Welding Rig Pictures

[Coalsmoke]

So do you have red oxygen cylinders, or what?

Yup, the company I lease from has red for oxygen cylinders, kind of backwards in my opinion. They keep reminding me of two sticks of dynamite

Only one question: Why are the gas tanks right on the back of the truck, where you will be likely working, and the fire extinguishers are hidden up front with the air compressor? I always felt fire extinguishers should be easily accessible and visible, and any that are hidden or behind a door that door is labeled with a sticker so anybody can find it if there's an emergency.

As a general rule, I always have at least one of the water cannons and a dry chem sitting on the ground or side of the truck anytime I am cutting or welding. The spot infront of the compressors just happens to be a convenient place to store them for tansport. The gas cans and propane bottles get left at home if I am going to be running around for a couple of days without working inbetween. Less flamables on the truck that way. And, when they are on the truck nobody seems to tailgate me Anytime that compressor is running, I put the three water cannons by the oxygen bottles. I couldn't build a permanent stand for the water cannons in the back like where the jerry cans are due to the limitied lifting hieght of our small'ish' tractor (it would mean no unloading the welder or compressor without cutting off the water cannon stands), so instead of rigging up a more complicated but removable set of stands, I just store them up front. They are still 5 seconds away when driving (if needed) and when welding they are out and ready. That said, there's usually more than one way to do things. I have thought about decals but most of the time all of my stuff is locked up, unless I am at a job, and then the fire extinguishers are out in the open. No point having decals if you can't ge to them.

[Coalsmoke]

I attached pictures yesterday, but can't today. What happened to the "manage attachments" button?

Coalsmoke - Cooper Discoverer S/T. This is my 2nd set, me and a friend of mine put them on our rigs at the same time and got 50-65,000 miles out of them. They behave well on the road cruising at 85+ mph but are agressive enough to be usefull off road. I used to buy much more agressive tires but they never lasted as long as these and have some poor on road manners, especially wet pavement. They've stood up pretty well, we drive in everything from deep mud to drift sand to sharp rock so tires are an important topic.


JTMcC.

JT, my "manage attachments" button was missing as well, plus, I couldn't click the smilies at the right, have to enter them in by hand. It appears to be working now though. I might try the Coopers next set I get. I almost went with the cooper discoverers the first time around for my truck, but instead went with these Toyo M-55's because I heard good things about them. They have been great, incredibly tough tires, but the size I went with is a D rating and each tire is only good for 3000lbs. I figure I have about 2850lbs on each one right now, but I'm not sure how close these things are made to their maximum tolerances or if they have an engineered fudge factor. So far they have held up fine to the added weight, but I think I'll see if I can fit the wider 285/75/16s under there for next time. Only an extra 1.3 inches wider but their capacity is increased to 3740lbs per tire thanks to the 10ply instead of the 8.

[admweld]

My Old Rig

This is a photo of my old rig a 96 f-350dw4x4'reading ub on site.

[J hall]

The trouble with a small truck is space.
Any good ideas for cable reels?

[J hall]

The other side. The box in front is what I gained by replacing the SAM400.

[Coalsmoke]

Jeff, I almost went with cable reels. I was going to try and make it so I only had to pull out however much lead I needed and leave the rest on the reels. However, my machine surges (as do other welders apparently) if the weld cables are tightly coiled. So, I figured if I'm going to have to be stringing out most of the cable anyways, may as well just hang it all on hooks and keep it simple. If I went with cables, I'd try something like what's on JT's truck.

Not trying to downplay how usefull reels can be, just adding some food for thought.

[precisionworks]

Is that the Knaack Model 60?

Mac, it's the Model 2060, which is a good sized box.

Is that a 3/4-ton?

Half ton (grunt, groan )

How is your Knaack mounted, bolted to frame?

Haven't bolted the box down yet. A ratchet strap runs across the bottom to prevent it from sliding backwards. A pressure treated 4x4 was cut to fit in front of the box so the lid would open without hitting the truck.

Any issues with having your TB's exhaust pointed toward the direction of vehicle travel? The manual says not to do it

It seemed the best way to point it. The truck doesn't move when the welder is running, which is probably why Miller cautions against it.

I'm going to size it for a #4 acetylene with a 150 cu. ft. oxygen, with a box big enough for the hood, torch, and basic tools.

Calweld, there's no way to have too much storage for portable work. There's almost no room in the Knaack box, but nothing needed gets left behind.

