To compete with the buffed up look of the dodge ram, making a good truck actually less functional for everday use

 

I need all the bed capacity I can get. If you can't reach stuff, try wearing high heels.

 

what about lowering the bed. can you do that?

 

Sure, for under 60 bucks or so you can lower the bed two inches at the rear, about an inch at the cab. E-bay shackle kit, just for these trucks.
Or you could get two or three bed matts and layer them in the bed, or you could get a slab of plyboard, cut it the shape of the bed, and spacer it up to any level you wanted. Must be a dozen other ways, up to and including carring a long skinny platform to stand on.
Chris

 

If you are saying that the older trucks were metal I got news for ya, I had an 84 that i put a stepside bed off of an 82 on and the fenders on that bed were fiberglass just the same as the 04 and 05 model F-150 fenders are fiberglass.

 

Fact is I do a lot of hauling and I can put more stuff in the higher bed. It gives the advantage of less trips to move stuff around. More bed = more room = more stuff you can move in one trip = less trips.

 

I recently put 2" lowering shackles on my 2005 F-150 supercab and the top shackles beat the bed to death on bumps and hard turns. The bed now has big dents from where the shackles (rear spring) hit. It popped and banged and was too much for the wife and the shackles had to go. This is the first time I have run into this problem with shackles. Is there another way of lowering the rear end?

 

Personally I think it's stupid to complain that the bed is too high. First off why didn't you check that when you were purchasing the truck, being that it is why you buy a truck for the bed (and the occasional towing) you would get something that you can easily manage. Sometimes I don't get people when they are making big purchasing decisions.

I do like the higher bed, I can carry more lumber and I like the added security along with the fact that the tailgate is a heck of alot lighter than my dads 95 F150. Also it is nice to have a locking tailgate. I wish they did have standard locking gas filler doors.

 

^why even bring this message post back up, it's almost 3 years old!

 

Offroad brought back a dead post lol... but anyways, can you really haul that much more? I have never had a load of lumber up to the top and overflowing the bedrails, and I cant see a couple inches really making the difference of so many trips. Personally, in all three trucks I've had (except my 78 f250 which has never run) I have used a cap on all of em, so the bed rail height doesnt really matter. And I have hauled plenty of stuff that I had to take off the cap too... dirt... refrigerators... an 8 piece bedroom set... none of which a higher bed would have made any difference. Maybe something really light like mulch, but they only sell that per cu yard and there isnt the difference of a whole cu yd in the deeper beds. I can see an advantage with a tonneau cover though... you might be able to fit some bigger things in under the cover.

 

Love the large bed. All my friends that WORK their trucks are jealous of mine.

I went to Wal-Mart and got a plactic fold up stool,that is about 12" high and weights almost nothing. Keep it in my tool box and it's the 1st thing I reach for when I need something in the bed.

 

Holy old thread revival

I think the bed depth was more a design accident. they had to design a bed to fit the new cab and fenders. The cab is huge compared to previous models. for a bed to "fit" with the lines of the cab, it had to be taller than normal. viola, deeper bed

btw, don't know what the OP was smoking 3 yrs ago. I'm 6'3" and I can easily reach in and grab stuff out of the bed. not the center, but the sides easily...then again, I couldn't reach the center of my 94 F-150 either

 

Well I drove the 04' F150 till she had 33k on it. It was a lease and I got an early out 90 days sooner. Bought a V8 4by Sport Trac. It's suits my purpose and it's got lots more go than than that slug F150 with a 5.4.

It's too bad they didn't put the 5.4 in the Sport Trac. The 4.6 is a single pipe Mustand engine(292hp) and is gutless till you get it to 3500rpm then she lites up. 6 speed trans is busy all the time. Get about 2mpg better than the F150 in town and on hwy, not a big deal. It's a yr old now and I'm not buying another one.

Yeah, I looked at the bed height before I bought the F150, but I only buy Fords. Maybe not this next time around, but the 09 F150's at least look better from the front end. I still think the 04' design was Fords uglest truck ever, slab sided barges.. Maybe they'll get it better this time around. My dealer just took on Cheby's...and they all work for fine for 40-50k miles when I dump them anyway.. At 4-5 bucks gal I'll keep the 88 Bronco I've got for towing the boats back and forth to the water and buy a go cart that get's 30-40mpg to get to the boats I survey.. Biz is Biz and I'm way past impressing my buddy's with a truck.

 

Yeah, I looked at it, and didn't like it, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. I think that's the case with many folks who don't like it --- its not enough of an issue to cause them not to buy it. When buying a new truck the condition and mileage aren't the primary buying considerations like they are with older trucks (I've purchased both old and new). Ride quality, capability features and comfort are far more important with a newer purchase. The taller bed also gives it a tougher appearance as well.

Personally I think its too deep. Ford did it because the cab is taller in the newer trucks along with a different hood-line. A lower bed line would have looked out of proportion with the other body lines and that's the reason for it -- or at least that's the answer I got from one of the designers when I asked about it prior to its release to the public. One of the first things I noticed at the ride-and-drive press event was that it was a PIA. Not only for reaching into the bed, but it also meant I had to use the side mirrors to see any small cars next to me since when looking at the center rear view mirror all I saw was beside and if I was lucky (or the car next to me was high enough) all I saw was the top of any car.

 

You make a good point about the visibilty also. Don't get me wrong the Lariat I had was definitely thee country cadilac and another one is not off the list for the next truck. But that won't be until 2010 when the lease is up in the Sport Trac. I'm just hoping by then they are doing better on fuel, maybe a diesel or at least more power then they have now. If the fuel mileage doesn't get better then more HP is fine with me. I was ready to jump on that 6 liter 400hp Hurricane engine they had in devolopment, but they bailed on that project... Unless someone has heard something new??