I am considering buying the Pierce Dump Bed Kit for my F350 Superduty. Has anyone had any good or bad experiances with this kit. Does it need to be reinforced where it connects to the bed? Is it a pain to install? Is it worth the money? Thanks, Jay

 

Do you have a link or a picture?

Waxy

 

Here is the link for the dump kit. BTW, it is the same one that Northern Tool has but is less money and better shipping rates.

http://www.piercesales.com/iWebCart/showproductdetail.asp?pid=242

 

I've never seen one of these in operation, but it looks like a decent kit. My dad has been planning to just custom fabricate one of these for his truck for as long as I can remember.

I'd say it's perfect for the occasional yard (1) of gravel and hauling the leaves and grass clippings away, but I would caution against daily use in a commercial application.

Things I'd be aware of or ask questions about:

1- I've heard the floor of the box in the SD's isn't as strong as it should be, I'd be sure the mount is reinforced and that the floor in general is braced in some matter.

2- I'd be very careful about lifting too much weight, the SD box was never designed for this, over time you could end up warping it into a banana shape that would be nearly impossible to straighten. You would need good length wise bracing to prevent this.

3- Ask about the mounting system when the box is down. If there is no way to secure the box other than 2 pins at the rear and the hoist at the front, it will quickly wear to the point that it is constantly loose and rattling when empty. Trust me, this can drive you nuts.

As for the install, sounds like you have to cut the frame and do a fair bit of welding, so if you don't have access to this equipment or experience using it, you'll likely have to factor in an installation cost into the price. If you do, it sounds fairly straight forward.

It would be nice to see one in action close up before I shelled out $900.

Waxy

 

I don't know if it's that exact kit, but my dad has a '78 F-350 Super Camper Special that has had a similar conversion. When the bed is down, it rests on the frame, much like a normal truck - it just has the hydraulic hoist and rear hinge holding it down instead of bolts (BTW, this truck has had the hoist on it all it's life, and it's not prone to rattling unless you go over a hard bump). I don't believe that the frame was cut or modified in any way during the installation. The only time there is a real strain on the bed is when you lift it, and this one has held up fine. He's used it numerous times, and I've even borrowed it a couple of times. It had no problem lifting loads that were over 2 tons, even. I'm not sure how the new Super Duty beds compare to the '78s, but I think it would do OK for most loads.

Again, it's probably not for everyday dump use, but it works great for occasional dumping jobs (my dad loves the look on everyone else's faces when he takes it in to the landfills...)

-Shane

'79 F-250 4x4 Trailer Special 400M
'65 Galaxie LTD 390
'02 Mazda Tribute LX V-6

 

Your better off getting one of those dump boxes that slips into the box there is a company that makes the little Tipster a standard P/U box isn't designed to dump and the kits used to make them dump isn't any good. I can see you ripping the box right off your truck if the load ever shifted or jamed up it don't take much and if the box or the hinges are not strong enough a disaster can happen.