Low Cost Interior

[tucsonjwt]

The dump bed is handy, and "stealth" so nobody knows you have a dump bed -avoid commercial vehicle charges/CDL requirements.
I looked at a lot of options. The best option is an aluminum dump insert (only weighs about 450#), but I think they cost about $5000 now. Even the steel inserts are about $3500, and they add about 800# to your truck (reducing your cargo capacity by about 1/2 ton). I had this installed about 7 years ago by a local equipment dealer for about $2000, including a bumper modification (bumper gets welded to back pivot arms, I had them cut out the center step and reinforce the top to allow the box to tip back all the way and clear the hitch receiver.) The kit for this hoist is now about $1500 on the internet.
Because I have dual tanks, the equipment dealer who installed the dump had to mount the pump and motor transverse behind the cab, instead of outside the frame rail on one side (where one of the dual tanks is). This means the the hydraulic scissor mechanism had to be located farther back toward the rear of the truck, which means the hoist has less lifting capacity (think lever principle from high school geometry - fulcrum of lever is off toward one end, not centered on the lever, so more force required to lift the other side.) So, although this Pierce Wrecker hoist can lift 4000#, my truck will only lift about 2000#. That's OK, since a pickup box really is not strong enough to lift 4000#,even with adding extra reinforcement. Also, I am usually going to the local dump, which charges $10 to dump up to one ton (2000#), and $38 to dump over one ton. So, it doesn't pay to haul more than one ton at a time.
My truck (with me in it) weighs about 5680#, maximum GVWR is 8600#, so I can only safely haul 2920#, and that's with presumed excellent shocks/springs, etc., which this old truck no longer has - especially after hauling hundreds of dump loads in the past 7 years.
The only time I look cool is when I flip the switch and unload my truck from inside the cab at the local dump, while the other dumpers are sweating and unloading their truck by hand.
Plus, working on anything under the box is a breeze (replacing fuel senders,fuel tanks, greasing chassis, etc.)