Load ‘N’ Go
Fleetwest’s transferable Powerbody service-truck body brings versatility to fleet pickup cargo management
By Bruce W. Smith
I’ve always been partial to slide-in pickup campers. They provide the conveniences and amenities you want on a trip, yet when camp is set up you can drop the jacks and pull out from under the camper so the truck is available for other uses.
That’s why fleet managers who employ pickups for multi-tasking should find Fleetwest’s Load ‘N’ Go “transferable” service bodies make a lot of business sense: The universal design makes it easy to move a Load ‘N’ Go from truck to truck, leave it on a jobsite, or drop it at the shop, freeing up the truck for other duties.
Fleetwest (fleetwest.net; 866-497-7200) offers Load ‘N’ Go in several models dedicated to different uses such as the “Sportsman” or “Tradesman” styles.
We put the long-bed “Powerbody” version, which lists for $6,400, in Big Red. As equipped – with the optional Vanair Air-N-Arc 150 welder/compressor/generator and diamond plate top – it retails for $16,900.
The Air-N-Arc control panel is located in the front compartment so you don’t have to crawl up into the service body bed to operate the unit. It also keeps the controls safe from the bad elements – both weather-related and the human kind.
The 1,350-pound Powerbody is soildly built. It’s equipped with quality “T”-locking handles; strong piano hinges; smooth welds; and built-in forklift tunnels for easy removal if you don’t want to use the optional lifting jacks ($790) like we have. It can also be ordered with built-in lifting tubes for overhead crane loading/unloading.
The Powerbody provides some 60 cu./ft. of storage space within four 20-inch-tall, four-foot-long locking side-boxes and the slide-out drawer. That’s considerably more storage than you’ll find most pickup cab/chassis service bodies.
We’ll be using every foot of that space, too, with all manner of gear and tools over the next few months as we build Big Red into one fine service truck.
