Pickup Running Boards Made From 2 By 8’s
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They aren’t fancy, but Gary Swensen of Yankton, S. Dak., says the running boards he made out of wood for his Ford F-250 pickup work fine.
“They make it easier to climb in and out of the cab. I spent only about $100 to make them,” says Swensen.
He came up with the idea after he bought a used 2000 Ford F-250 SuperCab 4-WD pickup. It was difficult to get into the cab because it was so high off the ground.
He went online and ordered running boards that cost about $275. “As soon as I opened the box I could tell those running boards wouldn’t work because they were built too light. So I returned them but kept the mounting brackets, which I had ordered separately.
“My son said ‘Why don’t you just buy a couple of 2 by 8’s and paint them?’ I prefer function over fashion, so I decided to try out his idea.”
He bought an 8-ft. long, treated 2 by 8 for each side of the pickup and bolted the 3 angled mounting brackets into the pickup frame using pre-drilled holes from the factory. He bolted each 2 by 8 horizontally onto the brackets, then attached a 2 by 4 to the top of the 2 by 8 to fill the gap between the pickup and the running board to keep dirt and gravel off the boards. Then he spray painted the boards black.
“I built these running boards about two years ago and they’ve held up fine,” says Swensen. “Only two people have ever noticed they’re just wooden boards. Even my wife says they don’t look too bad.
“I paid $90 for the mounting brackets, but they’re built heavy and were well worth the money. Last winter I drove through some deep snow and was concerned the brackets might not hold up, but there was no problem.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Swensen, 1408 Sunrise Drive, Yankton, S. Dak. 57078 (ph 605 660-3489;
g_swensen@msn.com).
Pickup Running Boards Made From 2 By 8’s PICKUPS Accessories They aren’t fancy but Gary Swensen of Yankton S Dak says the running boards he made out of wood for his Ford F-250 pickup work fine “They make it easier to climb in and out of the cab I spent only about $100 to make them ” says Swensen He came up with the idea after he bought a used 2000 Ford F-250 SuperCab 4-WD pickup It was difficult to get into the cab because it was so high off the ground He went online and ordered running boards that cost about $275 “As soon as I opened the box I could tell those running boards wouldn’t work because they were built too light So I returned them but kept the mounting brackets which I had ordered separately “My son said ‘Why don’t you just buy a couple of 2 by 8’s and paint them?’ I prefer function over fashion so I decided to try out his idea ” He bought an 8-ft long treated 2 by 8 for each side of the pickup and bolted the 3 angled mounting brackets into the pickup frame using pre-drilled holes from the factory He bolted each 2 by 8 horizontally onto the brackets then attached a 2 by 4 to the top of the 2 by 8 to fill the gap between the pickup and the running board to keep dirt and gravel off the boards Then he spray painted the boards black “I built these running boards about two years ago and they’ve held up fine ” says Swensen “Only two people have ever noticed they’re just wooden boards Even my wife says they don’t look too bad “I paid $90 for the mounting brackets but they’re built heavy and were well worth the money Last winter I drove through some deep snow and was concerned the brackets might not hold up but there was no problem ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gary Swensen 1408 Sunrise Drive Yankton S Dak 57078 ph 605 660-3489; g_swensen@msn com
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