and for me and my uses the deep bed was a HUGE selling point. I love the looks and having a tonneau I can carry all sorts of stuff back there with it closed.
Anyone belly's up to the side of my truck with their paint-scratching buttons gets whacked anyway.

As for the looks...I sometimes see the SD and it almost looks like a flatbed now

 

Yeah, when I first bought the truck, I thought it looked too tall along the bed. Now everything else looks way too low!

Best looking truck ever was the 97-2004 Short Flair side in RED. Awesome looking truck, even stock, and with a few mods, gorgeous.

Chris

 

I absolutely love the deeper bed. Less trips needed when hauling stuff which I do a lot of!!!

 

Believe me...

The high sides makes it hard for cops to see all the empty beer cans...

High sides is a perk!!!

 

Well, I've been meaning to post about my hitch step. I bought a Steel Horse hitch step on eBay - lowest price. There are some in the $40-50 range if you want to pay retail - I think mine was $9 plus shipping. Some have "Ford" engraved if you are concerned that someone following you will miss the Ford emblem on the tailgate.

It's a useful thing, but a couple of caveats. It lowers the step point about three inches - not really very much, but it is less effort on the aging knees. It will help, but if someone has really short legs, it may not be enough.

You have to get a hitch pin if you don't have one, locking is best to avoid the hitch step disappearing. Add $20 to the price.

Additionally, the one I got is not a snug fit in the F150 hitch - about 3/4" slop, which makes the step feel unstable. I fully intend to build a custom titanium laser-etched spacer, but I'll probably just use a router or Dremel to trim a 1/2 to fit - it's an odd shaped gap.

Finally, I've got to find a UCLA decal to put back there...

I will get around to taking and posting pictures one of these days in my copious spare time.

Hank Murphy
2005 XL Work Truck

 

I too love the big deep box, having just moved into a new home, I did not get a bed liner before the move and suffered the damage. I heard that Line X roughs up the bed anyway....

 

seems like you would have noticed the bed before you bought the truck
you sound like you hate the truck now. did you look at the 04 heritage. yes the bed is a little taller but thats part of the new truck i love mine is that the only thing you dont like about the truck? get some step bars that go from wheel to wheel

 

I like it with the high bed, and the locking tailgate. Helps deter someone from stealing stuff from the bed itself. I had 4,000 dollars worth of computers in my bed on my trip to texas from new jersey. Left it in the bed overnights when i stopped. Would never have done that with my ranger. I can see where it can be bothersome to some, but I could live with it.

 

Correction to my earlier post.

The hitch step is about seven inches below the center of the rear bumper when open, the three inches was when closed. On my stock suspension, it changes the first step from about 19-1/2" to 12-1/2".

Measure twice, talk once. )

Hank Murphy
2005 XL Work Truck

 

I remember seeing a spring loaded kick step in either JC Whitney, Cabela's, Summit Racing, or some other catalog or magazine. You mount it on the frame behind the cab and in front of the back axle. By pressing on it with your foot, it springs out to give you a step for easier access to the bed. Then you just push it back in until the spring locks it closed.

 

No problem with the bed sides for me. If I can't reach it over the side, I just climb up on the rear tire and get what I need.

 

For those complaining about the bed being too deep and too high, did you actually LOOK at the truck before buying? I never thought I would hear anyone complain about being able to carry too much stuff in the bed.

 

Love the height, after adding my ARE LSII toneau cap, it enables high items to be put in the bed with the toneau down!

 

Nice comment... Unless you are carrying sawdust of some kind of liquids the higher truck bed doesn't carry any more than the old style or the F250 bed.. Those 2-3" extra inches are just in the way... It's not like the truck could handle a full to top bed of stones/rocks or anything else with serious weight.

Yes maybe you can carry an extra layer of split wood for the fireplace, but you could do that in any normal height bed if you weren't running a road rally getting it home..


Anyway you look at it's waste of sheet metal and a pain in the butt unless you are 7ft tall with arms like a monkey..


God knows I love the Lariat. I rode in an 05 Dodge my buddy just bought the other day. Christ, my 84 250HD rode better. I couldn't believe the difference between my 04 150 and that wreck..but I could reach in and get stuff out of it's bed..

I love I high truck for break over reasons offroad, but this high of a bed is just stupid....

 

I admit the bed is pretty high, but it does work for me.

I was a little apprehensive about getting a hard cover, then having to remove it for any large items I needed to haul. Between the extra 3" on the bed, and the 3" on my LoBoy cover, I can haul about 95% of what I need. Items I thought would never fit have enough room without removing the cover.