If you regularly haul tools, materials or other items, you may want to upfit your truck for better organization, storage and durability. Essentially, upfitting a truck is when you make an alteration to the vehicle. These sort of changes can range from turning the bed of a truck into a platform to haul machinery all the way to making it into a full-service vehicle, complete with a crane attached to the back of it.
This level of customization is popular among many truck owners, especially those who use their truck for business, as they can personalize their truck for their needs. Business owners who oversee a fleet of trucks love the versatility that upfitting brings, especially as they can modify each truck to the type of industry they operate in.
Types of Truck Upfitting Options
There are a few different truck upfitting options you can choose from when you decide to customize your vehicle.
The main upfitting options available to consumers are:
- Service bodies
- The Master Mechanic series
- Enclosed bodies
- Dump bodies
- Platform bodies
- Custom truck bodies
All of these options, whether you need a light-duty or medium-duty truck upfit, will provide functional value for the needs of your work truck.
By upfitting your truck, you’ll be able to improve storage space, organization and durability. If you use your truck for work or have a company that has a fleet of vehicles, these qualities can improve productivity. Your vehicles will have everything you need to complete the job.
Upfitting Options for Additional Storage
Many of our upfitting choices come with additional storage space, but if you want a body that really maximizes your space for storage, there are a couple of body options available. Also, if you’d like to add to your current body, you can opt for an accessory storage option.
The following are some options you can choose from to get the most storage space.
1. Dump Bodies
Dump bodies will offer you a significant increase in the amount of space you have to carry equipment and other materials.
Landscape companies generally like to use these trucks so they can haul heavy materials or tools in the back, and their dumping ability is great for when mulch or other such materials need to be moved to a work site. Additionally, the hoists can help to load and unload items that in the past would be difficult for an individual to load or unload by themselves.
The various models come with an electric hydraulic scissor hoist that is subframe mounted. Additionally, the models are equipped with a full-width rear apron that has recessed LED lights and a useful tailgate:
- Marauder Standard Duty Dump Body. This body is Reading’s standard-duty Marauder truck for a good reason. It offers the most capacity, ranging from three to five yards, and comes in a length of nine or 11 feet. The class C and D rated hoists can lift up to 12 tons, which gives the bodies a significant performance boost. To ensure the safety of what’s being hauled, the truck’s body is made with undercoated steel structures.
- Marauder SL Dump Body. If you’re looking for a dump body that is optimized for lower fuel consumption and high payload capacity, look no further than the Maurader SL dump body. It has three to four-yard capacities, and its double-acting hydraulic scissor hoist has a capacity of eight to 13 tons. Like the standard duty dump body, it comes in nine and 11 foot lengths depending on your needs.
- Marauder drop-side dump body. The Marauder drop-side dump body is perfect if you want to have quick and convenient loading of materials. The drop-side walls make for extra flexibility that will be sure to assist workers in harsh work environments. In addition, the hoist can handle eight tons or 12 tons, depending on which model you choose.
2. Platform, Landscape and Hauler Bodies
These truck bodies are primarily used in towing or hauling, commercial or residential landscaping or general contracting industries. They are the popular choice due to their ability to haul tools, bulk materials, equipment and supplies without difficulty.
The following are the best options available on the market today:
- Landscaper SL. The body of the Landscaper SL can be nine, 10 or 12 feet long. The side walls are typically higher than dump bodies, making them ideal for hauling mulch or debris. These powerful vehicles can hold approximately 2,280 to 2,525 lbs. Due to their space and strength, they are ideal if you need to haul compact, heavy-duty equipment to and from job sites. To protect your cargo from the elements, tarp tie-down cleats are available as well.
- Platform truck bodies. This kind of truck is the largest of them all, offering sizes ranging from nine to 24 feet. Platform truck bodies make it possible to haul multiple pieces of equipment safely.
- Redi-Dek hauler truck bodies. The Redi-Dek hauler body replaces the typical pickup bed with a compact platform that is designed to haul light machinery and equipment to job sites securely.
3. Utility Body Accessories
Along with bodies that prioritize larger storage space, several utility body accessories can be included on your truck to improve its storage space. All of the storage boxes that Reading offers come with stainless steel T-handle locks and automotive-grade seals to prevent break-ins and leaks. Like the service bodies, the boxes are made with high-strength aluminum alloy and premium steel to protect against damage. Additionally, they come with an aluminum diamond that is corrosion resistant.
Below are some accessory options that increase your truck’s storage space:
- REV-PAC. Mounted behind the truck cab, REV-PAC storage boxes provide an additional amount of storage space that can be used for equipment and tools.
- Underbody boxes. If your truck bed is usually full, but you still need space for your tools, underbody boxes can be a perfect option. You select boxes whose lengths are somewhere between 20″ to 60″ depending on the size of your truck body.
- Tool-Mates. Tool-Mates storage boxes are perfect if you need additional mounting support or take heavy loads. The boxes can do this by reinforcing the base and the super corners.
Upfitting Options for Better Organization
Getting to a job site, ready to work and then having to spend 15 minutes trying to find a tool in the bed of your truck is not ideal. If you’re always looking for missing tools or materials, you may want to consider some of the organization options that upfitting your vehicle can offer.
