# Pickup to flatbed conversion questions



## JD3430

My 550 has a steel flatbed.
I'd like to convert my F-350 XLT diesel to an aluminum flatbed. I love the access of a flatbed. The 350 bed sits so high, its almost useless. Like the looks, versatility and ease of access of the flatbed. A steel flatbed is 900lbs-too heavy. I like the aluminim beda at 400-500 a lot better, and NO rust. Also can be transferred to newer, used truck.
Have some backround and questions.
My pickup bed from the exterior view, the box itself looks good. There's zero visible rust and the paint still looks very good. Underneath, the crossmembers have some moderate rust that you expect to see on a 10yr old truck driven in areas where roads are salted.
There's no rust anywhere else. Tailgate: Previous owner put too much weight in middle of tailgate and lightly bowed it. The top edge of tailgate has light damage. The tailgate opens closes and locks fine, though. The bed also includes a bedliner.

Q: what is the bed worth ? I see new takeoff beds selling for $1,500-$2,000. I was thinking $750?

The rear step bumper is chrome and in excellent condition. What would it be worth? Was thinking $350?

I also have a BW turnover ball 30K gooseneck hitch. If I install a flatbed, I could continue to use it, OR I could remove it and sell it and buy a flatbed with a built in gooseneck hitch. Looks like the turnover ball hitch sells new for about $500. Sell used $200?

Q: Also thought of selling bed, bumper together for $1,000? Does that seem reasonable? Are they usually purchased together?

Now to the flatbed: Is there a brand anyone recommends? I have looked at 3-4 brands. My truck is older so I cant afford the high end ones and it wouldn't make sense on a truck worth maybe 15K. Looking at Aluma and Martin as they are fairly cheap at $2,000-$2,500. I think a lot of the bed manufacturers are "regional" so you may not have heard of them.
Has anyone owned one of these brands?
On the gooseneck hitch: I can leave the turnover ball in place and go with a door in the new flatbed to access it. However, I don't know how far down the ball will be. Im estimating the aluminum bed height at 6" above frame. The pickup bed sits about 2" above frame. The ball sits about 4" above bed, so the new aluminum bed door should barely cover the ball.
To be safe, I could order bed with a gooseneck frame, trough and ball built into the bed. A safer play, but $5-600 more.

Q: buy bed with gooseneck built in for 5-6 hundred more, or go with existing hitch (I'm leaning with existing hitch because Lord only knows what might happen when bolts are removed AND cost)

Thanks for reading, sorry it was so long.
Any suggestions welcomed.


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## slowzuki

A superduty box is worth more than other brands because they rotted out so quickly. Yours would be worth about 1000$ up here if the cross members aren’t collapsed.


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## slowzuki

Honestly I’d keep your existing hitch, stick your box in the corner and when you sell your truck keep the aluminum flatbed put the pickup box back on.


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## 8350HiTech

Agree with Ken, keep your hitch and buy a bed that has just the access door. Im not sure why you'd sell your current hitch for $200 and then turn around and pay an extra $500 for a built in hitch. On the other hand, you could sell your hitch and buy a $50 non-fold, non-flip hitch and run with that. That's barely worth the swap though unless you know you can find the cheap hitch and swap it at the same time as the bed. 
Martin is good and cheap. If you're in the mood to drive and be there first thing in the morning, they'll have your new bed mounted and you'll be on your way by early afternoon.

I would've guessed your existing bed closer to $500 from what I see advertised but if you found a buyer with the same color truck, you might catch lightning in a bottle and get double that. Lot easier for them than painting it. Bumper sounds high but it amazes me what people pay for bumpers. Who knows.


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## slowzuki

To be fair up here there is safety inspections that fail beds with rotten flares or rotten cross members so there is more demand. People truck in full loads of beds from southern us even with pretty nasty accident damage.


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## endrow

I had mine built by an Amish Fabricator who does a good job on flat beds . I took the truck there , he built it installed it . I had a heavy gooseneck hitch he left that on and built around it . I had him build me a heavy hitch in place of the bumper . it was super heavy duty compared to some you buy . He is at Gap Pa. nearby30/41intersection. In the same farm Lane as Gap Hill Wagons... I will post some pictures .


