Installing a Dump Truck Bed on Your Pickup: What to Know Before You Start

If you bought a pickup truck for work and are finding that you’re doing bigger jobs than you can handle, it might be time to install a dump truck bed. Luckily, you don’t have to add another vehicle to your fleet or give up a truck you already know and love to achieve more with your vehicle.

Let’s take a look at why and how to add a dump truck bed to your existing truck.

The Why

Having the ability to haul heavy loads from a job site doubles the usefulness of your truck, which can increase the efficiency and profitability of your work. For instance, a dump truck bed could enable you to expand your yard maintenance business from simple mowing and trimming to full-on landscaping projects that call for large amounts of soil, mulch or decorative rock.

The How

There are three ways to go here. You could remove the bed of your existing pickup truck and install a dump bed in its place, do some surgery to convert your existing bed into a dump bed or install a dump bed insert in your existing truck bed.

The advantage of a bed insert is that you can move it to a new truck and retain your old truck as a pickup truck. However, if you’re starting on a shoestring budget, you could put a used dump bed into your existing truck. If you’re converting an existing bed into a dump bed, consider whether the factory pickup bed is designed to take the kind of abuse that heavy jobs entail.

Actually installing the bed will likely be the biggest consideration. A dump bed requires hydraulics and electrical components to deposit its load and return it to its original position, and it takes more than just wrenching on some bolts to install these components. This is not a one-person job, and depending on your experience level, it might make sense to enlist a professional. Make sure you know what you’re doing and proceed cautiously whenever you install a dump bed, put in a dump bed insert or convert your existing bed.

Check out all the truck products available on NAPA Online, or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on dump truck bed installation, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.