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Pickup vs cab and chassis

8K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  StrokerDude 
#1 ·
Hey all. I have a question regarding the '99-'03 7.3 trucks. I'm shopping for one, and have come across several that are cab and chassis trucks with flatbeds on them.

I know that the cab and chassis has a different width frame than the pickups, but are there any other differences? Why are the frame widths different? Considering that I will probably wind up putting a flatbed on the truck I find if it doesn't come with one, is there any reason to buy one over the other?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Other than the frame, exhaust is different to compensate for the width change obviously. If the frame was as wide as a standard pickup frame, you wouldn't be able to get the dual wheels to sit flush with the body line. Dually pickups are wider if you've ever noticed, while on my cab and chassis it's skinnier than the dually.

No other serious differences off the top of my head right now.
 
#4 ·
I still don't fully understand why the cab and chassis trucks are narrower, but it's good to know that's the only real difference. I'd think, in order to narrow the wheel width, that they would simply run a narrower axle on a pickup sized frame. Seems like that would be less expensive to produce than two different frame sizes, along with having to get two different axle sizes.

Are there as many options for pickup sized flatbeds as there are cab and chassis sized beds?
 
#6 ·
\I'd think, in order to narrow the wheel width, that they would simply run a narrower axle on a pickup sized frame. Seems like that would be less expensive to produce than two different frame sizes, along with having to get two different axle sizes.
You can't just have a narrower axle, there just isn't enough room to fit a whole nother tire on there, and not be significantly wider than the body. Think about it, how much of a gap is there between the leaf springs and tire on a regular pickup? A few inches....it just wouldn't work.

And I believe FA is correct, body options..
 
#8 ·
Gearing is also different on the Cab and Chassis trucks. Overall width is at least four inches narrower than the dually pickups, still a little wider than a SRW truck tho.
 
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