Ford superduty, Looking for tips on building a wooden chipper box.

[TreeJunkie]

I just purchased a Ford superduty w/ 7.3 L diesel non turbo. Truck has flatbed w/ hoist. Bed measures 10X8. How high should I build the sides. Being it will be used as a chipper truck. I would like to have as nuch capacity as possible however I don't want to have it so large it would be overloaded. GVWR is 15K. I'll be pulling a Vermeer 1230 which weighs approx 5,750.

Does anyone have any tips for building a decent box out of treated wood? And any ideas how to fashion a gate w/ out having to weld?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[TreeJunkie]

was adding up the numbers with the 550 lb figure. If i built the box 10x8x5 then a full load would weigh 8100 approx. Not counting what the bed and tools weigh. Sounds to me as that would be a very heavy load.
What do you think.

 

[TreeJunkie]

I think it should be plenty high. The chipper is a 1230 vermeer. The previous owner moddified the chute a bit so it would blow a little higher than stock

 

[lumberjach]

I have a old Chevy dump with a tired 350 and I built an oak chip box for it. I built it 6Ft high By 11ft long and the oak boards are heavy themselves. I have loaded it top to bottom and front to back with chips and logs pulling a load behind it and never really had a problem going up hills. I built that truck as a back up. The funny thing is it holds more chips than my topkick with the asplundh chip box. Well, there is more room in the wood box. At any rate I am certain your superduty will handle whatever you build. Good luck! let us know how it goes. Brandan Jach

 

[lumberjach]

Oh I forgot to mention that 2 ft of the sides are steel as well as the bottom of the bed. I built my gate in the back by using a good sized oak slab with vertical blocks on both sides of the board and on both ends. Hope this helps.

 

[TreeJunkie]

Thanks for the advice guys. Keep it coming. I plan on heading to Home Depot this afternoon>

 

[bottlefed89]

holler if you need help. I built mine 8'x8'x6'. I have no dump and I unload with a ptchfork. IT SUCKS. I've done probably 70 loads this year. I hate life when I have to unload chips...

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Personaly I wouldn't mess with making a wooden chip box ,i'd rather beg borrow or steal to get the do$h needed for a proper chip body ,I have had made up jobs in the past ,they usualy cost a bomb to make ,they usualy look **** and usualy they don't last very long ,i'd be getting some alloy plank sides on that truck and they'd be getting made up by a proper commercial truck body builder ..

 

[TreeJunkie]

Rolla,

I hear ya. I'd like to do the same. However this trucks purpose is only to get by until maybe next summer and then it will designated as a backup. Therefore i don't have any intention of putting a ton of money into the bed on an old truck. So far I've spent about 650 in wood, hardware and paint. A far cry from the nearly 5k the shops i talked to wanted.

Greg,

Your rig looks very similar to what i've been using all year. I hear you about how bad it sucks to fork chips. What a pain. Whatever it takes.

Thanks for the offer on the help. I'll have to take up your offer sometime.


Today we assembled about 75% of the bed. Made primarily from treated 2x12 and treated 2x4 and one hell of alot of brakets. Pics coming soon. Tommorrow we'll finish up the top and the gate as well as priming for paint.

 

[topnotchtree]

If it aint too late for input..... I wouldnt worry too much about overloading. After all, its a Ford. Here are s few pics from my truck. It is a 1980 F350. It handles a full load of chips well. A full load of stacked wood in the truck seems pretty heavy tho. I built permenant sides and a swing gate, then built a chip box top that unbolts and lifts off like a pick-up truck cap. This is useful for loading other material in the truck.

 

[lumberjach]

I got a good deal on an 11' asplundh chip box from a place called G & A equipment. It came with the cylinder and I only payed $1,600. It is in really good shape too. As far as I know they have a surplus of them. They are not listed on the site but here is the address for contact info. www.gandaequipment.com

 

[Bob Wright]

I got a good deal on an 11' asplundh chip box from a place called G & A equipment. It came with the cylinder and I only payed $1,600. It is in really good shape too. As far as I know they have a surplus of them. They are not listed on the site but here is the address for contact info. www.gandaequipment.com

My buddy just bought a similar bed here in Ohio for $500. A guy is setting it up on his truck and removing the old box for $500. Tomorrow i get to weld the hitch and endgate back on...Bob

 

[lumberjach]

My buddy just bought a similar bed here in Ohio for $500. A guy is setting it up on his truck and removing the old box for $500. Tomorrow i get to weld the hitch and endgate back on...Bob

Can you buy them all day long for that price or was that just a really good deal on one because someone needed to be rid of it? Mine is like brand new. Hardly been used. If you can get more of them for that price please give me the info. I will buy a bunch of them. Thanks- Brandan Jach

 

[Bob Wright]

Can you buy them all day long for that price or was that just a really good deal on one because someone needed to be rid of it? Mine is like brand new. Hardly been used. If you can get more of them for that price please give me the info. I will buy a bunch of them. Thanks- Brandan Jach

It was from a used truck wrecking yard. I told the guy about them, they had a whole row of old bucket trucks. I don't know what the rest look like. He went and picked this one out. I will get you the number tomorrow when i get to work...Bob

 

[Whiteindustries]

Here is a whole truck for $2,500 nds motor

I just purchased a Ford superduty w/ 7.3 L diesel non turbo. Truck has flatbed w/ hoist. Bed measures 10X8. How high should I build the sides. Being it will be used as a chipper truck. I would like to have as nuch capacity as possible however I don't want to have it so large it would be overloaded. GVWR is 15K. I'll be pulling a Vermeer 1230 which weighs approx 5,750.

Does anyone have any tips for building a decent box out of treated wood? And any ideas how to fashion a gate w/ out having to weld?

Thanks for your advice.

Ford F-350 Arbortech Dump Needs motor(460) 4x4 4 speed 70,000 original miles $2,500 ,This is in MD,the truck looks pretty clean.May give you some ideas anyways.

 

[TreeJunkie]

oops

 

[TreeJunkie]

Just about finished. Built the box from treated 2x12, 2x4, plywood on the top and a heck of alot of hardware. For the most part we are finished. I'm still planning on having the cab repainted in order to get rid of the ugly trim. Added ladder rack to the roof today.( not pictured) Picking up signs for it tomorrow 4'x4' will mount center of the box.

Used the job on a decent sized job today. Almost filled the truck and everything held together. What a relief.

Here's the pics.

 

[Whiteindustries]

Looks Good!

Just about finished. Built the box from treated 2x12, 2x4, plywood on the top and a heck of alot of hardware. For the most part we are finished. I'm still planning on having the cab repainted in order to get rid of the ugly trim. Added ladder rack to the roof today.( not pictured) Picking up signs for it tomorrow 4'x4' will mount center of the box.

Used the job on a decent sized job today. Almost filled the truck and everything held together. What a relief.

Here's the pics.

Looks like it will be perfect.Good luck with it.

 

[TreeJunkie]

some more

 

[TreeJunkie]

Thanks White...