Portable welder is building a Pipe Welding Rig

[J hall]

Man, that is some fancy work.

[c wagner]

Thanks for all the compliments guys!

Man, that is indeed very nice work. Does your shop also build aluminum decks? 'Cause if the price is right, a guy won't have to drive all the way to Express Custom decks out on Vancouver Island.

We have built a few aluminum decks, they're likely pretty costly but very high quality. We actually modified an Express Custom deck (a guy wanted the torch bottles recessed deeper into the deck) they look pretty decent. Then one of the guys he worked with bought a new Chevy, installed a 6" lift, some pretty massive tires and got us to build an aluminum deck. It was a pretty awesome looking set-up. If I can get some pics from my boss I'll post them next year!

Cornerstone check your pm's

[Portable Welder]

JTMcC, My buddy thought the same thing and then he pulled his 1995 extended cab F-250 pick up along side of it.
The new truck was only about 4" - 5" longer than the truck hes been working out of for years.

The truck is a 165" wheel base.

He tells me the pipe line gig is likely to slow down in a couple years, at that time he will come back home and work for gas distribution.

From what I understand when he comes back to do this kind of work it will be nice to have more room on his bed for the pipe fabrication tools, ETC.

[c wagner]

The norm, is 10 ga. a lot of guys will put heavier plate at the rear part of the deck where the heavy stuff gets tossed, and the hitch for the trailer will normally be welded. But 10 ga. rules in American welding bed construction.
Of course some will use heavier and some will use lighter, but the vast majority will be 10 ga. if you go lighter than that, you end up needing to build more supporting structure for the lighter skin, or having large waves and bends in your bed after a few years hard use.

JTMcC.

That's about what I figured JT, thanks for the answer. When we've made alum. decks we use 3/16 for the deck with a 1/4 or 3/8 steel plate (cutomer preference)for a work area at the back.

[JTMcC]

JTMcC,

He tells me the pipe line gig is likely to slow down in a couple years,

Don't say that. Doooon't saaaaay thaaaat.

Ho, Ho, Ho....Deck-A-Halls.

JTMcC.

[Portable Welder]

JTMcC, I hope my friend is wrong, We both know that no one really knows whats going to happen in the future, Maybe he was thinking he was going to main line for a few years and then come back home and work locally for the gas companies.

None the less He realizes its a little long for the main line but will be great for his local work.

[calweld]

Actually, an extended cab or double cab truck with a six-foot bed has a longer wheelbase, and a larger turning radius, than a standard cab with an eight foot bed. An extended cab truck, with room for an eight foot bed, is getting very close to the wheelbase of a standard cab truck, with the frame to take a 12 foot bed. It all depends on your priorities, do you want more cab space, or more bed space, for a given wheelbase .....

[JTMcC]

JTMcC, I hope my friend is wrong, We both know that no one really knows whats going to happen in the future, Maybe he was thinking he was going to main line for a few years and then come back home and work locally for the gas companies.

None the less He realizes its a little long for the main line but will be great for his local work.

Well when you work in the energy sector, world events can change the work outlook overnight so you never know.
But it looks like we have a solid 3-5 years ahead, possibly more.

I'm not nitpicking, but those lights down at the bottom of the back of the bed, I'd tear them off within an hour But when I turn around I generally back up into the work side bank till the back hits the dirt.

I'm pretty sure no one here gets the magazine Rocky Mountain Construction, but my truck is on this months cover (along with 3 sidebooms), and there are pictures of me and my buddy with the article. I'm actually making a weld, my bud is leaning against the trench box trying to look cool

Anyway I can see the pictures taken out in the daylight, it looks nice.

JTMcC

[JTMcC]

c wagner,

That alu work is very, very slick.
But after working out of a pickup bed for a year and a half I can't figure out why the Canadian welders seem to work mainly out of pickup boxes?

I've seen some slick alu welding beds, but they are harder to chop up and modify /repair out in the field. Plus arc burns look terrible on them.
Some of them have real crack problems after getting hammered a few years.

