Other Ski's in Truck Bed

[Riding The Right Way]

I see. That would be pretty slick. Hope you plan to support it from beneath with something. I know if I tighten my ratchet straps tight enough using the clamps on the utilitrack on the sides of the bed they flex quite a bit. I'd imagine a rack with a 300+ lb. ski on it may do the same. A riding buddy of mine has a hydraulic platform like the ones you see people haul their snowmachines with above the bed of his F350 thats pretty slick. He welded up a new platform out of 2" square aluminum and put razor scooter wheels on it to hold 3 ski's. He can just pull a pin and switch between the ski platform and snowmobile platform. It's powered off a spare battery mounted in the bed and just slides off the back of the truck and lays flat on the ground. Off topic, but I guess it's an idea to make a rack that sits on top of the sides of the bed and uses the utilitrack to anchor it all the way around.

Dude, do you have any pictures of your buddies set up .. That is basically what I want to do ..

I have been talking about building a scaled down version of my old sled deck. It would only be as wide as the truck bed and flush with the top of the box leaving all the room under the bed still. The bunks would pivot at the back and slide down on bearings similar to the bunk system in FlashFX's surf van.

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Holy cow balls .... That set up is SWEET ..!!!! Thanks for all the pictures .. They are helping greatly ....

 

[SJBrit]

Something to keep in mind when backing any vehicle in to launch. Be very aware of the locations of axle, transmission vents. If you back in so the water level is above your vents..... Guess what. You now have water in your differential and possibly in your trans too. Some diffs use vent caps on the top of the diff and you are very limited as to how far you back in. Transmissions are the same. I removed the caps and ran lines with loops all the way up to the master brake cyl. Hard (and expensive) lesson learned some time ago.

Exactly. My diff stays out of the water. Period.

 

[kevbo]

You guys become fashion victims when you try to use a lifted pickup to actually haul anything. Try turning your lift kit upside down and make it a low rider. You would be able to launch without getting your feet wet.

 

[Tyler Zane]

yall are pansies, quit treating your trucks like honda's. afraid to get your rear diff wet... thats the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard. do you polish your chamber after every ride too?

 

[OCD Solutions]

My 2002 dodge has 240,000 miles on it and i need it to hit 400k. When I first bought it I was backing into a lake almost every night to launch my ski. Around 180,000 miles i lost both rear axle seals and I only wish I had pics of the axles to post for you. I spent 7 hours cleaning all the rust out of the axle and to this day my oil is stained red. It's one thing to think you're truck is as tough as you are but you have to ask yourself if it's worth the risk to unnecessarily expose your vehicle to contamination. The last rear end I purchased was over $2k, my beach cart was only $500. It just makes sense.

 

[special fx]

Here's the scoop on the van setup: http://www.x-h2o.com/threads/71726-My-van-setup

I would think it would work equally well in a pickup.

 

[Tyler Zane]

My 2002 dodge has 240,000 miles on it and i need it to hit 400k. When I first bought it I was backing into a lake almost every night to launch my ski. Around 180,000 miles i lost both rear axle seals and I only wish I had pics of the axles to post for you. I spent 7 hours cleaning all the rust out of the axle and to this day my oil is stained red. It's one thing to think you're truck is as tough as you are but you have to ask yourself if it's worth the risk to unnecessarily expose your vehicle to contamination. The last rear end I purchased was over $2k, my beach cart was only $500. It just makes sense.

the thing is your axle seals(under 10 dollars a piece) went out before you started backing into the water (the water didnt cause them to go out). at 180k miles that doesnt surprise me. my last tire rotation i pulled the hubs off for s and giggles, and i decided to pop some new seals in. it cost me 12 dollars and 20 min of my time. but then again i have access to a full scale shop.

my 4x4 is the only thing that keeps me within arms reach to my grand parents if bad weather rolls in so i have to keep in up.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I understand what you are saying but am just lookin at it from a different standpoint. I have been working in the maintenance dept of large manufacturing facilities for almost 20 yrs now. We all understand that good maintenance is a way of life but preventive maintenance is alot like preventative health and we need to look at things differently than we have in the past. Not exposing a vehicle to abuse in the first place is one of the most cost effective preventive maintenace actions you will ever practice.

