The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1-Ton Pickup Question

I have a 1959 Chevrolet 1-ton pickup that I've always figured would eventually end up with a flat bed. (The flat bed being more useful in my earlier opinion.)

As I've been thinking about it, a 1-ton pickup is kind of odd, since it seems hard to use the 1-ton rating in such a narrow bed.

Can anyone shed light on original uses for 1-ton pickups? That might be a dumb question, but I'm thinking more and more about using the old bed. I'd be interested in hearing from other 1-ton pickup owners, how many are out there? Thanks!

I have an original one ton truck, and it came with a utility box (follow the link). It was originally a Dallas Power and Light utility truck. It was then bought by a guy with an earth moving business and was his tool truck up to the 70s. Then it sat waiting for the day I would rescue it.

Btw, Kerwin, this Irwin (me - ha!) has the same truck.

I was going to use it as is for motorcycle race van, but busted up my collar bone and decided to old, fat, and stooopid to race. So I converted mine to a flat bed for ultimate utility. There is a tech tip and a post on how I built my flat bed on this site.

The one tons often performed the same service that modern Chevy HD 3500s or F350s do, but weren't bought to be cowboy caddillacs.

I have a 52 1 ton with the 9 ft pickup bed. It is just as handy as a short bed, and the some, and then some more.
I don't want a truck with any sorter bed now that I have been spoiled.
You can have a box in the front of the bed, and still have a full 7' left over if you like to sleep in your truck bed, it works great for long trips; room for your stuff and you too.

My 53 1 ton also has a 9 foot box. It was a farm truck used to haul grain. The box is fitted with wood sides to increase capacity. The PO cut a hole in the endgate with a sliding door that allowed grain to flow out with the box lifted via hydraulic hoist.

I have a '51 one-ton with a 9 foot box and I was told it came from a chicken farm. This may be where the guy I bought it from, I don't doubt it.
However, when sanding off the old coats of paint I found the doors painted with the name of a local rock quarry. No wonder the sides were beat up so bad.
I had the bed wood made by a local Amish carpenter from some drawings I did and while he was at it I had him make up some stakes and sideboards. The bottom sideboard runs the full length, the second runs two-thirds and the top sideboard just beyond to the first stake. It looks good and seems to make the cab appear shorter and better matched to the cab.
Unless you are going to use your truck to haul hay or whatever, I'd say keep the 9 foot bed. I thought about a flat bed at first and an glad I kept the stepside.

I had this truck, and I was told it was a fleet truck from a utility company.

http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/ducor_doug_1966_01.htm

My '48 1 ton was used as a push truck at a Chevy dealership. They added a bracket to put a second bumper above the original bumper. I can barely make out the dealer logo on the doors. Later it was used a a grain truck on a farm. The original tailgate was ditched, and metal channel was added so a board could be used as a tailgate and slid up to let the grain out. The bed doesn't dump though. I picked the truck up in Nebraska.

I have a '49 1 Ton with the original bed. The original owner of my truck used it in his appliance and tv antenna installation business and removed the step side bed when he bought it and stored it in the barn (he put a utility body on it). The original bed got replaced on the truck shortly before I bought it in 2003 and is in mint condition.

My truck is more toy than working truck and the long bed is quite the conversation piece at shows and cruise-ins where usually there are lots of AD trucks but mine is the only long bed. I'm with Grigg -- I'm spoiled now and the 1/2-ton and 3/4 ton trucks just don't look right to me anymore with their dinky little beds

I say keep the original bed -- ANYBODY can slap a flatbed on their truck. Yours is more original and rarer with the original 9-foot stepside!


John

I'm going to take a different slant, and I don't have a 1 ton, it's only a 68 3/4 ton. The rear axle is a 1 ton though, does that get 3/4s of the way there. Certianly there are different boxes for a purpose. The utility boxes especially add extra weight. The extra wieght is were the 1 ton excells over the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton, brakes. The 1/2 ton brakes are arely adequate for an empty bed. The 3/4 ton will get you by for most everything as long as you are aware they are still marginal for very heavy loads. I've hauled 26 bags of concrete, hauled an Chrysler Imperial, 63 C20 with overhead camper. The stock 3/4 ton manual brakes will do. As soon as I get done with some other projects I'll be putting 1 ton disks on the front. The proverbial two cents worth.
Larry