We run one. We love it. I would go to knapheide off of 435 and look at theirs.

 

We have one truck like this with just one board for the side, its real handy for just reaching over the side to grab things.

 

I've had flat bed on and off for about 30yrs and they're great.
Check out C&M or Bradford Built.

 

I figured knapheide may be a little pricy but I will call them tomorrow. I kinda forgot about them.

I looked at a CM today and I am definitely considering them. Bradford Built was nice but I don't like the flip down rail and my dealer said it could be 4 weeks before he could get one in stock and that won't work for me. The "mustang" model they have that doesn't have a rail looks a little "cheap" they don't put in a full headache rack and skimp on some of the lighting.

The other thing I'm looking at is the under body boxes. Some of the beds just have a square box where others have a fitted front box so you can get the most out of your space. Also wondered if I could use someone elses box on a bed. I would imagine all of the angles are pretty dang close to the same.

Anyone know anything about norstar?

 

Cons: Can't think of any. I guess it doesn't look like a pickup anymore.

Pros: Much more useful than factory bed.

We have been running one on our '08 since new with fold-down sides and dump hoist.



Liked that one so much, we put one on our old GMC the next year (had bed damage). This one replaced a short bed, does not have fold-down sides, does have dump hoist. We change sides based on use. Have a short set of aluminum sides for general purpose. Taller wooden sides for material hauling (brush, mulch), and plywood extensions we install for leaf vacuuming. Also run with no sides on occasion

 

Thanks for the pictures Ryan. I think once I go to a flatbed I will never want a factory bed again!

 

I figured knapheide may be a little pricy but I will call them tomorrow. I kinda forgot about them.

I looked at a CM today and I am definitely considering them. Bradford Built was nice but I don't like the flip down rail and my dealer said it could be 4 weeks before he could get one in stock and that won't work for me. The "mustang" model they have that doesn't have a rail looks a little "cheap" they don't put in a full headache rack and skimp on some of the lighting.

The other thing I'm looking at is the under body boxes. Some of the beds just have a square box where others have a fitted front box so you can get the most out of your space. Also wondered if I could use someone elses box on a bed. I would imagine all of the angles are pretty dang close to the same.

Anyone know anything about norstar?

Love my CM bed. I even ripped the side of a Honda with minimal damage to the bed. Looking for boxes right now and the Westin ones with drawer on top and cargo area below are what I plan on going with.

Like this but black.

 

Ya I would like one like that and I would need another that's open for bigger bulkier items.

 

I got 4x2015 and 2x 2007 Chevy beds for sale.

 

I've had a few pickups (all single wheel trucks) with normal beds, both short and long beds. Treated me fine, looked good, did the job but definitely weren't always the most convenient. I knew for work my next truck would be a flatbed and it just so happened I got word that an acquaintance was selling his 550 that I'd had my eye on since the day he got it. After having it for over a year it would be pretty hard for me to go back to a pickup box on anything besides a truck primarily used as transportation or for trips. There is so many more options and possibilities with a flatbed over a normal truck bed.

My bed is a Hillsboro 2000 series, 8.5' wide, 9' long. Chamfered corners and the extruded aluminum floor.



Things you can't do with a pickup bed.



As it sits now with the underbody boxes.
18" tall, 18" deep, 36" long for the boxes ahead of the axle.
15" tall, 18" deep, 22" long for the boxes behind the axle. The exhaust on the passengers side kept us from making them 18" deep plus they'd stick down past the tailboard a lot then as well.

 

That's awesome but I cant say I'll be hauling an excavator bucket anytime soon!! Always wanted to play in one though!

 

I've had a few pickups (all single wheel trucks) with normal beds, both short and long beds. Treated me fine, looked good, did the job but definitely weren't always the most convenient. I knew for work my next truck would be a flatbed and it just so happened I got word that an acquaintance was selling his 550 that I'd had my eye on since the day he got it. After having it for over a year it would be pretty hard for me to go back to a pickup box on anything besides a truck primarily used as transportation or for trips. There is so many more options and possibilities with a flatbed over a normal truck bed.

My bed is a Hillsboro 2000 series, 8.5' wide, 9' long. Chamfered corners and the extruded aluminum floor.



Things you can't do with a pickup bed.



