I'm looking to put a sled deck on the back of my F-150. It has the ECO Boost with the short box...5.5. I'm not sure if that is enough bed to support a dual sled deck. Anyone running one? Some of the manufacturers list long bed and short bed, but I think the standard short bed is 6'. Thanks for the posts!!
Sled Deck on an ECO Boost
- Thread starter Duggerw
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sortastock
Member
Hey welcome to the forum!
I've got your same truck, and already looked into it, the shortest bed the manufacturers support is a 6' box...
It's also not a great idea to put a sled deck on a 1/2 ton. Max tow package might get you close to legal, but it's still not a great idea...
I've got your same truck, and already looked into it, the shortest bed the manufacturers support is a 6' box...
It's also not a great idea to put a sled deck on a 1/2 ton. Max tow package might get you close to legal, but it's still not a great idea...
What sortastock said.... You WILL be overweight and illegal with a deck in a half ton. Not a great idea.
I have a 2011 f150 with the 6'6" box and I run one with no issues, I have the 5.0 and airbags tho
Your going to get a hundred people on here who say its a bad idea. I ran one on my 09 sierra half ton crew cab with air bags and never had any problems. I know of a few others who have done the same. It's not the smartest thing probably as I can tell how much more sturdy my 1ton dmax is but i never once felt like i was in danger when I drove, probably because I drove very carefully.
Nay sayers will say NEVER DO IT, buy the biggest diesel you can and lift it 10" before you run a deck. Personally I have a deck in an 04 F150 Scab 6.5' with bags and E-rated tires. Never a problem, even with two loaded and trailer behind. Typically a short trip the the mountain, but have done 4hrs to Mccall without issues. Dont know if you can find one for the 5.5', but if you do drive like its up there and for the weather conditions.
Like everyone has pretty much said. It's not legal... But it can be done. I have put a toyup in my 5.5 chevy crew cab with air bags and load range E tires and it did fine. It's not a 1 ton but it will get you where you need to go if you just take your time.
3
347strokin
Well-known member
Wow, some of you guys are naive. Sure you CAN throw a deck and 2 sleds on your truck without the frame bending. There's a lot of things you CAN do. Is it smart? No Is it safe? No Is it legal? No
Most 1/2 tons don't have the frame, suspension, brakes etc that a truck rated for that weight does. Not to mention most guys don't even understand GVRW or even tire pressure and ratings for that matter. The ratings of our trucks and the laws are there to protect yourself and other people on the road. It's a safety margin for everyone. It's not a dare for some guys to overload their vehicle and limp it along to get where they're going. Just because you made it to the hill and back doesn't make it safe or right.
Sorry for the rant but I've got better things to watch for on the road then guys who think they are a better driver or know more than the rest of us "naysayers". See what happens when you get in an accident overloaded. It would have been a lot cheaper to just buy the right rig in the first place.
I'm not knocking your trucks, just some people's decisions to put others at risk piss me off.
Most 1/2 tons don't have the frame, suspension, brakes etc that a truck rated for that weight does. Not to mention most guys don't even understand GVRW or even tire pressure and ratings for that matter. The ratings of our trucks and the laws are there to protect yourself and other people on the road. It's a safety margin for everyone. It's not a dare for some guys to overload their vehicle and limp it along to get where they're going. Just because you made it to the hill and back doesn't make it safe or right.
Sorry for the rant but I've got better things to watch for on the road then guys who think they are a better driver or know more than the rest of us "naysayers". See what happens when you get in an accident overloaded. It would have been a lot cheaper to just buy the right rig in the first place.
I'm not knocking your trucks, just some people's decisions to put others at risk piss me off.
Ask your insurance company if they will cover your vehicle and medical bills when you are loaded over legal...
