Carrying Rhino in Short Bed Chevy?

[Duramax]

Been in a quandry about how to carry my '07 Sport in the back of my short bed Chevy. I have a bumper pull camper so another trailer was not an option. I also did not want to buy a new long bed or 5th wheel toy hauler (found many riding places in New Mexico and Colorado where you could not unload at the camping area and ride. You had to take your toy hauler or motorhome to the riding areas and then unload). Sorry about getting off the subject. I have read lots of stories of the Chevy tailgates failing either with the cables breaking and or the hinges bending on the end of the gates. Not happy endings when this happens. I have not come up with a way to keep the weight off of the tailgate when loading, but once it is loaded, I can take the weight off of the rear tires that sit on the tailgate. I jack up the rear and put jack stands under the frame just inside of the bed and then lower the weight back onto the stands. There is a little more to it than this but this will give someone an idea of how to move the weight forward from the tailgate. I just close my eyes and hold my breath when loading and unloading. I can post a few pics. if I can figure out how to get it done.

[Outlaw Baird]

Duramax,  it sounds like we've got the exact same rig!  I've got a '05 Duramax quad cab 4X4 and load up exactly like you do, minus the jackstands.  I've not had any problems with leaving the Rhino sitting on the tailgate.  Especially if you got the new modified cables that came out during the tailgate cable recalls for chevy's.  I've hauled the Rhino all over the place with my 25' camper on the back and not had any problems.  I use a tri-fold ramp to load and unload.  The only word of caution I can give you is if you go to aftermarket size rims and tires.  Then it gets a little puckery taking the Rhino out.  I wouldn't do the jackstand idea.  It centralizes the weigh on metal to metal contact and you take a chance at knocking a hole either in your bed or in your tailgate.  The soft rubber of the tires is much better and evens the weight out over a little larger area.  Good luck!

[Duramax]

Outlaw-  I have the new stainless cabels from the recall.  I still don't trust them 100% but I am a skeptic anyway.  I read on the Diesel Page website about someone making stainless steel brackets to replace the cables.  I ordered a set yesterday and hope to get them this week.  After doing a lot of browsing on the same site, I found several that have had problems with the hinges bending as well as where they bolt to the sidewall of the bed.  Seems the socket part of the hinge can't take the weight and will give away.  The side wall of the be is very thin although it is double walled in thickness.  Even with the new brackets, I am concerned about the weight of the rear wheels causing these parts ot give or bend.  Thus, I tried to move the weight into the bed area.  I adjust the jack stands so that there is till some weight on the tires. The pics. do not show it, but I set the jack stands on plywood to distribute the weight.   I also drive the front tires up onto some ramps with a 2x2x8 attached to the front of each one.  This does two things, the tires roll up against them to keep the bumper out of the back window.  And with the ramp angle, it also moves the bumper back some away from the window.  I carried my Honda Rincon with the front on the ramps for 3 years without a problem.  I will try to post some pics

[Outlaw Baird]

Man, that looks like alot of work!  But I do like the boards in front of the tires concept.  I use a rubber mat I acquired from a friends garage to put between the bed and the Rhino's front bumper.  Good luck with the folding arms, sounds like they went to the old Ford style.

[Duramax]

This is to a link that sells the tailgate brackets.  You can see some pics.  Was reading on another forum of someone with a similar set up and he messed  up his truck bed where the cables connect.  May just have to give up on carrying it in a short bed.  Might be better off selling the rhino and getting a 4 wheeler rather than buying a new long bed truck or toy hauler.   

http://www.gmdieseltech.com/store2/

[SidexSide_editor]

Great post.

How much tongue weight is your trailer?  Just wondering what your payload is with that rhino in the back and the weight of the trailer on your hitch. Are you running air bags?

[Outlaw Baird]

Let's see, the trailor tongue weight on my camper is somewhere around 500lbs., and the Rhino is around 1100lbs., and the generator I put in the back of the Rhino before I put it in the truck is about 150lbs., plus two five gallon cans of water and three five gallon cans of fuel for the generator.  All in all, I would say alot.  No spring mods or airbags.  I do have a weight distribution hitch on my camper so that helps a little.  The 2500HD suspension is pretty stiff in the rear.  No problems pulling it after the K&N airfilter and Hypertech programmer.  Before then, the truck was a little sluggish if I stopped on a mountainside and tried to start again.  Duramax, how about you?

