renosteinke
Senior Member
- Location
- NE Arkansas
I doubt that there will ever be a 'perfect' work truck. I'll tell my story here, and let others unravel the various loose threads that will be exposed ...
I started with a small puck-up truck, one with a 7-1/2-ft. bed. Sure, it was handy ... but jokers would add their trash to the open bed, and every night I had to get anything of value out of it. Also, regular driving resulted in stuff sliding all over the place.
I lucked out, and was given a set of side boxes and a crossover that fit perfectly. Those were great! Everything was kept accessible, though there was a lot of wasted space in the middle of the crossover.
The middle of the bed was left open to the elements, which proved to be a problem. So, I made a simple cover, using plywood and slotted angles. Later, I added a hinge and a flip-up partition, which let me use the rearmost part of the bed as a 'general purpose' trunk.
This left the issue of carrying ladders unresolved. There's a very real need for a ladder rack, to carry both ladders and conduit. The problem is that the toolboxes can make mounting a rack a bit of a challenge.
I switched from this (seriously overloaded) truck to a 1-ton utility body "with superstructure." That is, there was a 'cabin' on the back with tool bins in the sides. I rigged up a way to tie ladders to the top. (Similar to "Big Red," posted elsewhere). It was a very real improvement over the pick-up truck. Most important, the customers were favorably impressed in that I now had a "real" work truck.
A lesson I am still learning: Appearances matter more than we care to admit.
Major problems with the 'superstructure' included:
1) Since the truck had 4wd, the ladders and pipe carrier were mounted higher than I could reach without some climbing;
2) The assembly was tall enough that the overhangs of some buildings and parking garages was an issue;
3) Even with mirrors, I had massive blind spots to the rear; and,
4) It was still a PITA to climb around in the bed.
One bit of advice regarding utility bodies: get the ones that have a bin that opens from the top. This shallow tray is a very good place for hand tools and parts.
I started with a small puck-up truck, one with a 7-1/2-ft. bed. Sure, it was handy ... but jokers would add their trash to the open bed, and every night I had to get anything of value out of it. Also, regular driving resulted in stuff sliding all over the place.
I lucked out, and was given a set of side boxes and a crossover that fit perfectly. Those were great! Everything was kept accessible, though there was a lot of wasted space in the middle of the crossover.
The middle of the bed was left open to the elements, which proved to be a problem. So, I made a simple cover, using plywood and slotted angles. Later, I added a hinge and a flip-up partition, which let me use the rearmost part of the bed as a 'general purpose' trunk.
This left the issue of carrying ladders unresolved. There's a very real need for a ladder rack, to carry both ladders and conduit. The problem is that the toolboxes can make mounting a rack a bit of a challenge.
I switched from this (seriously overloaded) truck to a 1-ton utility body "with superstructure." That is, there was a 'cabin' on the back with tool bins in the sides. I rigged up a way to tie ladders to the top. (Similar to "Big Red," posted elsewhere). It was a very real improvement over the pick-up truck. Most important, the customers were favorably impressed in that I now had a "real" work truck.
A lesson I am still learning: Appearances matter more than we care to admit.
Major problems with the 'superstructure' included:
1) Since the truck had 4wd, the ladders and pipe carrier were mounted higher than I could reach without some climbing;
2) The assembly was tall enough that the overhangs of some buildings and parking garages was an issue;
3) Even with mirrors, I had massive blind spots to the rear; and,
4) It was still a PITA to climb around in the bed.
One bit of advice regarding utility bodies: get the ones that have a bin that opens from the top. This shallow tray is a very good place for hand tools and parts.
