# My first post- New truck build (little out of the ordinary)



## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

Long first post. So the titles there to get some interest because this really has been a cool project so far.

Little background Ive been plowing for 3 years with my own trucks for a contractor who subs out a lot of his work. He's like family and I have a great in with him on all aspects of his business. Im a carpenter with my own business and we always end up doing something for one of his rentals, flips or businesses.

My plowing and salting route consists of 7 super wawas, 3 super Walmarts (new this year), post offices, Home Depots, bjs, and tons of other large shopping centers. We log a lot of hours in the trucks for pre-salt and refreeze salting so it works out.

My first year I set up my 2012 Tundra with a boss V plow and a western striker salter. Its a great little truck but I hated the V plow controls.

Last year I picked up a 2005 Chevy 7500 dump truck with a 10' boss straight blade and a under tailgate salter. Its an amazing truck with the turn radius of a Prius and I fell in love with it. Only thing I needed to add was an industrial vibrator to the dump bed to make my operation more smooth. I paid 33k for the truck with 30k miles on it, I thought it was a good solid deal and it has been. Fast forward to this year.

I picked up another 2005 Chevy 7500 off an auction site for a cool $10,250. This monster was a bucket truck with 80,000 miles, central pto, a working insulated boom, air brakes and the 7.8l duramax (other trucks a cat C7). Heres the link to the auction -

https://www.proxibid.com/Commercial...vy-C7500-Bucket-Truck/lotInformation/44000217

This truck has been an absolute steal. My partner and I flew out to Indiana, grabbed the truck and drove it 700 miles home overnight to get it back here. It was an experience for sure.

So now I have this bucket truck with a killer utility body and need to set it up for snow removal. First thing I did was remove the steps and any extraneous crap I wouldn't need like the hyro setup for the polesaw. Now im left with this massive 50' boom on the truck, how the hell do I get it off? I started looking at it all and realized if I un-bolted all of the bolts from the flywheel of the boom it would lift straight up. So I did that, disconnected all of the hydro and electrical to the boom and then re-tightened the bolts to make it road worthy. Took it down to my hydro guy and offered the boom to him in case he could fit it onto a truck for someone else and turn a profit, he didn't want my headache either! So I took it down to the recycling yard, weighed in at a cool 20k lbs and drove it to the back where the operators were running the cranes, excavators and loaders. Guy in a loader comes up and asks what I have, I laughed and pointed at the boom. He just shook his head and lined it up to take it off. We unbolted the thing and him and another operator took the boom off and we drove out from under it. Ive got a video but need to figure out how to link to it.

So now Ive got the boom off, great. The stand for it needs to be cut off and a plate welder across it. Since I don't have a torch it took a lot of cutting with the demo saw to get through the 3/4' thick steel plate all around. I cut 3 sides, scored the last and used the backhoe to rip the thing off. Measured it up and ordered a 9' salt dog 5 yard PTO driven spreader for it. At this point it THINK it'll fit right in between the service body. Salter came yesterday and we use the backhoe to lift it up enough to back under it, its heavy. The ribs on the salter hit to the point its being held 8" or so off the bed. My plans are to notch the ribs and let it sit right down in between the wheel wells. Ill update with more photos as it unfolds, hope you enjoy.

Tony


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

How its currently sitting .


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## GMC Driver (Sep 9, 2005)

Very cool project - keep us up to date.

If your going to cut those ribs, do you have any plans to gusset them?


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

My thoughts are that the top of the V box will sit on the tool boxes giving support to any weight up high and stopping kick out of the stainless up top. Once I cut it I’ll heap salt over the top and look for any distortion. If I have to I’ll take some of the cut rib, modify it so it sits down in between the top of the toolbox and the salter and weld it back onto the salter as a type of foot.


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## norb5150 (Oct 3, 2015)

Welcome to the site. Looks like you know what your doing and that seems to me to be a good deal on the truck. Good luck with it. Can't wait to see more pics.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

Thanks for the welcome I’ve lurked for a bit but felt I finally had something to contribute so I signed up.


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## Biscayne (Jan 5, 2014)

Both trucks are bad ass! I have a 1992 GMC Topkick 7000 dump truck with a 10ft plow and under tail gate salt spreader. Love the Chevy and GMC medium duty trucks. Good luck with the build!