[RhinoRick]

I don't have air bags and I think the truck rides better loaded than empty there is a generator 20 gal gas fire wood in the bed. I didnt think that the cables would break but you can see how the bed bent and the shiney new deals below got laa bent up


I had a hard time finding a ramp that would hold up. that ramp wasn't fun when it bent 

[Duramax]

I am carrying about the same weight in the bed as Outlaw and my trailer tongue weight is about  650 lbs.  The duramax pulls my load with authority and without a burp.  It has done evertything I have asked of it.  Has almost 90k miles and has only been in the shop for the two recalls.  One was the tailgate hinges and the other was to rreplace the fuel filter with the new two stage filter.  I just wish I had of bought a long bed, but let my sons talk me out of it.

Rhinorick- would you explain a little more on the bent bed and how it happened?  Did it bend the mounting hinges on the tailgate, also?  Hard to tell exactly what damage there was in your pic.  I am running scared on the bending of the hinges and where the cables  mount to the side of the bed.  I have a 1300 mile trip coming up next month and am very concerned about  the integrety of the hinges, etc.  I would hate to get out that way and have trouble out in the middle of no where and not a way to get the rhino back into the truck, etc.  I am certainly open to suggestions. 

I also ruined my first ramp.  I ended up buying a trifold that adjusts out to  58" wide and is 82" long.  Load capacity is 1500 lbs.  You can find them online but I found this one locally at Bass Pro Shop.  It was $139.  It still folds flat enough that it will slide under the  rhino.

[RhinoRick]

on the top it pulled the deal out (to the back) about 1/4 inch .I had the rhino in back of bed on a dirt washbord road for about 3-4 miles in and out was going 25/45 mph down road when I got home the tailgate wouldn't hardly close. Realy had to slam it hard. the deals in pic below were bent they are new now .the gm dealer had them in stock I think they were 15 20$ a piece cant rember. the top piece is still bent. but works tailegate is at 80% now like a old truck .on the top it looked like it was trying to rip the cables out of side of bed. my truck is a 01 2500hd 6.0 but I think its the same as yours -motor&trans

[RhinoRick]

I had the rhino in back of truck 7 or 8 time and no problems but going down that dirt road one time did that

[Duramax]

Thanks.  Do you feel that loading and unloading puts that kind of strain on the parts?  I have it so that the weight will be in the bed but not sure about loading and unloading.  I may have to scrap the ideal of taking the Rhino to Az next month and just take the Raptor.     Another couple that  is going with us also has a Rhino, but he has a motorhome and pulls an enclosed trailer.  I would really like to take the Rhino so the wife can ride and not miss out by staying at camp.  I traded in my Rincon and am wishing now that I would have not made the trade.  Seems like my short cuts always get me in trouble.

I am wondering if there is some way that the side of the bed and hinges can be reinforced?

[RhinoRick]

I dont think loading and unloading it will hurt it as much as bouncing down the road I have loaded & unload it well over 40 trips. its stuff like railroad tracks or cattle gards where you get the bounce that I think will put a big strain on it. I think just 2x10 from the frount of bed to end of tailgate with about a inch board under just before the tailgate would be fine. what you have should work great

[SidexSide_editor]

I am carrying about the same weight in the bed as Outlaw and my trailer tongue weight is about  650 lbs.  The duramax pulls my load with authority and without a burp.  It has done evertything I have asked of it.  Has almost 90k miles and has only been in the shop for the two recalls.  One was the tailgate hinges and the other was to rreplace the fuel filter with the new two stage filter.  I just wish I had of bought a long bed, but let my sons talk me out of it.

Rhinorick- would you explain a little more on the bent bed and how it happened?  Did it bend the mounting hinges on the tailgate, also?  Hard to tell exactly what damage there was in your pic.  I am running scared on the bending of the hinges and where the cables  mount to the side of the bed.  I have a 1300 mile trip coming up next month and am very concerned about  the integrety of the hinges, etc.  I would hate to get out that way and have trouble out in the middle of no where and not a way to get the rhino back into the truck, etc.  I am certainly open to suggestions. 

I also ruined my first ramp.  I ended up buying a trifold that adjusts out to  58" wide and is 82" long.  Load capacity is 1500 lbs.  You can find them online but I found this one locally at Bass Pro Shop.  It was $139.  It still folds flat enough that it will slide under the  rhino.

What ramp was this?!?!?! 

Not the QuadBoss ramp was it?  That type of set up was what i was thinking where the Rhino can go up over the cab, i've seen this done alot in glamis with quads and the owner pulling a travel trailer.

[RhinoRick]

the ramp I had I cant rember what kind it was it said 1500 pound ramp. it happened the day I picked up the rhino new I think it may have been part my fault the right side of the rhino went up the wheelwell and put more weight on the left tire of the rhino with the right frount  going up and the left rear going down .I thought I was going to crash befor I made it home.lol