Advice on having a truck bed made??

[austinsailor]

I just ordered a new F550 to haul my pickup camper. I'll have a custom bed made (maybe build it my self, not my first choice). 

 

Anyone have a truck bed made? Any thoughts, suggestions, builder recommendations?

 

thanks.

[Todd B]

Did you say F????  

Shame on you!

 

I just bought a 3500 Dodge duly four-wheel-drive mega cab.  I had a flatbed dump designed with a gooseneck hitch. Had a hard time finding a company that would do both the dump and the gooseneck. Ended up going with Olsen truck and body out of Green Bay Wisconsin, did a wonderful job. 

 

I would be more worried about the engine failing and also buy an extra set of front tires right away.  I have a few subcontractors that drive F550’s and they can’t keep front tires on them.  

[Todd B]

Correction. Olson Trailer and Body

[austinsailor]

Thought hard and talked to lots of people before ordering. I'm on my 6th Cummins Dodge diesel. Each has gone downhill in durability and economy.  Talking to friends who run fleets of various trucks, all the diesels are high on maintenance and cost, economy has gone way down. Best bang for the buck, sad as it is to say it, seems to be the V10 Ford.  Time will tell, you pays your bucks and take your chances. 

 

With 4 wheel drive, it'll be a straight axle, so hopefully the front tire problem will be avoided. Again, time will tell.

[Todd B]

Might be a regional thing but around here V10 are not well liked.  I am guessing 8-10 miles per gallon max. My 2018 Cummins only gets 10.5 running around. 12 on long highway runs.  

[austinsailor]

Same mileage as my 2012. In this current trip, about 4000 miles, it's probably averaged about 8.5.  

 

Advantage of a diesel?  Zero.

extra cost? About 10K plus 40 cents a gallon. Sad times.

[lonejacklarry]

I am not sure what happened to the diesel economy.  In one of my previous lives I owned a Ford 9000 triple axle dump truck.  That truck, with a 3126 CAT and a 13 speed Roadranger,  got 6 mpg empty, up hill, down hill, or loaded with 54,000 pounds of gravel or asphalt--6 mpg.

 

It is strange that the new trucks with a gross weight of 6,000 pounds get 8.5 mpg.

Edited August 20, 2018 by lonejacklarry