Service/Utility Bodies

[Tex68w]

Well Baja race teams have been using them for years on their chase/support trucks, in fact I saw this one on I10 this morning. It had a full Stage 8 Icon kit on it. Looks like he pulls double duty with it using it for his day to day work as well, or maybe it's a retired truck he bought for personal use haha.

 

[billiebob]

We really liked our used utility bed we put on our Chevy. It was a long bed with a short height to fit the camper. I paid $2600.00 for the bed, including installation. It served us well for 6 years. I sold the truck and camper to my neighbour a few years ago and he still has it, so I see it all the time. Kinda miss that setup.

View attachment 696606

I think this ^^^ is the best value of any.
All the bits are easily repairable with proven commercial hardware.
Used the bodies are for sale at every municipal equipment auction, often for under a grand.
New there are shops in every city selling, installing them. The options are unlimited altho the base product might be the best buy.

 

[wirenut]

I've often thought a service bed would be great for an off road vehicle, because it would use space that often goes wasted (the space in front of and behind the wheel wells on most pickups.) Being able to access needed equipment without having to go into the bed and dig around is another big bonus.

What I wonder is whether a service bed would be rugged enough for, for example, extended driving on washboard roads or very rocky roads where the bed is rattling around. Those utility beds have a LOT of moving parts (hinges, latches, sometimes shelves.) If you think about it, MOST utility beds are used on vehicles that spend the majority of their time on pavement.

Of course the military uses utility bed pickups so they may well be rugged enough.

Utility beds are incredibly rugged. They take abuse all day long from construction workers that typically don't own the truck.
Further, their are plenty of us construction types that are off road frequently. I install off grid solar system on mountain top cabins. My truck's have had either steel service bodies or aluminum flatbeds for nearly 20 years. I've never had any thing really "break" with the body, tool boxes, or bed. My current 2005 Chevy dually has an aluminum flatbed that's been on it since 2011. It regularly weighs in around 10,000 to 11,000 pounds going up mountain roads in low range.
I used the same bed to carry my 4,000 pound 11' TC for 6 years. I had 4 D-rings in the aluminum bed to secure the camper too. It did just fine thru probably 20 different states.

Personally I hate "regular" truck beds; they are nearly useless for working out of or hauling anything. I'll take a flatbed or service body any day.

 

[kpredator]

I considered it for our camper build, then
realized it would just add capacity for ********
I didnt really need!
weight is the enemy!

 

[vintageracer]

Recently purchased this former ATT truck for my daughters "Mobile Welding Truck". She is a professional welder/fabricator.

Onan 4500 watt generator on the roof and a full side to side air tank compressor system on the front bay along with storage drawers. Fully covered with lockable rear door. Electric power and air plumbed to rear of truck. Will most likely remove most of the stuff on top of the utility box with the exception of the generator.

All is mounted on a 2002 2500HD Chevrolet Cab Chassis with a 6.0/4L80E transmission and 116K original miles. Working right now to replace the rockers as they have some rust and fix a couple of rust spots in the box. All in all a great running/driving truck purchased for the princely sum of $3500!

Might make a neat Oland vehicle also with a tent on the top. We'll see how much she uses it doing side work welding jobs.

 

[tacollie]

I would love a utility bed to put our slide in FWC on but I couldn't find one to fit it without a lot of work. I bought materials to build my own out of aluminum because somehow in my mind that was less work ? Unfortunately for me but fortunate for him my brother got work and took the welder with him to Carlsbad, NM. Now I'm patiently waiting for him to bring it back.

 

[tacollie]

Recently purchased this former ATT truck for my daughters "Mobile Welding Truck". She is a professional welder/fabricator.

Onan 4500 watt generator on the roof and a full side to side air tank compressor system on the front bay along with storage drawers. Fully covered with lockable rear door. Electric power and air plumbed to rear of truck. Will most like remove most of the stuff on top of the utility box with the exception of the generator. All is mounted on a 2002 2500HD Chevrolet Cab Chassis with a 6.0/4L80E transmission and 116K original miles. Working right now to replace the rockers as they have some rust and fit a couple of rust spots in the box. All in all a great running/driving truck purchhased for the princely sum of $3500!

Might make a neat Oland vehicle also with a tent on the top. We'll see how much she uses it doing side work welding jobs.


View attachment 696910

With a little bit of effort she can make bank! My brother is a pipeline welder but when he's between jobs he has more side work than he can handle. He doesn't get out of bed for less than $75 per/hr plus materials.

 

[billiebob]

With a little bit of effort she can make bank! My brother is a pipeline welder but when he's between jobs he has more side work than he can handle. He doesn't get out of bed for less than $75 per/hr plus materials.

