Cargo Bed Dump Conversion Hinge Designs

[74M35A2]

1. Try to make the offer to their wife.

2. You have to be able to handle people telling you to FO.

I’ll sell it to you for $500, and buy another for $200. $500 for a clean used dump hoist is a steal. 50% of a new one.

 

[Buffalobwana]

How are you finding those so cheap? I cant get anywhere near that price around here even with bad cylinders.

The art of being a total jerk.

 

[farmerboywyotech]

The art of being a total jerk.

I find the closer you get to detroit the more of a prerequisite is it.

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[big block 88]

Im more of an a-hole than a jerk. Maybe thats my issue? I get tolf to F off then i get all pissy and want to get the last word in the last f you buddy.

 

[74M35A2]

Yep. That won’t work.

Honestly, the best way to find deals is all in the use of search engines that check all Craigslist's, not just your local one. I can't spoon feed you every step of how to do so, you can take it from there, but that is how I do it. Also, part of above is true. I'll sometimes offer 10 people half of what they are asking, 8 will tell me to FO, one will not respond, and one will accept. Boom, done. You never know somebody else's money situation, so 1 of 10 will usually bite regardless. It is just a statistics thing. On the dump hoist, it was make offer, so I said $200 and he said OK. That simple. I get deeply discounted shipping rates through my work which I am allowed to use as long as I pay for, so that helps to pull in stuff from out of state if need be.

 

[74M35A2]

For you lift kit, I would make a tube frame welded to the bed for strength and to cut down on torsional flex of the bed instead of the truck. Maybe even use it as an additional hydraulic reservoir that I believe you will need.
Figure out a way to make the winch pay off the bottom, so when not used for extraction, you can feed the cable forward off the top, and around a pulley mounted in the front, middle of the bed floor/headwall. Then you can use your winch to drag junk/treasure up into your bed while dumped.
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Your writing about bed frame vs truck frame flex is spot on with one of my goals. When I first got the truck, I ran over a car at the junkyard just for the excitement of it. Coming out of open heart surgery and being the only male in the house, nothing was more satisfying than hearing the sound of bending metal, smashing glass, a whistling turbo, the smell of diesel exhaust, and then the sound of my tire valve stem breaking off (CTIS Run Flat mode worked perfectly to keep the truck driving for the rest of the day!). I observed that when the front tire was up on the car roof, all 4 rear wheels were still flat on the ground, because the truck frame twists to allow this for stability and to keep the tries in contact with the ground and driving forward. Hence the spring loaded bolts which hold the bed down. I don't want to limit this ability, I think this is an amazing design feature. Plus, it would be great to make the bed frame stronger if I ever do lift real weight with it.

So, I think I would be fastening the 3" or so bed lift sub-frame to the bed as mentioned, and have that hinge on the truck frame. I'd hate to be running over my daughters boyfriend's car, and tweak the dump bed sub-frame because it is affixed to the truck frame vs the bed frame.

Good ideas from everybody. Apology for my thinking out loud on this and everything else I do, but I really value the experience and lessons learned of those who have done it before.

 

[farmerboywyotech]

Your writing about bed frame vs truck frame flex is spot on with one of my goals. When I first got the truck, I ran over a car at the junkyard just for the excitement of it. Coming out of open heart surgery and being the only male in the house, nothing was more satisfying than hearing the sound of bending metal, smashing glass, a whistling turbo, the smell of diesel exhaust, and then the sound of my tire valve stem breaking off (CTIS Run Flat mode worked perfectly to keep the truck driving for the rest of the day!). I observed that when the front tire was up on the car roof, all 4 rear wheels were still flat on the ground, because the truck frame twists to allow this for stability and to keep the tries in contact with the ground and driving forward. Hence the spring loaded bolts which hold the bed down. I don't want to limit this ability, I think this is an amazing design feature. Plus, it would be great to make the bed frame stronger if I ever do lift real weight with it.

So, I think I would be fastening the 3" or so bed lift sub-frame to the bed as mentioned, and have that hinge on the truck frame. I'd hate to be running over my daughters boyfriend's car, and tweak the dump bed sub-frame because it is affixed to the truck frame vs the bed frame.

