could make it into a flatbed then you could carry more boxes...

 

I like my lumber rack and tailgate.
Ray seems to be doing a nice job with his wood flatbed.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ion-plans.html

 

looks great

 

I prefer open for my trucks. Doesn't limit you as much. Like when you need to haul some big wardobe for mom and you can't lay it down. Yeah, bit of a story there. Anyway, I have a pickup bed trailer with an enclosed topper that I use for everything that fits. I like not having to tie everything down that isn't fragile. Trash for example. Just shut the back glass and leave

 

Wide open with Armorthane spray in and a 5th wheel hitch. During the summer also have a Thule rack for the kayaks. In winter the bed will be empty but open. We haul stuff and need the room.

 

 

My bed is mostly original. The rear drivers outer fender was replaced so we had a second gas tank hole, and then never finished installing it. The bed rails are all diamond plated, the tailgate replaced once as well as the handle a few times, the back of the tailgate and other end are diamond plated as well. Had a wheel arch tool box and 2 other tool boxes in it at one time, and both sides inside where patched and welded with some new sheet metal then sprayed on some matte red primer that didn't really match the body paint. Bed also has a black double roll bar with 4 lights mounted on top.

 

The 02 has a truck box but I wish I had a truck box and soft roll tonna cover which I found at truckaddons.com.
My 88 has nothing right now trying to decide roll bar, headache, or headache rack and toll box with soft cover probably the last one though.
Both our 89s have flatbeds which I love the look of.

The trucks we don't have anymore:
86 F150: open bed but has had a roll bar, toolbox and rack, and ladder rack on it at different times.
We use to have a 06 F150 5.4L crew cab it had a camper shell and me and my dad hated it always got in the way but looked overall nice.
Also use to have a 99 s10 it had a hard tonna cover which my dad took off since it was his work truck.
Our old 02 F250 before this one had a wide open bed with tool box.
Trav

 

thats always the downside to them.. i liked the added security of them that i could store things in there and lock em up more than an open bed... but they were always a pain to look through.. and with as tall as the newer trucks are you can have cars disappear even before reaching the bed rails alone.. add the camper shells and can make even a standard cab truck disappear

 

to me if you want a camper shell on a truck get a suv like our 97 expy or 84 b2 maybe a van like our chevy. I prefer to be able to haul with a truck not have it sit and look pretty. only reason I like soft tonnas are the reason they can get out of the way easily.
Trav

 

the one i had didnt look pretty but it had a nice over head rack i used for hauling 20-24' lengths of steel.. and being all aluminum it had the ability to lock things up.. but because it was aluminum it didnt weigh much and i could easily remove it myself when i knew i was gonna be hauling something big...

 

Ya the old one we had was a fiberglass one. It is hard to remove it just to load something up in my opinion. That's what I hated the most about them.
Trav

 

my new to me craigslist camper shell.

 

In my current truck I have a fold down gooseneck ball, in bed toolbox, and a drop in bedliner (soon to be spray in liner or flat bed)

 

ARE Z cab high on the truck I just sold. Will get a Century High C Max on the one I will be finally ordering today! Both SCSB 4x. Does that count for 2 or 0??