A couple months ago we covered the installation of the Diamondback Truck Cover on Project MegaRam. Well to further extend the use of our Dodge Ram we ordered a cover extension to allow us to haul two ATV's on the back of our Mega Cab. The Dodge Ram Mega Cab is not offered in a long bed version as the Mega Cab already has the same wheelbase as a long bed truck but the extra space is all in the cab.

Hauling two ATV's on a short bed truck is not usually possible. There just is not enough room. Two quads side by side range from about 92 inches wide to 100 inches wide for a couple race quads. Diamondback Truck covers has a complete range of accessories and one of them is a cover extension. The Diamondback cover extension is an aluminum extension that is cantilevered off the cover with steel bars.

Installation

This is the Diamondback cover extension prior to assembly.

After un boxing the extension kit and looking at the included instructions we were a little confused as to how this was going to work. But once we started laying things out it became clear as to how the extension should be assembled and how it would attach to our cover.

You will need a drill, 5/16" drill bit, marker pin, and 1/2 socket wrench to complete the installation.

The steel bars slide into the bottom of the extension and are held in place with removable pins.	This is the extension with both steel bars installed.

Now set the extension up on the bed with the aluminum mounting brackets. Make sure it is centered and the brackets are where you want them. Then mark the holes and remove the extension.

The rear bracket is slotted and open from the top with holes for a pin.	The front brackets mount to the center section of the bed cover.

With brackets bolted down we mounted the cover and drilled the holes in the bars. We extended the bars at full length so that we had room for two 50 inch wide race quads. For a couple utility quads you would not extend as far and would drill the bars in a different location.

Assemble the side bar in place. This keeps you from driving off the other side.	You can see the side bar and the extension. It extends no further than an open tailgate even at full length.

You may need to install a shim kit also. We loaded a couple quads and found that we could not open and close the tailgate without lifting up on the extension. You can see how the tailgate hit the cover without shim kit.

The shim kit is fit and drilled such that it mounts in the bed pocket.	The shims hold the cover up a little on each side so that you will be able to open and close the tailgate without lifting.

Here we are with two race ATV's on our Mega Ram. We love the 12 foot ramps.

We had allot of stuff to go in the bed so we put one ramp under each ATV.	There is a trick to tying them down. Run your straps across and to the center of the quad or foot pegs. This keeps them from rolling back and forth.

We just got back from a 1800 mile road trip with two race quads on our Dodge Mega Cab.

Summary

We just got back from a 1800 mile road trip with two race quads on our Diamondback HD cover with ATV cover extension. The extension worked flawlessly. We had two quads and allot of gear packed in our Mega Cab. We were getting about 5 MPG better than when we tow our trailer so we were very pleased. The 12 foot ramps are awesome. We had another ATV rack with our previous vehicle and the ramps were much shorter. It was very scary loading a sport ATV on the bed. NOT with the Diamondback ramps. The cover seemed to hold up very well and the quads rode nicely. Make sure to run your tie downs across to the center of the quad. If you simply tie the front straight down and the same in the rear the quad will roll back and forth no mater how tight your straps are.

Enjoy!

Source:

Diamondback Auto Accessories
1.800.935.4002
Diamondback Dealer Locator