pickup to flat bed

[Rhon]

So I'm thinking of pulling the box off my truck and replacing it with a flatbed. It's been in the back of my head for years. I don't haul anything in the box other than hay, lumber, stove pellets and it would be easier to stack hay on the flat bed than in the box.
Has anyone else done it? Pros...cons...

 

[56FordGuy]

I love my flatbed. There's a lot more space, and it's easier to properly strap things down. The downside is, pretty much everything has to be strapped down unless you build some sides that drop down into the stake pockets.

You can side load with a forklift. In a regular pickup, you might fit two pallets in if you take the tailgate off, and use one pallet to push the other all the way to the front of the bed. Good luck getting that front one out, too. :laughing: I can fit 4 on a 9' long flatbed, and 6 on a 12'. Each one is easily forklift accessible, too. What you want to do sounds ideal for a flatbed.

I'd recommend you get rub/ strap rails down the sides, not just strap to the sides. Most pickup sized beds are 96" wide, and the extra couple of inches the rails stick out make it much easier to hook straps if you're loading pallets on it. Be sure when you start looking for beds you make sure to find ones made for a truck with a pickup bed. 'Regular' beds are designed for chassis cab trucks, and the frames are a little bit different. Neither one is really better, but it is something to be aware of when you're shopping.

 

[snowjoker]

So I'm thinking of pulling the box off my truck and replacing it with a flatbed. It's been in the back of my head for years. I don't haul anything in the box other than hay, lumber, stove pellets and it would be easier to stack hay on the flat bed than in the box.
Has anyone else done it? Pros...cons...

Once you have a flatbed you wont ever want a pickup box again!! You can haul so much more with a flatbed than a regular pickup box.Easy to work off 3 sides of it if you put removable side boards on..Depending on your location for winters I would recommend a 2x6 deck boards with a full rub rail on all 3 exposed sides so you have plenty of tie down space and a way to keep things inside the bed.. My next flatbed for my pickup is going to be 7 foot wide by 8 foot long with 6 feet of lumber with a 2 foot wide steel deck on the back of it to work off of.

 

[Case485Guy]

I am a flatbed fan, I think the main draw back is having to tie down the small stuff that you can throw in a truck bed. On the other hand properly secured items on a flatbed wont fly out of the bed.
Flatbeds offer more load versatility, you can also hang the tool boxs/aux. fuels tanks under the bed, keeping the full bed space for loads. To me its easier to add accessories like removeable racks, vices, winch and pole setups to flatbeds. Another thing is its easy to touch up the paint if you go with the standard black bed

 

[hrcarver]

I know the next truck I buy will be a flatbed srw. Not sure what it takes to convert one. I know the chassis are setup different on pickups.

 

[flusher]

So I'm thinking of pulling the box off my truck and replacing it with a flatbed. It's been in the back of my head for years. I don't haul anything in the box other than hay, lumber, stove pellets and it would be easier to stack hay on the flat bed than in the box.
Has anyone else done it? Pros...cons...

I thought about doing that on my 2001 F150, but then I found a good deal on a 2004 Isuzu NPR/EFI stakebed (8x14 ft bed, 49500 miles, 6L GMC LQ4 V-8 gasser, $11K on eBay). You're right--it's a lot easier to load than a pickup. I bought about 800 lb of seed a few weeks ago---palleted and fork-lifted by the seed guys onto the stakebed, no muss, no fuss.



Good luck.

 

[cmyoung2]

Pro's- It's flat. With stakes/standards you can haul a lot. Easy to make a dump bed. some loads are easier to strap down if you have tie down points. No fenders to bang up
Cons: May be harder to climb up on. The bed will be higher. Think about trailer hitch, especially if you use a gooseneck. May be wider than the truck body, something else to catch on that gate post:confused2: Stuff won't stay in the bed unless restrained. Tool boxes can either be easier to use(under bed) or harder to get to,
If you have duals, width of the bed is not much of an issue, wide is ok. If you have SRW, then a wide bed looks like an add-on, not "normal" what ever that is

A little more rust on mine, it might end up a flatbed too

 

[Diamondpilot]

Also check with your insurance man. A flat bed will change things with some companies.

I have had both and went back to a Pickup Box. The cons were just too much for me and if I need to haul that kind of stuff I just use my trailers.

Chris

 

[powerstroke444e]

For a work truck flat bed is only way to go, but with a hoist they are priceless.
Here's a picture of one I built. There's a tread on it some were on here.

 

[Rhon]

Lots of great comments. I didn't think about the difference between a pick up and a chassis frame. I'd be converting a srw 96 F250 4x4. All of my trailers are bumper pull but I'd make sure it came with a turnover ball. It just seems more practical for me. The biggest hurdle won't be doing it but convincing the wife/boss...

