There another option. Replace the shorty pickup bed with a flat bed (or platform stake body). You'd probably have to DIY, because probably nobody makes a flat bed for a shorty pickup. But if you DIY, you can make the bed stick out further behind the rear of the current frame. Of course, that means getting rid of the stock rear bumper and hitch, but if you can make a DIY platform body, surely you can finish it off with an adequate rear bumper and trailer hitch receiver.
The disadvantage of an extended flatbed/platform bed is you cannot tow a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer. The kingpin/gooseneck must be over or in front of the center of the rear axle, so you couldn't turn more than a few degrees without the rear bumper of the truck contacting lower front of the trailer. And with a tag trailer, you'd probably have to use a weight-distributing hitch to take hitch weight off the rear of the truck and transfer it to the front axle of the truck.
If you make a DIY flatbed, just be sure you include the stake pockets so you can have at least minimal sideboards and tailgate. Things tend to roll off a flatbed without anything to hold them on the bed.
But if you make your own flatbed, you can include a full-width toolbox up front and sideboxes on the flatbed as well as under the sides of the truck. Sorta a poor man's service body. Just pay attention to where the fuel filler tube will wind up, and don't put a toolbox or storage box where that tube has to be. :wink2:
There are a couple of articles on TheDieselStop you could use as a guide for making your own DIY flatbed.
Here's one:
DIY Flatbed
Here's the other:
DIY Flatbed #2
The disadvantage of an extended flatbed/platform bed is you cannot tow a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer. The kingpin/gooseneck must be over or in front of the center of the rear axle, so you couldn't turn more than a few degrees without the rear bumper of the truck contacting lower front of the trailer. And with a tag trailer, you'd probably have to use a weight-distributing hitch to take hitch weight off the rear of the truck and transfer it to the front axle of the truck.
If you make a DIY flatbed, just be sure you include the stake pockets so you can have at least minimal sideboards and tailgate. Things tend to roll off a flatbed without anything to hold them on the bed.
But if you make your own flatbed, you can include a full-width toolbox up front and sideboxes on the flatbed as well as under the sides of the truck. Sorta a poor man's service body.
Just pay attention to where the fuel filler tube will wind up, and don't put a toolbox or storage box where that tube has to be. :wink2: There are a couple of articles on TheDieselStop you could use as a guide for making your own DIY flatbed.
Here's one:
DIY Flatbed
Here's the other:
DIY Flatbed #2
