Mobile Welding Truck

[Badd00SS]

It was an example of how fast you can burn up your GVWR, I don't personally know of anyone with a 2700lb deck, and that's why, because then you wouldn't be able to add any other cargo.

So add a 300D Classic at 1354lbs dry (1389lbs with a wire feed module) plus 15 US gal of diesel so add another 100lbs. Suddenly 2700lbs is down to 1246lbs and you haven't added ANYTHING to the truck but the welder. A large oxygen bottle weighs 137lbs, a large acetylene bottle weighs 74lbs, a 20lb propane bottle weighs 25lbs, 250 ft of 2/0 cable weighs 126lbs, 100 ft of torch hose weighs 20lbs.
So now your 1246lbs is down to 864lbs and you don't have ANY hand tools in the truck, no welding rod, no torch set, no cable or hose reels, no tool boxes, no passenger, no duffel bag with a months worth of cloths and supplies, etc...
What if you have to take some material to the job site, you can hook up a trailer BUT remember that the tongue weight also comes out of you GVWR. Suddenly that 568lb Trailblazer or 510lb 305G is looking WAY more attractive isn't it???

I build welding decks and skids for a living, I know more than I care to about the weight issues of trying to stuff 10lbs of stuff in a 5lb bag. SURE your truck can probably handle more weight than the manufacturer lists on the little door tag, but the officer that pulls you over quite frankly doesn't care what you think.

All I was trying to get across is he needs to look at the door tag and see what the GVWR actually is, then look at how the deck is built, write down some material and do some calculating to see where it is at as it sits, or better yet get it scaled so you know EXACTLY what your at. Then start making a list of what you need to carry and what it weighs, it adds up fast.

easy there tiger...... No need to get snippy... I guess you didnt get my sarcasm, my apologies. I was just stating that they still can hold a decent amount of cargo....And I never talked of overloading, thats just wreckless.

[c wagner]

We just finished an aluminum deck for a customer, I'm interested to see what it weighs once it is outfitted and ready to work. What I can tell you is that the truck is an '09 Chevy 3500 DRW extended cab Duramax with the Allison auto, a 4" lift, one size larger tires than stock. With a 1/4 tank of fuel a 175lb driver, no truck box or rear bumper it tips the scales at 7275lbs. Being a DRW it has a 11,400lb GVWR, according to the tag on the door. So he has less than 4125lbs left (remember it was only at 1/4 tank).

It's an all aluminum deck with multiple drawer packs, an extra fuel tank, Pipe Pro, etc. I'll keep you posted once it is finished. It should look pretty good and work even better!

[c wagner]

Must be a heavy deck... GVWR for an 07 srw 3500 is 9700 lbs, 9200 for my 2500hd.

My gasser xclb weighs 6250 lbs with me in it, and tools in the back seat (not with the skid) which leaves about 2950 lbs for the skid/welder.

The duramax is about 500 lbs heavier, and the allison is about another 100-150 lbs more. So, ~6900-7000 lbs. That leaves 2700 lbs for gear/welder/ skid or deck, driver/basic tools already included.

Plenty enough for most guys...

edit... gvwr for an 09 is 9900 lbs now...

It was an example of how fast you can burn up your GVWR, I don't personally know of anyone with a 2700lb deck, and that's why, because then you wouldn't be able to add any other cargo.

So add a 300D Classic at 1354lbs dry (1389lbs with a wire feed module) plus 15 US gal of diesel so add another 100lbs. Suddenly 2700lbs is down to 1246lbs and you haven't added ANYTHING to the truck but the welder. A large oxygen bottle weighs 137lbs, a large acetylene bottle weighs 74lbs, a 20lb propane bottle weighs 25lbs, 250 ft of 2/0 cable weighs 126lbs, 100 ft of torch hose weighs 20lbs.
So now your 1246lbs is down to 864lbs and you don't have ANY hand tools in the truck, no welding rod, no torch set, no cable or hose reels, no tool boxes, no passenger, no duffel bag with a months worth of cloths and supplies, etc...
What if you have to take some material to the job site, you can hook up a trailer BUT remember that the tongue weight also comes out of you GVWR. Suddenly that 568lb Trailblazer or 510lb 305G is looking WAY more attractive isn't it???

I build welding decks and skids for a living, I know more than I care to about the weight issues of trying to stuff 10lbs of stuff in a 5lb bag. SURE your truck can probably handle more weight than the manufacturer lists on the little door tag, but the officer that pulls you over quite frankly doesn't care what you think.

All I was trying to get across is he needs to look at the door tag and see what the GVWR actually is, then look at how the deck is built, write down some material and do some calculating to see where it is at as it sits, or better yet get it scaled so you know EXACTLY what your at. Then start making a list of what you need to carry and what it weighs, it adds up fast.

[Badd00SS]

Single Rear Wheel as opposed to a Dual Rear Wheel.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and in case you don't know what that means:

A gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is the maximum allowable total mass of a road vehicle or trailer when loaded - i.e including the weight of the vehicle itself plus fuel, passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue weight.

In other words if you build a heavy steel deck on a SRW diesel truck you might be at your GVWR before you even put the welder on and fill it full of tools.
If you aren't too concerned about it you will be the first time you get pulled into a scale and your running over weight.

Must be a heavy deck... GVWR for an 07 srw 3500 is 9700 lbs, 9200 for my 2500hd.

My gasser xclb weighs 6250 lbs with me in it, and tools in the back seat (not with the skid) which leaves about 2950 lbs for the skid/welder.

