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truck body ideas

Started by Oliver05262, December 04, 2014, 09:26:30 PM

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Oliver05262

  I have been asked to build a 12' flatbed body for a F550 truck. The truck presently has a very rusty, steel framed flatbed dump with a wood floor. The owner has a portable mill and sells lumber retail; everything is loaded with a forklift or (rarely) by hand, so it doesn't need a dump body. Since he has the lumber, it seems to make sense to build the body out of wood.
  Seems like years ago, many trucks around here had locally built wood bodies, even log bunks were wood, with pipe for stake pockets. Not much like that now, except the ones you see on pickups that the bed rotted off of.
  I'm looking for ideas for what to use for dimensions; thinking 3 1/2" X 5" stringers (the frame is 3 1/2" wide), and maybe 3" X 5" crossmembers if I need to get that high to clear the tires--probably on 24" centers. Probably 2" decking, or at least 6 quarters thick so that he won't have to get the dunnage exactly on top of the crossmembers.
  He's got a bunch of ash in the yard, so he'd like to use that. I know it's lighter than white oak, but maybe not as strong. He also doesn't have any oak here, so that answers that anyway. Weight could be a factor, especially if I over-engineer this too much !!!
  I'd like any advice anyone can give me, and any pictures of what you have would be a big help.
  The truck is an '02, so it won't last forever. It would be nice if the body was fit later on to go on another truck, so if I do it, I'd like to do it right.
Oliver Durand 
southwest Vermont
 
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

Tree Dan

I use to use channel or square tube...hard to say...pictures will help.
A wild guess without seeing it...5" channel frame rails (2)
and 3" channel cross members
Wood Mizer LT40HD, Kubota KX71, New Holland LS150, Case TR270
6400 John Deere/with loader,General 20" planer, Stihl 880, Stihl 361, Dolmar 460, Husqvarna 50  and a few shovels,
60" and 30" Log Rite cant hooks, 2 home built Tree Spades, Homemade log splitter

69bronco

I second what Dan said. Make the frame out of steel, use wood for the deck. The frame will last for many trucks, the decking gets replaced as needed. I had a log truck built like that many years ago, I bolted the log bunks (trip bunks, anyone remember those?) to the deck so they could be removed and still have a flat bed.

Foxtrapper

If the dump frame isn't in really bad shape, you could reuse that and put wood on for the decking..i second everyone else who has said use steel.  That way you won't have to worry about something rotting or breaking except the deck boards..
2014 WoodMizer LT28

Dakota

Here are a few pics of a flatbed I welded up some years ago.  I believe the frame was 2"X4" channel with 2"X2" cross members and 1/4" plate steel.



 



 



 



 



 



 



 
Dave Rinker

LittleJohn

Thats a nice looking truck bed ;D

drobertson

Nice bed Dakota,  done a few real close to what you have.  The size of the channel really depends on the clearance and strength you are looking for.  Over kill is always on everyone's mind, done it before, but with the price of steel these days, crunching some numbers would be the way to go, the price adds up quickly just as the weight does. 
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

blade69001

Nice pics,
Here is a thread for me to watch as this is already on my projects list.
Sean P.
Just being me, But it is ok you do not have to like me.

Oliver05262

  I got a chance to talk to the owner this afternoon, and he still wants to do it. I came up with what I think is a pretty good plan, and gave him a cut list for the parts needed. He's into sawing pine right now, and it won't be until after Christmas that he'll get out those Ash logs and cut it out.
  If things go as he plans, we'll start on it the first of the year. I'll take plenty of pictures and put them on here.
  It will be heavy, and he knows it, but if it comes out well, it will give him a chance to showcase his business. 
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

bandmiller2

Ollie, he says he doesn't need the dump body but its there and I assume working. I would reuse the dump as they use heavy steel just replace the cross members and use the ash. When done treat the ash with something like Thompsons. If you have a dump you will use a dump. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Oliver05262

