Assembling the tools for a service truck is one thing. Arranging the load so the truck doesn't wear out before its time is another. Joe Foster of Owensboro, Ky., is confident his truck is going to last for many years of in-field repairs. Foster spent a couple years thinking about the design. "To carry a compressor and a generator, I wanted a 1-ton truck of at least 10,000-lb. gross vehicle weight. I also wanted a short wheelbase-about like a regular pickup-so the truck would be easy to maneuver and park." Foster selected a used Dodge Ram 3500 with a diesel engine, dual wheels and four-wheel drive. Then he planned where to carry various tools. "Because the hand-tool compartment would be used more often than any other, I wanted it on the left side near the door," he says. A second objective was to leave the rear window unblocked to increase safety and make it easier to back up. When his design was complete, Foster ordered a bed, with compartments arranged to his specifications, from Knapheide Manufacturing Company (www.knapheide.com). Foster stocked the truck with electric impact wrenches, drills, hand tools, grease guns, a welder/generator, an oxyacetylene torch and an air compressor. Sliding drawers contain a large supply of nuts, screws and other small items in very limited space. The air compressor and welder/generator are mounted on top of the side compartments, freeing the bed of the truck for other use. Because heavy tools are stored in compartments at the front of the bed, he mounted the compressor and welder/generator toward the rear to even the load. Special mountings let him swap them to redistribute weight. Foster used a grain elevator's scale to properly balance the load. "I weighed the truck several times, then shifted things around. An unbalanced load would result in uneven wear." The balancing act paid off in a truck that "drives nicely, doesn't wobble and does well in wet conditions," he says. To handle the weight of the welder/generator, air compressor and other tools, Foster reinforced the frame of the truck bed. Additional reinforcement comes from a metal box he built across the rear of the bed. Covered with a deck plate, it provides a storage area for jacks and makes a convenient worktable with a vise mounted on one end. Reinforcement. "Tying the box to the sides of the truck bed reinforced the rear of the bed," Foster explains. "The box is not tied to the bumper. If I had done that, pulling with the bumper would tend to pull the bed apart." The weight of the rear box also helps even out the load between the front and rear axles. Once filled with tools and supplies, the truck rode a little low in the rear, so Foster added one leaf spring to each side. "It still is within the gross vehicle weight rating for the truck," he notes. To transport heavy loads, Foster installed rubber overload springs. One of the handiest features, Foster says, is a trailer hitch and tow hook welded to the front of the frame. "The front-mounted hitch makes it easy to back wagons loaded with 300 bu. of seed onto a lowboy trailer," he says. Ideas to Borrow * Distribute weight uniformly for longer truck life. * Wire compartment lights into the same circuit as the vehicle's headlights. * Add a trailer hitch and tow hook to the front. * Buy a big enough truck, so it will not be overloaded when filled with tools.
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AuthorI'm Bruce O. Pratt, who thoroughly enjoys researching about Power & Hand Tools. I hope my reviews can help you to choose the right products fit with your needs. Archives
November 2017
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