There is a better chance that more of us are running around with worn seals than not. There is an even larger likelyhood that no more than a handful of us has ever checked the diff level, much less inspected for water intrusion. I caught mine while doing routine mntce but i drive 85k miles a year and understand the importance of regular checkups. Mntce is good, prevention is better...and sooooooooo much cheaper.

 

[Tyler Zane]

agreed.

 

[NVJAY775]

Like said before ALL my vent lines have been lengthened to the master brake cyl. No worries for me anymore. The guy we bought my wifes ski from showed me some pics of him launching with his new Subaru and it was in a little deep. I mentioned to him he may want to have his fluids checked. A few weeks later he called me and told me he had to have all his fluids changed and flushed. Except the motor oil. Everything else had water intrusion.

 

[SJBrit]

Mntce is good, prevention is better...and sooooooooo much cheaper.

Exactly. Why consciously create situations that could cause major problems when you can so easily avoid them? There are enough dodgy situations you can't avoid to go about creating them for yourself....

 

[CJ407]

if you back your truck in you should know where your breathers are and you should change your oil in the diff more frequently and if it your first time doing it check it afterwards, a lil water don't hurt if you catch it right away. I back mine into the lake every week and never had problems with any truck I've had, no water or rust. I also bought a truck because they are suppose to handle the abuse!

 

[OCD Solutions]

Yes but are you the exception or the rule? Look at the next nine people you come in contact with and ask if they would do the same thing. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

I am not saying not to back your truck into the water, just be aware of what could happen if you do. If you aren't the type of person who will do the necessary checks afterwards, perhaps avoidance is the best choice in the first place.

 

[CJ407]

x2 and don't take your truck somewhere to get the oil changed if you dunk it do it yourself and open the diff

 

[Tyler Zane]

change your own oil anyways. its so easy, especially if you have a truck. people that work at lube fast are no different than people that work at fast food joints. they work there because they dont have an education and cant get a better job... there are always exceptions.

 

[Riding The Right Way]

Ha, well there is many people that don't maintane there .. But I'm not one of them .. And it's not that I don't want to back my truck it .... It's that I will have a boat trailer on the hitch already, so I will need to beable to move around it easily .. So I'm already in the water .... And it's not that people are stupid, it's just a lot of people don't think about it ..

Plus I've moved my axle vents too, just incase .... And I still check the axle and all fluids all the time .... I'm super neat when it comes to that kind of stuff .. I like my to work and look pretty .. I'm the guy that fully washes and waxes everything, everything time before I do out .. It's just what I do ....

And to the guy bashing the lifted trucks .. Thanks .. I like my truck lifted and being able to have clearence, and height for light off roading .... You like your truck stock, or lowered cool fur you .. I have a 2001 Sub that is on an air ride suspension that will sit on the tires .... I like lowered more that lifted, but I do use my lift quite often ....

 

[red_ak_ranger]

You guys become fashion victims when you try to use a lifted pickup to actually haul anything. Try turning your lift kit upside down and make it a low rider. You would be able to launch without getting your feet wet.

Are you some pansy who doesn't like getting in the water? I love my lifted truck especially for hauling things. Works great.

 

[CJ407]

It's that I will have a boat trailer on the hitch already, so I will need to beable to move around it easily .. So I'm already in the water

I use to do that all the time with my nautique just jack knife it!!!!:biggthumpup:

 

[OCD Solutions]

Nothing I own touches the saltwater now...Imagine how I felt on this trip...I would not have been happy if i damaged my Matrix before it had ever even touched the water.

 

[Tyler Zane]

I would not have been happy if i damaged my Matrix before it had ever even touched the water.
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i would cry for you, its a beautiful ski