This Bed Extender Is Fine
Mine is powder coated black, with a fine finish.
My truck: 2001 Ford Ranger Edge, Regular Cab, red, bought used with 144,000 miles Fall 2018, Regular 6’ box with an installed Ford bed liner.
AMP Research calls this a “small” bed (but not a “narrow,” flair-side bed).
Installation was finicky, when I first tried to use the included templates. I made two copies, cut out the “small/narrow” templates, and began to try to use them.
A bed extender with a male pivot bolts had been used before (I take it), because these protruding Torx bolts were located exactly in the vertical-center of the tailgate area.
But the previous bed extender must have been much less tall, because there was no way to attach this extender in roughly the same place as the previous one. That’s what you get for using a universal fit bed extender, it’s going to be taller than one made exclusively for small trucks.
The pivot position ended up being about 2” above the previous pivot, and about 2” higher than the template indicated.
Remember, you HAVE TO GET the attachment side of the extender to be vertically PARALLEL with the tailgate opening, or the tailgate won’t be able to close.
My wisdom on this install is this: FIRST, assemble the whole unit, slip the female attachment plates onto the pivots, and adjust it until it’s at the perfect WIDTH for your application.
SECOND, when the exact width is established, support the attachment ends with wood blocks & shims. and move it vertically until the end is parallel to the tailgate opening. Trace around the attachment plates onto the bed sides (or liner).
Wiith the extender out of the way, center the attachment plates inside your tracings, and punch your drill holes accordingly. An automatic center punch is a big help with this, or medium regular punch is fine too.
I’m quite happy with the way it turned out: The unit (the vertical bumpers) are below the bed top, so adding a tonneau cover is no problem. Also, with the tailgate closed, the extender can’t rise up in the wind, and it can’t be removed and stolen.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
