2000 Super Duty CC SB 7.3: Alum-line flatbed and installation

[cbattles]

Sorry to hear about this. I too was considering Alumline but I hesitated because of some other members here experience. Too bad because they have some good welders and I've seen some pretty beds. I've heard of completely wrong dimensions, really bad installs, bad customer service etc. I ended up ordering a Scott agricultural platform style aluminum bed. I'll be piecemealing the boxes my self.. It landed today and I'll be inspecting it Monday. Best of luck. On the happy side it's a really nice bed and fixing this BS shouldn't be too hard a job for a good fab guy.

I don't know whether it was me not being thorough or just bad timing, but it seems like I've seen a lot more negative stuff popping up over the past few months (since I ordered mine) than I found beforehand.

Good luck with yours, hope it's as expected.

Its out of character for me to not go for the "best value". I never go for the cheapest, but I always make it a point not to overpay for "prestige". In this case, being a foundational component of the truck I'm trying to build, I bit the bullet, spent the money, tried to buy exactly what I wanted, and it ended up biting me in the ass. That's what stings the most.

 

[javajoe79]

That's rough! I would definitely be telling them exactly how shoddy that crap is. If they're having to carve up their own flatbed to fit it on something, they should probably consider building them differently for different trucks. I would be returning that crap but I'm sure they won't be too receptive to that.

 

[cbattles]

That's rough! I would definitely be telling them exactly how shoddy that crap is. If they're having to carve up their own flatbed to fit it on something, they should probably consider building them differently for different trucks. I would be returning that crap but I'm sure they won't be too receptive to that.

I fully agree that it seems ridiculous to chop up the support. For the $1000 installation, they should have been able to do the install properly, whether that be welding brackets to the frame or something else.

I think it's stupid and improper, but I see what they were TRYING to do. The worst part is that they hacked up the support but still didn't even get the rest of it to actually sit flat on the frame rails.

To not even fully execute their own crappy installation is on another level of absurdity in my book.

It's a terrible plan that was very poorly executed.

 

[Alloy]

Seems like it.

Coming up to the install, Gary told me "usually it takes a day, hopefully it doesn't run beyond that".

Anyone want to venture a guess as to what could possibly take a full day here? I know it's hard work hacking up truck beds, but...

The practice these days is to charge the most people will pay and then flat rate the install. Hourly doesn't matter.

 

[cbattles]

The practice these days is to charge the most people will pay and then flat rate the install. Hourly doesn't matter.

Honestly, I was happy to pony up the $1000 to have it installed PROPERLY.

I thought it would be either take on the project myself or take a chance on someone else doing a bad install. I (naively) assumed that they'd be the experts at installing their own product.

 

[Alloy]

Q

Honestly, I was happy to pony up the $1000 to have it installed PROPERLY.

I thought it would be either take on the project myself or take a chance on someone else doing a bad install. I (naively) assumed that they'd be the experts at installing their own product.

$1000 to install on a bare cab and chassis but not enough to remove the box and make the spacers needed to install on a pickup.

 

[cbattles]

$1000 to install on a bare cab and chassis but not enough to remove the box and make the spacers needed to install on a pickup.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying which seems to be that $1,000 isn't enough money for someone to install a flatbed correctly on anything other than a bare cab and chassis. If that's the case, I have to completely disagree. MAYBE they have more hours figuring out how to do it correctly on the very first install on that particular model of truck. But after that's done, it should be totally straightforward on future installations. We're not talking about custom work here, just installing the product that they built on a VERY common truck on a way that doesn't leave it unsafe, twisted, and way out of square.

But either way, if they actually can't do it correctly for $1,000 (or it isn't worth it for them to) then they should adjust their prices, right?

And again, we're not even talking about me just not liking the way that they chose to install it. They way that they cut the supports and clamped the bed down left most of the support rails not even touching the frame. It's completely inadequate and will need to be removed and reinstalled before it's safe.

