The 2026 Ram 3500 is the towing king of the one-ton class, and most of the people who buy one end up pulling the factory pickup box off within a year. A flatbed makes the truck what it was built to be: a gooseneck platform with a deck you can actually work off of. Here is what fits and what it costs.

Ram 3500 cab & chassis CA lengths

Configuration	CA length	Flatbed size
Regular cab CC	60″ or 84″	8’6″ or 9’/11′
Crew cab CC	60″ or 84″	8’6″ or 9’/11′
Pickup conversion (box removed)	~60″ equivalent	8′ or 8’6″

If you are converting a pickup rather than buying a cab and chassis, the fuel filler and exhaust routing differ from a factory CC. It is a routine job for us, but it is why we measure the truck instead of trusting a spec sheet.

SRW vs DRW: the gooseneck question

A dual-rear-wheel 2026 Ram 3500 is the strongest gooseneck platform you can buy without moving up to a medium-duty chassis. Rear axle capacity and the wider stance are what let it carry the tongue weight of a large equipment or livestock trailer. The single-rear-wheel version is a genuinely capable truck, but on a heavy gooseneck you will hit the rear axle rating well before you hit the tow rating.

• DRW + 84″ CA — the classic hotshot spec. Long deck, high payload, room ahead of the ball.
• DRW + 60″ CA — best all-around ranch and construction truck.
• SRW + 60″ CA — lighter, narrower, better daily driver; fine for bumper-pull and light gooseneck.
• Check your door sticker GAWR before assuming the advertised max tow number applies to your trim.

Flatbeds that fit the 2026 Ram 3500

• CM RD and TM — the RD is the volume seller: gooseneck ball, rear receiver, LED lights, headache rack. The TM adds a skirted look with under-deck boxes.
• NXG flatbeds — fully recessed 1/8-inch steel treadplate deck, integrated XRack and tested automotive-grade LED lighting.
• Norstar SR — heavier gauge and a well-finished headache rack; a favorite with people who keep trucks eight or ten years.
• Bedrock Granite — for buyers who want the strongest deck and are hauling equipment rather than just towing.

What a flatbed actually changes

Two things. First, weight: most steel flatbeds are lighter than the factory pickup box plus liner and toolbox, so you often gain 100–250 lb of usable payload. Second, access: you can load pipe, pallets, and hay from three sides, and the gooseneck ball sits in a fixed, correct position instead of a bolt-in hitch in a truck box. See our flatbed bodies page for the full lineup.

Installed pricing and timing

Entry flatbeds for the Ram 3500 start in the mid $3,000s installed; skirted and boxed models run $6,000 to $12,000 depending on brand and options. In-stock units are usually installed in a single business day at our Wharton shop, and we can hold a bed for a truck that is still in transit from your dealer.

Talk to Someone Who Installs These Every Week

We stock, spec, and install these bodies at our shop in Wharton, TX, and we serve buyers across Texas and Louisiana. Call us to discuss which is right for your truck — we’ll go over cab-to-axle, wheel configuration, hitch rating, and total installed cost before you commit.

📞 Call (979) 532-1486 — Star Truck Equipment, 2507 County Rd 231, Wharton, TX 77488. Most in-stock bodies are installed in one business day.