As it sits now with the underbody boxes.
18" tall, 18" deep, 36" long for the boxes ahead of the axle.
15" tall, 18" deep, 22" long for the boxes behind the axle. The exhaust on the passengers side kept us from making them 18" deep plus they'd stick down past the tailboard a lot then as well.

Did they set the bucket down on your tool box?

 

Did they set the bucket down on your tool box?

It's the only pic with a dented box and the plate not blurred out.

Maybe it's a sister truck?

 

That's awesome but I cant say I'll be hauling an excavator bucket anytime soon!! Always wanted to play in one though!

It was a last minute thing, state of IL is a big fan of divisible loads so the bucket had to come off before the excavator could go on the low bed to be moved. I went across the scale at the yard with it, it was 4500 or 4600lb, don't remember which of the two it was.

Did they set the bucket down on your tool box?

You'd be correct. A wheel loader was used to set the excavator bucket on my truck (excavator was already on the lowbed ready to go). The plan I had to do it worked perfect, plenty of clearance around everything, the only problem that I had with my way of doing it was the idiot behind the wheel in the loader who didn't tell me had minimal experience until after he hit my toolbox. He did what I asked him to between getting the bucket chained up to the front of the wheel loader bucket, got it over by my pickup fine, yet ran out of luck when I was directing him to set it on the bed. I was on the other side of the truck (passengers rear corner) and was directing him, he knew he was going to hit my toolbox but instead of stopping and letting me know he just kept lowering his bucket because I was telling him to even though he knew I couldn't see that corner of his bucket and he could from the seat. The company bought me a new one after a couple months of running around and him not admitting to the damage even after he told me to my face he did it. They had to go ask him in person if he hit my truck and from my understanding he could faintly recall maybe bumping it a couple months back. :angry::realmad:

 

The company bought me a new one after a couple months of running around and him not admitting to the damage even after he told me to my face he did it. They had to go ask him in person if he hit my truck

Nice truck - too bad about the damage. I had a guy loading a skidsteer hammer on to a regular bed pick-up. He didn't lock the quick tach and it fell on the tailgate. He calmly picked it back up, placed it in the bed the rest of the way, and then went on his way. He was an employee, so I went to confront him, his reply was that I have insurance so it was no big deal. Upshot, wouldn't have happened with a flat bed.

 

I like the looks of all the trucks especially the dodge with the drop sides, makes the perfect truck.

 

My personal truck will probably always be a pickup.

My crews' trucks will be flatbeds or dumps from here on oot. Really can't beat them.

 

We run a CM flat bed on one of ours as well. Going forward we'll run them on all trucks. Way more options.

 

Things you can't do with a pickup bed.

Or a Chevy ;-)

 

Our F350 has a flat bed and we all love it, plans are to remove the bed, sand blast and re paint and put a hoist under it. Just my opinion but I hate the look of them when they're replacing a short bed. When our 06 was rear ended last year I was looking ro replace the bed with another flat bed but it's our main mowing rig and we fill it to the top with grass, dirt etc. and off loading by hand would suck again so we fixed the bed and put another dump bed in it.

 

Seems like these flat beds are very expensive compared to a new take off bed. I found a company 6 hrs away that made aluminum beds and they had a tri-fold with a hoist under it for srw P/U's but it was 8k!

 

Or a Chevy ;-)

I'm sure you've seen pictures on here of what I did with my Chevy too.
I'd still be driving one but they don't make a pickup sized 45/5500, just the gigantic Kodiaks which now are discontinued anyway.

 

Love my CM bed. I even ripped the side of a Honda with minimal damage to the bed. Looking for boxes right now and the Westin ones with drawer on top and cargo area below are what I plan on going with.

Like this but black.

Perfect set up

 

I have built 2 flatbeds already one for a Ford one for a Chevy, both dumping. See my signature for the Ford build. I will probably never have a regular pickup bed. The next one I build will be aluminum though.
T.J.

 

Well guys I will post some pictures later but I got the old bed off last night. Heading to the shop now to spray some rust stop on some stuff while the bed is off. Also going to replace shocks on the rear. Might as well get some stuff done while its apart.

I decided on a norstar bed. Really like the looks and they seem just as well built as the rest of the beds I was looking at. They all use about the same thickness floors and frames.

I am going to do the install myself. Any tips???