South Dakota Truck Company Transforms Family Travel With Custom Six-Door Trucks – InForum

EMERY, SD — What started as a necessity for a blended family wanting to travel together has grown into the King Series Six-Door Truck Company, a thriving business that creates custom six-door trucks, offering spacious and stylish solutions for families and adventurers from all over the world. country.

Chad and Angel Eddy, owners of The King Series six-door truck company in Emery, South Dakota, began the journey to their future business after they were married. The union merged their individual households, creating a family of eight.

They found themselves frequently driving two vehicles for family outings, which was neither convenient nor efficient. Chad, an avid contractor for Ford Super Duty trucks and Powerstroke diesel engines, decided to build a six-door pickup truck. His experience in mechanics and welding, combined with determination, resulted in the first custom-built F-250 six-door pickup. The truck was a hit, attracting attention wherever it traveled.

“My mom had three girls and Chad had three boys. We were a modern-day Brady Bunch,” Ziebart said. “And everywhere we went, our new truck drew attention.”

In 2017-2018, after receiving numerous inquiries about their unique vehicle, the Eddys decided to test the market by building and selling a few trucks. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and the business has picked up steam, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families have started to travel.

Over the years, the company has evolved from a personal project into a thriving business producing around 60 trucks since its inception. Today, the company builds between 12 and 16 trucks annually, offering both turnkey builds and conversion services for customer-supplied trucks.

“We’re kind of like a regular dealership, we just sell cool trucks,” Ziebart said.

Like the trips the Eddy family used to take, the company is a family business, with various family members contributing to its operations. Ziebart handles marketing, parts ordering and paperwork; another brother manages the company’s website; help with part-time detailing; and the others help with the welding.

The King Series caters to a niche market of customers who need larger vehicles, including large families, construction crews, rodeo enthusiasts and full-time RVers. Angel Eddy notes that about 75% of their customers are families who enroll their children at home.

“We’re really on a mission to help other people enjoy their time together like we did with ours,” Eddy said.

The King Series runs exclusively on Ford Super Duty trucks, creating spacious six-door models that seat eight to nine passengers and eight-door models that seat up to 12.

“We could seatbelt everyone, but it was cramped. The oldest had to jump over the middle seat,” said David Ash, a customer from Raymond, Mississippi. “It’s one thing if you load everyone into the vehicle twice a week, but we were doing it six times a day.”

These trucks are designed for large families, offering comfort for long trips. One feature Ash particularly appreciates is the USB port on each pillar, which keeps everyone’s devices charged and accessible during long trips.

“Having a door for each kid to go in and then they had USB ports on each pillar,” Ash said. “Game changer for everything for us.”

Every King Series six-door truck is built with a high level of care and attention. Eddys works closely with customers before and after the purchase to ensure their needs are met and they are happy with their new truck.

“We strive to provide exceptional service and build lasting relationships with our customers,” said Eddy.

Build time for a truck typically ranges from 14 to 16 weeks, with the Eddys often staying in daily contact with customers. The Ash family even chose to visit the shop in person to see the progress and select specific features for their truck.

These custom trucks are not only functional, but also highly customizable, starting at a base price of $90,000 for a base model with no add-ons or upgrades. Customers can upgrade their vehicles with technology features such as the WeBoost Drive Reach device for enhanced mobile connectivity, along with aesthetic enhancements such as custom leather upholstery and smoked glass LED lights, tailoring each vehicle to their specific needs and tastes.

The ability to customize trucks is a key feature for many customers.

“One of the things for us was the massage seats in the front. At first I said I wasn’t interested in them, but after driving a truck with massaging seats, I thought, ‘Wow, this would be great on a 10-hour travel day,’” Ash said.

At the company’s recent truck show, Eddys introduced their latest model, the Ford F-350 SRW 2020 King Series 6 Door. This new design addresses some of the issues from Ford’s 2017 redesign that made it impossible to use the rear door as a middle door in their 6-door configurations due to changes to the truck body and door materials.

Other builders have tackled the 2017 Ford redesign challenge by modifying the doors by cutting, welding and using body filler. Instead, the King Series opted for a more innovative solution, developing a one-piece middle door with seamless body lines that eliminate the need for filler, as well as a one-piece roof for their trucks. The other known competitor in the industry is an Oklahoma company that only builds trucks for customers who already own their own vehicles.

Ash’s interest in six-door trucks began in 2016 when he first googled how to travel with large families and discovered the concept as a viable solution. This interest turned into an obsession, and Ash discovered the King Series online in January 2020, while Googling again. He submitted an inquiry through the company’s website, and within an hour, Eddy was in touch, embarking on a journey that would greatly enhance the Ash family’s travel experiences.

“Our full truck has transformed our RV lifestyle, eliminating about 50 percent of the challenges associated with full-time travel with a large family,” said Ash.

Jennifer Leither joined the Mitchell Republic in April 2024. She grew up in Sioux Falls, SD, where she attended Lincoln High School. She continued her education at South Dakota State University, graduating in December 2000 with a BA in Journalism. While in college, Leither worked as a reporter for the campus newspaper, The Collegian. She also interned for Anderson Publications in Canistota, SD in the summer of 2000. After graduation, Leither continued to live in the Sioux Falls area and worked as a freelance writer for the Argus Leader for several years.
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