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## Avalanche 2500 (Dec 31, 2015)

Where glad to meet ya here on the P/S Tony, Good luck on your build / project... Dang! that's a big house u got ?lowblue:


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## ConnorExum (Jan 5, 2010)

Rizzoa ,

I would think about putting a traction control device in the rear axle... weight or not from the sand/salt or salt only it is nice to have the ability to control the traction as well.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

That’s my business partners house we built for him last year. It’s a pretty sweet place and we didn’t skip many corners. Great place to leave all my snow removal crap .

Conner- I worried last year about the trucks being 4x2 but I plow with a full load of salt and can reload at our drop sites if I get low during a storm. The trucks don’t notice the extra weight and any snow we get couldn’t stop them from moving so it hadn’t been a problem. What kind of traction control options are there short of a new rear? Chains? My accounts would probably poop themselves if they heard me ripping through their lots on chains!


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

Welcome to the site. All looks good!. I see those chevys in for repairs. I am a Cat fan myself. In the C-7. Change the oil regulary.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

Randall Ave said:


> Welcome to the site. All looks good!. I see those chevys in for repairs. I am a Cat fan myself. In the C-7. Change the oil regulary.


I keep up on it for sure. I never put enough miles on the oil but change it regularly anyway.

The cat is definitely the stronger of the motors but I'm really liking the big duramax for an every day driver. Top end speed is a lot better and that push button Allison transmission is going to be so convenient for plowing.


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## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

Nice trucks. If I could give some advise. Don’t not start cutting that sander apart. It’s made of stainless steel once its notched you just took all the value out of the unit not to mention it will begin to rip/crack. The body also is not designed to carry weight like that supporting a full sander. A much better option is get some 6x6 wood and build a cradle under the sander. Just make sure the cradle sits directly over the frame so you don’t twist the utility body.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

I appreciate the advice. It isn’t a standard utility body with thin gauge steel though. This thing supported an over 4,000# boom and has reinforcements throughout the bed tied directly to the frame, it’s the most well built flatbed you can imagine.

The plan isn’t to have the body carry the weight it’s for the weight to sit directly into the flat deck. Right now it’s floating up and looks rediculous I agree. I laid out the small 8”x8” rectangular notches on the salter ribs yesterday. This lets it sit down within 1/2” of the bed at which point I can shim it up with 1/2” plate steel runners so the weight doesn’t touch the service boxes. Chain it down crosswise at all 4 points and it’s got no where to move. 

If it doesn’t work then I’ll have learned a nice lesson along this path we call life .


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

rizzoa13 said:


> I appreciate the advice. It isn't a standard utility body with thin gauge steel though. This thing supported an over 4,000# boom and has reinforcements throughout the bed tied directly to the frame, it's the most well built flatbed you can imagine.
> 
> The plan isn't to have the body carry the weight it's for the weight to sit directly into the flat deck. Right now it's floating up and looks rediculous I agree. I laid out the small 8"x8" rectangular notches on the salter ribs yesterday. This lets it sit down within 1/2" of the bed at which point I can shim it up with 1/2" plate steel runners so the weight doesn't touch the service boxes. Chain it down crosswise at all 4 points and it's got no where to move.
> 
> If it doesn't work then I'll have learned a nice lesson along this path we call life .


Couldn't you just use channel, or I beams length way in the bed to support the spreader?


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## ConnorExum (Jan 5, 2010)

rizzoa13 said:


> That's my business partners house we built for him last year. It's a pretty sweet place and we didn't skip many corners. Great place to leave all my snow removal crap .
> 
> Conner- I worried last year about the trucks being 4x2 but I plow with a full load of salt and can reload at our drop sites if I get low during a storm. The trucks don't notice the extra weight and any snow we get couldn't stop them from moving so it hadn't been a problem. What kind of traction control options are there short of a new rear? Chains? My accounts would probably poop themselves if they heard me ripping through their lots on chains!


Eaton E-lockers might work. I don't know the axle make of your truck.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

rizzoa13 said:


> .
> 
> Conner- I worried last year about the trucks being 4x2 but I plow with a full load of salt and can reload at our drop sites if I get low during a storm. The trucks don't notice the extra weight and any snow we get couldn't stop them from moving so it hadn't been a problem. What kind of traction control options are there short of a new rear? Chains? My accounts would probably poop themselves if they heard me ripping through their lots on chains!


