Darby Industries 944 Extend-A-Truck

Having traded my Nissan Frontier for a Toyota Tacoma, I began the search for a bed extender. I do extensive home remodeling, and although the Frontier had a short bed, it's factory bed extender proved useful when hauling materials. I liked the design and cost (typical bed extenders can run $300) of this model, and thought I'd give it a go. My first haul was 10 sheets of 4'X8' 5/8" drywall. And although there's only 42" between the Tacoma's wheel well, the 48" sheets laid perfectly behind the wheel well and rested flat on the Extend-A-Truck. Hauling 16' pieces of trim is easily accomplished in the vertical set up. Several hauls since, and I could not be more pleased with the simplicity and functionality of this device. It breaks down into 2 pieces that I can easily stow in the back of my Access cab. After 10 years of 'working around' my Frontier's factory extender, I am now in love with my Tacoma and this nifty, thrifty hauling machine!

The Extend-A-Truck "Truck Bed Extender" is a: reasonably priced (at Amazon), ingeniously designed, sturdily constructed, easily assembled/disassembled (for storing), piece of equipment designed to transport oversized loads with a pick-up truck. Long loads, (e.g. ladders, boats, canoes, lumber, etc.) can be transported easily and safely. The unit can be extended behind the truck or reversed, so that extremely long loads can be carried on top of the truck. We use our Extender to transport a canoe sticking out the back of our pick-up truck. We don't have to lift the canoe to the top of the truck or pull it on a trailer behind the truck. The "Truck Extender" reduces wind drag; lowers gas consumption; eliminates registering a trailer and, perhaps best of all, there are no trailer wheels to blow or trailer swinging behind the truck. The device makes transporting the canoe virtually worry free. For us, the "Truck Bed Extender" is the perfect piece of equipment! With appreciation to the manufacturer, Darby industries, and to Amazon.

We have a Quad Cab Silverado which comes with the short 6 foot bed and Extend-A-Truck was exactly what we needed. Its design is very simple but effective and the quality is very good. When disassembled (2 pieces) it is very compact and lies down flat in the bed of the truck and takes only 5 minutes to set up. I just leave it in the bed, since you never know when you might have a spur of the moment need for it. You can configure it to extend the bed of your truck or configure it to rise to the level of your truck, van , suv and store long items on your roof. At some point we will be getting the roof rack bars they sell as well so we can carry our kayaks on top and free up the truck bed space for luggage and provisions. For the price, you can't beat it.

Ordered from Amazon Warehouse Deals for a bit of a discount. Box was beat to hell but the parts were all there and in fine shape. Installs easily and works just as expected. It is a bit loose / wobbly at connections, and as others have said the single holes for hitch mount points is ridiculously shallow. At minimum they should’ve provided 2-3 holes to provide options. I’ll probably drill another hole at some point for added security, but it still works as is. I added an anti-rattle device which helped some. I’ve used it a couple of times so far to carry my 13’ 100 lb kayak in the bed of my short bed truck and it works great. At some point I’ll probably use the high option to carry the kayak on the roof for multi-day trips. Good product for a reasonable priced compared to more expensive options. Those other options may be a bit more convenient or lighter weight, but IMO not worth the 2-3x price point.

No problems with product quality or poor welds. The extender I received in August 2012 was well made and fit the 2" receiver on truck just fine with just the right amount of wiggle room. Yesterday, I used it in "bed extender" mode to haul a 12-foot aluminum boat in the 6-foot bed of my truck. It was perfect . . . I can't think of anything that would have worked better for less than $90. Drove 65 miles, some on interstate, with no problems. The extender supported the boat perfectly and securely. I drove with confidence. Don't let the folks complaining about crushed packages (how is that the product's fault??) or "rust dust" dissuade you. The Extend-A-Truck 944 Truck Bed Extender will give you years of dependable service and allow you to haul items in your truck that you didn't think you could before.

This hitch extension is the one that you want to haul your kayak or other light boat in the bed of your pickup or the roof of your other vehicle. My truck box takes up too much room and also covers the front most holes, so I couldn't just make a rack. This hitch extension is just the thing to take care of my needs though. It is heavy enough for me (220 lbs) to sit on the end of it without any flex or complaint but also light enough that it is easy to dismantle and stow away. All of the pieces easily fit inside the truck box too. The loops on either end are great for securing whatever you put on it and it adjusts in enough ways that it works well on my full size K1500 pickup for the bed or if I want to mount my kayak on the roof. It also adjusts and works great on my wife's Honda Element! I replaced the pins with some that lock so I can leave it attached when I am out on the water. The red plastic flag that came with it is good enough to get you started but you'll want to replace it with something more durable.

I got this for my truck (Nissan Frontier) to carry my 13'6" kayak. It works well and makes loading easy. The only beef I have is the bar is not padded. I duct taped carpet on it but it doesn't hold the boat in place if you pull it out on even a slight incline. I got some boat shaped foam blocks to mount on it but haven't figured out how to get them on the frame without sliding off when the boat pulls over the top of the foam. In regard to just the frame. Easy to mount and take off. Hold plenty of weight. Nice eyes on the top bar for strapping too. Great carrier for the money and makes it possible to single hand a kayak that weighs close to 100 lbs. Sturdy, well made and a good value.

I routinely need 16-foot-long hog or cow panels for my farm. This is easy to mount on the back of the pickup and with the tailgate down, I can easily carry 10 panels plus T-posts without a problem. Easy to dis-assemble too. Have used it for sheets of plywood and oversized 2X6's as well.

We took our canoe out this weekend, and the extender worked great. We didn't have to make any modifications to it as many others have said in their reviews. It worked fine. So happy we made this purchase.

Pretty sturdy but the holes that mount it to the hitch and the upright are oversized for the pins. I pushed it as far as it would go into the hitch and drilled a new 5/8” hole. Made it fit a lot tighter in the hitch. I used my trailer pin to hold it into the hitch and drilled a second hole in the upright so it mounted with two pins instead of one. Made that a lot sturdier as well. Update after using it for a few months. I would say a must have for short box owners. Have had a couple buddies by one after seeing mine.

The other reviewers have nailed it. The hole for the hitch pin does seem too close to the end of the piece that fits into the receiver, and it does wobble around a bit, but once there is load on it this isn't a concern. I was conscious of bottoming out in the fully extended mode, but there is plenty of ground clearance. Good addition for my 2011 F150 and the 5 1/2 foot bed. Will make trips to the lumber yard way easier!!

This extender works great. Great price and it allows me to haul my sea kayak in my short box Tundra. Easy to install and easy to store when not in use.

The item arrived damaged. That phrase can lead down two paths. In my case it led me to discover that Extend a Truck is a great company that stands behind their products and will go the extra mile to help you. The box was treated terribly in transit and one of the hooks was broken off. I could have returned the item and ordered another but 1 email to the vendor had a replacement part on route. The Extend a Truck is a great product from a great company. If you need to haul oversized stuff buy this thing.