You see, my grandson, he’s always talking ’bout these newfangled things. Lately, it’s been all about aluminum flatbeds for pickup trucks. Says it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Well, I don’t know ’bout all that, but I figured I’d try to understand what he’s going on about.

He keeps saying these aluminum flatbeds are lighter than the old steel ones. Says it saves on gas. Now, I remember back in my day, we just used whatever we had. Didn’t matter if it was a little heavier. We made do. But he claims these aluminum flatbeds, they’re good for when you ain’t haulin’ nothin’ too heavy. Like, maybe just some tools or some feed for the chickens. If you’re carryin’ light stuff a lot this saves you some money at the pump.
And these new aluminum flatbeds, they don’t rust like the old ones. My old truck, bless its heart, it’s got rust spots all over. You gotta keep an eye on ’em, patch ’em up, or the whole thing falls apart. But these aluminum ones, they say they don’t rust. Less work, I suppose. Less time with the sandpaper and paint. And time is money. Maybe you use your flatbed pickup truck to make money. That’s something to consider.
He also showed me pictures, these aluminum flatbeds, they got all sorts of fancy doohickeys. Places to tie things down, he says. We just used rope and a good knot back in the day. But I guess these new ones got these special hooks and things. They say it’s more secure. I suppose that’s good if you’re worried ’bout your load. Keep your stuff from falling off the flatbed pickup truck.
Now, my grandson, he says you can get these aluminum flatbeds in all different sizes. Depends on your truck, he says. Some are big, some are small. Gotta get the right one, or it won’t fit. That much I understand. Can’t put a big ol’ flatbed on a little truck, now can you? If your truck is 84″ by 104″, you gotta make sure the flatbed you get is the same. Otherwise you got a problem.
- They got these flatbeds that are real smooth, he says. Good for loading things.
- They got places for wooden sides. Some even got hooks all around to tie stuff down real good.
- They say these aluminum flatbeds, they’re stronger than they look.
- Can’t put a big flatbed on a little truck. Gotta match ’em up.
He says you can buy ’em new, or you can buy ’em used. Used ones are cheaper, naturally. But you gotta watch out, he says. Make sure they ain’t too beat up. He said a used one might cost ya $300. Or it could be as much as $2500. It depends. Make sure you look it over real good if you buy a used one.
A new one, well, that’s gonna cost ya more. But it’ll be all shiny and new. No dings or dents. And you know it ain’t gonna fall apart on ya, at least not for a while. And if you use your flatbed pickup truck to haul stuff for your work, you need something that can handle the weight.
And they got these special kinds of aluminum flatbeds for certain jobs, he says. Like for landscapers. They got special racks and things for their tools. Makes sense, I suppose. Gotta have the right tool for the job. Keep your tools on your flatbed pickup truck.
My grandson, he says these aluminum flatbeds, they’re the way to go these days. They’re light, they’re strong, and they don’t rust. But it all depends on what you’re gonna use it for. If you’re gonna haul a lot of heavy stuff all the time, then maybe the old steel ones are better. But if you ain’t haulin’ much that’s real heavy, then maybe these new aluminum flatbeds is worth a look.
Now these aluminum ones, he says, they last a long time. Don’t need to fix ’em up as much. That’s good. Less work. And they look kinda nice, I guess. All shiny and new. But like I said, back in my day, we just used whatever we had. Didn’t matter if it was shiny or not. Just had to get the job done. Aluminum flatbeds for pickup trucks, they seem to be pretty good for some things, though.
So there ya have it. That’s what I learned about aluminum flatbeds for pickup trucks. My grandson, he sure does like to talk about ’em. Maybe he’s right. Maybe they are the best thing since sliced bread. I still like my old truck, though, rust and all. It’s got character. But these new aluminum flatbeds, they got their place, I suppose. Especially if you are worried about saving money on gas, or if you don’t want to deal with rust. But if you are just hauling stuff around on the farm, maybe it doesn’t matter too much. Just make sure you tie down your load good, no matter what kind of flatbed you got.