truckbed

[hbswanson]

i have a dodge 3500 it is a 1999 i am trying to find plains to build a flat bed for it can anyone help me i like the one in the ideagallery/around-the -shop

[HMW]

I built one this past summer for 2008 F250, pretty straight forward.

[hbswanson]

Originally Posted by hbswanson

i have a dodge 3500 it is a 1999 i am trying to find plains to build a flat bed for it can anyone help me i like the one in the ideagallery/around-the -shop

does anyone know where i might find a blueprint of a flat bed that i might use for mine i will pay for it i don;t know where to start to build it i am in a welding class at college thanks a lot if you can help

[superredd]

Hey hbswanson! Put away your wallet, your money is no good here
As for your deck, like HMW said they are pretty straight forward. I work for a small company were we specialize in custom truck bodies and truck mounted equipment and this is a regular job we get.

The way we build ours is by using 4 inch channel propped up on end for longsils, attaching them to the frame with 1/4 plate (one end welded to channel other is bolted to frame).

Then Lay down some 3 inch channel accross the longsils to be your crossmembers depending on the size of deck they are usually laid 12" centers or 14" centers.

we then use 3x5 by 1/4 thick angle iron for the sides and front, laying the 3" side for the top to be flush with the wood. to do this establish your wanted width and cut spacers and just space it from the 3 inch channel. We usually bend up (with brake press) a tailboard for lights and lisence plate but the 3x5 angle will work fine for that too.

You'll want to get tongue and groove boards for this deck and notch them front and back so that they will fit underneath your front and back angle irons and still be flush with the top. When laying them down point the tongue towards the drivers side so that it will be nice and on the drivers side because chances are you will have to rip one of the boards down in order to slide it in to fit it up nice. remember to space the boards out a bit to allow for expansion when they get wet or else they will buckle and not be flat. The wood should be the second to last thing to be installed onto the deck with the last thing being the tail board.

If you want to install stake pockets just cut a hole in the top of the side angle peices and install with a peice of 3/16 plate with 2x 90 degree bends so that they are channel like or cut one side off a peice of rectangular HSS. when you tack them in make sure you recess them enough so that when you weld them it will be nice and flush.

your cargo winches and J hooks should be welded to the bottom of a crossmember

Cut a hole in the side of your side angle to acomodate your fuel filler cap. you might have to extend your fuel filler neck and buy or make a plate thing that you can weld in to recess your filler into the side of the angle and make it nice like right.

If you feel you want extra support or extra insurance or whatever for your crossmembers you can cut up some 3/16 plate into small triangular gussets and weld them on the outside of your longsils butting them to the bottom of the crossmember.

so now you have a flatdeck. now you need a baulk head or headache rack or whatever you want to call it. for these just mitre up some 2 1/2 or 3 inch square HSS 3/16 thickness and put some nice 3/16 checker on the bottom half (flush of course) and i think it's 1-10f mesh or something mesh in the top half.

i might put up some pictures of a bigger one i build and if i can find the drawings (napkin style) i might post them up too.

Hope this helps

[superredd]

Originally Posted by hbswanson

does anyone know where i might find a blueprint of a flat bed that i might use for mine i will pay for it i don;t know where to start to build it i am in a welding class at college thanks a lot if you can help

I started working for this company when i was in grade 9 and now i'm in grade 12. As luck would have it there is a shortage of welders around here so developed a program where a grade 11 or 12 student could attend a local trade school college and obtain their ticket while earning high school credits. i beleive they call it the ace-it program ( Accelerated credit enrolment in industry training ) and this is for a variety of trades.. needless to say I start for my C Ticket on Febuary 4th

[hbswanson]

i will be taking my n.c. dot test on feb 7 hope i past it i will be lis to weld for the state if i past it it will be on 6inch pipe in g6 g6 in on a 45% i am 55 years old and going to college ant that a blast i get layoff from the plaint i work at for 33 years they offed me a package to leave so i did that was back in july last year

[superredd]

how big of a deck are you looking to build? they can take between 3 days to 1.5 weeks i find. the 1.5 weeks being the one that was like 22 feet long and
8'6" wide and made with a 4x6 3/8 angle perimeter. It was a hooklift version aswell as being my first flatdeck build

[superredd]

55 years young and still hard at it! Good on ya! sorry to hear about the lay off i fear i may i may suffer the same in the near future unfortunatly. lots of opportunities in the pipe welding right now, as soo as i get all my tickets i think i'll head up north for a bit to save up for a house perhaps. 6G pipe test eh? haha i look forward to doing that one! Good luck on your upcoming test and say hi to the college girls for me

[hbswanson]

Originally Posted by superredd

55 years young and still hard at it! Good on ya! sorry to hear about the lay off i fear i may i may suffer the same in the near future unfortunatly. lots of opportunities in the pipe welding right now, as soo as i get all my tickets i think i'll head up north for a bit to save up for a house perhaps. 6G pipe test eh? haha i look forward to doing that one! Good luck on your upcoming test and say hi to the college girls for me

i like to build a all steel bed 8wide 9'6" long with a 5th wheel and at lest 2 tool boxs on it

[hbswanson]

i have problem with my truck flat bed i am building the dodge thas a 4in up turn on the rail at the wheel well , the front of rail has 2 bracket offset to the outside that the old 8ft bed bolted too i see one opt for it , put a 4in spacer on the rail to bring up to level then go with something like 3in channel all the way back to make it 10ft long , does anyone have a ideal for me to try or am i on the right path with this