Has anyone ever had one of those dump bed conversions on their pickup? They seem pretty slick and would sure make unloading easy! Here's an example of what I'm referring to:
I have thought about it. After using my buddies Chevy 3500 and Ford F450 flatbed dumps, I hate shoveling out of my regular bed.
The only thing I would be cautious about is only dumping small material. Bigger rock ect would probably really do a job on the relatively thin sheetmetal of a standard bed.
I've had one under the box of my '89 Chevy 1 ton almost since it was new. Handier than a pocket on a shirt.
I looked at the bottom of the box when I was putting it in, and decided it looked a little flimsy, as I planned to use it hard. So, I built a subframe out of 1/4" x 2" angle iron to spread the load out. I also drilled and tapped all the pivot points on the hoist for grease zerks. Since I expected to be hauling stone and gravel on occasion, I also put a bedliner in it. Finally, I mounted the power unit inside the cab, behind the seat to keep it out of the elements.
It's been bullet proof, if I ever buy another full size truck, it'll have one.
I had one for three years while we were building our home. Ours was a slide in unit that is heavier and more costly. It worked great and I really miss it at times.
I miss it the most when I have to haul material to the transfer station. It was great fun backing up and just pushing the button while the guy next to me was empting his bed one piece at a time.
Sources for dump bed conversions?? I am interested in both insert and under stock bed types- I have only found a listing in the Northern Hydraulics/Tool catalog. Thanks!
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