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C3500HD Tow pig

btfarm said:
Having spent 4 years working in a warship boiler room, I have in intimate dislike for that silver shit! But it does have multiple uses...
Click to expand...

You were a Pipe Fighter as I became to name it, not a pipe fitter, just kidding i respect what you did.....🙂

I have mentioned before about working with a Vietnam Veteran that married my cousin, he was on a ship, not sure which one, he was a pipe fitter. Worked with him a few years, he was so honoree no one liked working with him, most of the time we got along. If he liked you he would fight a circular saw in your defense. I must say he learned it well in the Navy, he can fabricate about anything you can think of with metal and wood. He is a certified welder and could weld steel pipe like a pro.

He is short but stocky, he has whipped some big boys arse, more than once. He is in his early 70's now, I have not been in touch with him in a while, he divorced my cousin years ago, about the time I worked with him in the early 1980's.
 
Haha that stuff gets everywhere.

Bit of the idea/needs for the truck bed being built. My list is that the truck can lift 2,000 lbs safely with the poles at least 5ft off the ground. Tow gooseneck and 5th wheel trailers with no clearance issues in the typical 180 degree ark. Rolling tailboard so the cargo skid or similar can be loaded if needed is nice but might leave that to the trailer. Extended fuel range. Some storage space for roadside tools and equipment for the winch. Lastly enough space for the kayak or the cargo skid to fit.

With that in mind, I don't believe I have a need for the typical full width flatbed. A variation of the minimalist/hotshot bed should work great and save a lot of weight and cost in steel. So the typical minimalist bed is in the pic.

hot-shot-package-1000-new-website.jpg


What I'm thinking. 6" C channel for the bed main framerails to match the 11ft 4in of truck chassis. The Holmes 500 wrecker mast mounted at the front of the bed, shortened in height to match the cab. Use the gin poles as the new wrecker booms (stronger, extendable, easier to lay down flat when not needed). Move the auxiliary fuel tank as a saddle tank along the driver side, this puts the bottom of the tank just about even with the bottom of the cab and flat with the top of the bed floor.

Notch the 6" C channel down 1.5" (roughly) to recess the hitch rails, so when the hitch is removed a flat plate can be set in it's place, leaving a flat deck from after the wrecker mast to the end of the frame. Extra crossmembers here to reinforce the hitch. Brings the hitch height down to nearly match its current height which is good for the toy hauler.

Use the diamond plate wheel wells from the wrecker bed. With the 6" frame it will allow the top of the wheel wells to be flat with the rest of the deck, which gives a place for the wrecker booms to rest flat when not needed, instead of having to be removed when towing.

The Holmes 500 wrecker assembly is listed at 1500 lbs, add another 400 lbs for the 60 gallon aluminum tank with fuel, and estimate 600 lbs for the rest of the bed assembly would put the weight pretty similar to where it is now. The things I carry on the bed right now for cargo are usually the kayak, some 5 gallon fuel/water cans, some groceries/small stuff. Nothing that wouldn't fit on the 34" wide deck between the wrecker booms when lowered down (mast is a total of 50" wide).
 
Almost done with this gin pole setup, just a few more things to lift. The water containers are about 2450 lbs each and as can be seen, the bed flexes a bit haha. In it's defense though, the front most mount for the bed is at the front of the hitch rails. Tomorrow loading the wrecker bed, wrecker mast, and the D70HD axle from the crew cab onto the trailer which should be the last few things it has to pick up.

20200621_161930.jpg
 
Oddly enough I think the wrecker bed is lighter than expected, the gin poles handled it easier (bed and mast together) than a single water tank. Once the axle was loaded up lowered the poles for hopefully the last time on this bed.

20200623_172424.jpg



Then hooked up the trailer, plan is to leave tomorrow. Drop off the pallet with the engine/parts in Dallas, stop for the night in Oklahoma. Then meet up with a guy in Kansas to drop off the axle, lastly head to my friends place where the new bed will be built, front bumper mounted, and some other welding work.

20200623_201450.jpg

20200623_201424.jpg
 
Husker6.5 said:
Sure looks like you got your money's worth out of that flat bed and gin pole rig!
Click to expand...

Got the bed for free, poles were about $20 if I remember right (crane support legs from the m816). Little 4500 lb mile marker winch and the pivots are towbar feet from the 5 ton wrecker as well. Absolutely got my money's worth out of it haha. After seeing the bed flex I figured it would have catastrophically failed at some point with the lifts but it held up long enough.

Total weight on this trip, I'd guess 14-16,000 lbs combined. According to the scrap yard scale the trailer weighs 2700 lbs (truck and trailer had the scale at 10,700).

Engine is dropped off, trip to Oklahoma has gone well so far. Maintaining 5th gear, coolant temp usually at 190-195 on the gauge with a few slow climbs to just under 205-210. Clutch hydraulics act up occasionally but they were cooked well before with the old crossover pipe so I'm expecting to replace it again soon. Want it to last until after a new down pipe goes in and is wrapped as well.
 
something I wonder about with the clutch hydraulics and heat:
uses dot3 3 fluid now right? dot 5 has a much higher heat capacity. (hmmwvs, and hummers that don't use abs run it) It has been my experience if you swap a system form 3 to5 or 5 to 3 the seals later fail. But I have read simple non chlorine brake cleaner removes the remnant and solves the issue.
If you have it beat now with the crossover change-ok, but if not maybe look at dot 5? It is available in all the auto parts stores afaik.
 
I have also seen ATF used successfully instead of Dot 3 brake fluid in hydraulic systems - especially in the hydraulic operating system for convertible tops when restoring 50's, 60's and 70's cars. It eliminates the hydrophilic properties of Ethylene glycol-based Dot 3 that attracts moisture out of the air and rusts the systems from the inside out, destroys seals and the leaking causes the trunk floor to rust out. It also combats temperature degradation, too. Just a thought.
 
Nothing wrong with an ol work bed, but she looks better already. To be fair, having owned a truck equipment shop, a cab chassis truck always looked nice to me cuz I saw another potential customer and work for my guys, and we did most of the GM trucks in Vegas...
 
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