Sometimes a product enters the marketplace with a lot less fanfare than it deserves.
One that has recently penetrated the North American market comes from the Australian Outback where it is used on an everyday basis for work and for pleasure. The concept is called, the truck tray.
The truck tray is a pickup truck conversion with a host of pickup truck accessories to accommodate light industrial, commercial, construction and recreational activities with substantially more comfort and efficiency than the factory produced, standard pickup truck box.
The truck tray essentially replaces the standard pickup truck box with an aluminum framed flatbed. The flatbed allows for larger payloads that can be loaded and unloaded easily, manually or with equipment like a forklift. With drop down sides and the absence of wheel wells that steal cargo space, the truck tray is perfect for farm loads, small equipment transport and material handling. In addition, the safety advantages for operators are a bonus. No more jumping around over the side walls, tripping on wheel wells or even risking ankle, foot or leg injuries jostling about trying to get in and out of the box.
Think of the back injuries that can be avoided as manually unloading the vehicle can be done safely while standing on the ground rather than climbing around putting one's self in an awkward position.
You can have your truck tray customized with specific tie-downs, a headache rack, rear rack, ramps for loading heavier equipment or materials, tool boxes and many other custom accessories that you may need. The industries that use them include mining, small construction, farming and ranching, forestry, delivery companies and so on. The possibilities are endless.
The truck tray that I am familiar with is made of industrial aluminum that will not rust. It is also great for the recreation. With the slide down sides and a set of ramps, one can easily fit 2 standard ATV's side by side or a dozen X-country motorbikes. In addition, it is quite easy to mount a truck camper.
There are some limitations to the truck tray, particularly on what kind of truck it can be mounted on. For instance, it can't be mounted on trucks with dual rear tires. However, it can be mounted on most North American and Japanese built vehicles.
If you are buying or leasing a new pickup truck, you may consider ordering it with or without the factory box. You will save on the order. If you have to change out a standard box, you can put it in storage while you work the truck tray. When you have to turn the vehicle back in (as in a lease), it is fairly easy undo the conversion and re-install a the undamaged, like new truck box that has never been used. This will most likely keep your trade-in value higher. The cost of the truck tray is fairly close to the cost of a pickup box.
The truck tray is available to customers in western Canada and the NW US through BearCat Truck Trays, located in Kamloops, British Columbia. For more information, including a short video on the use and advantages of the Truck Tray, visit the following link... BearCat Truck Trays.