I might make me one next time tho, but probly not.


Happy Christmas to all.

JTMcC.

[c wagner]

Thanks for the compliments JT
I think one of the reasons that lots of (not all) Canadians prefer skids over decks is because of the wildlife. What I mean is it's pretty easy to hit a deer, moose, bear... you get the point. With a skid, well our skids at least, you undo four bolts, and using either a crane or forklift (and probably everything in between) lift it out of one truck and into another and your back burnin rod after dinner!
With a deck your at the mercy of the body shops that already have too much work. If you buy another truck to put your deck on you may or may not have to modify it to fit.
Sometimes guys buy the new "un-tested" truck and after numerous recalls/ repairs (truck sittin in the shop again) decide to try another brand. With a skid it's pretty easy, fits in any of the big three. With a deck, well you may have to chop it up/ modify it too work on your new new truck. That's time you could be working on a paying job.
I don't think ours see too many arc burns as some of the guys are never working close enough to the truck for that to happen, while the rest of the guys keep the arc burns on the optional detachable steel workplate backed in aluiminum (so you don't see a rusty mess when your traveling down the road).
So far we've been making these skids for almost three years and we've only had to repair one crack. It was on the second skid we built, but it was the first skid with a workplate. The hinge's we used weren't the best style for the job and we failed to add extra gussets to account for the added weight of the workplate. So far our new hinge set-up has been trouble free.
I'm not saying skids are the answer for everyone, decks have there place in the world, there's no denying that. The fact that everyone one has the right to choose is what makes North America so great!
Congrats on getting your truck on a magazine cover, that should be worth some bragging rights out on the spread in '08!
I'd like to see some pics of it sometime as I'm sure I could get some good ideas off of it.

Merry Christmas everyone

Clay

[JTMcC]

Clay my bed isn't fancy it's a solid working bed tho and the helpers like working off it. It's only on the magazine cover because I was on the lowering in crew they were photographing, and you have to look close to spot it No bragging rights there.

But I have some pictures of it here, bottom of the page:

www.firstratefabricators.com/projects



JTMcC

[Portable Welder]

JTMcC,

The lights you see at the bottom are the original lights that were on the truck when it arrived.

I just c-clamped them on so he can take the truck to an electrical shop an have it wired, the lights cut in the bed are the ones that are to remain.

John, If you find that you start blowing bulbs with the type of light on your truck, try the ones that have a rubber boot, they should pop right into your existing holes, In the past I had problems with the solid mounted ones like you have, Since I built my truck in 1999 I havent had to replaced one bulb on my truck.

After seeing your truck I can understand why the one I built looks like a train to you.

I diddnt realize you had such a nice looking truck, But nice truck.

[Black Wolf]

I didn't realize you had such a nice looking truck, But nice truck.

I didn't realize it was that nice either. The original pictures on JT's website were longer shots of the deck when it was still red. He was kind enough to e-mail me all those new pictures on the site and a few more a few months ago so I could have a good look at it.

Simple design, but very purpose built and efficient looking. That style is not real common up here, but I have definitely been giving it some serious thought.

I'm still kind of torn between the drop in skid, for all the reasons Clay mentioned, and having a really short tapered rock crawler style deck. We have a couple in town on '08 Ford Super Cabs & Crew Cabs.....Nice.

[NMWelding]

Wanted-welding rig

Anyone know of a welding rig for sale. I like the set-up that JTMcC has or something close to that will do. I need to replace my truck,it is getting up in age but mainly I want a four wheel drive.My truck has served me well in the oilfields,but out there a four wheel drive is necessary. It does not have to have a welder,I have my own,but if it does another spare would be good. Thanks.

[Portable Welder]

I'm probably a little far away, I'm in Michigan.

Find one of the welding shops in your town, give them some pics of rigs you like and ask them to give you an estimated price to build what you want.

Your going to want to stop in periodiacally to answer questions and youll need to customize certain items your self, you just need to find a shop that will let you help customize brackets inside your boxes.