Want to install a 12 flatbed on my 99 F350 CC

[MKeeney]

I have an early 99 F350 DRW with a CC and 8'bed. I installed a dump bed kit under the stock bed but the bed really didn't hold up too well. I bought a 12' flatbed that I want to put on, but the local shop that sells these beds, plows, etc, says this bed can't go on my truck, PERIOD. They say it will offload the front too much and I'll wipe out the front end in a year.

I'm not sure this is actually going to be the disaster they're claiming. First, I never load a truck from the back. If I don't have a full load, I still stack from the cab back. (I do firewood). Most of the time though I'm in the forest cutting trees and don't leave unless the truck's full. Also, the truck's a 4WD so there's no A Arms and the like to have their geometry screwed up because a required amount of weight isn't present all the time.

Frankly, the only real concerns I have are with the bed being up high enough so the end won't hit the ground when it dumps. I think raising it 4" will do the trick.

Anybody ever attempt a project like this? How did it work out?

[DrewGerhan]

Sticking out 4' past the original tailgate seems far.

I guess I don't see how it would destroy the front end. I would be more worried about all that extra weight sticking so much off the frame. It seems like it wouldn't be very strong at all.

[Flatbedcowboy]

Tandem Axle anyone?

[dieselcrawler]

there is a ratio of bed in front of the axle to bed behind the axle that they are telling you about, and if you load the bed front to back, then try to dump it, the whole load will be at the back of the truck, behind the axle, and too far in your case. I would go to a maximum of 9' bed, assuming your truck is a 8' standard bed to begin with.

As a matter of fact, I saw a truck today that cought my eye... in a weird way. It looked to be a cc short bed truck, with a 9' flat bed on it. Looked way out of proportion, way too much bed behind the wheels. It was set up as a welding rig, with welder at the front, and not much in the long tail area, so loading might not be an issue for that one, but it sure did look funny.

Towing would also become next to impossible with the set up you are thinking of, as well as the one I saw today... hitch would be 4' under the bed!

Not gonna destroy the front axle, just gonna make steering hard with a full load... cutting breaks anyone? You'd be steering like a pulling tractor, front wheels might be catching some air on acceration...

[ToMang07]

Stretch out your frame and get a new axle.... otherwise... I say bad idea.

[Vdryv]

12 footers are for single cab
I wouldn't doit

['01SilverBullet]

Yea, I think a 12 footer would be too long, might stress the mounts when the overhang is loaded down, especially over rough terrain/roads. Now, if it was me...and I had the time, money and know how, I'd find another axle, stretch the frame and run tandems...so long as I could have a custom cover for the center axle built to allow me to run an output shaft off it, semi truck style, so I could have power to both axles...that would be sick, be hard to figure out though.

Now, I've got ideas swimming in my head for something I shouldn't even consider building...lol.

If you could, I'd have that bed shortened by two or three feet, just my opinion.

[Flatbedcowboy]

OH HECK YES! Maybe you could find on old tandem axle feed truck and swap those axles out? I know there is a company that will rebuild your truck to run tandems, but it will probably cost more than the truck itself. On one of the Fast and Furious movies a guy has a tandem axle flatbed Chevy its pretty sick

['01SilverBullet]

Yea, I remember that truck, also looked like it had an older Road Ranger transmission in it...I'd put 2.5 ton rockwells under mine, if I didn't use the truck for work every day...and the 6.something to 1 gears in them....I'd be full bore at 55 lol

[Flatbedcowboy]

Those are minor details, "there is no replacement for looking cool"