Transporting Large Plane
 

Hello all. I'd appreciate any feedback that you could give me. I just bought my first vehicle, a Dodge Sport Dakota, std. cab and std. bed. It came with only of those large tool boxes that mount right behind your rear window up on the sides of the bed.

I have a Hangar 9 Edge 540 that I like to fly, but I wanna start taking my pickup. The wings will fit underneath the toolbox with the tailgate closed, but the fuselage is another story. The tailgate has to be open and I can use straps with the hooks to wrap around the landing gear to keep the fuselage from sliding out. However, there's nothing to prevent my 55 lb flight box, and wings from sliding out. How do you guys do this? Please advise. Thanks.
Clint

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

Most of the time I can close the gate on my Dakota. I have a canvas cover on mine that lifts. On the rare occasion I cant. I run a rope from one side to the other through those black brackets on each side of the bed. The cover keeps the wind from blowing stuff out and the rope will keep it from sliding. Think about getting rid of the toolbox. It would free up a lot of room. My 1/4 scale fits with the tailgate up.

David

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

I'll take a stab at this one. Get some 3/4 PVC and fittings. You will have to use your imagination. Just make up a carrying jig. Or a cradle rack however you want to call it. Just strap the jig down and securly fasten the plane parts in. I would put the box in the cab. A bed mat would also help keep things in place.

Mark Shuman

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

Thanks fellas. I appreciate your feedback. Since I'm a high school student, I can't afford a bed cover, but don't think I haven't looked! I'd really like to get one that folds up!

A guy at our field kinda made a carrying rack out of those pvc pipe stuff. Looks really good. I'm not sure that I wanna deal with that stuff though. Don't have room for it, and where I'm going to college in a few months, I need to try and keep that toolbox in there. It locks and I can put my groceries and stuff in there. Any further advice would be helpful. Thanks all!
Clint

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

One of the guys in our group got a new small PU and with the large planes he flys had a problem. But he got a neat "extender" that solved his problem. I don't know where he got it or what it's called or who makes it, when I talk to him I will find out, but maybe some of you will know and if so let us know. Anyway, it is made of round aluminum tubing, nice and shiny too. It has three parallel bars on some vertical pieces and it's high as the bed's height. He lowers the tailgate, and hooks it to the truck's tailgate latches, and it sits down on top of the tailgate, and looks like a heavy chrome fence back there. It locks on solid and nothing can get out, unless maybe a screwdriver or a small tool, but a box, plane or wing, no way. Looks good too. Check with your local PU accessory shop, they probably handle them. I bought a "previously owned" long wheel base truck because of the price, and glad I did. My planes got larger too!

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

Those are bed extenders and are quite expensive. I can't afford one. Any other ideas are acceptable. Thanks.
Clint

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

This is how I transport my 72" span and larger planes in the bed of my open pickup. I do not take the planes apart. The racks are made of 3/4" pvc and I bungee the whole stack or just one to the bottom of the truck bed. No the 50 mph drive to the field is not a problem.

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

I don't think that'd work for me. The fuselage is too long to go in sideways and the wings are too long if I left them on and put the fuselage straight in. I'd still have to keep the wings off. Great info guys.
Clint

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

pt the wings in on the right and the fuse on the left all going parllel with the car thats my guess or take the tool box out and put it back in when you need it, whats size plane is this

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

Well, it's a Hangar 9 Edge 540. The overall fuselage length is 67" and the w/s is 78". I can't tip the wing up on it's side because it'll be hanging out the back end of the pickup. I don't think that toolbox back there is doing me any good anyway. We can't find the brand name and so we can't find locks for it anywhere. So any groceries that I'll have to put in it can just go out in the bed of the pickup. I don't know what else to do. Thanks everybody.
Clint

RE: Transporting Large Plane
 

Well, for any of those who care, I got the dang toolbox off. For any people that want it, I'd sell it for $40.00 plus the freight. I can probably ship it via Greyhound for maybe $30 or $40.00. I don't know the brand of it, but it is made of a very durable plastic, it's black, and it does NOT lock. It has locks and it latches, but it didn't come with a key when I bought the truck. Thanks.
Clint