  Old thread, but I thought I'd update it such as I can.
  Those who suggest we reuse the dump are thinking the right way, but the subframe and the crossmembers are so rusty that it would take a major rebuild to save the dump. That is the major driver in this push to just build a new body. It really started to come apart in the last week or so, and so--here we go.
  I really wanted to make it out of something durable and rot resistant. Not too much white oak around here, and none in the yard inventory. Ash in good supply, and that WAS the fallback species, I thought. That's what I get for thinking. I got presented with a pile of Popple!!!!! I so much as told him we were wasting our time; same amount of work to make it, with much,much shorter life expectancy. Yup, it's lighter, but what does that matter. Just do it, and we'll oil the dickens out of it. 'K, it's a time and materials job for me.
  3"X6" stringers, 3"X5" crossmembers with a pair of 2"X6"'s bolted top and bottom on the outer edge, and they will be ironed with a 1/4"X2" flat bar on the outside. 2"X2" angle iron at each stringer/crossmember connection, with a 3"X3" angle on the rear connection that will extend down and bolt to the frame for a rear holddown. I'll use heavy flat bar and 5/8" allthread for the front and center holddowns. 3"X3" (4"X4" if I can find some) angle for supports for the headboard. He'll still be well advised to strap down to the frame, not the body.   
  Pictures will follow as I get started. Probably the old body will come off this week, and after the frame is wire brushed and painted, the wood will fly, sort of.
  Please don't flame me for the choice of materials; I just work here.
   
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

barbender

Some folks used to deck lowboy trailers with aspen around here, not because it is durable or rot resistant or any other qualities that make for good decking material. What it does have going for it is that dozer grousers can bite into it in the winter so you can get the machine on the trailer, rather than sliding off the side. I have a small section of my gooseneck decked with aspen, it's been on there for 5 years and it's time for it to be replaced. It is the middle few strips of decking so it doesn't get any abuse. Aspen would not be my first choice, but it will last longer than you would expect.
Too many irons in the fire

thecfarm

Seem like I heard that popple will dent before it breaks.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

barbender

That sounds about right, thecfarm. One other thing to keep in mind is that truck beds often get busted up before they rot. All else being equal, I always go with white oak, but how is it said, popple you have is better than white oak that you don't  ;)
Too many irons in the fire

Dave Shepard

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

dgdrls

No flame here,
I'm a big fan of aluminum flatbeds,
Truck or trailer applications

DGDrls




Oliver05262

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

    PICTURES!!!!!!  As promised, here are some pictures as this project gets started. The old body was pretty rusty, and it was unsafe to use the dump several years ago. Tin worms got the best of it, and one side started to tear off. I cut the bed loose Wednesday, and we used the forklift to lift it off and put it down back in the yard. The frame has a lot of rust on it, and a guy who works one day a week was busy at it today with a chiping hammer and a wire brush. After he gets the worst of the rust off, he'll put Rustoleum primer on it, and I can get going with the wood.
  The other pictures are of the angle irons I laid out and pre-drilled that will hold the crossmembers to the stringers, and the larger angles that will also act as tie-downs at the rear. The flat bar is roughly cut to length and also primed.
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

Oliver05262

  Got some of the wood on the truck today, but I ran out of hardware. I got more bolts at Tractor Supply, and I have to make a couple of pieces.
I used Ash for the headboard supports instead of steel, and there will be an Ash plank at the rear reinforcing the rear crosmember.

  

 
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

Oliver05262

More pictures. Got more done on it yesterday and today; next job is put irons on the side 2X6's, and get the lights installed and wired up before I put the decking on.

  

  

 
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

Oliver05262

  Pretty much done; he's made a couple of deliveries with it. I still need to make a screen to protect the back window.
  The finish is log cabin preservative/stain. He had it sitting around and wanted to use it on this body. As you can see in one of the pictures, it's time to put some more on the office!!

  

 
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

barbender

Too many irons in the fire

AK Newbie

LT28, Logosol M7, Husky 385XP, Stihl MS 250, Echo

Magicman

Those are very serviceable bodies.   8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

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