I've been kicking around the idea of getting a class 6 or 7 sized truck with a stake bed for pulling trailers with. I have an F350, but it doesn't take much and I'm right on the edge of it's rated capacity. A mid 90's International or Ford could be had with a stake bed for under $5000 really easily around here. I've also seen some nicer rigs that are quite a bit longer and would need to be shortened. So, what size would be ideal for Farm/Construction work, and hauling a tag or gooseneck trailer? Is there a bed length that is too short or too long to make it all balance? I'm sure driving empty with an 8ft bed would be rough and bouncy, and turning something with an 18ft bed would be cumbersome, but I'm wondering if something around 10 or 12 ft would be ideal. If so, does the gooseneck ball need to be slightly ahead of the rear axle, like it is in my pickup? I would imagine so, but I've never set up a truck like this before. I'm not committed to this idea yet. My dump truck has a pintle hitch and can tow a tag easy enough. I was thinking for other chores like hauling lumber, hay, feed sacks, etc, that the 2 ton with a flat bed would be a handy option, along with its better towing capacity for hauling heavier loaded trailers. I keep seeing some short wheelbase, single Axle L8000's with the 7.8L or International's with the DT466 and thinking that might be a handy rig to have available.
In my opinion a 12 ft bed would be perfect, room for auxiliary fuel tank and carry a sheet of plywood at same time or when you hitch up you still have room to hold more. Had a F450 and wow night and day to a F350 on what I could haul and stop. Post what you are looking at.
Here's one of them. 16 ft bed, DT466 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2603993663247653/ Here's an old county plow with a stake bed
In my opinion I would say the white one cause the Dayton wheels on the black one are PITA and there is air brakes which would require CDL, plus parts would be hard to find for it. White one needs some fiberglass hood work, but that should be easy.
I'm very familiar with Daytons and I have my Class A so that part isn't an issue. It wouldn't be my first choice, but I won't throw it out just because of the Daytons
I had a very shot wheel base truck and pulled a gooseneck over 100.000 miles with i got a wildhair and lengthend it i couldnt tell any diffrents in how it handled. I see alot of single axle trucks with 5th wheels with gooseneck hitches behind the plates almost behind the axle its not ideal but it must work ok. I was going to make a kingpin to gooseneck adapter but a 5th wheel is alot taller than most G S hitches.
This is what i use to drive for work till someone rolled it last winter plowing snow. I honstly do not miss it at all the thing drove like crap. Leaf spring and 20k front made it a very uncomfortable ride. Had the trailer brakes die on the way home from a job in the snow and that was a not fun ride. Now i am in a newer tandem axle and it drives so much better, It turns better and stops way better.
I got this so i could get a 30 to 40 foot gooseneck. I wanted a truck with Daytons but i can under stand why guys dont like them.
You'll like Daytons once you learn them, and spend a few hundred hours changing them in the field with hand tools. 5 lugs instead of 20, and 1/2 the torque
I just got a hitch built last weekend next will be a gooseneck hitch.
We have 4 trucks at the farm with daytons. Just the newer rigs have budd wheels.
What i wanted and may steal do is build a roll off or hook bed on this truck so i could replace 3 trucks with one. I would have one truck that could pull a trailer, have a winch and poles then a flatbed dump. One truck instead of 3.
Yeah, I knew you had some, I was just putting that out there for the few hundred people that will stop by now to say how Dayton's are awful...
10-4
The biggest thing i would see making a difference would be real axle location. If you have an 18' bed but the axle is pushed all the way back it wouldnt make much difference. If you had that same bed and the rear was 6' from the back you may have issues with a heavy trailer. The hook lift is a great idea in theory but those systems are very heavy and will take several thousand lbs off of your net weight capacity, also not sure how well it would work for pulling GN unless you make sure to have additional tiedowns holding flatbed to frame.
Most goose necks ar not stout enough to overload the rear suspension on the international you posted if you have the hitch withing about a foot of center on the axel forward or backwards 12 foot bed is my choice maybe a 14 after that you might as well use a trailer If your planning on using your trailer to it's full rating then I would look at things bigger than a 550 and go with air brakes on the truck