Is it a big job making a home made wooden flat bed?
 

Just bought this perfect 89 F150 for 300$ witch will be my get around truck for when my F250 will go under resto, only thing is it's got no box, just the bare frame. I wanna put a flat bed on it for now so I can still make good use of it. If is a big job of doing that? What's involve? Any pics would help.

I'm posting this here cause I know lots of you have made flat beds for your diesels.

if you have the stuff laying around it can be a pretty easy job
(if your not that in to looks)

this is my bro's farm truck, was knocked out in a day
http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/8291/img1700oh.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/496/img1702j.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4641/img1706s.jpg

but becuse its a ford your going to have to some how make the bed higher then the wheels so that you dont bottom it out
sort of like this
http://www.uwplatt.edu/~theringk/SideView.jpg

steps
1. get wood
2. bolt wood on to the frame rails so that your bed will be at the desired height (make sure you got it flat too)
3. bolt a few planks perpendicular to the frame rails to support your wooden bed
4. nail your planks for your bed to the cross members
5. add sides if you want

The first one doesn't look to good haha. Looks like a "real" farm truck.

Second one is really nice but not much clearance for the rear wheels.

mine is all steel but since I built it myself I will post it.
Before I had steel on the sides and bottom
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...IMG00020-1.jpg
Before I had the sides on
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...IMG00017-1.jpg

If your its just for light hauling I see no problem building a wooden flatbed, but depending on how long you want it to last you are probably better off taking the time and spending the money to build a steel frame and use wood for the decking. Thats how the bed on my truck was but after years of neglect most of the decking was rotted out and 95% of the steel was so rusted that I had to cut it off. I guess to answer your question it may be more of an issue with time than how hard the project is. I would guess from start to finish on my bed I have probably close to 100 hours in it, but you could do a wood bed for a F150 in half that time I bet.

Post some pictures if you build something!

Now that's a nice flat bed truck! But what did you use to line up the flat bed with the frame? I mean the frame has a bump where the axle is about 1 foot long. And looks about 3 inchs high, so I'll need some blocks on the frame closer to the cab to make the flat bed sit level on the frame.

A flat bed will only be for now till we find a box for it, witch can only be in 2-3 years, who knows. Priority is a box for the resto of the F250.

Thanks, Mine is actually a dump bed so when I tore the old bed off I was able to keep the main frame rails of the hoist so I just built the new bed on top of those. But you can see where who ever built the bed first used a small piece of steel welded to the frame to make the frame level with do drops so as the bed lays down it sits evenly on the frame.

Here is a picture of the frame of the bed, this is before I started building the new bed on. http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...5/IMG00014.jpg

For a short term solution, run 4x4's etc crosswise, whatever else it takes to get them level, then run some 2x6's lengthwise for a floor. Figure out a way to fasten some tail lights and away you go. This thing is temporary, not a beauty queen!

Use a straight edge of some sort and run your bourds longways on the frame. oak dunnage works well for this you will have to cutout the bottom of the 4x to form it to the frame and use ubolts to tie it to the frame. You now have a foundation to build your bed on, cut some light angle iron pieces and screw thin into 2x6s running across the width you want the bed with 2x8 outer rails on the sides. it is easier to build the frame work on a level place then set it on the pickup and square it up with the cab then attach the angle iron to the 4x4's and to the 2x6 cross pieces the 2x8 sides will stickup the right amount to be level with the floor if you use 2x material for the floor. Use screws every where instead of nails as the nails will work loose in short order. last install the floor and it will stiffen it up solid, again use screws.

Glad someone thought to mention screws ... Makes modifying easier later on ...

UPDATE:

Decided to make a nice long term flat bed. Steel frame, diamond plated chrome plat-form, and will make it go down on each side to hide the trucks frame and go around the rear tires to make fenders. Should be nice onces complete.

If you are going to put sides to hide the frame you can build in boxes like I did. This is a real handy bed to work off of.


http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/a...Stuff009-1.jpg

The white boxes are just sitting on it, but the unpainted i"square tubeing sticking up are stakes that slip down into some square tubing sunk into the beds and hold some 18" sideboards. The tw0 rods on the back are hinges that hold a tailgate that is covered with expanded metal so that when folded down flat the lights shine through and when flat two pieces of square tubing pins into the tvo angles you see on the bumper making the bed 20" longer for hauling hay. You fold it up for use as a tail gate when you have the side boards on. I sunk the liscence plate 2" and used truck lites pushed into rubber available anywhere truck or trailer parts are sold, and any truckstop as is the pig tails and all are available in led.

http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/a...Stuff012-1.jpg

Farmboy1285, your truck is a cab and chassis, flat frame and 34" from outside to outside on the frame rails.

Pickups that left the factory with a bed installed have 37.5" wide frames, and the humps over the rear axle.

I have to ask, what are you going to haul on that bed?
That is some serious framework you have there.
Are those all tubes or channels with the open side to the front?

LOL anything the tires will hold up Dave.

yeah,the guys with the cab and chassis have it easy.

flat frame.
longer wheelbase for larger front underbody tool boxes/longer beds for hauling more in the rear.
dual wheels.

ahh man im jealous.:D