Good ideas from everybody. Apology for my thinking out loud on this and everything else I do, but I really value the experience and lessons learned of those who have done it before.

I originally wanted to go the same route but then i decided i really didnt want to cut or weld on the truck frame. Just personal preference. That way with very little effort all of my hoist modifications can be removed and a standard cargo bed could be bolted right back on no issues. I reused the spring idea for my front subframe mounts. I havent tried since i put the bed back on. But theres a big pile of dirt by the house. I ran up it on an angle until the back tires on that side came off the ground and spun out. The subframe handled the flex no problem. Next time i have it running ill do it again and take some pictures of it.

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[big block 88]

I dont see a need to apologize for thinking out loud. I for one (and i know several guys in this thread) like to see what the others have done. I see a few designs here that kick my designs ass. So now ive been challenged to step up my game on the next build.

 

[74M35A2]

I originally wanted to go the same route but then i decided i really didnt want to cut or weld on the truck frame. Just personal preference. That way with very little effort all of my hoist modifications can be removed and a standard cargo bed could be bolted right back on no issues. I reused the spring idea for my front subframe mounts. I havent tried since i put the bed back on. But theres a big pile of dirt by the house. I ran up it on an angle until the back tires on that side came off the ground and spun out. The subframe handled the flex no problem. Next time i have it running ill do it again and take some pictures of it.

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True and good point. It may work well like that.

 

[74M35A2]

Here is another variety I grabbed this morning. This is an OE design on a KW. Uses I beam subframe, and the hinges are integrated into the sunframe ends, bolt to bed, no cross bar.

 

[TedCat]

Man lots of great stuff on this post! I'm still trying to figure out how Ohio keeps a population if they try to reproduce with condoms on... I've got all day to think about that. The seperate subframe from the truck is out of sight, both look great. Has anyone experienced the front end get light due to the rear trunion design rather than individually suspended axles? Id enjoy watching 74M35s first reaction to that ride! Might buy a corona afterwards for him.

 

[74M35A2]

Space age materials.

 

[Buffalobwana]

Might buy a corona afterwards for him.

Hes a pretty cheap date. Stick with domestic beer and you will be fine.

 

[m16ty]

Here is the first dump I did- https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?50583-Started-my-dump-conversion&highlight=dump
I used 2" square tubing under the frame rails. One reason is I wanted to reinforce the frame rails (cargo beds have light frame rails compared to purpose built dump beds) and the other is to raise the bed so my hoist would fit. There are also pics of my hinge that may give you some ideas. No need to have brass bushings or anything on the dump hinges, it just doesn't move enough to wear out in your lifetime, just fix some way to grease and you'll be fine.

Here is my rear winch setup- https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showt...d-bed-winch-skid-loading-setup&highlight=dump
Of course I've just got a small HMMWV winch mounted but a bigger winch shouldn't be a problem as long as you go hydraulic. Mounting in the bed does give you the option of using the winch to pull stuff into the bed.

 

[74M35A2]

Thanks, interesting. Good point on the bed winch for skid loading, I didn't consider it, but main point would be self-recovery. I bought a second M925 front hydraulic winch, to install at the rear between the frame rails and face rearward.

I still take my hat off for anybody that completed this. I so far just have a recently acquired mechanism on the shelf (2 now, actually, one for each, truck and trailer), but -5F temps right now postpones this until spring time.

 

[tobyS]

Here is the first dump I did- https://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?50583-Started-my-dump-conversion&highlight=dump
I used 2" square tubing under the frame rails. One reason is I wanted to reinforce the frame rails (cargo beds have light frame rails compared to purpose built dump beds) and the other is to raise the bed so my hoist would fit. There are also pics of my hinge that may give you some ideas. No need to have brass bushings or anything on the dump hinges, it just doesn't move enough to wear out in your lifetime, just fix some way to grease and you'll be fine.

Yes, exactly, you used the spacer tube to reinforce the thin bed rail.

I use red primer liberally then never-seize or waterproof moly when putting together and don't bother with lube holes.