Thanks guys

 

[Whitnel]

I have wanted to do this to my F250 as well. If I ever damage the bed a flat bed will go on it. I did $1,000 worth of damage to the bed when I first got the truck. I should have put that towards the flat bed, I have always regereted not doing it. I have seen some that look really good with the SRW. They are made to just be a little wider than the cab, not as wide as the DRW models are.

 

[hrcarver]

I have wanted to do this to my F250 as well. If I ever damage the bed a flat bed will go on it. I did $1,000 worth of damage to the bed when I first got the truck. I should have put that towards the flat bed, I have always regereted not doing it. I have seen some that look really good with the SRW. They are made to just be a little wider than the cab, not as wide as the DRW models are.

Yep, the make flatbeds for srw's that will not stick out a foot on each side. I think most srw flatbeds are 7' rather than 8'.

You will not be loading pallets side by side like you can a 8' or 8.5' wide bed, not that you could haul them on a srw anyway... and that's the only remotely possible downside I see.

 

[Army grunt]

My vote is for the flatbed, Just install removable wooden sides that fit into stake pockets. Thats great looking an really easy to build.For the bed look at the way the old pickups did it with wood an steal strips. an go with 5/4 x 6 pt decking.You can buy the side rack connectors from Tractor Supply.The under carrage can be built using pt 2x6s or what ever you need for cross ties.It will be a great project wiss I was closer I would help
Send pics.
Army Grunt

 

[Case485Guy]

Yep, the make flatbeds for srw's that will not stick out a foot on each side. I think most srw flatbeds are 7' rather than 8'.

You will not be loading pallets side by side like you can a 8' or 8.5' wide bed, not that you could haul them on a srw anyway... and that's the only remotely possible downside I see.

^^^^^^
SRW"s are 7' wide, at the bed places around here sometimes they are not in stock and you have to order in. They look good on a SRW truck.

 

[slowzuki]

Why not? When I haul hay on a SRW its 9" over each side at least (36-40" x3 bales). As long as the cross fork notches don't fall on the bed edge.

Beaver Valley Supply Company - Winkel Flatbeds and Balebeds - The F350 srw pic is the style I'd like.

You will not be loading pallets side by side like you can a 8' or 8.5' wide bed, not that you could haul them on a srw anyway... and that's the only remotely possible downside I see.

 

[tlbuser]

Flat is the way to go. A couple of underbody boxes, steps, frame mounted trailer hitch. Mine has in bed tiedowns and a full rub rail on the stake pockets. I had flexiliner placed on my bed. So far, for the little stuff like a shovel or rake, they stay where you leave them. Roud stuff like a portable air tank, you may have to stop and pick up

 

[lostcause]

Also check with your insurance man. A flat bed will change things with some companies.

I have had both and went back to a Pickup Box. The cons were just too much for me and if I need to haul that kind of stuff I just use my trailers.

Chris

i ran into the same thing a few years ago when i bought a 1-ton dump. neither of the companies i insure with would let me add it to my personal auto policy even though i use it only for personal property maintenance. i had to get a separate commercial vehicle policy for the truck. in the end, the commercial policy was almost no different i price - it seems like mostly an exercise in paperwork for the companies.

when i found out about all of this i asked some specific questions to both, and it pretty much boiled down to whether it had a non-standard body, such as a dump or flatbed. i drive by tons of older trucks every day with homemade bodies and i always wonder if any of them had the commercial policy discussion with their insurer.i guess nobody will ever know until there's an accident and the insurance company digs its heels in.

 

[Topkicker]

My last truck was a flatbed. It was easier to hook to my 5th wheel, offered cab protection, and had more usable space. Just make some sideboards for the small stuff.

 

[flusher]

My last truck was a flatbed. It was easier to hook to my 5th wheel, offered cab protection, and had more usable space. Just make some sideboards for the small stuff.

Nice looking truck:thumbsup:

 

[sandman2234]

Wife doesn't like the looks of a dually flatbed, got one out back as proof, sitting in the weeds...
A couple of posters mentioned making sure you have a bed with the rub rail so you will have more places to tie to. As a long time customer of the D.O.T, I learned early on that a flatbed driver who used the rub rail to tie the straps to, was an open target to be stopped and politely invited to give them an autograph. The rub rail is for just that, rubbing. It keeps forklifts from bumping into the sides and damaging the side or breaking the lights. On typical aluminum trailers, the rub rail will not support nearly as much weight as even a light duty strap will hold, so the rub rail becomes the weak link. On steel it is a little better, but even with steel, a strap or chain at the center between two stake pockets, it takes very little to twist the flatbar which then breaks the welds which allows the load to go flying off of the bed. The rub rail should be there to protect the lights and the straps that hold the load, but should never be used as an anchor point. The tie down strap should be routed behind the rub rail, but never outside or around the rail. The pockets (stake pockets) can be used as tie downs but never the rub rails.
David from jax