Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Flatbed conversion of pickups

The area East of Dallas I live in seems like the conversion of regular wide beds to flatbeds is pretty common. Best I can recollect it started about 3-4 years ago and has really took of in the last year.

Heck the guy who cleaned my carpet did it to his personal brand new Tacoma truck.

Just curious if this is going on in other parts of Texas and the U.S.?

You can see why they do it with older Toyotas just to keep the bed and frame rust under control

New I'm not sure why although I think a flatbed offers alot of flexibility.

I was behind a newer Ford with the flatbed this morning , but this guy looked like a contractor.

the reason is that a lot of trucks are getting so high you can not reach inside with out running boards or a step.

i would rather put up with a step than have to tie everything down that i put on the bed. i have known of saddles and coolers and generators to fall off of flat beds.

You can haul much, much more, space wise.

Mine will hold 2 pallets of feed. 4000 pounds. (In addition to my air compressor, 85 gallon fuel transfer tank/toolbox and spare tire. Bed has 4 built in side toolboxes as well.)

Put the rails and removable tailgate on to keep stuff from sliding off.

Son did it to his Duramax, he does haul plenty of hay and stock trailers but also can put a small SXS on it when pulling his bumper pull toy hauler/camper[has kid but refuses to get a 4-seater SXS]

It blows my mind how often I see folks hauling things on these flat beds NOT tied down.

Got a F150 2WD rental last year after a fender bender, at 6'4" I could barely see into the bed over the siderails

Nice unit right there...

As to 'being so high it's hard to reach..etc', I hear ya.. The last four trucks I've had are like that.. About six years ago, I happened upon this at Northern Tool:

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200631961_200631961


I use it every time I use the 5th wheel camper so I can reach the handle locking pin and attach the emergency brake cable etc..

I have a Dodge 3500 converted to a dump truck with removable rails.

It can haul six thousand pounds of gravel, sand, mulch or Miracle Whip salad dressing.

The side rail are easily removable for forklift loading.

I am very fond of this arrangement.

Ir depends on whether you use your pickup like a truck, or a "Cowboy Cadillac". Some "trucks" never haul anything heavier than an iced-down Yeti cooler to a tailgate party!

Legally???

Yes

Around here it’s Deweze or Cannonball bale beds for 1tons, can’t haul two round bales with a spike on a regular bed. And light short flatbeds on Tacoma sized and 1/2 tons for let out boxes for the hog and coyote hunters with curs and greyhounds. Drive the backroads until a cur lets loose on pig scent or until the greyhounds see a coyote and pull the cord to dump the dogs.

It's pretty common around here for guys to tear off the rusty box and build a flat bed out of wood. Almost all the stone cutters do it.

Makes 5th wheel work a bit simpler, easier for stock dogs to fall out, and tools, coolers, etc to be discarded in the middle of the road.

Because the top edge of a modern 1/2 ton's bed is around 5'.

It gets worse from there.

Do they belong to the Wood Box Chevy Association ?

Lot of good reasons and ways - depending on one's needs. One of mine is a 72 Chev one ton - originally our motorhome and now a strong flat bed with gooseneck setup and a sleeper behind the cab. A bit unique.

Lee, we actually got one of these at the shop, it even helps when doing "stuff" in the engine bay, on lifted trucks on 35's !

When my dad was in the Dairy business in the mid to late '70s and early 80s most 1 tons arond here were chassis cb with a flat bed of some sort but after 80 factory bedded dually's became more common.

A lot of these trucks being converted around here are not just 1 ton dually's but 3/4 and even 1/2 ton trucks. Some guys are even doing it to older pick-ups not just brand new ones.

I'll agree about the height of modern trucks it's difficult to get thing in and out of the back..