My R/C transportation has changed from an old Ford Crown Vic (HUGE trunk and back seat) to a Dodge Ram 1500 short-bed pickup. The truck has a tonneau cover and bedliner. The bedliner is slippery as ice and I keep a hoe in the back to retrieve things that have slid up against the cab during transport. :-)
I'm wondering if anyone has come up with an inexpensive and effective way to carry R/C airplanes in a set-up like this. I was thinking of building a grid of 2"x2" lumber that would slide in the back and provide some way to keep things from sliding around. Another thought was a large roll of eggshell foam. I don't know if either of those ideas would be practical.
Anyone using a truck/tonneau cover/bedliner to haul their airplanes? What do you use to keep things in place?
A friend had a setup like that. He used an elastic cargo net (bungee cords spaced about a foot apart) to keep everything from sliding around. He came up with the right arrangement so that nothing got damaged.
I have the same bedliner setup as you. I made a simple "cross" from three pieces of 3/4" construction foam that fits the width and length of the bedliner. Shallow depressions at the right position secure the wheels. A small block of wood with a cup hook in each side is glued to the foam in the vicinity somewhat forward of the fin. Several looped rubber bands secured by the cup hooks hold down the fuse. To load and unload the airplane I just slide the cross partially out over the tailgate. I usually carry my wing in the cab. This setup is simple and very secure.
I'm sure what kind of bed liner you have, but the one in my truck is deeply ribbed (front to back) to allow water to drain out without getting things wet. The ribs are deep enough, about 1/2 inch, where I have the room to drill
3/8" holes into the sides of the ribs in various places around the liner floor. Then, I use bungie cords to tie things down for transporting. Whenever I have the need to put holes in new places, I just grab my portable drill and have at it.
On 1/22/2004 12:25 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:
One of the people at my flying field uses the following set up for his pickup:
1 4'x8' sheet of 3/8" plywood. On the underside he installed small wheels (like they use for appliances - about 2" in diameter) with a lever lock on the 2 at the tailgate end. He then screws shallow drawer handles and eye hooks where he needs to secure the various items and uses rubber bands to hold everything in place. The wheel locks keep the plywood from shifting around and he just slides the unit out on the tailgate for use. He recently added 2 drop down legs so he can slide the unit further out. For the wings he has several sets of vertical dowels about 1" in diameter covered with pipe foam insulation.
Had one in my old Toyota long bed pickup. I had a cargo bar that I kept about 18" to 2 feet from the tailgate. I put my models in so that at least one wheel would hook over the cargo bar. It also kept the field box from sliding to the front, and I used a bungee cord to keep it from sliding from side to side. My bed has hooks on the outside, BTW. I found the soft, snap-down tonneau cover to be a PITA. I tried the egg crate foam and it kept things in place, but the cover leaked and it became a soggy mess. Hopefully, the fiberglass hinged covers are better. I finally managed to find a used bed cover (camper top) that I still use. I clamp a couple of carpet-covered 1x2s to the bed cover's rails to transport my planes. I've seen fliers make ingenious frames out of 2x2s to hold their planes that they could slide out like a drawer that worked for them and kept their planes in place.
I have one of the huge Chevy Caprice station wagons...a 1994. A full 4 x 8 sheet of plywood will fit in the back. I use a 4 x 8 sheet of pegboard. You can put the little hooks anywhere and bungee/rubber band stuff down. Works great!
I came up with what I think is a good solution last summer. I have an Extra with a 66" wing that I cart around in the back of my pickup.
I cut a piece of plywood 24" wide and 68" long. On the surface of the plywood I mounted some small wooden "wheel chocks and a velcro strap at the front of the airplane. The velcro strap loops over the top of the fuse aft of the cowl, and forward of the canopy. At the back, I glued a small block of high density foam and another velcro strap (which loops over the top of the fuse forward of the fin) so that when the back of the plane is strapped to the board, it is resting on the bottom of the fuse, supported my much more square "footage" than the tailwheel by itself. Once strapped to this board the airplane is really secure. I then made a wing caddy with four peices of 3/4" dowel attached to the board so that the wing sits up on its leading edge along side of the airplane. the dowels are padded with pipe insulation and a couple of peices of foam glued to the board protects the leading edge of the wing. On the underside of the board, I attached some small rubber/plastic furniture feet that I got from the hardware store. I mounted the feet so that they sat down into the ridges of my bed-liner.
In use, this simple carrier prevents the plane from moving around in the bed, and keeps other things that are sliding around from bumping into the plane.
My final brainstorm on this one was to put a hole in each corner of the board. now when I get home, I can slide the board out of the truck with plane/wing safley attached, and hang the whole shooting match from the wall in the garage, out of harms way!
Once I thought it up, it took about 45 minutes to build. Works very slick!
brother built this for me. I can drag it by one end to and from the truck, and lean it against the garage wall for storage. Little bungees hold the wing still; the fuselage stays put without any additional hold downs, or it can be rubber banded. The total length of the bottom frame is longer than the wing; that way the wing tips cannot bump either end of the bed. I do not have a bed liner, I got a thick (about 3/8") rubber mat from a truck accessory place and it definitley helps prevent things sliding around. I have a fiberglass bed lid so nothing blows around.
I have to lengthen this carrier a little to fit my GP PT-60. The Right Flyer in the photo lost its tail and is out of commission for a while.
I'll probably build a similar one for my Astro Hog.
Other respondents have suggested several ways to deal with the slippery bed liner.
The only thing I ever read about bed liners is that they don't dissipate a static charge.
Several years ago someone blew up his truck, himself, and a considerable portion of the gas station by filling gas cans while they were sitting in the bed on a liner.
Believe that was written up in the MA safety column.
FWIW, as a new truck owner. Cheers, Fred McClellan The House Of Balsa Dust
I do not have a bed liner, but do have a tonneau cover. I made a rack from pvc pipe that supports 3 wings sitting on LE, and a section for the fuselages. I use small bungee cords to hold the fuselages to the rack.
If you are interested, I can take and send you a picture or 2.
Hello, Nice setup for toting your plane around?.I noticed you had a big stik 60 in the background. Have you flown it much? How do you like it? Anything someone should watch out for with this plane? I am just about finished putting mine together and am ready to take it up. I have the tower hobbies .75 engine. What are you using?
The Big Stik is my brother's. It's the 40 size with Thunder Tiger 46 Pro. He has been flying it for about 2.5 seasons. He loves it. He's bumped it pretty hard a few times. Once knocked off the horizontal stabilizer, easy fix. Once broke out the firewall; another easy fix. The wing seems very strong through rolls, loops, spins, etc at all throttle settings.
I bet your 60 size will be great. The Tower 75 should be plenty of engine for it.
With a trailer, or cab height topper, making them stackable would be great. Since my lid is only a couple of inches higher than the bed, I can't do that. If I get more than two planes flyable at once, I'll need a topper or a different hauling system.
I've looked at your web site, it has some good info.
I took a scrap piece of masonite (paneling) and cut it to fit the area behind the wheel wells back to the tail gate. Then I cut it in half (back to front) and installed small hinges so I could fold it up when not in use. Install small eye screws in to the wood so that you can hook short bunji(?) cords or rubber bands to that will stretch over the axels of your planes. If I stagger the planes a little, I can fit about 3-4 planes across the back of my truck. Works great and I have about 5 dollars invested in hardware. I transport the wings inside the cab. I if you need to see a pic let me know. Steve B.
LOL yes it was a "Holy Plumbing Nightmare" I must have cut that thing apart 10 times to redesign it along the way. The last time being after my wife came out and innocently asked "Are you sure it will fit under the bed cover ?" DOH !
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