Flattbed / Service bed for Dodge

[dorocks]

Greetings all,

I wanted to run some ideas by you. After our trip to Death Valley my wife and I discussed storage and space for our rig. I currently have a Hawk on a quad cab 2005 Dodge Ram with a short bed. 6'3".

Jeanne's dad way back when, put a camper on a flatbed on a full size truck. He built cabinets in the area where the sides of the camper indent. Sure helped with storage.

I have looked at the flatbed/service bed track idea. I got ideas from this forum and this site;
http://dodgeram.org/ki4cy/diamond/diamond.htm

I called Diamond truck body and they have done several service beds for Four Wheel Campers. They are familiar with the double step sides on the FWC units. But they run around $6000 without matching paint. Paint could add $1000-1800. Seems like too much money. http://www.diamondtruckbody.com/html/campers.html

I looked at a San Diego company for flatbeds and they start about $1900.
http://www.bedcotruckequipment.com/standardbodies.php

That seems more palatable. Seems like one could get the flatbed and make side panels a lot cheaper than the service truck bed route.

Have any of you done such a conversion and do you think it was worth it?

Our current setup.

http://keithbarnes.smugmug.com/OffroadingandJeeping/2005-Dodge-Ram-2500-Diesel/14848706_93Gnbr#!i=1107789012&k=8niGk

Keith and Jeanne
La Mesa CA

 

[AK Nomad]

Search this forum, you'll find quite a bit of info. I started this thread about Flatbed/FWC a few years back and enjoyed the responses.
For a working truck, I like the flatbed/custom FWC combo idea.

 

[dorocks]

After calling some dealers today, it looks like the idea may not work. Either a flatbed or service bed will put the bed up to 5 inches taller than the standard bed. That would put the camper up too high over the cab, like when I had the Hawk on a 2001 Tundra.

Had I had the flatbed or bed first and had I bought the FWC new, then FWC could have made the camper to fit.

 

[Barko1]

After calling some dealers today, it looks like the idea may not work. Either a flatbed or service bed will put the bed up to 5 inches taller than the standard bed. That would put the camper up too high over the cab, like when I had the Hawk on a 2001 Tundra.

Had I had the flatbed or bed first and had I bought the FWC new, then FWC could have made the camper to fit.


You could make or have fabricated a "back porch" that adds tons of storage and also makes entry and exit easier.

 

[BrianS4444]

Here is mine....Flatbed manufactured locally....boxes bought from amazon...8 foot bed. A little bit wider than original bed.

 

[craig333]

Forget the flatbed. I'm thinking about just getting out the cutting torch then design some boxes to fit whatevers left. If only i had the guts and the fabrication skills

 

[ntsqd]

The trouble with traditional flatbeds is how they're built. Which is that the whole bed is roughly the same height as the top of the rear fender wells in the original pick-up bed. For most uses that is desirable, but for camper use it isn't necessary. Set the deck down between the tires and build fender wells.

 

[BrianS4444]

The trouble with traditional flatbeds is how they're built. Which is that the whole bed is roughly the same height as the top of the rear fender wells in the original pick-up bed. For most uses that is desirable, but for camper use it isn't necessary. Set the deck down between the tires and build fender wells.


You are correct..however whoever builds the flatbed should be told about the desire to keep it as close to the original height of the bed....Most flatbeds are mounted with the cross beams in a horizontal way in comparison to the truck. Mine was built with this in mind...so the cross beams run with the truck frame vertical from front to back.

 

[pods8]

Any competent fabricator can build you a "flatbed" that really isn't totally flat such that the center is down at stock height and either the whole sides or just over the wheels is raised the inches needed to clear the tires. That would keep the camper stock height and expose all the area lost on the sides normally.

 

[craig333]

Probably a better idea than just getting out the cutting torch. I'd imagine that wouldn't come cheap though.

I really like the idea of a flatbed but raising the height is a deal breaker for me.

 

[pods8]

Probably a better idea than just getting out the cutting torch. I'd imagine that wouldn't come cheap though.

I really like the idea of a flatbed but raising the height is a deal breaker for me.


Haha, no torching the stock bed probably wouldn't come out too well. But if you're not hung up on going light weight for aluminum a steel bed could probably be knocked out for a decent price and quite a few more fabricators to choose from.

Pardon the crude sketch but something like this wouldn't be too hard. Main perpendicular cross members, probably out of box tube, in the same spots as the stock truck bed. Do a structural perimeter, either box or channel most likely. Then a rigid steel deck to tie it all together. Could keep the deck the same height and just raised over the tires.

 

[simimike]

I picked up a flatbed last week. Denver Offroad built it for me to XPCamper specs. It wasn't cheap but I feel it was worth it. So far I really like it.

 

[dorocks]

I picked up a flatbed last week. Denver Offroad built it for me to XPCamper specs. It wasn't cheap but I feel it was worth it. So far I really like it.


If you don't mind, how much?

barnesclan@hotmail.com

 

[simimike]

dorocks, I sent you a P.M.

Mike

 

[AK Nomad]

dorocks, you made a statement a few post back that flatbeds and service beds raise the bed height 5" or so. This is true for flatbeds, but NOT for service beds. If you look at the thread I sent you a link on, you will see a FWC on a service bed where the overhead is just above the cab - like it is supposed to be. I recall seeing several pictures of FWC on service beds when I first began looking into FWC for myself several years ago. That would give you all kinds of storage that I think you are looking for. The service bed does add some weight however.
Custom camper hauler service bed
Another style with camper pictures

 

[dorocks]

dorocks, you made a statement a few post back that flatbeds and service beds raise the bed height 5" or so. This is true for flatbeds, but NOT for service beds. If you look at the thread I sent you a link on, you will see a FWC on a service bed where the overhead is just above the cab - like it is supposed to be. I recall seeing several pictures of FWC on service beds when I first began looking into FWC for myself several years ago. That would give you all kinds of storage that I think you are looking for. The service bed does add some weight however.
Custom camper hauler service bed
Another style with camper pictures

You are right. This weekend I talked to a local repair, not manufacturer, of service beds and he gave me more information. He said the cheapest way to go was find a used service bed and he could modify it (including widening the interior width and cutting down the cabinets). That being said finding a used "shortbed" service body may be nearly impossible. I found a $250 8' longbed service body at a local truck wrecker. Had me excited for a moment.

 

[dorocks]

Just talked to this fellow in Escondido CA and found out some interesting facts about his example custom work.

http://www.3wtruckandequipment.com/specialty_truck_beds_13.htm

His units are made out of aluminum. The camper he shows was made for a surfer who likes to go to Baja. The unit is a flatbed. The cabinets for the tire and other things are attached to the camper. They come off when the camper is removed. If you look at the picture that shows the rear of the camper, you will notice a full width hinged door on top of the flatbed. That's where the fellow stores his surfboards. And the tire cabinet was because he goes to Baja.

The fellow said he could make a flatbed that only adds 1 3/4" to the OEM bed height, using a different type of square tubing.

Will talk to him more. A ballpark on just the bed was $2500-2800.

 

[pods8]

The fellow said he could make a flatbed that only adds 1 3/4" to the OEM bed height, using a different type of square tubing.


Keep in mind the issue of height over OEM on a flatbed isn't really as much about the construction of the bed as it is leaving some tire clearance. That said unless you're setting up a rig for articulation there is tons more room in a standard wheel well that needed. I'm thinking of putting a UTE bed on my truck and it will come in ~3" over stock height I believe (which I took into account when building the camper).