I'm glad you clarified that you don't have a problem with traction, so you don't get endless posts about traction.Thumbs Up


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

L


EWSplow said:


> I'm glad you clarified that you don't have a problem with traction, so you don't get endless posts about traction.Thumbs Up


Lol I have a backup plan in place also. If one of them gets stuck I'll ram it with the other lowred:


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

rizzoa13 said:


> L
> 
> Lol I have a backup plan in place also. If one of them gets stuck I'll ram it with the other lowred:


Welcome to PS. looks like you'll do just fine.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

EWSplow said:


> Couldn't you just use channel, or I beams length way in the bed to support the spreader?


Definitely could but as it sits it's 8 1/2" up off the bed. I could get a paralam beam at the right size to support it but I'm obnoxious and like to see things fit tightly. The salter plow and truck with pay itself off this year and stay in my fleet for many years. If the truck rots out and I have to move it to another truck then I'll weld gussets back in place.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

rizzoa13 said:


> Definitely could but as it sits it's 8 1/2" up off the bed. I could get a paralam beam at the right size to support it but I'm obnoxious and like to see things fit tightly. The salter plow and truck with pay itself off this year and stay in my fleet for many years. If the truck rots out and I have to move it to another truck then I'll weld gussets back in place.


Not sure about treated LSL. You could use treated LVL.
I would think you could get an I beam, or rectangle tube that would work for close in price.


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## ConnorExum (Jan 5, 2010)

EWSplow said:


> I'm glad you clarified that you don't have a problem with traction, so you don't get endless posts about traction.Thumbs Up


Those that don't have 100% positive traction wish they did when they are stuck. Traction is king.


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## John_DeereGreen (Jan 2, 2011)

That truck won't need a bit of traction assistance in less than a foot of snow.


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## ConnorExum (Jan 5, 2010)

So, send more pictures of the project as you complete it.


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## absolutely (Dec 9, 2010)

I would want the salter as close to the bed floor as possible. I would personally modify the tool boxes before I cut into the spreader.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

Im with you I want it down directly onto that floor if possible. Its looking like ill get it with 1/2" by only cutting the support ribs. Any area I cut will then re "replaced" by the edge of the tool boxes which are much more stout than the ribs themselves. All of the weight will be carried down onto the floor and the only thing the toolboxes will supply is added kickout strength to the stainless V to keep it from being able to distort outwards.

This does force me to keep that salter onto that truck and guts the resale value of the salter but Im not really concerned with selling it later.


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## TJS (Oct 22, 2003)

I would not cut that new equipment at all. Make mounts or some sort of cradle set up as stated before. Crossmembers come to mind. Can't be that difficult.


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

I would just build a wood frame in the bottom of the box with structure on the salter frame rails and ribs. If you laminate it all with plywood it'll keep the salt off the metal bed of that truck. Easy peezy.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

So you all agree I should cut it in half, weld one half onto the top of the other and make a shelter from the snow out of it? I can put an illegal inside it to throw salt by hand and he won’t get snowed on.


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

Lots of good and bad advice on PS, even when you don't ask for it. 
Aren't you glad you posted?


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## Kevin_NJ (Jul 24, 2003)

EWSplow said:


> Lots of good and bad advice on PS, even when you don't ask for it.
> Aren't you glad you posted?


Pretty standard for here.

Cool trucks though, nice to see something a bit different than the norm.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

Finally got time to mutilate this salter and it was a fun time with the demo saw!

First picture is all caffeinated up getting ready to cut.

Second is the score cuts made with demo saw before finishing the cut out with the grinder.

Third shows the fit on the side of the rib and how close it is to sitting on the flatbed, its about 3/16" but sits down on certain parts. Metal shims and some through bolts will tack in in place nicely.

Fourth is the fit of the cut onto the top of the toolbox.


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

Fifth, sixth and seventh pictures are of how its sitting currently.

Eighth and Ninth photos are of it working a little bit bringing the Case over to have the hydraulics worked over before the season.

Hope you enjoy the little picture story.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Huh...


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Good thing it was a salt dogg...
Also disagree with where you’re standing while washing your hoe without the lockers engaged but looks like it’ll work...


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## rizzoa13 (Oct 20, 2018)

True you should point out that it’s a salt dogg probably makes you feel better in some way.


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## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

Wow you are a better man than me. No way I would ever cut a brand new Salter like that salt dog or not.


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