Found one I could watch bout cutting the frame horrible sound so you might just wanna go ahead and shut that off before playing.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R39Kj99cjiM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

We did one truck frame at work like that. Makes for a fairly strong joint though. I would choose a "Z" over that personally, but I wouldn't shy away from doing that style again.

We shorten about 4 trucks a year and usually lengthen around 2. In the sanitation industry we are always buying used trucks and retro-fitting them to our specs.

FWIW as a CWI and fabrication supervisor for my company, a simple "butt-splice" would never fly around here. None of the frame companies I know would ever do something like that.

Josh

Josh

 

I think your way and reds way are both good. He has a c channel inside a c channel, so its stronger than what you describe using a flat plate over part of the weld. I think the cut dont matter if you double frame that section like red, if you just use a flat fish plate then the z should be stronger.
Glad to have two very experienced guys on here to learn from, your both an asset to this site.

 

Why does it say the owner hasn't ade it available to mobile users?

 

CANNOT PASTE!


I was trying to copy a pic of Reds to ask if the 2 halves could be seemed back together after a section is removed. I'm not sure I have the skill to fold the body back around the bulkhead.

 

I have a 79 F350 Crew, the truck was a ramp truck early in its life up until i got it a few years ago. The frame was stretched, the frame was cut right behind the cab. It was a straight cut, butt welded together with only a 4"x6" reinforcing plate welded inside the frame. The frame was still as i guess it was done ever how many years ago, no cracks or any signs of being a problem. So if that worked for all those years, in a commercial capacity with probably a 2000 lb bed on the truck and hauling 3500 lb cars why wouldn't it be ok on a short wheel base truck?

Also i worked for a fertilizer spreader manufacture, We always mounted spreader bodies on trucks, the body would weigh 3500 lbs and would hold 5 tons of fertilizer or lime. Most of the time these truck frames had to be shortened or lengthened when they came to us to work with the body. I never saw any of the frames cut like a Z or angle cut, they were always straight cut, butt welded together and a diamond plate or rectangle plate welded inside the frame. I saw some older trucks that were stretched or shortened by farmers, some of those looked pretty scary, but i never saw one breaking. these truck frames were about a 1/4" to 3/8" thick, but keep in mind these were not only on the road hauling 5 tons but these trucks were bouncing across rough fields at 10-15 MPH while spreading. in my 20 years or so being in that business we never had anyone have any problems with a broken truck frame.
I stretched the frame on my other crew cab, and i did notch the frame, and welded a 1/4" 6"x14" long plate over the splice. I believe its stronger than it was from the factory.

 

 

Cut a little "v" in the 2 horizontal frame lips per side (back 8-10" or so maybe) and bend each wider frame section to match the narrow.

 

Tried to watch this video but got this message instead:

I'm in Florida at the moment so I suppose that most here will have the same experience. No telling who SME is or what their claim is based upon.

 

If you do "show more" it looks to be blocked because of the music used in the video.
Dave ----