towcat said:
for me, no thanks to kali DOT laws, a regular pickup bed is my only choice in order to fly under the radar. anything else IF NOT EQUIPPED WITH RV PLATES, is required to stop at scales and be subject to DOT inspection.
And this right there would be the reason I sold the flatbed that was on my F600, and replaced it w/ an '80-'86 F350 dually box. This is not only a Kali law, other states have it as well - running an MDT in and of itself turns one into a state bear bait, having a flatbed makes them that much more likely to get nosy. OTOH stick a pickup box on the truck, and stick a "camper" shell on that, and no one gives you a 2nd look, even if you're hooked to a trailer - IIRC the only time I've been stopped since I ditched the flatbed was that one time on the Grapevine, and I think that had to do more w/ the smoke out the stacks (damn injectors) than with what was on the trailer...
79jasper said:
That's crazy. Especially since IMO a normal truck with a slide in would be considered "RV," More so than a flatbed.
Only if the camper was permanently attaches. Which slide-ins by default are not. And even w/ a slide-in as long as it's a "commercial" bed under it (defined by some states simply as a flatbed or utility box, and by Kali as anything and everything that is not a pickup box 8ft or less in length) technically you'd still be required to hit the scales. I ain't never heard of it being enforced in that particular setup, but that ain't to say that you can't get in trouble if the DOT goons are in the proper mood (or you do something stupid to attract their attention as you fly by).
79jasper said:
A service body would also serve me well since I'm always working on everyone else's crap. And it's most usually away from home.
Careful there, check your local laws - service bodies are often considered commercial bodies, and thus would require you to, at the very least, get a DOT number for your truck. Which in turn automatically restricts you from certain roadways. Even without DOT numbers I had a heck of a time entering one of NYC's tunnels cause it was designated as non-commercial vehicles only and the lady at the toll booth was (based on local laws, so not entirely without reasoning) deeply convinced that a dually pickup truck surely must be used for non other than commercial purposes. Then she wanted to charge me an arm and a leg for toll till I politely refused to pay more than what a Chevy Suburban gets charged for cause some of them basterds are even bigger and heavier than me! It is at that point we reached an understanding, but it was an eye-opening experience.
Bottom line, use what you have the need for, but do your due research and know the repercussions and limitations of whatever you choose.