Just wondering if anyone removes their dump box and mounts a 5th wheel to increase the flexibility of their truck? If so, how long dose the swap take and what is your method of removing the dump (excavator, crane, chain falls, ect.). We are thinking of doing this with our truck. It doesn't seem like it would be that hard and we could accomplish so much more with one truck vs two.
If I was a smart aleck, I would say: "Yep, I do it all the time, I just crank down the landing gear, unhook the hoses and wire, pull the handle and drive off". Since I am obviously not, I will say, if your truck is not a converted tractor to start with, the brake system is different and may be a pain. Also, be carefull how you mount the 5th wheel.
Hi Mitch- Our truck is a converted tractor so I think were good there. I plan on mounting the plate just the way it's is from the factory (no quick attach funny business). I know its allot of bolts- but the piece of mind is worth it to me. Just wanted to see if if others we doing the same thing an how they do it.
Just remembered, had a neighbor (welding shop owner) who used to have several beds for his truck,that used the 5th wheel as the main attaching point, and the subframes and other attachments were as needed for the bed type, flatbed, or dump
Ah well, Mitch, I suppose someone has to be the smart alec. We do swap our truck over, it takes about half an hour with two men. Our body bolts to the sub-frame, you can get quick release clamps, but you also have to have room on the chassis to fit and operate them. The fifth wheel just fits under the body and stays there all the time. If the truck and trailer brakes are all air there should not be any problems. This link explains how we do it. Post #5. RnR.
Just what I thinking... thanks for the info and link.
A few of my dad's trucks were regularly converted between dump box, water tank and fith wheel depending on what was needed. All of the dump boxes and water tanks had thier own subframes so they were easy to remove and install. Our yard forklift had a 15,000 pound capacity and handled that job in no time. We didnt use quick change fith wheels so removing and remounting those would take awhile. The only problem with these trucks was that the rear frame rails were straight and you had to be careful not to catch them on the bottom of the trailer. The water truck conversion took the longest due to all the extra plumbing and mounting of the controls in the cab but two of us could do it in about five hours. If we were pressed for time we might get some funny looks for pulling and end dump down the road with a truck that had a spray bar and two spray pots coming out of the front bumper! :drinkup