Softopper - I've been waiting for

[SquareRoot]

So for anyone that counts jobs by beers I'd think this is a one beer job, or a 1 whiskey and coke

LOL. Typically it takes one beer to decide to do a job...any job. It goes downhill from there.

 

[idahovette]

Sometimes planning can be a B!TCH!!!!!^^^^^^^^

 

[DoubleDingo]

(sorry, I had to...)

Glad it's working out well for you. Sounds like a good plan on sealing it up, all good info should I ever pick one up (for a future truck with a bed).

 

[Snoots]

it's got to be tight after all.

That's what I told her.

 

[SirRobyn0]

LOL. Typically it takes one beer to decide to do a job...any job. It goes downhill from there.

Whiskey. Whiskey is where it's at!

 

[SirRobyn0]

Well I did my first feed haul with the softopper. This is barley, the barrels are 55 gallon, with not lids, so it's got to be covered and in the past I've used tarps, but because of all of the cracks and gaps in between the barrels it's a pain in the butt to get a tarp on it and not have it want to windsail on the highway. And no matter how well I secure the tarp it'll usually only hold up for two hauls.

I had discussed this with @77 K20 Mike, I think a few years ago when I was first thinking of wanting a softopper and he wasn't sure how well the softopper would retract and open with the barrel in the bed. So the answer is it worked just fine with one caveat. So when I got to the farm I was buying the grain from I opened the softopper and removed my empty barrels. I loaded the first 2 full barrels into the truck bed about a foot from the bulk head of the bed, lifted the roof parts of the topper up above the barrels and slid the barrels the rest of the way in. Then the softopper (still retracted) rested on those two barrels instead of on the bulk head of the truck. Loaded the rest of the barrels, opened up the softopper the rest of the way, paid the man and drove 100 miles back to the farm. Using the softopper saved time vs getting tarps wrapped securely around the barrels, and it certainly was easier.

I did not think to take pictures at his place but I did snap a pic of the barrel to softopper clearance at the gas stop on the way home, plenty of height clearance:

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And unloading on the farm:

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And here is what I was talking about, I can retract the softopper and let it rest on the barrels closest to the cab and be able to handle the barrels just as easy as if I didn't have a bed cover.

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I'm happy with it for sure!

 

[SirRobyn0]

@SquareRoot Mike, I almost forgot. I could get the softopper open in less time than it would take you to drink a beer even if chugged it does that make it a 0 beer job?

Well I did not have a drink at his place since I had to drive home, however I did have two of those crown and cola cans during the unloading, but both were drank after opening the softopper.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Side bar.... No not that kind of bar, side comment!
@Grit dog I recall you mentioning in another thread that "I run the wheels of my truck" I logged another 200 miles today and wondered, just how many miles have I put on my truck in the 5 years I've owned it. My maintenance book shows I bought it with the odometer showing 82,391 miles. It's currently showing 60,725 miles, so that's 78,334 miles in 5 years or an average of just under 16K a year or 1,305 miles per-month. A little high, but not totally out of whack for daily driver, however I'm sure it would be considered a ton of mileage for a 39 year old truck. Which brings to mind my next thought (which I'll never have an answer to), just how many miles does that little 305 have on it....

 

[Turbo4whl]

How many miles? Normal medium to hard miles (no racing) I would say the average would be 200,000 to 300,000 miles. You, may even get more than 300,000+.

 

[SirRobyn0]

How many miles? Normal medium to hard miles (no racing) I would say the average would be 200,000 to 300,000 miles. You, may even get more than 300,000+.

I'm not afraid to hold the skinny pedal all the way to the floor while towing up a hill or over the pass, but my daily drives are pretty mild. So I'd average that to medium, I never pull any kind of race anything, nor do I abuse it.

I know the trucks history kind of. I knew the previous owner, and kept in touch with him from around 2002 - 2010ish. I know he bought it in the mid-90's no knowledge of the miles at the time. I know he retired around the same time he bought the truck. I know he took care of it. I know he passed in 2017, and I bought it from his widow the following year. But none of that answers the number of miles on the truck or engine. I could take a stab at it, but I could be off by 100K lol. When I got it, it had to much interior wear to be 80K, and I don't think it had enough to be 280K, so my guess is it had 180K, putting it at 260,725 miles now. But it's just a guess!

 

[Grit dog]

Side bar.... No not that kind of bar, side comment!
@Grit dog I recall you mentioning in another thread that "I run the wheels of my truck" I logged another 200 miles today and wondered, just how many miles have I put on my truck in the 5 years I've owned it. My maintenance book shows I bought it with the odometer showing 82,391 miles. It's currently showing 60,725 miles, so that's 78,334 miles in 5 years or an average of just under 16K a year or 1,305 miles per-month. A little high, but not totally out of whack for daily driver, however I'm sure it would be considered a ton of mileage for a 39 year old truck. Which brings to mind my next thought (which I'll never have an answer to), just how many miles does that little 305 have on it....

That’s friggin awesome! You think the odo had rolled once before you bought it, or the engine replaced?
Regardless it’s a testament that a well maintained ole squarebody is still about as good as it gets!
To that point, I wouldn’t think twice about piling the miles on the 86 either. Not even blink an eye. Except for it being totally unpractical to drive high miles unless it’s a feed pulling trip! With double the feed to offset the abysmal fuel mileage! Lol

 

[Grit dog]

Man that topper is perfect for your use!
Nice!

 

[SirRobyn0]

@Grit dog What does a guy have to go off of to determine 80 or 180K? petal wear, general condition, carpet wear that's about it. The current carpet in the truck was worn out when I got the truck and it doesn't look like an OEM carpet to me. The top part of the carpet has a relief cut in it and then it was glued down I don't think that's the OEM way of doing it, so I think that points to 180K, and I forgot to mention that when my tranny guy rebuilt the transmission he said he thought it had been rebuilt once before, but also that it had zero up grades inside, so he thought that meant it was rebuild early on in it's life. To me I think that points to 180K as well but who knows, maybe it was only 80K time can do a lot and the windshield leaked when I got it, so maybe that's the cause of the carpet "wear".

You think filling up the 86' is bad, try filling it and about another 40 gallons worth of cans and tanks for the farm. Man fuel gets expensive fast.

When I go north as I did on this trip I like to get gas at the pilot there at the Silvana exit off I-5 or sometimes I'll go to the Indian station but they are typically with in a couple pennies of each other and the Pilot is a much nicer station, plus there's a Arby's if I didn't bring lunch.

 

[Turbo4whl]

Pilot is a much nicer station, plus there's a Arby's if I didn't bring lunch.

I like Arby's too. Just wish on their roast beef w/cheese they didn't add the bun that has onion on it. The boss was out and about today and she brought Arby's home for dinner. Classic RB, I add my own cheese and a pouch of Horsey sauce!

 

[SirRobyn0]

I like Arby's too. Just wish on their roast beef w/cheese they didn't add the bun that has onion on it. The boss was out and about today and she brought Arby's home for dinner. Classic RB, I add my own cheese and a pouch of Horsey sauce!

Oh ya, I love the horsey sauce, so much so that there is a bottle in my refrigerator!

Were there Rax's in your area? They are all but gone now but there were quite a few of them in the 80's and into the 90's. They were a lot like Arby's but a little different. They had a BBC which stood for roast beef, bacon and cheddar, and was served on a hoagie type roll.