Brendonv's Custom Chip Box Build

brendonv

Tree Hugger
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
7,152
Location
Oxford, Connecticut
Follow along as I cut, weld, fabricate my own all aluminum custom chip box to fit a Truck Craft aluminum dumping flatbed over the next 2-3 weeks.

The box is two part, 48" sides, with a removable 12" top portion on top of that. Tailgate will be 36" tall, allowing us to haul approx 10 + yds of chip with a nine foot long body.

The sides are 3/16" aluminum sheet, the channel, square, rectangles, and angle are all .125/.130.

Heres the trucks flatbed, and the first round of material being cut.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    222 KB · Views: 298
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    95.7 KB · Views: 286
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4
Here is a over priced competitors unit. Ive seen these in person and the welds and fit up leave plenty of room for improvement. The design is similar, yet i will add what i think will be plenty of improvements and design changes.

Look how wavy the bottom square sits on the flatbed. Last they quoted me 8-9 g's for one iirc.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    142.1 KB · Views: 283
Having just gone through the ordering process I know how expensive chip bodies are. I'm curious what will your box cost roughly in materials? Obviously you're a good welder and that has to be great so you can get exactly what you want and of the quality that you want.



Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 
What kind of welder do you have for aluminum? That box in the pic doesn't look like it's very well built.
 
For the chip truck we used, my boss converted an old Ryder truck. Chopped a few feet off, put in a discarded county electrician trucks metal gear storage box then added a hydraulic PTO dump.

It was beautiful. Always ran, A gloss 'almost UPS brown' paint job -with tan vinyl decal down the box. The floor was wood -and we would periodically pour our used motor oil onto to preserve it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16
Dave,

Ive got a miller syncrowave 250. Ive been teaching myself tig over the last year about. I love it. MWelds are pretty and pass multiple smash tests. Lol
 
What are some tips you could give to a beginner? I have read some debate about different gasses and electrode? composition. What are you using?

I have a big ugly Lincoln ideal arc 300 with a water cooled tig gun that i am dying to try out.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18
Im using 3/32 2% lanthanated electrodes mostly. Last week i turned aluminum ramps into truck sides for a guy and i needed to bump up to 1/8" electrode for the thicker material. But most i do uses the "smaller" electrode.

Straight argon, and ya gotta know your settings on the machine. Clean material makes worlds of differences. ( wipe with acetone after brushing). Basically hood time. I burned through two larger tanks of argon, and dipped my fair share of electrodes.:lol:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19
Heres the ramps, i made two smaller ramps into the tailgates too. Came out great, crap flip phone picture.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    214.3 KB · Views: 128
I have underestimated your sneakiness!:lol: I have an old Miller TIG that I use for aluminum. I use straight argon and pure tungsten. Never tried any of the others. I always ball the tungsten on a piece of scrap al.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #25
Cut 80% of material today.

Heres the parts for the removable top. Angled for less wind and appearance.

Ill be able to remove the lightweight top, load firewood, mulch, soil, whatever.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    165.5 KB · Views: 130
Back
Top