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## JD3430

endrow said:


> I had mine built by an Amish Fabricator who does a good job on flat beds . I took the truck there , he built it installed it . I had a heavy gooseneck hitch he left that on and built around it . I had him build me a heavy hitch in place of the bumper . it was super heavy duty compared to some you buy . He is at Gap Pa. nearby30/41intersection. In the same farm Lane as Gap Hill Wagons... I will post some pictures .


Thats less than 20 miles from me. Yes please post up his contact info as well if possible.
Thanks


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## IHCman

a few years ago I put a steel Bradford flatbed on my 01 Dodge. My box had some issues, it was cracking where the tail lights were in causing them to fall out on rough roads. I gave it to a guy to mount on a Chevy frame for a pickup box trailer to haul scrap. I kept the endgate and gave it to Dad as he needed one for his 97 dodge and the colors were pretty close. My flatbed came with a ball in it under an access cover and a heavy receiver hitch on back. I've still got by b &w turnball and my factory receiver hitch and I was thinking the same as you on price. $200 for the turnball and maybe $25 or $40 for the receiver hitch. I haven't tried real hard to sell them but really should to get rid of them.

Just for the Chevy guys. I told the guy that I gave my dodge box to that he doubled or tripled the value of that Chevy frame by putting that Dodge box on it. haha


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## PaMike

Neighbor got a Martin. He is happy with it, but their standard bed is wider to fit a dual rear wheel pickup. He ended up putting that bed on because the narrower bed was more money. I also see Scott brand beds around here. Feedmobile Inc in Lititz sells them.


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## endrow

The installation of these things is what makes her brakes the job


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## mlappin

Salt has a voracious appetite, eats aluminum eventually just like steel.


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## IHCman

mlappin said:


> Salt has a voracious appetite, eats aluminum eventually just like steel.


A body shop owner talked me out of an aluminum flatbed and talked me into getting a Bradford steel one as he hates aluminum. He fixes some aluminum trailers and had a aluminum flatbed in his shop getting fixed that cracked all to hell from having a crane mounted on it. He likes steel better as it flexes a little more than aluminum and also easier to weld steel. So many people tell me once you weld aluminum it just cracks beside it. He also showed me corroded aluminum from cattle trailers that was really rotten.


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## 8350HiTech

IHCman said:


> A body shop owner talked me out of an aluminum flatbed and talked me into getting a Bradford steel one as he hates aluminum. He fixes some aluminum trailers and had a aluminum flatbed in his shop getting fixed that cracked all to hell from having a crane mounted on it. He likes steel better as it flexes a little more than aluminum and also easier to weld steel. So many people tell me once you weld aluminum it just cracks beside it. He also showed me corroded aluminum from cattle trailers that was really rotten.


In all fairness to aluminum, people should use it properly. Probably no cranes and actually wash out their trailers sometime (and not use treated shavings).


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## JD3430

I have been working on an estimate with Martins and they are also saying they will offer me something for my pickup box and rear bumper. Sent them pictures, waiting to hear back from them.
They have done enough conversions with the pickup bed/turnover ball that they are confident their bed will cover my existing turnover ball with no problem. 
I might be able to do the whole job in one stop. 
Once I get their offer on the bed/bumper and get the $$ difference, I can decide if I want to do it.

I would like to try Endrow's guy and see what he says. So much closer.


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## sethd11

My flatbed has been run in salt for 20 years. 2 different trucks. All aluminum bed. I just rinse it off every once in a while. No corrosion. Not super bright anymore but pretty sharp looking compared to rusty steel. I wouldn't get a steel bed unless I had no choice or it was super cheap. They just don't last in salt.

My aluminum one does have cracks around the tool boxes and they need to be replaced. But that's the only cracks.