Yep, this applies to anyone with a trade and good references. The world is changing and the opportunities to run yer own business are exponential. But no different than it has always been, you need sales skills, references and a strong work ethic too.

 

[billiebob]

Looking for input on service/utility bodies as a basis for a camper. In my head it seems perfect just looking for pros and cons and pics for inspiration if anyone has got some. Thanks

The big difference between a pickup and a service body is about an extra 20 cubic feet of weather tight exterior storage. Think a spot for instant hot water, a cabinet for the solar controller and battery etc, a spot for rescue tools, jack, etc. And the floor is no higher than a pickup box.

If you want a flat deck, the only disadvantage to the flat deck is the floor is higher since it does not have wheel wells intruding thru the deck.

Most the home bilts, adding boxes to a flat bed frame end up heavier than a service body where the boxes form the frame.

 

[john61ct]

If I were designing custom

I would lower the height of the side boxes to the lowest, nothing over the wheels, maybe even lower, have a 3-4" squared-off bump-up over the wheels.

Then go also as low as possible for the central floor, custom for that truck.

Now another way to look at it, call that level out to a full width "flatbed" perimeter, with that squared-off bump-up over the wheels.

And hang your storage boxes underneath make them as wide and low and lightweight as possible.

Then design and fab your removable living pod to slide right in there, fully supported by the central floor as well as the perimeter edge.

With the camper pod left behind, a fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch, high enough for clearance, in order to leave the utility boxen in place while towing.

In my case need 17,000 pounds safe towing capacity, so a 450/4500 base platform, up to maybe 750/7500 and I guess likely a dually?

 

[eyemgh]

If I were designing custom

I would lower the height of the side boxes to the lowest, nothing over the wheels, maybe even lower, have a 3-4" squared-off bump-up over the wheels.

Then go also as low as possible for the central floor, custom for that truck.

Now another way to look at it, call that level out to a full width "flatbed" perimeter, with that squared-off bump-up over the wheels.

And hang your storage boxes underneath make them as wide and low and lightweight as possible.

Then design and fab your removable living pod to slide right in there, fully supported by the central floor as well as the perimeter edge.

With the camper pod left behind, a fifth-wheel or gooseneck hitch, high enough for clearance, in order to leave the utility boxen in place while towing.

In my case need 17,000 pounds safe towing capacity, so a 450/4500 base platform, up to maybe 750/7500 and I guess likely a dually?

What you are describing is the Bowen "not so flatbed." It's standard bed height in the middle for good COG, but flatbed height laterally to allow for wheel clearance.

 

[john61ct]

Yes I saw that thread, looks great

Bowen Not So Flatbed

I was introduced to Brent Bowen by Molly and Matt at Hallmark just after Mtn Expo. Brent made utility flatbeds, but decided to expand into the overland market. Since he's right down the street from Hallmark, and Matt was really impressed with Brent's quality, I elected to have him build the...

expeditionportal.com

But if you mean that first pic,

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachments/bowen-png.695323

no I need a MUCH lower perimeter / top-of-boxen height, like maybe by a full foot lower.

Certainly nothing above the wheel well, as I stated ideally below by 3-4" with the well protruding above.

Like this but squared wells

 

[eyemgh]

Yes I saw that thread, looks great

Bowen Not So Flatbed

I was introduced to Brent Bowen by Molly and Matt at Hallmark just after Mtn Expo. Brent made utility flatbeds, but decided to expand into the overland market. Since he's right down the street from Hallmark, and Matt was really impressed with Brent's quality, I elected to have him build the...

expeditionportal.com

But if you mean that first pic,

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachments/bowen-png.695323

no I need a MUCH lower perimeter / top-of-boxen height, like maybe by a full foot lower.

Certainly nothing above the wheel well, as I stated ideally below by 3-4" with the well protruding above.

Like this but squared wells
View attachment 696945

I'm not sure what the exact number is, but my bed will sit at the stock bed height, roughly 5" below the wheel top, similar to this picture.

 

[john61ct]

Great for the central floor!

My special use case is the towing, prefer a low profile for the fifth wheel A-frame.

But maybe it would be worth accepting using the type of hitch adapters designed for pickup beds

in order to get more vertical storage space in the perimeter boxen.

The downside is losing the flexibility of hauling a vehicle back there without using a trailer.

 

[john61ct]

miniature afaic overall, but a great example of flatbed + pod design

Featured Vehicle: Goose Gear's Overland F-350 - Expedition Portal

It wasn’t all that long ago that many people would have laughed at the idea of a full-size truck for overlanding. But these days, they’re all the rage, and it’s not hard to understand why. While many mid-size trucks are struggling with a lack of power and feeble payloads, their siblings offer an...

expeditionportal.com