I went back and checked that list in the Towing and Hauling forum.
One of those ship-thru upfitters is right there in Houston
http://www.generalbody.com/flatbeds/flatbeds.html
They are a dealer for both Knapheid and Supreme, plus they do custom bodies. I'm sure you could find something you like there. Maybe decide on something General offers or will custom-make for you, then have Cochise order the new truck for ship-thru General.
If I were doing it, I'd probably want a Knapheid Westerner Storage body with the 5er hitch built in - under a trap door over the axle. If Knapheid doesn't offer it as an option, then I'm sure General could fix you up with a "custom" option to add the 5er hitch to the Westerner Storage body.
http://www.knapheide.com/products/we...ge/default.asp
But when dealing with flatbeds, or the Westerner Storage body, double-check with the body company to be sure they can mount the 5er hitch at least 2" in front of the axle (preferably 4") and still have clearance at the back corners of the bed or bumper for turning a 5er a full 90º jacknife. If you go with an 8' bed, then no problem. But the more common 9' bed on a 60" cab-to-axle chassis cab might be a problem, so double-check.
Also with a flat bed, you can order the "dual fuel" option from Ford that will give you an extra 19-gallon fuel tank. However, you need to choose your bed/body first, because most of them do not allow the side tank. A plain flatbed without a storage box on the driver's side should work with most flat beds, but if the storage box is there - as it is on the Westerner Storage - then they may not be able to easily get the fuel filler neck for the side tank to where you can pour fuel in it.
That's why you need to decide on the bed first. Maybe talk to Cochise first, but just in case he doesn't have all the answers, you could spend some talking to the General folks. Maybe they can fit almost any body to a dual-fuel F-450, but I suspect it would be an expensive option on something like a hauler body. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
Note that General does not stock Knapheid beds less than way-too-long for your needs. But if Cochise orders it from them as a Knapheid ship-thru upfitter, then General should be able to get the body from Knapheid before the new truck shows up from Kentucky.
BTW, General is a Ford truck "pool account". So they might have a 2005 in stock that would fit your needs. If they do, Cochise can get it from them for delivery to you. That way you don't have to negotiate with the salesmen at General. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img]
In case it not clear to you yet, Cochise has sold hundreds of new Fords to members of TheDieselStop over the past several years. I watch him like a hawk, and I've yet to read of one complaint from his customers. (If you don't count a couple of customers that were waiting for their new truck to be delivered when Cochise made a "career move" to take over the fleet department at the Humble store. Those guys had to have their new trucks delivered to them by someone else at the old store, so they missed out on the world-famous "Cochise Delivery of a New Truck" experience.) [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
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