The duramax is about 500 lbs heavier, and the allison is about another 100-150 lbs more. So, ~6900-7000 lbs. That leaves 2700 lbs for gear/welder/ skid or deck, driver/basic tools already included.

Plenty enough for most guys...

edit... gvwr for an 09 is 9900 lbs now...

[J C]

I have to say, you're asking the wrong guy. For me it's just a hobby, or I should say is going to be a hobby. I have yet to strike my first weld.

My experience with this would be from the "owner's side" since I work in construction as a project manager in telecom. The few occasions I have had to hire welders it was always word of mouth references. Someone always "knows a guy".

What I could suggest is look to the large utility companies, specifically your local telephone co. Here in NY it's Verizon. They have a tremendous amount of plant and any welding is always farmed out. They usually have yearly contracts with very small outfits. I was a line foreman and used to deal with a guy that would go around and fix pedestal boxes that were knocked over, come to the garages and fix parts on the trucks, etc. Contact their purchasing group and find out the process.

Good looking out. Thats some really good info. You always talk to people from the welding side but hardly ever from other sides of the business.

[zopi]

most of what was produced in the seventies was junk anyway. total waste of time and money to buy that unit. put your time and money into equipment and billable hours. forget that piece of junk it belongs in the smithsonian; no i take that back, it needs to be crushed.

Drive Prius do you?

Since I was produced in the 70's, in fact about the same year as the corn binder there...dude...go getcha a nice used dodge cummins diesel dually, u pick the year, but I like the 12 valve...either swap the 'Binder onto the Ram, or stuff some decent running gear up under the 'Binder...with heavy disc brakes...then give me a call..I always wanted to lay out flames on a Corn Binder.

Years back a friend of mine and I dropped a Diamond T cab onto a Loadstar single axle chassis, added Cummins power, a Compressor, Pipeliner,
Gin poles, and a couple of winches...painted international orange of course...

[Matt_in_Brooklyn]

I see you mentioned contractor. I was thinking about that & instead of doing just repairs & random also doing contract work. My question to that is how do you become a welding contractor? What steps are needed to be taken to be able to do this? Also what kind of work could you get into by doing this?

I have to say, you're asking the wrong guy. For me it's just a hobby, or I should say is going to be a hobby. I have yet to strike my first weld.

My experience with this would be from the "owner's side" since I work in construction as a project manager in telecom. The few occasions I have had to hire welders it was always word of mouth references. Someone always "knows a guy".

What I could suggest is look to the large utility companies, specifically your local telephone co. Here in NY it's Verizon. They have a tremendous amount of plant and any welding is always farmed out. They usually have yearly contracts with very small outfits. I was a line foreman and used to deal with a guy that would go around and fix pedestal boxes that were knocked over, come to the garages and fix parts on the trucks, etc. Contact their purchasing group and find out the process.

[J C]

Hmmm. Just as I imagined. Some hate it & some love it.

[fdcmiami]

most of what was produced in the seventies was junk anyway. total waste of time and money to buy that unit. put your time and money into equipment and billable hours. forget that piece of junk it belongs in the smithsonian; no i take that back, it needs to be crushed.

[Sberry]

Something like that is really too old, it would be uncomfortable if one had to spend any time in it. Its obsolete for the most part.

[davedarragh]

Brake Time

Dont know if it has disc brakes or not but even if it dont it should still do the job as it probably did years ago. I'm not sure when disc brakes came out but I do know they werent always around.

Even if it doesn't have disc brakes, (which I doubt) they came with some hefty drums (11" on 1/2 tons). The Travellalls and Pickups were made to tow trailers, and haul loads. It was basically a Loadstar 1600 on a pickup chassis. Their only drawback was service centers while traveling.

With a Ford or Chevy(GMC) you could pull into any car dealership and get a waterpump, or whatever in case of emergency.

I think they had Borg-Warner automatics, used Dana running gear, and the engines were bullet-proof. Low compression, high torque. They were the only manufacturer to mount the rear leaf springs underneath the axle, rather than on top, to level out the vehicle.

I think they switched to Saginaw steering boxes in their later years.

They were "All Truck."

Dave

[J C]

I agree. I've always loved the old trucks.

When I see a contractor pull up in an old truck, I know the money I pay is going to the job, not to truck payments. So far this un-scientific approach has always worked for me when evaluating a prospective contractor. The guy in the 90's Econoline always gives a better price than the guy in the new Sprinter. There is also the impression that you've been in business longer than you have.

I see you mentioned contractor. I was thinking about that & instead of doing just repairs & random also doing contract work. My question to that is how do you become a welding contractor? What steps are needed to be taken to be able to do this? Also what kind of work could you get into by doing this?

[J C]

This may be apples and oranges but nonetheless just fuel for thought. I had a 1970 International Scout 4x4, nothing but problems with the steering, had the local International dealer rebuild it several times! Finally just got rid of it, too much trouble. Would hate to have to deal with that now, 40 some years later!

Yeah I get what you're saying though but even brand new vehicles these days go through the same stuff. Some of them on the lot that havent even been sold yet are in the shop more than they're on the lot.

[J C]

I wouldn't even consider a truck of this size, that I was going to run with a good load, unless it had disc brakes in front.

Dont know if it has disc brakes or not but even if it dont it should still do the job as it probably did years ago. I'm not sure when disc brakes came out but I do know they werent always around.

[Sonora Iron]

This may be apples and oranges but nonetheless just fuel for thought. I had a 1970 International Scout 4x4, nothing but problems with the steering, had the local International dealer rebuild it several times! Finally just got rid of it, too much trouble. Would hate to have to deal with that now, 40 some years later!