mechanics bed or flat bed??

4x4fever

4x4fever

New Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
Location
abingdon,va
ok my bed is ugly rusted and looks like ass so im tossing it.

this is an 88 F350 crewcab duallie with 7.3and banks turbo.

a guy wants to sell me a reading mechanics utility bed for a SRW ford truck for 100 bucks!! im thinking throw it on and run some 6" wide fender flares for my dual rear wheels? orrrrrr get a flat bed and put a bunch of boxes.

im thinking the mechanics bed because i live in an apartment and dont own a garage. every tool i own is in the back seat and truck box of my 350 right now.

would a SRW bed on a DRW be retarded?
 
It may be a little retarded, however, they typically overhang an SRW truck by 2"+ per side, so a set of small flares should help fix it. Depending on your skills, it probably wouldn't take much to widen the bed 8" or whatever you needed, and that would also give you more space in the bed.
 
By the $100 bed...if nothing else you can sell for a profit.

I think it would be bitchin...only thing I would be worried about is if its a full skirted inside and OUT) wheel well....if you have to cut into the box then might be a bunch of trouble, if you could just patch on some fender flares (think mid 80s chevy dually). Then :Rockon:
 
im hoping it will just drop right on. i already measured it out and ill need a 6" wide fenderflares. if it doesnt anybody wanna buy a reading toolbed :huggy:
 
GubNi said:
I say go for it. Could you adapt your dually flares onto it? Hollar if you need some help.
Click to expand...

Dually flares would likely cover some if not most of the box/bin doors. Depending on the make of the body, the easiest would be either 1/8" straight extensions or lawn edging (just to keep the spray off the sides).

As noted, if it's not beat all to $#|7, places like Ford Body in GSO have always paid top dollar for used service bodies. We sold an old body to them, and later bought it back once they'd refurbed it.

Everyone bitches about room inside a service box... I used to drive a LB SRW w/ a service body... seems it was 4'+ x 8.5'. Fine for hauling 99% of everything I threw at it, including 9-55gal poly's or more railroad ties than would fit in a LB F250 (the sides were higher than the PU bed and didn't loose space at the fenderwells). That doesn't include the guesstimated 2500# of tools/parts in the other bins and the heavy@$$ Tommy lift hung off the rear!
 
I had thought about doing that myself at one time. A place to lock everything, and still room to sleep in the bed. Put a camper shell on it ans wah-lah, a germinate slide it type thing. Maybe make some of the tool bins open from the inside for camping purposes.
 
My new Tow Rig has a SRW utlity box on it, Having been in your apartment type situation in my past, id hop on that in a hurry. I spent more time hauling my tools up/down from my apt. than actually doing any work.. Plus I was limited on how much i could really fit in my storage room...

I have about 3" each side for clearance but its a chevy w/ a 14b semi so its apples to oranges.. Im gonna just install a wider van axle.

Like Chip said, on my truck im tring to keep the bins seperated some for work/tools, one for fluids, one will be for camping stuff.

From the reading web site id guess my box weighs 1100#..

Mine is 48.5" so normal sheets would definitly slide in np. Its got the ladder racks on each side etc..

I have top bins that open to the top, so im tring to figure out how to work in a camping deal with those on top without limiting my access to them..
 
I was with 4x4Fever and looked at this box. It was in great shape for the junk this guy had laying around! The fenders were single skirt so they could be cut and add a Jeep style flaer to it.

MH- what about those old wagoneer fender flares you have on the junker?? You might be able to weld them on to give you 3-4"... I would get it either way- that guy doesn't know what he has- even if he is way out in Hickville, VA!!

:huggy:
 
Hey heres a idea why don't you fix all of the existing problems with the land barge before you go creating new ones, I think your starting to run out of jack stands aren't ya!!!!!:driver:
 
yager said:
I have top bins that open to the top, so im tring to figure out how to work in a camping deal with those on top without limiting my access to them..
Click to expand...

We had several SRW service bodies in the "fleet". One guy did most of the vending/bill changing installs that required him to keep the products under lock/key until install time and he had to haul several days/sites worth each trip out. Ford Body installed a *tall* steel topper with rear barn doors that fit just to the inner edge of the service body.

I don't recall how it was affixed (stitch welded to the body and the seams sealed?), but it fit inboard far enough that the top bin doors/covers would stand up without hitting the topper... maybe just because the topper sides leaned in?

Anyway, he hauled tons afterwards and never again lost a $1000 chunk of equipment installing in areas (carwashes, coinop laundries, & C-stores) where the crackhead/vagrant population was "overwhelming" to say the least. Plus he slept in it occasionally when doing "just in time" installs... had a military cot/sleeping bag and pocketed the per diem!
 
i say get the bed... i mean if all else fails you can resell it for more $$ or if you want a flat bed, you could always cut up the reading bed and use the tool boxes on your flatbed.... either that or widening it like mentioned bfor.... either way id jump on it
 
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