adding rear deck

[gbstewart]

Im thinking of adding about 2 1/2 ft rear deck of the back, to hold storage , fire wood etc, maybe my generator. whats the best way to attach it? to the bumper? or cut holes and slided to the frame, I would think it should hold about 400 pounds? any comments would be great.

still working on the bus, but we have it to the point where we have been camping!! its great.
gbstewart

 

[swhite832]

I added three ft. I removed the bumper and attached directly to the frame with heavy angle iron crossed braced. If I could have sourced a bus frame I would have salveged the extensions out of that. I tend to build heavy though. See Der Bus. There is a picture or two there.

 

[zman18]

Check this link http://seanf.smugmug.com/Bus-Conversion/Conversion-Log-2006/April-2/1329829_3ZmUN This is how I plan to do my rear deck. Perhaps its not strong enough for 400 lbs though. Hopefully it give you an idea. I also am breaking down a metal bedframe, that I got at the dump, for the angle iron.

 

[swhite832]

A cantilever made from bed frames for 400# rolling down the road? I hope I can talk you out of that.
It would prolly hold if it was just a shelf with four legs. Driving down the road turns a static load into a dynamic one. Every road imperfection will be amplified on the end of that cantilever. IMO a bed frame will eventually fail and it will fail while driving down the road. Im not trying to bust your balls but I would hate to see you lose even a inexpensive generator.
If you look at receiver hitch baskets notice how thick the "square tubing" is. If youre going to go cantilever, go big on the metal.

 

[swhite832]

Nice bead Smitty! Obviously you didnt go to Mud Dob U. like i did
S

 

[gbstewart]

smity, I looked at your deck , fantastic job, You can land a chopper on that. might be a bit over kill for what i need.
I looks like nice wielding job, is it ok to wield to the frame? for some reason Im thinking that shouldnt be done
tks
gbstewart

 

[bus-ted]

If I'm seeing it right, the only welding Smitty did on the frame was at the very end of it, which is perfectly alright. That won't jeopardize the structural integrity, especially with the weld spot being centered to the length of the material he used, with 4' sleeving the frame and tied in with bolts.
You're right about not welding on the frame, though. All the modern frames are tempered, and a welding heat will take it away and leave you with a weak spot or spots.

 

[ZanderJay]

However, it's up to him if they wanted to weld the frame. Try to figure out what would be the best and comfortable for the deck. And then, you can make a good process to add some thing in the deck.

 

[madpsalmer]

Whats the max you could push out the rear for a deck if it were built like Smitty's I have considered this addition but have been a bit leery. I have small trail bikes that could but parked up there during transport and then used as nice space away form the rug rats in the evening hours. Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[Ob1-SKO]

Here's a deck for ya. Extended the frame back about 2 feet, reattached the bumper, added a receiver hitch, then plugged in my bike hauler.
Second vote for building with big steel, better to be overbuilt than underbuilt.

 

[madpsalmer]

Ya I suppose I should think about the drive-ability implications. Thank you Smitty!

 

[gbstewart]

thats a good point about scraping the rear deck, as it is now I find it eazy enough to hit the tail pipe backing out of my drive way. I have been rethinking this deck, at first I wanted to put the generator on It, but Im going to mount it buy the battery box. I would still like to put a small deck, just to carry fire wood, maybe gas, but it will have to be 18 to 20 inch wide, Ill pounder this for the winter, we had a bit of snow today burrrr its coming!!

gbstewart

 

[pcdreams]

Here's a deck for ya. Extended the frame back about 2 feet, reattached the bumper, added a receiver hitch, then plugged in my bike hauler.
Second vote for building with big steel, better to be overbuilt than underbuilt.

I've had the idea of adding a rear deck also, however I was considering the flatbed off a pickup. cut it in half and find something close to same gauge as bus frame. That way you have a receiver hitch at the back

 

[milkmania]

thats a good point about scraping the rear deck, as it is now I find it eazy enough to hit the tail pipe backing out of my drive way. I have been rethinking this deck, at first I wanted to put the generator on It, but Im going to mount it buy the battery box. I would still like to put a small deck, just to carry fire wood, maybe gas, but it will have to be 18 to 20 inch wide, Ill pounder this for the winter, we had a bit of snow today burrrr its coming!!

gbstewart

Just plug a tailgator into your receiver hitch

 

[ermracing]

Anyone else contemplating a rear deck? Just thinking a year or so out when we get our little Isetta on the road. Figuring a 4' deck would be perfect to hold it. Full up, it 'only' weighs 750lbs so with some stout extensions on the frame this should work..?

 

[Wild_Sunshine Bus]

Iam going to attach these supports to the bumper using longer carriage bolts. They measure 3 1/2 feet long.

 

[plfking]

Anyone else contemplating a rear deck? Just thinking a year or so out when we get our little Isetta on the road. Figuring a 4' deck would be perfect to hold it. Full up, it 'only' weighs 750lbs so with some stout extensions on the frame this should work..?

I'll be building one, but only 22-24" deep to hold a dual sport dirt bike or a moped.....around 300 pounds max. I'll make supports similar to Wild Sunshine's pics, and attach using the existing bumper bolt locations. I'll also hinge the center section to swing down out of the way so I can access my "garage' from ground level.