Some of these posts are very comical. Now coming from the "run what ya brung" until you can afford better will work here. First your very short box weighs about 4600lbs your gvwr is 6100lbs. With 2 sleds and a sled deck in your box your at max gvwr, even if your 700 lbs over that with passengers you will not "break your frame" But the best thing to do is add air bags as it will help to eliminate body roll. Next upgrade your tires this will also help, if you have any more $ left upgrade your shocks. Last but not least don't drive like you stole it... If you drive like a white guy you'll be just fine. "F" the haters until they buy you or give there 1 tons
3
347strokin
Well-known member
Of course it won't break your frame. But why not be on the safe and legal side of things?
So is it ok if someone who was overloaded piled their rig into your family because they couldn't stop in time or their suspension was too soft and they lost it on a corner trying to avoid an animal? "It's ok, they were only 700lbs overweight". That wouldn't fly with me. That's almost like running bald tires in the winter just because you can't afford them. You shouldn't be driving in the winter if that's the case.
If you can't afford to do it right, don't do it. Haul one sled in your box and use a trailer. A trailer is the same price as a deck anyways.
It is more of a point of where the load is.
A "full" load is a bit more manageable & forgiving if it is placed properly.
Look at a mountain sled on a sled deck on a short box....that is not a properly placed load.
Just buy a 2 place trailer....it works better with a 1/2 ton & it doesn't look as stupid either.
A "full" load is a bit more manageable & forgiving if it is placed properly.
Look at a mountain sled on a sled deck on a short box....that is not a properly placed load.
Just buy a 2 place trailer....it works better with a 1/2 ton & it doesn't look as stupid either.
I agree it's not ideal at all. And it isn't legal. But please quite using the excuse that the Brakes can't handle it... The deck and 2 sleds don't weigh any more than a 2 place trailer with 2 sleds and 99% of those trailers don't have brakes on them. So aren't you stopping the same amount of weight? I agree that air bags and load range E tires are Band aids but they do help and it will get you there.
The problem, and the same one i ran into on an older flatbed 1/2 ton is that the weight is so far back and the truck is so light that there is NO weight over the front tires so every time i would mash the brakes in the slippery snow is that the front end wanted to just lock up and push. also cornering on slipper stuff was greatly reduced as again all the weight is rocking on the rear axle.
I ran it for a whole winter freshman year of college, it worked and got me around, not safely, but i was a broke SOB, so i made it work and drove slowly.
The problem i have is not that the trucks wont take it, i KNOW they will, been way over GVW on many vehicles towing or loaded, its just a sled deck on anything shorter then 8' box makes the truck very rear heavy and challanging to drive safely in the snow.
I ran it for a whole winter freshman year of college, it worked and got me around, not safely, but i was a broke SOB, so i made it work and drove slowly.
The problem i have is not that the trucks wont take it, i KNOW they will, been way over GVW on many vehicles towing or loaded, its just a sled deck on anything shorter then 8' box makes the truck very rear heavy and challanging to drive safely in the snow.
You could run a deck on a half ton safely/legally, but it would need to be a truck selected specifically for running a deck. Max payload package, bags, NOT a dumb 4 door/micro box. I'm not sure about Chevy or Dodge, but Ford has the 8200GVWR package available on their half tons. That package in an 8' box, regular cab or supercab, and it would more than likely do just fine. I do not think any quadcab/microbox truck is a good idea for more than one sled in the box, for the reason SkiDooinit explained above.
See this table: http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/payload/ not all half tons are created equal, and the popular configurations are not impressive with payloads capacities.
See this table: http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/payload/ not all half tons are created equal, and the popular configurations are not impressive with payloads capacities.
How many guys run way more weight than they are supposed to in a 3/4 or 1 ton? Is that safer?
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Thats a pretty smart post right there.... Probably one of the better ones I've seen on this topic.
Recreate the way that a deck spreads the load and then over load the 1 ton by the same percent that the deck overloads the half ton..... Oh wait, on second thought I've basically done this by running a 600 gallon water tank on a flatbed 1 ton. We stopped doing it after about 2 days of using it for work and just driving around town. Btw water weighs 8lbs a gallon.
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