Custom truck beds

   / Custom truck beds #1  

garth466

Silver Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
162
Location
Arlington, WA
Tractor
John Deere 3120
Well, I had a little mishap with my truck yesterday. I guess I'll finally get some of my insurance premium back (not the way I wanted it). I'm thinking I did enough damage that much or all of the bed will have to be replaced. I'm trying to find a company that makes custom beds. Same dimensions as stock, but with storage boxes. I've seen them on the road, but where do they come from?
 
   / Custom truck beds #4  
garth466 said:
Well, I had a little mishap with my truck yesterday. I guess I'll finally get some of my insurance premium back (not the way I wanted it). I'm thinking I did enough damage that much or all of the bed will have to be replaced. I'm trying to find a company that makes custom beds. Same dimensions as stock, but with storage boxes. I've seen them on the road, but where do they come from?

I'm assuming you have a pickup bed?

If so check this out. It has tool boxes, yet still allows clearance for a 5th wheel Scroll down a little below the flatbed:

http://www.knapheide.com/literature/westerner.pdf

Knapheide - Products
 
   / Custom truck beds #5  
Here you go, some reading for a couple of days!


SELECT DESIGN does beds, interior and exterior upgrades to F350-F550 trucks.

ACCUBUILT sets up F450 and F550 trucks and has a pickup appearance instead of an aftermarket specialty bed. There is not a lot of detail on their site as to what they upgrade but if you are looking for a pickup on steroids this would be one place to start.

SHIP-THRU UPFITTERS

Fontaine = Fontaine Classic Traveler tow body by Fontaine Modification. Looks sorta like a Dooley pickup, only better.

Manning Hauler = Manning is right outside the KTP truck plant, and their motto is "When was the last time you got mad at yourself for buying the best." The Hauler is a nice tow body, and Manning will instead mount a plain ole Dooley pickup bed on a chassis cab.

Monroe Versa-Hauler = Monroe is in WI. Scroll down to the "Ford F550 Crew Cab with Versa-Hauler Towing Body and Optional Trim Kit, Running Boards, Wheel Simulators and Sun Visor." Also note that Monroe will mount other types of tow bodies and flat beds on your rig.

Knapheide = a famous service body outfit also makes the Knapheide Westerner Storage Body, which provides safe secure storage plus towing ability in a low-profile body. If I were designing a tow body, this would be very close to perfect if you have payload capacity for a heavy steel body. Knapheid also has a Westerner flatbed gooseneck hauler.

Knapheide also has several distrubutors that are also Ford ship-thru upfitters:

Auto Safety House in Arizona.

Carter Industries in California.

Dealer's Truck Equipment Co. in Louisana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas

Frontier Truck near Denver.

Layton Truck Equipment in Colorado, Indiana, and Illinois.

Unicell Body Co. in western New York.



A.E. Truck Equipment = They have "trailer towing bodies"

Rough Rider = Harbor Truck Bodies in CA offers a plain flatbed gooseneck hauler.

Badger = Hoekstra in Michigan will mount you a heavy-duty flatbed gooseneck hauler with side boxes, the Badger by Omaha Standard. Look under "Platform and Stake bodies".

Reading Redi-Dek = Reading is a famous service body maker that also has a neat flatbed gooseneck hauler with under-deck storage boxes. Look under "platform bodies".

Other ship-thru upfitters that will install a Reading Redi-Dek:

Brake & Clutch, Inc. in Salem, MA.

Rayside Truck and Trailer in south Florida.

---------end of Reading upfitters

Most upfitters that will install a flat bed or platform body will also add a gooseneck or fifth-wheel hitch and side boxes. So you might want to check out the following Ford ship-thru upfitters who have flat beds or platform bodies or stake bodies, but don't mention on their website that they'll customize them into towing machines:

American Cargo in Indiana.

America's Body Company with plants in OH, LA, CA, MD, PA, NJ, MO, MI, KY, and OR.

Dejana Truck in NY, RI and MD.

SIA Truck Bodies with several locations in Florida and Alabama.

General Truck Body in Houston.

NBC Truck Equipment in Washington state.

Scelzi Enterprises in Fresno, CA.

