I finnaly got a new bed for my truck (took a while to find one I can afford, only criteria was price and this came up first) however it appears instead of drilling holes to re-use the factory bolts the designer of this bed instead just welded brackets to the frame/bed in the same general locations then cut them off flush with the bottom of the bed when he sold it (not the guy I got it from, hes selling it cause it wont fit the Ford hi-boy he has). So my question to you guys is would it be better to drill the appropriate holes in the flat bed and nut/bolt it on or grind off whats left of the old brackets (not looking forward to it...) and just weld new brackets in? Also going to have to add the appropriate spacers between the frame and bed to keep it level (figuring these are like every other truck Ive worked on where the frame under the bed isnt perfectly level) so what would you guys recommend for those? (seems most the ones around work just use wood but...)

 

Weld new brackets to make it fit right. All it takes is some flat steel and time.

 

X2, id just make it right

 

Please please please... do NOT weld on your frame. Its wrong and dumb in a number of ways. You can use some angle iron or something and weld to the bed, and bolt through that to a hole in the frame, or like you say, drill the bed frame and bolt through the top of pickup frame as was stock. We just usually use some 2/4's under the bed. You can get bolt kits also, for installing flatbeds, tanks, anything that can be bolted to a frame really. Usually theyre SS bolts, and the front to middle are spring loaded so that the frame can flex, possibly over kill, but depends how rigid the flatbed is.

 

Alright now another dumb question, whats the easiest way to lift/move the beds? Me and a couple co-workers slid the flatbed off the trailer but the 3 of us definatly cant lift it (used a tow truck to put on trailer).

Any links to the install kits my google magic is failing me? Want it to allow some frame flex as once in a blue moon (once or twice a year..) I do still take this truck off road.

 

You can weld to your frame if you know how to weld. I have built several rock crawlers and welded 4 link brackets and b eat on it with 40 inch tires and its fine.

My buddy with a 2010 f250 just hacked his rear short bed frame and lengthed it so he could use a long bed service body and know issues at all.

I welded my flat bed and it carries 2000lbs on it and dragging a 20 ft trailer with a rock buggy on it and zero signs of stress.

 

Not going to argue, but am curious why you suggest no welding, but then suggest SS fasteners?

SS is known to stress crack fairly easily in a lot of applications, so not sure they would be my first choice for anything that is 'suspended' from a frame myself....

 

Newer frames are heat treated, older ones i forget what its called have a high carbon and welding either A: ruins the heat treat, or B: pushes the carbon away. Both make it likely to crack there. All of that above is what this kick *** old guy told me who seemed to know what the hell he was talkin about, i mean he was an original hottrodder.. (some of the pics.. but anyway). But i have seen first hand, two frames that have broke at a weld, first on a Peterbilt and second on a 66 ford. I suggested SS because when we bought the water tank for our 10 wheeler the guy said to make sure and buy the kit to install it, or at the very least to use SS bolts. So i figured if theyre good enough to hold down 4k gallons of water, they should hold a flatbed on.

I could be dead wrong i guess, as ive never actually researched all of this. But if ive been told once, ive been told a hundred times... dont weld on a frame.

Besides that, if you ever want to take it off... think of the nightmare.

 

I know at least on school busses its actully illegal to weld on the frame (or drill even) and for that reasson alone Id never weld onto the frame (and slightly hesitant to drill but know its can be done safley).

I dont have to guess the nightmare to undue a welded on flatbed, based on whats left of the previous mounting setup thats how this one was mounted (have 6 brackets welded to the flatbed that were cut off flush with the bed with a torch) so now I get the pleasure of grinding off the welds to remount it

Far as mounting the bed goes thinking Ill hard mount the rear 2 corners (weld + bolt to bed, bolt to truck) and have a floating mount in front 2 corners and even with gooseneck hitch on each side simillar to what we have on the fronts of the busses clicky

 

its the same way on semi's. the frames are heat treated and tempered. to releave stress. drilling holes in frames or welding frames creates stress risers that were not accounted for in the engineering semi trusk frames have a lot of flex built into them, you can see it when a loaded truck torques up from a dead stop, drilling and welding on big truck frames can cause cracking. now that beinng said our pick up frames are more rigid than that. however the frame will flex when you drive the truck. welding a flatbed fast could cause the frame to be compleatly rigid from the frame work in the bed and cause things like the rivets that hold the frame together to fail. but thats just a chance, it also makes it a ROYAL PITFA to pull the bed off like say to change a fuel sender. most big truck bodies sit on a white oak or rubber strip, and bold to the frame with large u bolts. either do that, or make some brackets to reuse your original bed mounting hardwere and locations

 

If it was me I would not weld to the frame. Looking at too many problems down the road.

 

Huh. Funny how almost every single dump truck ever built has the hinges welded to the rear of the frame now isn't it??

I wouldn't want average garage Joe with a 120V mig to weld on a frame, but done right it's do-able, and quite safe. Often semi's, straight trucks, and gravel trucks are shortened and lengthened, by cutting and welding a frame together.

My own frame is welded without issue, that's been 7-8 years and 1000's of loads later. Not saying it's for everyone either though, and yes, removal can be an issue. A guy good on a torch, or a plasma cutter, and a grinder though can make it a pretty easy process.

Oh....and on most trucks, drilling on the sides of a frame is allowable except sometimes in certain areas of the frame. Drilling on the top or bottom flanges is a complete no-no.

 

I'm not saying don't do it. All I am trying to say is that if you can do it without welding it that is the option I would take.

 

I'm curious then, why do many hitches require you to drill holes in the bottom flange?

I know from an engineering standpoint that holes on the flange weaken the frame much more than holes on the sides. I think a lot of this is hearsay and certain circumstances. Yes a great many vehicles are cut up and welded in all sorts of configurations, and done so safely. A number of heavy duty trucks have heat treated or other specially built frames that the manufacturer has specified not to weld or drill on. In some cases, any welding or drilling could destroy the integrity of those frames. In other cases, where things are carefully engineered for the stresses involved, those frames might be able to be modified.

Quite frankly, the road salt thats sprayed all over in the winter has done more havoc to my frame than drilling a hole or two here or there will do. Unless you go drilling big holes that significantly weaken that section of the frame, you'll be fine. Welding done properly should be ok on our frames.

The problems come from people that aren't formerly trained to understand the exact affect of a hole or weld and just do what they want in the backyard.

 

I have to agree with Grey on this. Years ago custom combine crew used gasser C60 Chevys and F700 Fords to haul grain from the fields. Then as the combines got larger they needed more capacity and moved to over the road tractors with the frames lengthened with grain boxes installed. They did this by cutting and installing a length of frame rail welded in between the cuts in the original frame.
Frames are modified every day, granted it is done by shops that specialize in frame work, and not by someone in their back yard, but it is done.