Lets see your truck decks

[Coastal]

Hey Guys,

Im having some trouble setting up my truck for hauling my mini excavator, its a 2004 Sterling Acterra, and i want a deck with a dovetail/beavertail and fold down ramps.

I'd love to see some pics of others dovetail part.


Thanks!

[Steve Frazier]

Am I to understand you want to carry the machine on the back of the truck?

[Coastal]

Yes sir. :thumbsup

[itsgottobegreen]

easiest way to do that. Get your self an old deck over heavy equipment trailer. Then remove the running gear and the tow hitch, etc. Then mount the deck and ramps right to the frame of the truck. Bingo all done, got yourself a complete truck for moving heavy equipment without a trailer. When I lived up in boston there was a company and thats what they had for moving small stuff like D-3, bobcats, mini-x, etc.

[atgreene]

I just built this body, and although the truck isn't big enough to haul my excavator, the concept would work with some ramps. I really like the expanded steel mesh deck, as it washes clean. By doing what you're thinking of, you would avoid some dot headaches, as long as the truck is heavy enough. A roll-off body would be nice, one body for the excavator and one for a small dump. You could also do one for tools, an enclosed roll-off. Hmmmmm, got me thinking now.

http://www.bucksfab.com/switchngo.htm

Here's a link that I had forgot about 'till you mentioned a ramp type body. I think this would be slick. You could buy the subframe and build your own bodies, if your handy.

[CascadeScaper]

Those switch 'n go's are really slick. You can haul equipment, slap a dump box on or even place a drop box for site waste all with one truck. Very versatile.

A company around here a couple years ago had a ramp truck, I believe it was Peterbilt dump chassis with the dump bed obviously removed. It looked like a plain old equipment trailer that had all the running gear and such removed with a 5 foot or so beavertail with fold down ramps. They hauled a Schaeff walking excavator on it and they later dropped a water tank on it.

[Coastal]

Thanks guys, I wondered about swapping a trailer over and if it would work, I'll look into that.

I had a hooklift on my last rig, it was slick, load on the ground, totally safe, but with all that bling comes a pricetag! I havent been able to find one for under $20000CDN installed, then there's the decks you have to buy as well.

Ok going trailer hunting!

[RyanCKing]

check out the EZ loader made by www.xtrememanufactoring.com another one i have seen is call " the retriever". I cant remember who makes it but it is popular with the large rental outfits.

[Coastal]

The retriever is really cool! Air lift ramp, wonder how much it is???

[Coastal]

Atgreen, thats a sweet deck you built! Nice fab work, i wonder how the expanded metal is for traction with steel tracks?

[atgreene]

I doubt it would be good for steel tracks. For rubber tracks it may be ok. I slid a JD 350 dozer off a trailer one day in a down pour. After 3 attempts and 2 slide-offs right off the side of the trailer, I left it sitting there and drove back to the shop. No roll cage or anything, and no right steering clutch, made for an interesting ride. Steel on steel is scary when wet.

The expaned mesh is so I can wash salt sand off, as it's primarily a plow truck. I also wonder how it would be with dirt on the tracks, if you'd dust the cars behind you eveytime you hit a bump. As far a maintenance, though, it's sweet.

[Coastal]

I found a deal today on a used dovetailed deck, some landscaper hacked up the front of it and added a bunch of useless stuff, but with a little fab work it will be perfect! It has spring assited drop down ramps and is in really good shape.... I pick it up tomorrow!

[Steve Frazier]

This had been bugging me since this thread started, enough so now that I have to ask! I'm curious as to why you are dedicating a truck to the job of moving your machine from job to job. The standard method here is to use a dump truck with a tag along trailer. This way the truck serves multi purpose, moving the machine and hauling materials. I could understand your thinking if you were in the machinery moving business and would do that all day long with the truck, but I'm curious how this truck can earn it's keep sitting idle at the job once the machine has been delivered.

Can you expand on how your business operates? Thanks!

[Coastal]

Basically, I have no interest in hauling materials, there are enough companies to do that. And finding fill sites around here is getting harder and harder.

I dont have any employees, also I don't want any, so if I have to load up my dump truck and haul materials away, its time away from my excavating work.

I need a truck to move this thing anyways, i'd rather haul it on the truck than trailer, but with this setup, i can put my excavator on the truck, and tow my bobcat if I need both machines on a job with a regular license, since the truck has hydraulic brakes. I also dont want to get a Class 1 license, as its expensive and time consuming here.

I hope that explains a little!

[RyanCKing]

Owner/ Operators with a single backhoe here locally prefer not to have a dump truck so the customers does not try to get them to run the truck for free. Also here in CA a class B CDL will work for a straight truck instead of A CDL you need for a truck and trailer combo.

[itsgottobegreen]

Owner/ Operators with a single backhoe here locally prefer not to have a dump truck so the customers does not try to get them to run the truck for free. Also here in CA a class B CDL will work for a straight truck instead of A CDL you need for a truck and trailer combo.

