiver, drop, extension, thingys in order to mount the platform a bit lower. Of course, then I'd lose some ground clearance. Either way, I figured I'd use some bolts with wingnuts or something, to make it easier to remove the box once I'm on-scene. That way I can drop the tailgate.
That rack is very lightly used, and someone painted it silver (every one I have ever seen is black). Mine has the mesh metal floor all dented in, saggy, and the welds are broken in a few places (I need to weld it back in a few places as I also need to on my small mesh floor trailer). But I have put hundreds possibly aproaching the 500lb limit of fire wood on it and hauled half a dozen or more deer on it before I got a truck. On my to do list is to wire wheel the thing down and repaint it. It's rusty over about half of it and has paint gone or flaking off.
I thought the same thing when I first saw it (about the color/paint). It's actually not painted. It's solid aluminum. In all my years of looking, I'd never seen an aluminum one.
Ah ok. They do have aluminum ones. They started being population 10 years or so ago cause they don't rust
Also scored a skinny load of Walnut But my phone is giving me grief, the walnut was dropping water from the cut ends.
From last weekend. Filled my trailer too, but no pictures of that. This was heavy enough, wet white oak. This was with the air shocks aired up. With the trailer it was lower than i like.
Lots of guys that surf fish around me have receivers on the front bumper. You could mount that flat rack on the front and leave the tailgate area open for loading. If you aren't going to remove it every time you load wood your knees/shins are going to take a beating.
It was Darn heavy, but also half ton with over 200k, it sags! I also love front receiver hitches. I agree with a chainsaw rack in front. I Dont have one, but should weld one up.
Good points on the front receiver and the knee/shin abuse. I'll have to look into the front receiver idea once I've got some cash to blow (at what point in life does that happen?). In the meantime, the rack itself only weighs 34 pounds, so it will be easy enough to remove when necessary.