Stahl Div., Scott Fetzer Co. = Stahl is a famous maker of service bodies and flat beds, and is a Ford ship-thru upfitter. They don't make tow bodies, as far as I can tell.

Supreme Corporation is one of the big boys you've heard of, with plants in IN, NC, GA, TX,CA, PA, FL and CO.



OTHERS:
-------------------------------------------------------

Most of these will accept a new truck drop-shipped from the factory, and fix it up to your specs.

Highwayman = tow body by Highway Products (800 ToolBox)

J-Rod offers bodies, tool boxes and trailers

Western Hauler = Western Hauler tow body in Fort Worth

Classy Chassis = they have new trucks ready to go, or you can drop-ship your new Ford to them and they will fix it up exactly like you want it.

Gooseneck = The original Gooseneck company also makes aluminum tow bodies

Douglass = Douglass Truck Bodies 5th-wheel tow bodies

Centurion = Centurion conversion adds a factory pickup bed to chassis cabs.

J&J Hauler = J&J Enterprizes hauler bed on F-550

Herrin Haulers = several styles made in Kilgore, TX

AACSON = nice aluminum flatbed/gooseneck hauler made in western Canada

B&W Custom Truck Bodies = nice tow bodies. Be sure to look at the Elite tow body. These are the same folks that make the B&W Turnover Ball gooseneck ball mount.

Boden Fabricating = Smokey, please ad to your list the fine folks at BODEN FABRICATING in Edmonton, Alberta. Talk to Ab Deacon..........these folks make EXCELLENT tow bodies, welding decks, and service beds. SM Tatham

2L Custom Trucks = has nice tow bodies. hhroper added this one to the list. Looks good!

Suspension Control = Their new website explains that they do more than suspension. They have nice tow bodies.

Utility Bodywerks = see the feature article about "Light Medium Duty Trucks" in the feature articles section off the "contents" button on the menu bar at the top of page 1 of this thread.

Intercontinental = An oufit in MT that will mount you a lightweight aluminum flatbed with an optional fifth wheel hitch.

Mountain Master = makes a heavy-duty tow body in Phoenix.

Roll-a-long pickup beds and tow bodies for chassis cabs.

New Haven Body for those folks in New England that want a local upfitter.

FarmBro is an upfitter in eastern Canada that does Fontaine conversions and other work. See post from wandrr below.

Godwin is a big outfit for folks "back east". nc_stroker says you should check them out. They will make you anything you can dream up - not just the standard stuff on their website.

Trail-Hauler makes hauler bodies in Tennessee.

Tuscany makes hauler conversions in Elkhart, Indiana.

Truckcraft has aluminum flatbeds/platform bodies with optional gooseneck balls or fifth-wheel hitches and storage bins. Made in Pennsylvania, with dealers throughout the U.S.A. and Canada.

Select Solutions in AZ converts F-Series trucks into Select Design trailer toters.

CHARIOT Hauler Division aluminum body with a few upgrades and accessories available.


Sorry the links didn't come across, so just do a search for the names.

Good luck,
 
   / Custom truck beds
  • Thread Starter
#7  
After much debate in my own head I decided to just have the box replaced. It is a $7000 job, but if I opt for a cash out, I might not get that much. I looked up most of those companies and also found one a little closer to my up on Vancouver Island.

Rebco has some nice beds closer to what I was looking for. If you have a chance to look at them, I almost went with the box that is on that blue SRW Dodge with the doors and lower panels. Not quite service box look and still allows for a camper. That set up was going to be $8100 without the head ache rack and the doors would be the body color (or should I say "colour" since they are in Canada?). That was installed, but I have to venture up there-4 hours if I hit the ferries just right.

Maybe for the next truck. Unfortunately, I don't think they give much credit for a box delete when ordering a truck. A little over $3000 is what I've been told.
 
   / Custom truck beds #10  
I'm not a big fan of aluminum beds. 2 people I know that had them were disappointed in their durability. I have a Bradford Built bed on my F450. It's very heavy made, has an integral gooseneck and receiver hitch, storage boxes, flip down sides that reveal stake pockets, nice headache rack, etc. Here's a link to their site, and here's a pic of mine...

2272524Truckbed.JPG
 

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