# Northern Tool dump bed kits



## captdevo (Nov 10, 2000)

I have a 1978 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 and was thinking about making my stock bed dump. has anyone seen or tried the dump bed kit offered by Northern tools? Any good? It"ll be used mostly for mulch and fire wood. All info is welcome. If your not familiar with it just click below.
http://www.northerntool.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=552&prmenbr=6970


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## cat320 (Aug 25, 2000)

They are not bad have never had one but seen some on other trucks.

1.You have to weld the bumper to the frame.
2.you have to fool around with your gas spout.
3.You may get involed with your trailer hitch if it sticks out to far.
The only other thing I would be worried about is it's only 4K lbs I know most truck can only carry about 3,900LBs but alway better to be a little more beefy unless your only hauling light matereials.Best place to get info on it would be truck place that sell this type of stuff and question them on there pruduct to give you more info on it.


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## Smither (Nov 10, 2000)

There was a thread on this a couple of months or so ago. People were raising concerns about the strength of the bed. Could it handle the weight and abuse without the undersupports buckling? It may work just fine for you. You may have to strengthen the underside of the bed. I'm sure someone knows better than me. I guess it also makes a hitch out of the question.


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## John DiMartino (Jan 22, 2000)

I hve seen them,they will work and are a huge improvement over unloading by hand.The thing is the pickup bed was never meant to be lifted with a load in it,so its not beefy enough to be pushed up and down all the time.If you will using it a lot or on a commercial basis,it probably isnt the best way to go.A dump insert is a better way to go and you cam just swap it into your new truck when the old one is shot or breaks down unexpectedly.


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## Eric E. (Sep 4, 2000)

I have one. It was easy to install and works good. If you have loss of structural integrity (lots of rust) on you're bed you should reinforce key areas. The gas spout was no big deal to reroute to the wheelwell. If you have a hitch you may have some problems pepending on how close it is to the bumper. You may need to cut a slot in the bumper. Don't expect it to push more than the 2 tons it is rated for. It works go for what it is and it is less expensive than a mason dump. Eric


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## thelawnguy (May 20, 2001)

As for the gas filler, I see a truck where they cut a square opening in the bed, fitted the edges with a type of slip-on plastic like they use on the kiddie pools, and shortened the filler tube so you can fuel upwithout raising it.


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## Eric E. (Sep 4, 2000)

I just got a hose that was long enough to reach the wheel well. There is no need to raise the bed for filling unless you run out of gas and need to fill from a can. Eric


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## captdevo (Nov 10, 2000)

*Thanks for your opinions*

thanks for input!!! i guess i'll have to kick it around, a slide in sounds nice and is probably much more durable, my truck bed is in pretty good shape, i hate to tweak it out of whack.


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