Need idea for a 20' metal carrier for pickup

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Ok I was trying to come up with a metal carrier or rack for my chevy ext. cab pickup and was wondering if anyone has any idea's on this.I was thinking of making 2 attachments that would slide in the square holes on the top of the pickup bed that would stick out to the side about 4 in. with a couple vertical uprights about 4 in. apart to hold the metal along side the cab and make an attachment for the front bumber that came out and also has vertical uprights to support the front of the load. This would allow me to carry a few 20 foot lenghts of tubing and then allow me to remove the attachment when not needed.One question I had is can I legally have a small load hanging off to the side of my pickup cab or am I asking for trouble.
Reply:Designs like this are frequently seen on plumbers trucks. They frequently have a similar system that allows pipe to be run down the side of the truck and secured at the front and rear with a support at the rear ot the cab/ body front. On fleet trucks, you usually you see them on the drivers side as this forces the driver to unload the pipe ASAP as he has to enter the cab thru the pass door.Most of the systems I have seen use a ratchet strap to tightly secure the loads. As long as you are not wider than 8'6" overall width you should be OK in most areas. Some systems I have seen also have a stop built as part of the front support to prevent materials from moving forward in a sudden stop.Depending on what you plan on hauling you might need some intermediate support. Thin flat stock and small tube / rod will droop between the supports. You might need a long "support" to prevent this. We have this problem transporting small quantities of rebar. Usually we lash them to a 16' 2x4 and ratchet strap down the whole thing.I have used a some what similar design to transport long molding on my small truck.
Reply:what i do is figure out all the lengths of everything ill be building, then add them up and find somewhere near the middle of the bar and have them cut it.  Then i just throw it in the back of the dodge and ratchet it down.Some places will also deliver,  One place i buy from its almost cheaper for them to deliver, than it is for me to drive and get it,  The benefit is they deliver full length peices, which i cant do myself.
Reply:I made one for my old 82 GMC 4x4 when hauling 22' 2x12 planks.  It bolted to the front & rear bumpers, extended out to the side about 10 inches past the sidewall of the bed.  I used a rope looped around the middle up to the front stake pocket to support the middle.I wasn't going far though, only about 2 miles on back residential streets, when I first got them.  It worked for me, just couldn't turn right very sharp or it would rub the planks.  I just stayed in the right hand lane on the 4 lane when I hauled them out to the farm & drove slow.This was in Nebraska, don't know if it would work in Texas, but the traffic in Dallas might be worse than open farm country.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Originally Posted by drivethruboy54what i do is figure out all the lengths of everything ill be building, then add them up and find somewhere near the middle of the bar and have them cut it.  Then i just throw it in the back of the dodge and ratchet it down.Some places will also deliver,  One place i buy from its almost cheaper for them to deliver, than it is for me to drive and get it,  The benefit is they deliver full length peices, which i cant do myself.
Reply:Build a nice looking headache rack for your truck. Then build a rack that slips in the reciever hitch the same height. It would be about 8' between bars. I've hauled 40' I beams on a rack like that.
Reply:The supports would be too close together.  I do carry small loads on my mirror and have no problems.  I've done 300lbs this way--over 20 feet and cantilever action there isn't much weight on the mirror.  I carry larger loads on my trailer.  I think legally you are alright, if it doesn't sitck out too far either way.
Reply:What I am trying to prevent is having to pay them to cut it. I just priced a 20 foot 1" 16 gauge tube at 11.94 and if all I want is 10 foot it is 11.97 so they charge about 10 bucks to cut it. It is actually 3 cents cheaper to get 10 more foot of it but it makes it tough for a guy with just a pickup to haul back home so I need to come up with a way to get it here on my truck in one piece. Some of my friends will stay there and cut it by taking there generator and chopsaw but I hate to do that.