1. Master MechanicTM Series
If you’re looking for a truck body that can offer you versatile storage options to help you organize your vehicle, you’ll want to look at HD Service Bodies. For drivers who need to use a crane at work sites, HD Crane Bodies have you covered.
HD Service Bodies
Both the 100 and 200-Series HD Service Bodiesare built modularly so that you can create a truck that is designed perfectly for you. They also feature adjustable shelving that is built on unistrut channel mounts, which provides you with the ability to place shelves where they are most useful. Unlike the majority of bodies you’ll find on the market today, these services bodies are not pre-slotted to allow for max adjustability.
The 100 Series body is nine feet long and has a 60-inch cab-to-axle, while the 200 Series is 11 feet long and has an 84-inch cab-to-axle. The number of tools and materials you typically use will influence which series body is right for you.
HD Crane Bodies
Like the HD service bodies, the HD crane bodies, from the 12-Series all the way to the 78-Series, feature adjustable shelving and modular design that allow for the most in-depth organizational options. They all also feature internal hidden hinges that reduce pry points and smooth the body’s surface to keep storage compartments as secure as possible.
What separates them from their service body counterparts is their addition of a crane to assist users in the field. If you’re going to need a crane and want to keep your equipment organized and secure, you won’t go wrong with one of the HD Crane Bodies in the Master Mechanic Series.
2. Service Bodies
There are a couple of different service bodies you can choose from, and they come in aluminum or steel options. Additionally, these bodies can be outfitted with cranes. The following are the main service bodies available:
- SL service bodies. The SL service body comes with plenty of storage options on the insides of the truck bed. There are shelves to help you organize, and the bodies feature places to hang tools and other equipment. To keep your equipment safe, these bodies include heavy-duty compartment doors that are internally reinforced to prevent damage.
- Cranemaster bodies. Similar to the SL service bodies in terms of additional storage space due to the compartments on the inside of the vehicle, Cranemaster bodies are an excellent choice if you want to make it easy to stay organized. If you require a crane in your work, these bodies are the right choice over other service bodies.
Upfitting Options for Enhanced Durability
All of the truck upfitting options are built with durability in mind. Below are some of the features that make our upfitted trucks so durable, along with a body that offers supreme durability over others.
1. Enclosed Bodies
These bodies comes in aluminum and steel options, depending on your needs. All of them offer an enclosed area that can be used as a work or storage space. They also come with weather-proof door seals to prevent weather damage and intruders from gaining access to the vehicles.
Enclosed bodies are mobile workshops, letting you hop up in the cab and have a roof over your head to continue to work even if it begins to rain. The roofing helps to keep your equipment safe from the elements, providing additional durability to the tools and materials you store in it.
2. Common Features on Trucks
Many of our trucks come with features that protect them from damage and keep them running consistently. Below are some of the durable options you’ll find on many of our trucks:
- Stainless steel T-handle locks. If a truck isn’t secure, its durability is going to be impacted. You don’t want anyone breaking in or a lock coming undone while you’re driving, and tools or materials falling out of your vehicle. Stainless steel T-handle locks give the best security on the market. To prevent wear and tear, they are made out of rust-resistant material and do not have any exposed fasteners.
- Stainless Steel Rotary Lock
- Aluma-Fill® fuel cup. To protect the exterior of your truck’s body from damage from metal fuel nozzles, the Aluma-Fill® fuel cup is made out of aluminum. This aluminum fuel receptacle prevents nicks and scratches from occurring while you fuel your vehicle.
- Undercoated steel understructure. To ensure that the truck can handle the heaviest loads without breaking down, an undercoated steel understructure uses U-beam girders to reinforce and brace the needed stress points. This steel understructure, which has been powder coated and primed, helps to keep your truck in commission. In some vehicles, the steel will be swapped out for aluminum, which can protect against corrosion and other long-term wear.
- Triple-protection finish aluminum. To protect the heavy-duty powder coat finish that comes standard on most vehicles, the triple-protection finish-aluminum uses a zinc phosphate and heavy-duty aluminum bath to help the powder finish adhere even more closely to the vehicle. This feature turns your finish into the most corrosion-resistant and durable option available on the market. For steel vehicles, a similar steel protection finish is used.
- Seamless wheelhouse panel. As your vehicle will often be on the road, kicking up mud, salt, grime and dirt into the wheel well, you’ll need protection from these elements. The buildup of debris and materials can cause corrosion and damage to the wheelhouse. However, seamless wheelhouse panels come standard on Reading’s service bodies. They reduce the places that moisture and debris can collect, reducing the likelihood of damage.
Interested in Upfitting a Truck?
Whatever your truck upfitting needs are, Reading Truck has you covered. Since 1955, we have been a leader among truck upfitters, and we have the infrastructure needed to handle your upfitting needs.
If you’re interested in commercial truck upfitting for your personal vehicle or an entire fleet, contact your closest Reading distributor. Once you reach out to your distributor, they can help you figure out what body options will work best for your needs.
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