truck

Truck Bed Extender

The Ultimate Truck Bed Extender For Trucks and UTV’s

I’m in the middle of redoing the decking on our deck. The top portion of the deck is 16 foot long. I learned a hard lesson visiting Home Depot. My brother in-law and I made the trip down to pick up 7 pieces of 2x6x16 decking and my smart idea was to place it through the back window of my pickup. That didn’t turn out too well and I broke out my back window by barely clipping the glass. That was an expensive lesson!

I asked myself how to get 16 foot boards home without a trailer? So I started researching truck bed extensions. I never thought about it before and to be truthful, didn’t even know it was a thing. Gladly they are! A truck bed extension is a device that hooks into your hitch and extends the bed of your truck out. This allows you to support longer pieces of wood (or anything) so you do not need to have it delivered.

My poor truck!

Erickson Big Red Truck Bed Extender

After doing my research, I ended up picking up the Erickson Big Red Junior. They also make the Big Red Senior truck bed extender which includes a roof mount but I didn’t need all that. There are also many other choices for a truck bed extender, this is just the one I selected after researching.

Being able to support 350 pounds (senior model 400), I decided to give it a try. Firstly, let me say that it is part of Prime and my order delivered in two day. Being a heavier product, I could be happier!

This specific truck bed extender weighs 30 pounds which is workable by one person. It comes in two pieces which connects by a provided pin. A hitch pin is not included but I already had one for my hitch.

This truck bed extension kit like most others fit a 2″ hitch receiver. The bed height can be adjusted to the truck bed height in case your truck is lifted. You can also swap pieces around if you add a roof mount later. This will allow you to make into a ladder rack type kit.

Find other customer reviews on this extender here

How much weight can I put on a truck bed extender?

As mentioned above, this truck bed extender is rated at 350LB, The senior model is rated at 400LB. I have not personally tested this but have read others say to take those numbers to the bank. Keep in mind that most of the weight will still be on the bed of your truck. The 350LB rating is for direct weight, not distributed weight.

Can I Use This Truck Bed Extender For a Kayak?

Absolutely, in fact most reviews on Amazon are from people that purchased it for that exact reason.

Will it work for an ATV or Car?

Yes, this truck bed extender will work with any 2″ hitch.

How Truck Bed Extension Works

A truck bed extender is a pretty simple device. You lock it into your hitch receiver on your truck, then adjust the height of the end to the match your truck bed height. Once your wood is loaded, you are all set.

Below are some photos and measurements

And here are some photos of it being used

I’ll mention that good wood is hard to find this year. There is 3 pieces of wood only because that is what I could find today. It will handle much more.

Other Use Ideas For a Truck Bed Extensions

When doing my research, I found another good idea that works with any truck bed extender. It can be used as a table when working on a job or out back. I don’t know about you but I have tried using my tailgate too many times when I didn’t really have the room. Using a truck bed extension kit gives you a good 4 foot table.