coverting flat bed to dump bed

[woody50]

Hi,

I am thinking of buying a one ton truck that I have had my eye on all summer and want to convert the flat bed to a dump. Anyone have any tips or ideas they would like to share? I mostly need ideas with the hinge at the frame/bed. Also any ideas about the cylinder placement would be helpful. This will be a winter project. I will post a picture of the truck when I get it bought.

thanks,
woody

 

[Grizz]

Nothern tools has a dump kit

flatbed dump from Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I bought an 1970 F350 flat bed in 1987 and turned it into a dump bed.
I went to a junk yard and bought a 16ft dump frame off of an F600.
Had to cut it down to fit my 9ft bed but it worked great.
I sold it a few years back and now I wish I hadn't.
I still go by and visit it sometimes.

Your best bet is one of the dump frames from Northern Tool or Surplus Supply.
You put the dump frame on the truck frame
and then the flat bed goes on top of the dump frame.

Pooh Bear

 

[2manyrocks]

here's a link to a dumb bed build on Shop Floor Talk.


Let's build a dump truck - Shop Floor Talk

 

[svcguy]

I think Pooh Bear is giving you great advice. If you live anywhere near scrap yards or recycling depots, dump units are not uncommon. I have bought several good units for next to nothing and converted trucks and trailers over the years.

 

[cp1969]

I converted a C50 Chevy from 20' flat to dump, or rather I had it done.

It was a multi-stage twin cylinder hoist and I hated that thing. It ended up causing the death of the truck.

The hinge was simply a piece of heavy angle iron running perpidicular to the frame rails, welded in a matching-size notch cut in the upper corners of the frame rails. (imagine you are at the rear of the truck, looking perpindicular to very ends of the frame rails. The angle iron would appear to be an "L" laying in a similarly shaped notch cut in the frame) This piece of angle had four very heavy plates, centered with the frame rails, with holes for the hinge pins, welded in to form the bottom half of the hinge. The hinge halves that form the other half of the hinge are plates that are lap welded to both sides of each frame rail of the bed and have a tube welded between them where the pin will go through.

This piece of angle and the hinges need to be constructed very well because there is a lot of stress on these parts. You don't want to do this unless you are a very good welder.

That is how it's done on trucks with straight frame rails. I don't know if this will work on a one ton. It might need to have a sub frame on top of the truck frame.