Flatbed or not?

[Lawnshark]

I am buying a Ford diesel truck. I am racking my brain trying to figure out whether I want a flatbed or a regular bed. My girlfriend even said she would ride with me in the flatbed so that is taken care of. What are the advantages/disadvantages of flatbeds for those of you who own them?

[HOMER]

I guess you would look more like a farmer????????????????
You could haul a pallet of grass better.
Mulch could be kicked off the side easier.
Better to back up to the fence with and watch the race?
Less paint to wax, less truck to wash (only if you ever wash them)
Easier for the cops to see that cooler and wonder whats in it.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I don't really know!

[Guido]

How big of a truck are you getting? If your getting an F-350 you may consider a regular mason's dump, depending on how much construction/install work you do. Plus you will also be able to deliver mulch, top soil, fill, gravel, firewood, etc for customers and other LCO's that are smaller in size..

If your more into just maintenance, you'd be better off with a rack body flat bed than a regular bed.

#1, you will have a better looking truck because you won't have a bunch of knicks scrathes and dents in your bed. #2 you get much more space with the flatbed because it sites over the wheels. #3 its very versitile. You can make numerous styles of sides or boxes for it to suit your needs. You can leave it open all year on top with just 4' plywood sides (rolling billboard for advertising too!) and in the fall you can enclose the box for a leaf vaccuum or chipper for brush.

The possibilities are endless!

If you tell me the size truck you are getting and what the majority of your work is, we can help you out a little better.

I will push for a dump hoist if you have the extra $$. Its not much more in comparison to the truck and bed your going to buy and you will always find good uses for it. It will pay itself off in no time.

Hope this Helps!

[trimmer]

I would go with the flat bed. It is so much more versitile not to metion cheaper.

[mdb landscaping]

i would definately go with a flat bed. you have so many optins with it. first off, you can put nice wood sides on for hauling mulch or grass. if you put hoist on it youd be even better off. you can also put a leaf box and sucker on it if you have enough leaves in TN. i dont know how much snow you get, but you could put the sander on real easy as well. with a flatbed you have many open options. go with the flatbed.

[Scag48]

When I'm 16 and driving, I'm gonna put a flatbed on the back of my truck. I want to get one with a beavertail then a fold down ramp to make it easier for loading and unloading. I'm gonna load it up with the storage bins on the side so that tools, belts, blades, etc. are availible at all times. I found out the trailers can be a pain in the butt when it comes to backing up and I don't really like them all that much so I think flatbeds are the way to go if you aren't hauling a bunch of equipment. I also saw some Isuzu NPR's with pretty good size flat beds on them. Same concept but with a larger bed for ZTR's and larger walkbehinds.

[Guido]

on my post above, I don't agree with substituting the dump bed or flat bed for a trailer. They both serve they're purposes (seperatly and together) thats why I lean toward the dump bed a lot. More options, can only make MORE MONEY!!

P.S. Trailers are not hard to back up. Theres a simple philosophy behind it! Plus, practice makes perfect!

[Lawnshark]

I am planning on getting an F-SUPER DUTY (the same size as an F-350) It will be my work truck and my driving truck. I don't mind driving a flatbed truck around every day. Most of my work is mowing and mulching. We do small landscaping and mulching of leaves and firewood in the winter. I was thinking of getting the flatbed anyway but I wanted to see what you all thought first.

[Pauls Mowing]

Flat bed is the way to go, just remember to put a hoist under it. I've got a 9' platform body with a 6 ton hoist. The less you have to handle material by hand, the more you make.

Paul

[Evan528]

scag48, after a few days of driving with a trailer.... backing up becomes second nature!

[Lee Homan]

I have only one truck and one 16ft trailer. I can use the trailer to haul most anything I need to so the truck bed is hardly ever used. What I'm looking for now is a utility bed to replace my regular bed. I find myself in need of more storage space for tools blades small power tools and parts. You could even mount a compressor for air tools. Get one with the ladder racks and you can keep them on the truck instead of loading and unloading when doing shrubs or gutters plus you still have enough bed to haul a sheet of plywood.

[eslawns]

I saw a general contractor who took a Chevy 3500 dooley and made his own flat bed with a frame of 2x4 and 2x6 lumber, and a 3/4 plywood deck. He had the aluminum tool boxes you would usually mount on the bed rails on it so that they made up the side of the truck bed. It looked really sharp, and makes use of wasted space.

[scottb]

Go with the flat bed.