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I have this huge unneeded heavy steel flatbed. probably weighs a thousand pounds. When it comes down to it I dont need it and it's too long to clear the 5th wheel.
So my options are to find a plasma cutter that can go through about 1/4" thick steel, section the bed, weld it back up or just trim it. Not cheap and I dont have a plasma cutter. thee headache rack also sucks gas mileage in a headwind (not too concerned about that).
Or Option 2, remove the bed. which I can probably get someone to do for free. Besides bobtailing, what are the negatives, I plan to haul cars with this truck also occasionally. i was thinking of putting plates on the top of the frame between the rails to cover things up like the gas tank, gooseneck hole, and adding a bumper, taillight, hitch dot bar combo.
has anybody done this? is there a "bed delete" kit? tips?
I've seen Ram's with DOT badging runing sans-beds. Usually with a round semi fuel tank across the front and lights on some kind of wimpy bracket across the back of the frame rails that double for the flaps that are mandatory here.
If you can swing it I'd do something other than just leave it purely naked, but removing sounds very practical compared to hauling a huge bed you don't need. Maybe see if someone can knock together something like a 14ga sheet cover or something so when it's not hooked up to a trailer you have something back there.
I've seen Ram's with DOT badging running sans-beds. Usually with a round semi fuel tank across the front and lights on some kind of wimpy bracket across the back of the frame rails that double for the flaps that are mandatory here.
If you can swing it I'd do something other than just leave it purely naked, but removing sounds very practical compared to hauling a huge bed you don't need. Maybe see if someone can knock together something like a 14ga sheet cover or something so when it's not hooked up to a trailer you have something back there.
Sans-bed??
Yeah, I have seen Dually wheel covers somewhere, and ive seen plates down the middle. wonder if there's anything else to it... yeah if I can remove the tank I have plenty of room behind the cab considering its an extra long bed with a standard chassis cab.
Removing the flatbed and running it like a cab&chassis you might find it way to light in the back so it could be real bouncy and throw the truck all over the road while driving. Another concern on stopping. Could lock up and just slide being so light again.
Removing the flatbed and running it like a cab&chassis you might find it way to light in the back so it could be real bouncy and throw the truck all over the road while driving. Another concern on stopping. Could lock up and just slide being so light again.
Yeah, that's what I meant by bobtailing,, yeah and I know I cant supplement that kind of weight.. looking for a solution to that, im sure that the biggest hurdle with doing this.
You need weight back there, I wouldn't do it on a 2wd especially w/o a locker. You'll need mudflaps and taillights back there. I would cut the bed down. If you cut next to one of the flatbeds cross members you wouldn't have to cap the end. Can be done with a grinder and a cutting blade.
You need weight back there, I wouldn't do it on a 2wd especially w/o a locker. You'll need mudflaps and taillights back there. I would cut the bed down. If you cut next to one of the flatbeds cross members you wouldn't have to cap the end. Can be done with a grinder and a cutting blade.
Ok, yeah i mean it sounds like great idea, when you have weight... I have bags also but yeah...
Point me at a grinder and blade you would recommend (Amazon will work). I get what you mean by using the cross member id want to dog-ear it also if I'm cutting. actually the nice thing about cutting is i could probably just get away with trimming the blade off the 6-inch blade and then dog-earing the corners.
maybe these caveman drawings will help, this is what im working with.
Sans meaning "not there", just a hitch and fuel tank. Nekkid
Instead of hacking up the bed... I'd at least go see an upfitter shop and talk about selling it as-is and what other options they can help you find. There's a market for them since the C&C frame should be the same from 1999-2010, maybe even through 2016, so you're about to cut money off if you start hacking at it.
A pickup truck bed only weighs about 350#, a lot of F450 pickups run 19.5" commercial tires and big spring packs with no more weight on the back than that. I don't think you're going to have serious bob-tailing issues for lacking that little of weight, you still have a fuel tank in between the frame rails. You'll get stuck in wet grass, but that's pretty much where you're at now. And if you sell the current bed and really need 200# of weight, you can build a wood one for temporary use until you find a better/lighter permanent option: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1024179-flat-bed-plans.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/988683-wood-bed-construction-write-up.html
Sans meaning "not there", just a hitch and fuel tank. Nekkid
Instead of hacking up the bed... I'd at least go see an upfitter shop and talk about selling it as-is and what other options they can help you find. There's a market for them since the C&C frame should be the same from 1999-2010, maybe even through 2016, so you're about to cut money off if you start hacking at it.
A pickup truck bed only weighs about 350#, a lot of F450 pickups run 19.5" commercial tires and big spring packs with no more weight on the back than that. I don't think you're going to have serious bob-tailing issues for lacking that little of weight, you still have a fuel tank in between the frame rails. You'll get stuck in wet grass, but that's pretty much where you're at now. And if you sell the current bed and really need 200# of weight, you can build a wood one for temporary use until you find a better/lighter permanent option: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1024179-flat-bed-plans.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/988683-wood-bed-construction-write-up.html
Ill definitely make some calls, no thanks on the wood, i dont trust wood enough to build anything out of it.
As Bryan stated, pickup beds are not that heavy. Take his 350 pounds and subtract what the 5th wheel weight from that. Total up the brackets and fenders you’ll be adding and see what’s left. Let’s say you want 100lbs more over the rear axle. Add 50lbs at the end of the frame. The leverage of being at the end will load the axle 100 lbs while unloading the front axle by a proportional amount.
We used to have to balance trucks within 50lbs at each wheel to perform FMVSS tests.
If you don't need it take it off, there's plenty of tricks running naked all over the country. Go online or to the local truck stop and buy mud flap brackets. You can go cheap or really nice stainless steel ones, they bolt right to the frame. Then add a nice diamond plate light bar to the rear of the truck for brakes/turns/hazards. I'd personally run them plastic wheel liners that were posted above.
and if ride quality is an issue then you need a quality set of shocks, air down when unloaded also
Here is a sketch of my bed. Do you want a fifth wheel or gooseneck ball? Keep in mind if you want to mount a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch to the truck frame you are on your own. I could not find any bolt on kits for the older chassis cab trucks. Not a problem but not a 2 hour no drill installation with basic hand tools. Keep in mind the height of the fifth wheel hitch. If you cut down your existing bed and bolt a fifth wheel on top it will need to be very short.
I was going to do something like this but with a light duty bed and after looking up a hitch, fenders, lights, and some lumber for the bed it was cheaper to buy a new flatbed I found onsale at a dealer.
Originally Posted by Brock Samson
Sans-bed??
How often, how far, and how heavy are you towing? Here are a few options.
Leave the bed alone. Mount the fifth wheel hitch about 2 feet behind the axle. (depending on the answers above)
Take the bed off. cut off 18 inches from the front of the bed and trim the rear corners. then move it forward. This leaves your rear hitch intact. This assumes you can move it forward based on how the rear of the bed is constructed. 56 inches from the back should put your hitch directly over the axle to 2" in front of the axle.
Unfortunately I want it all, I'd like to be able to go across the nation when ever I want and whether it be a car hauler or my fifth wheel I like to stay versatile so I was going to go with the gooseneck drop in ball (weld in) and a fifth wheel hitch that drops into the hole not the adapter about 20 K fully loaded but also being able to drive unloaded in the rain without having to worry about it is important to me right now with the bags empty and the flatbed I feel it hop but it doesn't lose traction and cuts right through the water when it rains it weighed in at 9600 by the way
