I'm a little late reading and replying to this post, but I must say that that it is very refreshing to hear so many people talk highly about sled decks let alone the TRUCKBOSS decks! I am the dealer for TRUCKBOSS for New York with a growing territory into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I have been supplying these decks to people for 4 years now and have had nothing but satisfied customers. I understand that they can be pricey but they are the Cadillac of the sled deck market.
I'll address some issues that have been proposed and answered by other posters of this discussion. First off the TRUCKBOSS decks are air tight so theres no water getting into your box also making it fully secure if you have a locking tailgate. The deck is secured to the bed of your truck in addition to the rails, there are no straps or other weak forms of securing the deck to the bed such as some of the other companies use. In terms of the truck, a 2500 or higher is not needed, in fact I have installed a couple decks on some 1500's/F150's. The only thing I recommend is either air bags in the rear or Timbren suspension enhancement, with these simple improvements the truck will handle just as any other truck with a deck equipped would.The biggest thing with TRUCKBOSS is that their decks are all aluminum with no welds or other materials that will deteriorate with time. This makes the decks light and virtuously maintenance free. As far as loading and unloading goes, the majority of you have answered this pretty well. For sleds it is a little intimidating in the beginning but you quickly adjust. Depending on your deck size, the ramps vary from a 10ft to a 12ft telescoping ramp that stores under the deck on a set of hangers. If you do not feel comfortable loading them or if your sled breaks down and you aren't looking to man handle the sled than I would recommend the optional winch kit that comes with a mounted switch under the bed, a wired controller, as well as a wireless controller. The winch also doubles as a secure way of knowing that your sled isn't going anywhere during travel if left secured to the sled(s).
I am happy to address any questions that anyone may have as well as send photos of a deck in detail or operation. As for those who are looking for a deck and do not have a dealer locally to them, we ship decks all across the country at no additional cost. Feel free to contact me if you are interested and we can provide a quote with free shipping to your home directly or if you are interested in making the trip to my garage we do free installation. I saw that some people have posted prices for decks that they were interested in, just so others know TRUCKBOSS has a wide variety of prices that can go much lower than $6500. A new addition to TRUCKBOSS is that they have partnered with Caliber for their accessories provided with the deck as well as add ons. A big thanks to all of those who support and inform others about their experience with sled decks!![/QUOte
No way Id put a deck in Half ton truck. Don't care if you have air bags or not. Will it do it? Sure, but not advised. Truck isn't big enough IMHO and well over the legal limit on payload. I wouldn't advise it on a 1500. See plenty of em out.