Need Ideas For EDW Truck Bed Mount

[BWS29128]

Seeing Stephen25's pictures made me think of asking for help with something: For the past 2 months I've had my Champion10,000 riding around "loose" in the back of my truck (along with my PrecisionTIG185) and I think I'd like to build some sort of rack over/around/under it so it won't slide around quite as much and will have some hooks on some vertical poles to keep my cables up off the truck bed.

Anybody got any pictures they'd like to post for me to look at? I've looked at the Miller and Lincoln catalogs and I've seen their "protective cages" for Bobcats etc, but none of those look like what I really want.

~Clint

[Black Wolf]

My, my, my.... Aren't you getting fancy with the signature area at the bottom of your posts. J/K Clint, looks really good.

Now, onto your question. I do not have a picture of it, but a friend of mine has a portable that his son throws in the truck that may be just up your alley.
It has a perimeter frame made out of 2" x 2" x 1/8" tubing wide enough to just fit inside fenderwells. His welder (Ranger 9) is bolted to the frame running with the box front to rear. On the driver side is the Oxygen bottle laid down. On the passenger side, towards the cab, is the Acetylene bottle mounted vertical. Also on the passenger side towards the tailgate is a simple set of wraps for the torch assembly. In the center of the skid, facing the tailgate, is the welder control panel, and on either side of this are cable wraps for the positive and negative leads. Cable wraps are 3/4" Round CR stock bent into 90 degree elbows and 2 per wrap, one facing up, one facing down to keep cables/hoses from swinging. The skid is very simple and light. They just use a chain on the welder lifting lug to load/unload the entire thing.

If you are looking for something more substancial, another fellow I know has a skid made out of 4" C-channel mounted flanges out. His welder is orientated the same way front to rear with control panel facing tailgate. Oxy/Acetylen bottles are at far end of skid next to cab both mounted vertical. He used 2" pipe to make a full roll cage for the welder complete with short radius 90 degree elbows at front and rear hoops. Cable wraps are cold rolled hoops attached at top only on either side of control panel. Torch wrap same thing, mounted on driver side of welder. Between the C-channel and under the welder, he has rectangular tubing welded in so the skid can be removed with a skid steer, or forklift, by reaching over the tailgate.

Either of these could be modified to include a mount for your Tig

Hope it helps
Later,
Jason

[DDA52]

Here is my skid. Keeps everything nice and neat and in one footprint. Single point lift off makes it very easy to reconfigure the truck. Matter of fact, the skid is sitting on the shop floor at the moment. I lifted it off the truck fully loaded so I could go on a trip. That saves time and fuel when it is not needed.

[Bert]

Dda52

Hey, nice skid! Unfortunately, a lot of us don't have a crane to take it on and off our trucks!
(seriously, how DO you take it off?)

[DDA52]

Thanks, Bert. I don't have a crane either....yet. For now, I am using my skidsteer and forks to lift it off. I am in the process of building a 2t jib crane for my shop. That will be much easier when it is done. Since I wear so many hats for work, I wanted ease of removal. I also like the fact I can slap it onto my trailer if need be. Keeping everything in one place is a plus as well. I just wish I had enough room to mount a small toolbox on it. Toolbox on the truck is too big as is my diesel tank. The result of too many hats. One of these days, I am going to make a small foldup/removeable table for it to cover the tailgate. I suppose I'll paint it as well. I left it primed incase I decided to change anything....which I didn't need to.

[Bert]

DDA52 wow! wish I had the yard space and equipment you got!!!
Congrats for working hard for it!!!!!!!

[BWS29128]

Awesome Pictures!

I had an idea earlier: I think I'm going to mount my 160 100% Argon in the horizontal position and my 90 C25 in the vertical (along with my O/A, of course). My welder is going to sit laterally in the bed, directly over the rear axle (as much necessity as anything else, since the front of the bed will be taken up with 3 90cf bottles of Ar, Oxy, Acet and a diamond-plate tool box). My 3 vertical tanks will be mounted to the skid, but then also strapped to eye-bolts on the back of the toolbox.

I'm still not sure what/how I'm going to do my cables and extension cords though....

[DDA52]

Thanks, Bert. It is still a work in progress, but the shop and area are slowly coming together. If you like that space in the pics, you'd love the area I am working on. Of course, I am having to bring in fill to make it flat. I am at 600yds and counting. Another 100 or so should do it. That is life on the side of a hill for ya.


Clint, I don't know if it will help or not, but here is a pic of the carrier empty. It will show a better view of what I did. Might help...might not. I had considered putting the cable/hose/cord holders down both sides instead of back to back. I had the space, but it would have killed the full bedwidth carrying space at the back. Glad I didn't do that now. I can carry a 6' ladder crosswise with all the pipe stands and stuff with it the way it is. Good thing about doing it like this is you can change the layout easily. Try out a configuration for a week or a few days and build from that. Trial and error makes some of the best setups. Having it completely off the truck and only on the pallet simplifies things somewhat. Not having to worry about multiple connections forces you to make it easy, which in turn will make for the easiest to use systems most of the time. Weight is another issue to consider. My pallet is in the neighborhood of 1200# loaded. Keeping only what you need on it will be better in the long run. I have slots for three tanks, but rarely carry more than the O/A. I add the shielding gas when it is needed so the space it takes up can be used for other things when it is not needed. It works for me anyway.

[Bert]

Clint, would love to see some step by step pictures of that work in progress Hope you figure a way to hang your cables!!

[cwgrizz]

Fasten it down!!

Clint,

Please take this for what it is worth. Get the welder fastened down asap. Any kind of accident or sudden stop has the high potential of killing you or someone else with a loose welder in the truck. My cousin, who was a pipeliner, was killed in an accident with his welding rig. The welder mounting bolts broke and the welder came into the cab and killed him. Please don't take that chance. Fasten it down securely.

Take care,
CW Grizz