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## JD3430

Have a Knapeheide steel bed on my 550. I have to say, after 10 years it still looks pretty good. No serious rust and the diamond plate on the bed is tougher than nails. 
I have come close a few times to replacing it with an aluminum bed, but I can't justify the expense for the benefit. 
Next truck will be Aluminum bed no doubt. 
Like Seth said, these beds can be transferred to another truck.


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## endrow

There is a local welder that I went to school with sells a lot of dump and grain bodies aluminum only Hewey Welding, maybe you've seen the name on some of the bodies.. He built some small flatbeds for 1 ton trucks and I knows for a fact some of those have been switched from truck to truck and are 40 years old and still going strong


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## azmike

We build our flatbeds from steel as we can go years without moisture/rust! Things to consider: side boxes, build your bumper pull hitch off the truck frame NOT the flatbed, BEST quality LED tail light w/bright back-up lights (we add them up high on the rack also), non skid coating that you can re-do as you destroy it. Also side steps for older gents to get up on the deck!


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## broadriverhay

I have 2 steel CM flatbeds . These are much heavier built than the Knapheide beds i looked at. I have one on a '97 2500 Dodge and one on a '17 Chevy 3500 cab chassis. I installed both of them because the dealer install looked terrible and lacked quality welding. Both of my beds are skirted with tool boxes. The bed on the Chevy was $4200.


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## azmike




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## JD3430

Mike, I see you're still running your 6.4L.
Are you still 100% satisfied with doing the "delete"?
I have 2 6.4's and I really want to do them, but would like to get more feedback from those who have done them.
Any regrets?
Too loud? Thats my biggest concern.


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## Kasey

I have an aluma. I got the access door and it works with my homemade gooseneck ball. It works well for me


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## JD3430

so I forgot to follow up on this thread
I got the Martin Alumimun flatbed installed and I love it. 
I optioned for the thicker diamond plate aluminum and a little nicer headache rack.
Been on for a few months. Thought I'd share a few pics.
Love the LED lights. Only small complaint so far is the blinking of the lights is now really fast. A little annoying.


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## PaMike

What did you end up doing with the pickup box? They can be rather valuable if in good shape.


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## JD3430

PaMike said:


> What did you end up doing with the pickup box? They can be rather valuable if in good shape.


Sold it for $1,100.
Tailgate was bent and cross channels underneath were starting to rust. I think I could have maybe gotten 1,200-1,400. 
Still have bumper for sale.


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## Shetland Sheepdog

JD3430 said:


> Only small complaint so far is the blinking of the lights is now really fast. A little annoying.
> [/quote
> 
> Did you try swapping out the flasher for a heavy duty flasher?


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## JD3430

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> JD3430 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Only small complaint so far is the blinking of the lights is now really fast. A little annoying.[/quoteDid you try swapping out the flasher for a heavy duty flasher?
Click to expand...

Well no, but I'm unsure if I still have the OEM flasher, or they put some kind of new flasher in for the LED lights in the bed?
So is rapid blinking the sign of a undersized flasher relay?


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## glasswrongsize

JD3430 said:


> Well no, but I'm unsure if I still have the OEM flasher, or they put some kind of new flasher in for the LED lights in the bed?
> So is rapid blinking the sign of a undersized flasher relay?


Actually, it is the result of a flasher relay that is TOO heavy-duty.

A "regular" duty flasher will blink faster if there is a bulb burned out (less load). The LEDs pull less load and also make it blink faster. You will probably need a lighter duty flasher that is specifically designed for LEDs.

Mark

...or you can pull a trailer ALLLLL the time to put enough draw on the relay 

Feeling goofy tonite... Sorry.

.


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## Tx Jim

When I had flatbed installed on my '08 GMC to get turn signals to flash correctly a portion of the rear indicator lights had to be wired into trailer light circuit but my bed has regular not LED lights.


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## slowzuki

They sell digital / electronic flashers that are LED compatible or you can add a resistor pack.


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## slowzuki

https://www.amazon.com/RHX-Resistor-Flash-Signal-Blinker/dp/B00AMTRYOY


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