 

[mangymarmot]

$1000 is a fair price to pay for the removal of the old bed, a properly installed new bed with correctly welded tabs and wiring done professionally. This is definitely not close to that. DirtWhiskey is right though, a good welder can weld up tabs and patch the back bone on the flatbed very easily for a few hundred bucks and your time of removing the bed and putting it on a trailer for easy access. I removed my bed by myself with 4 bike hooks and ratchet straps in the garage.

 

[cbattles]

$1000 is a fair price to pay for the removal of the old bed, a properly installed new bed with correctly welded tabs and wiring done professionally. This is definitely not close to that. DirtWhiskey is right though, a good welder can weld up tabs and patch the back bone on the flatbed very easily for a few hundred bucks and your time of removing the bed and putting it on a trailer for easy access.

I agree, and I have a loader to lift the bed and a plan to make it right.

It's just a tough pill to swallow that I essentially have a hacked up bed and a major project ahead of me after paying a total of about $6800 ($5300 bed + $1000 install + "CC convenience fee" + tax)

Earlier, it just rubbed me the wrong way that Alloy seemed to be suggesting that I wasn't paying enough for good work.

 

[cbattles]

$1000 is a fair price to pay for the removal of the old bed, a properly installed new bed with correctly welded tabs and wiring done professionally. This is definitely not close to that. DirtWhiskey is right though, a good welder can weld up tabs and patch the back bone on the flatbed very easily for a few hundred bucks and your time of removing the bed and putting it on a trailer for easy access.

I agree, and I have a loader to lift the bed and a plan to make it right.

It's just a tough pill to swallow that I essentially have a hacked up bed and a major project ahead of me after paying a total of about $6800 ($5300 bed + $1000 install + "CC convenience fee" + tax)

And earlier, it rubbed me the wrong way that Alloy seemed to be suggesting that I wasn't paying enough for good work.

 

[IdaSHO]

But either way, if they actually can't do it correctly for $1,000 (or it isn't worth it for them to) then they should adjust their prices, right?

Id say if they cannot do it for a grand, then they shouldn't do it at all.
Additionally, install for such a high dollar bed should be included in the cost of the bed IMO.

Those photos, regardless of how many they do without call-backs or problems, scream hack job.
Those notches to get over the chassis humps look to have been done free-hand, with a sawzall.

 

[cbattles]

Id say if they cannot do it for a grand, then they shouldn't do it at all.
Additionally, install for such a high dollar bed should be included in the cost of the bed IMO.

Those photos, regardless of how many they do without call-backs or problems, scream hack job.
Those notches to get over the chassis humps look to have been done free-hand, with a sawzall.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Superduty]

If I was tackling this project, I think I would "create" flat frame rails like a cab and chassis and then bolt the flat bed to the newly created frame rails.

 

[Alloy]

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you're saying which seems to be that $1,000 isn't enough money for someone to install a flatbed correctly on anything other than a bare cab and chassis. If that's the case, I have to completely disagree. MAYBE they have more hours figuring out how to do it correctly on the very first install on that particular model of truck. But after that's done, it should be totally straightforward on future installations. We're not talking about custom work here, just installing the product that they built on a VERY common truck on a way that doesn't leave it unsafe, twisted, and way out of square.

But either way, if they actually can't do it correctly for $1,000 (or it isn't worth it for them to) then they should adjust their prices, right?

And again, we're not even talking about me just not liking the way that they chose to install it. They way that they cut the supports and clamped the bed down left most of the support rails not even touching the frame. It's completely inadequate and will need to be removed and reinstalled before it's safe.

With so many products and so many trucks they wouldn't bother figuring things out because keeping track of the info would be a full time job for a couple of people.

 

[cbattles]

With so many products and so many trucks they wouldn't bother figuring things out because keeping track of the info would be a full time job for a couple of people.

I guarantee you that every flatbed installer has put a lot of beds on a lot of trucks with my exact frame. Do you think they just pretend that they've never done it before to keep it interesting?

And yeah, I guess they could pay a couple of people full time to just try to remember stuff, or they could probably just put some notes into a spreadsheet or a big notebook.

Either way, I wasn't begging them to install it. They gave me a price, I paid it, and then they royally ************ it up.