I just remembered. South Carroll Backhoe runs a 4900 with a custom built deck to haul a 580super K 4x4 ex-hoe. They said they can get CDL B drivers all day long, But not a CDL A driver and at a much higher price.

[Ford LT-9000]

In B.C. Canada you don't need a CDL for straight single axle trucks if its on air all you need is a air endorsement on your license. The truck can have a gvw of 35,000lbs which is usually the heaviest single axle you can get.

As for a ramp deck its the easiest way of hauling a machine you just want to make the ramps easy to walk up and down on with excavators. You want to have wood decking where the steel tracks ride as steel on steel is slippery as a banana peal.

Trailers are a pain in the azz especially if you have to work in the Lower Mainland where its tight areas. Even in rural areas like I live you have a heck of a time trying to get a trailer and truck turned around.

[Coastal]

Well, here is what I ended up with, after two straight weekends of fab work, its almost done, needs new paint, some safety decal stuff, and a few odds and ends but it works for now.


http://www.blackflag4x4.com/upload/truck_loaded1.jpg
http://www.blackflag4x4.com/upload/truckloaded_2.jpg

[Jeff D.]

:thumbsup Looks real good!!

Is there enough clearance between the tires and the deck?It looks close but it may be just an illusion.

[Coastal]

lol, i knew someone would notice, the airbags are dumped in the pic.
:bouncegri

[Ford LT-9000]

The 161 is a pretty good jag for a 5 ton truck must be a little touchy with the brakes I hope you have a exhaust brake on the Sterling :yup

Moving a mini excavator around on a truck is so much easier than fooling around with a trailer. Especially if you have a job where you got a long finished driveway where you can't walk a machine. Or you have one of those jobs where the driveway is really long and its too far to walk the machine.

Looks good I would make the head ache rack a little taller so it goes above the cab then you can pack long stuff on the truck like a culvert pipe etc.

The set up looks good :thumbsup

[Jeff D.]

Those rails on the side could be real helpful if the beavertail gets greasy.And I imagine they help keep it stiffened up too.

[Coastal]

Yah its fine on there, it only weighs about 13000, and the trucks got a payload of about 20,000 minus the deck, but i do have an exhaust brake and the mercedes engine has another brake built into it, its pretty nice. I will admit I screwed up the headache rack, I was in too much of a hurry and measured wrong!

[Coastal]

Those rails on the side could be real helpful if the beavertail gets greasy.And I imagine they help keep it stiffened up too.

The rails are nice, they make loading and unloading a little more comfortable thats for sure!

[digger242j]

It looks like it's pretty high. What kind of clearance do you need to get through underpasses?

[Squizzy246B]

Here's our travelling roadshow:

[Squizzy246B]

Oh and here's anothery:

[Coastal]

Lookin good Squizzy! What do you use for ramps?

As far as overpasses go, it fits just nicely, theres guys that put 60's and 100's on truck decks here, and they seem to do fine.

[Squizzy246B]

Lookin good Squizzy! What do you use for ramps?

As far as overpasses go, it fits just nicely, theres guys that put 60's and 100's on truck decks here, and they seem to do fine.

Aluminium 6 tonne ramps, they are a PITA but they also work for our skid and can be used on trailers. We are looking to something better in the future. The 161 only just fits in the Bitsamissing. With the boom folded down we get inder overheight restrictions by about a foot.

[Coastal]

I bought aluminum ramps from discountramps.com, they are very nice, but yes a huge PITA to deal with, and i think they would work better with a rubber tracked, or tired machine. Wanna buy some slightly used ramps?? :bouncegri

[Ford LT-9000]

We can get away with 14' overall height but 13'6" is the legal height if your too high and pull down powerlines you just drive faster :laugh

Its the overpasses you have to be carefull about and make sure you know what the maximum height is in metres which I always forget.

[digger242j]

Here are some pics of one company's setup. They were out at the site putting some fence up. The guy I spoke to said this is the only way they've ever hauled their machine.

They used to have steel ramps, but they were real heavy, so they had these made of aluminum. They look pretty sturdy. They have a little tongue that fits right over the rail that runs outside of the stake pockets, while the tip rests on the deck.

My apologies for the picture quality. My phone takes a beating, and the camera feature is a little bit off these days...

[Coastal]

Thanks for sharing! Thats the setup I tried, it worked great with my skidsteer, but the excavator was a little too scary for my likings!

[PSDF350]

Squizzy is that a unimog? :notworthy

[itsgottobegreen]

Squizzy is that a unimog? :notworthy
No an unimod would have tires twice that size. Plus no duals in the back or road tires.

I would bet that its his Mitsubishi 9 ton dump truck.

[PSDF350]

No an unimod would have tires twice that size. Plus no duals in the back or road tires.

I would bet that its his Mitsubishi 9 ton dump truck.
Now you mention it I didn't even see the dual rear wheels:Banghead I really should pay closer attention.

[ftb]

coastal you have a great point! there is much more $ in excavating then there is in hauling. Sub out the hauling. here a triaxale in $65hr peanuts:) its not worth the ins. maint. fuel paying a cdl driver over weight permits register etc. and on top of it all the note on the trruck