The large C2H2 bottle allows rosebud use. Plus O2, Argon, C25, tiny C25, etc.

If a forklift was available, life would have been easier. Mine is loaded & unloaded with an A-frame gantry & chainfall.

[Coalsmoke]

It seemed the best way to point it. The truck doesn't move when the welder is running, which is probably why Miller cautions against it.

I always thought it was cautioned against to help prevent getting rain/water in the cylinder heads while driving in the rain.

[Rvannatta]

JT, my "manage attachments" button was missing as well, plus, I couldn't click the smilies at the right, have to enter them in by hand. It appears to be working now though. I might try the Coopers next set I get. I almost went with the cooper discoverers the first time around for my truck, but instead went with these Toyo M-55's because I heard good things about them.

I second the vote for Toyo M-55's. I've tried every kind of a tire I could think of on our light line rigs. the toyo is a 10 ply rated that you can pump up to 80 PSI and are very popular with the loggers because they don't take rocks. We drive on a lot of gravel roads, and every other kind of a tire
I've tried has ended up with a rock sticking through it before the tread was half worn off. the Toyo will wear the tread down to the last 10 or 20% before they take a rock. --- In fact I have a rule with them-- the first rock flat and I buy a new set---because it's time.

I've got a set on my Chevy pickup with about 40,000 miles on them, never had a flat yet, and they have both been up and down a lot of gravel roads, and it has been the length of Interstate 5 from Vancouver BC to L. A.
their time has about arrived though, and this spring I am either going to get another pickup or another set of tires--- as 40,000 miles is about how far they go.

[calweld]

Calweld, there's no way to have too much storage for portable work. There's almost no room in the Knaack box, but nothing needed gets left behind.

I think the big truck has enough storage. I just want a skid with welder, bottles, and box so I can use the trailblazer for the little quickie jobs. I'm not trying to set my pickup up as a full fledged welding rig.

[calweld]

As a general rule, I always have at least one of the water cannons and a dry chem sitting on the ground or side of the truck anytime I am cutting or welding.

All it takes is one time. I've seen some guys mount an extinguisher bracket directly to the welder, it would probably rip your cover, though.

Around here, some of the District Attorneys have been going after welders who start range land fires with criminal charges, not just civil penalties.

[Rvannatta]

I always thought it was cautioned against to help prevent getting rain/water in the cylinder heads while driving in the rain.

I really hate that 'metallic clunk' sound of a hydraulic lock the next type you try to start the engine..... I know the heavy haulers I deal with are uniformly paranoid about exhaust pipes on heavy iron they haul. they carry a roll of duct tape and won't move the truck until they have taped off the exhaust, although what they are really worried about is turbo charged engines.

You whistle a turbo charged engine down the highway with the stack sticking up and it can create some interesting air pressure events in the stack that will start the Turbo spinning. (without the benefit of oil pressure). Opps.

[Eric Carroll]

I made these reels out of some air hose reels.Even if I have to unspool all the lead it is way faster. About tires, my 94 f-350 would get stuck on dry grass, so I got a set of maxxis mudders that were e-rated and they lasted a good 50,000 miles and I only rotated them twice,When they were new the lugs were kinda tall and made the truck feel drifty.Loud too, but my drive around truck has 38.5 mickey thompsons on it so it doesnt bother me.

[JTMcC]

I might try the Coopers next set I get. I almost went with the cooper discoverers the first time around for my truck, but instead went with these Toyo M-55's because I heard good things about them.

I need to deal with a nationwide chain, so I can have the tires rotated wherever I happen to be working, and to warantee a tire if need be. Cooper stores are pretty easy to find.
I've got Cooper ATR's on my Suburban and I really like them too.

JTMcC.

[calweld]

I really hate that 'metallic clunk' sound of a hydraulic lock the next type you try to start the engine..... I know the heavy haulers I deal with are uniformly paranoid about exhaust pipes on heavy iron they haul. they carry a roll of duct tape and won't move the truck until they have taped off the exhaust, although what they are really worried about is turbo charged engines.

You whistle a turbo charged engine down the highway with the stack sticking up and it can create some interesting air pressure events in the stack that will start the Turbo spinning. (without the benefit of oil pressure). Opps.

I know of a couple times that happened. It could happen whether the stack was facing forward, backwards, straight up, or sideways. We would always stuff a rag into the stack of any turbocharged engine when hauling it.