Flatbed Information Thread

appears to be a uteltd bed. However it seems shorter since there is only 2 hinges on the sides of the bed? Correct me if I am wrong @Halliwax

 

Correct, it's a Ute Ltd. It's a K55 bed (69"Wx5.5'L) as opposed to the C6 (73"x6') that I've seen others run.

 

Ah gotcha. Remember you mentioning k55 but didn’t consider there was a difference. Good to know

 

Bought it from Ute Ltd in Australia. Randy is the point person in the states and he's awesome. The bed is around $2400~, shipping to the east coast was a little over $400, probably sunk a few hundred more into the bumper (which is a complete knockoff of 1 Bored Clerk on here. He was nice enough to even dig up the bumper bracket template file for me).

 

I like thoes numbers

 

You and I both. Was a simple choice once I started to crunch the totals. Norweld is great, but even at the same price point I think I'd choose the Ute Ltd. It's a much simpler design and that's more my taste.

 

I wish I would have gotten the smaller version. Don’t recall knowing about it at the time. Would have been nicer on the trail. Mind you the beds hold up pretty good to trees so far.

 

I had no idea the K55 existed either. I had originally contacted Randy about a C6 and he had brought it up as an option.

One of the things I had been doing a deep dive on before buying was trying to find pictures showing how wide the C6 stuck out on the sides. From the few pictures I could find it was a little more than ideal, but I was going to go for it regardless. Once I heard about the smaller size I was all in.

 

There were definitely some hurtles with the K55, however. I had mentioned that the (265/70) tires stuck out a bit, which isn't a deal breaker since I'm moving to 235/85s. That poke means that the supplied mud flaps don't line up either, so I'll be making some brackets to squeeze those in somehow. Biggest hiccup was that the bed brackets line up in such a way that you can't use the factory mounting point to attach to the frame. Had to weld a small extension on to get anything to work. Again, not a big problem, just something that the next guy should be looking forward to.

 

Interesting. I had to modify my frame mounts as well but it’s good to know about the tires. My 315’s poke out as is with the bigger bed so it worked out I guess.

 

SherpTek

 

Sherptek has some interesting solutions to storage problems.

My main concern is that it’s illegal to modify you fuel system according to federal smog guidelines. That means relocating your fuel filler is a no no here on the west coast.

 

I guess mine is a “bit different” in design and function than a traditional Ute style flatbed. I have more of the “Overland” style in mine.

 

That's an interesting note then. Is that just a California only issue?

 

Ontario Canada you technically need a commercial inspection when going to a flat bed.

 

Which is sucky. Thankfully for the Tacoma's, they can fly under the radar. As far as I know, you haven't any issues with MTO, correct?

My comment was at the fact of the fuel filler relocation. Wondering if that's a California issue only about the smog.. Since with our production model we were looking at modifying the fuel filler neck for better filling capabilities at the pump.

 

Ah gotcha. Yeah so far so good with mto.

as for fuel, who knows. The laws pretty much don’t let you touch anything and safeties are so subjective. I failed a safety because I had aftermarket bumpers at one shop. Dealer had no issue with it. So annoying.

 

Federal, unless you register your truck as flatbed commercial. You are still required to stop at all scales with a flatbed. But, I’ve never seen a CHP go after a midsize truck with a tray.

 

That's weird; Texas has no such laws for flatbed pickups.

 

It’s actually Federal guidelines. It’s mostly overlooked by states that have minimal smog requirements. But, here in California, it’s something they pay attention to.