Dirtroadsavant
Advanced Member
Captain Dorky, fellow newbie here who recently went down your path so here are some thoughts.
We have been very happy with the Flatbed Hawk on a Norweld bed on a 2017 F350 gas super cab with the 6.5 bed (now gone).
Truck thoughts: After about 20,000 miles of everything from cross country highway runs at 70 mph to creeping along a faint two track in the Henry Mountains, I’ve never felt a want for power. We are getting 11-12 mpg overall. With my cast iron skillet and full water tanks we come in at about 10k whick keeps us under the limit by a good bit. I had to lower the headlight beams to please oncoming traffic and may look to some sort of non-airbag support to steady the back end just a bit (advice welcome). But I am also getting smarter about what not to bring and what not to pack aft of the rear axle, so that is helping a lot. The shorter wheelbase has paid off dozens of time in maneuvering on back roads. The backseats came out right away and have been replaced with storage and a dog bed for a worthy old guy who likes to ride along. The seats in our Lariat are wonderfully comfortable on our 60ish year old bodies. (P.s. if you are buying a newer truck, talk to your installer about vehicle electronics. If you are going to a flatbed, things can get really difficult as more bells, whistles and driver assists get added.)
Bed thoughts: We worship the storage, the extra water tank and built-in gray water tank on the Norweld bed. I have had some challenges getting the fuel filler neck to work right, but after some mods I can run it at medium speed at most stations. The larger challenge is the rear end layout. The original install left the ford bumper on, but it looked so ridiculous in conjunction with the aluminum flatbed that I pulled it off. That then left the problem that the rear of Norweld bed does not come down far enough to mask any of the wiring and innards of the Ford. I’ve spent the last year with a piece of black 2x8 masking it all and am now rigging up an aluminum facade/bumper to cover the mess and provide mounting for tow lighting hookups, camera and, maybe, reinstalling the sensors. We’ll see how it goes. If I had a do-over with time and money, I think I would probably try to connect with someone who does custom flatbed work and get one put together just for this application. But then again, it all works well enough and the modifications keep me out of trouble. If you go Norweld, I would encourage you to have a very clear agreement with the installer regarding what the finished rear end will look like.
I would be happy to share other lessons or even try to figure out how to post a picture if I can be of any help.
We have been very happy with the Flatbed Hawk on a Norweld bed on a 2017 F350 gas super cab with the 6.5 bed (now gone).
Truck thoughts: After about 20,000 miles of everything from cross country highway runs at 70 mph to creeping along a faint two track in the Henry Mountains, I’ve never felt a want for power. We are getting 11-12 mpg overall. With my cast iron skillet and full water tanks we come in at about 10k whick keeps us under the limit by a good bit. I had to lower the headlight beams to please oncoming traffic and may look to some sort of non-airbag support to steady the back end just a bit (advice welcome). But I am also getting smarter about what not to bring and what not to pack aft of the rear axle, so that is helping a lot. The shorter wheelbase has paid off dozens of time in maneuvering on back roads. The backseats came out right away and have been replaced with storage and a dog bed for a worthy old guy who likes to ride along. The seats in our Lariat are wonderfully comfortable on our 60ish year old bodies. (P.s. if you are buying a newer truck, talk to your installer about vehicle electronics. If you are going to a flatbed, things can get really difficult as more bells, whistles and driver assists get added.)
Bed thoughts: We worship the storage, the extra water tank and built-in gray water tank on the Norweld bed. I have had some challenges getting the fuel filler neck to work right, but after some mods I can run it at medium speed at most stations. The larger challenge is the rear end layout. The original install left the ford bumper on, but it looked so ridiculous in conjunction with the aluminum flatbed that I pulled it off. That then left the problem that the rear of Norweld bed does not come down far enough to mask any of the wiring and innards of the Ford. I’ve spent the last year with a piece of black 2x8 masking it all and am now rigging up an aluminum facade/bumper to cover the mess and provide mounting for tow lighting hookups, camera and, maybe, reinstalling the sensors. We’ll see how it goes. If I had a do-over with time and money, I think I would probably try to connect with someone who does custom flatbed work and get one put together just for this application. But then again, it all works well enough and the modifications keep me out of trouble. If you go Norweld, I would encourage you to have a very clear agreement with the installer regarding what the finished rear end will look like.
I would be happy to share other lessons or even try to figure out how to post a picture if I can be of any help.