# cracked frames



## jryden145 (Sep 29, 2006)

hey i was just wondering if anyone has had any problems with there duramaxs cracking frames. The reason i ask is because we have had bad luck with chevys before, a 1993 light duty 3/4 ton w/western mvp, cracked, and also our 1999 3500 srw w/boss 8'2" has a cracked frame, we do aprox. 80 drives and 15 commercial so any input would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks


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## Antnee77 (Oct 25, 2005)

I've never heard of anyone ever having that problem before. Maybe your best bet is to ask that question on DieselPlace.com because they would no for sure if that has happened.


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## tsmith (Sep 19, 2006)

The only one I ever heard of wasn't a Chevy, it was 99 Dodge 1 ton.


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## Ripple (Aug 30, 2004)

jryden145 said:


> hey i was just wondering if anyone has had any problems with there duramaxs cracking frames. The reason i ask is because we have had bad luck with chevys before, a 1993 light duty 3/4 ton w/western mvp, cracked, and also our 1999 3500 srw w/boss 8'2" has a cracked frame, we do aprox. 80 drives and 15 commercial so any input would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks


Your first post on the plowsite is about a chevy cracked frame?

Do you have pictures?


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## karl klein (Jan 28, 2001)

ive not heard of it on the new chevys it was a 98-88 chevy problem


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## jryden145 (Sep 29, 2006)

I will try to get some pics of the cracks that are in the frame of the 1999 chevy 3500.


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## Ripple (Aug 30, 2004)

jryden145 said:


> I will try to get some pics of the cracks that are in the frame of the 1999 chevy 3500.


The first Duramax was in a 2001 model year truck...so I think you are very confused...maybe it was a ford or dodge!


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## jryden145 (Sep 29, 2006)

Nope im not confused at all. I kow that our 99 is not a duramax, im asking if anyone that has a duramax has had any issues with the frames cracking because we are going to purchase a new truck to plow with. 

Thanks


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## William B. (Jul 22, 2004)

This is really suprising to me. This is the first that I have heard of the frames cracking on the late model GM trucks. I have seen 1 88 Chevy that the frame had rusted through in a couple of spots and the 73-87 GMs were known to have a frame crack down near the steering box.

Will


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## Travel'n Trees (Jan 17, 2006)

I know the FORD f-150's have had the problem with bending and cracking in 1997and 2006.


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## DeereFarmer (Dec 12, 2005)

Thanks TNT!


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## Travel'n Trees (Jan 17, 2006)

My neighbor who is a engineer on the 2007 says maybe they got it fixed again there is a rail yard full of frames here in K.C..


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## PDQ Pete (Dec 22, 2002)

William on the other site Allen has pictures of a frame he fixed. Do a search and look at the pics.


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## GetMore (Mar 19, 2005)

I have seen the frame rails on a 1987 GMC 1-ton crack, but I have no idea how much abuse the truck was dealt. It had an 8' Fisher with a snow foil on it, and a dump insert in the bed, so I know it was worked. It probably had a sander in the bed during the winter.
I'm going with the dump insert as the cause though. I figure if it was bounced a few times to help empty it that would place a lot more load on the frame.
The cracks were in the area of the fuel tanks. When I got the truck one side had already been repaired. I think it was after I loaded about 3,000 lbs of shingles in the bed the other side, which already had had some small cracks, that it finally let go. I repaired that with a piece of angle.
BTW, I am pretty sure that the rust didn't help either.

But, all this is still not the newer, hydroformed frame design, so it has no bearing on the actual question.


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## joe b (Oct 1, 2006)

put a ton and a half on a one ton truck, let me think. hmmm.
just jokingwesport


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

I have a 1989 2500 that we ripped the frame open about 2 years ago. I think rust had also contributed to that but there was no way that thing was holding up the new Blizzard plow we stuffed on it. Welded it up and just use it for sanding now.

I do have an 04 2500HD and noticed yesterday that there seems to be a hairline crack in it right behind the upper control arm mount - right beside the factory weld. I am oging ot get it into a welding shop for them to have a better look.

:crying:


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## douglasl330 (Oct 4, 2005)

*Jhook*

Good luck with that--Let us know how you make out!


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

Ya, so there was a bit of a crack there. Followed the weld over the corner and then started accross the top of the frame. I took it to a professional welder. He looked at it and said, no problem. 10 minutes later I was on my way home. Hoping I caught it early enough that it is fixed.


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## flykelley (Dec 29, 2003)

Travel'n Trees said:


> My neighbor who is a engineer on the 2007 says maybe they got it fixed again there is a rail yard full of frames here in K.C..


Are you saying your neighbor is a engineer on the GMT 900, and if so what is he dooing in KC. We have no plants anywhere near KC that buils full size GM trucks. Fort Wayne Ind, Pontiac MI, A plant in Texas but none in KC.

Regards Mike


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## Alaska Boss (Oct 8, 2005)

*Broken Frames*

I broke the frame on the truck I currently plow with 2 years ago... 1992 Chevy 3500 srw,... it broke right behind the front wheel, breaking thru the round hole that is in the frame that is used by frame machines to "grab" the frame when straightening or re-aligning it. I have a good friend that has worked for years in a body shop, & he told me that the only trucks they saw with broken/cracked frames were the 1-tons, and almost every time, the owners had cranked up the torsion bars. (Speaking only about Chevys & GMC's). It was his opinion that hanging a plow on the front & cranking up the torsion bars made the front suspension so stiff, that when driving down the road & during the "bounce" of hitting dips, etc., instead of the suspension absorbing the load, it was transfered to the frame, with the front tires acting as the "fulcrum" point, and the downward momentum on the front was trying to lift the rest of the back of the truck up in the air, which would cause the crack/break to occur right behind the front wheels. (Made sense to me). In any case, I had no choice but to strip the entire front end down & try to re-align & repair this myself, which I did. Took me 3 days of grinding, aligning, welding, etc., of both sides, adding gussets to the frame all the way around it, for at least 6 inches both forward & behind of where it broke. And I've watched it closely... & for the past 2 years, it's been fine,... the truck still drives & steers straight, & no unusual tire wear, so must have got it fairly close. Anyone with a Chevy/GMC & cranked up torsion bars, would do well to keep a close eye on their frames,.. especially in the area shown... it's alot easier to deal with before it gets as bad as what I had to deal with,...  Good luck. :waving:


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

holy crap! that is ugly! Now you're making me nervous, I carry about 950 lbs of Blizzard hanging off the front of my 97 with the t-bars cranked up... Great, one more thing to worry about.


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

I just put a Blizzard 810 on a 1997 2500 diesel that I just bought. Will be keeping an eye on it for sure. I don't know what it is like out there but I think the biggest problem around here anyways is that we get frost heaves in the roads in the winter so you are driving along and all of a sudden the plow goes way up and slams back down. I have a feeling that is doing more than the actual plowing. Will have to start paying more attention driving around.


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

I think a brace is needed that runs from the plow frame center beam back to the strait rails of the truck , under the seat area of the cab. I have some bars made up to keep this from happening on my truck. I used the idea from the old Fisher mounts before the MM1 where they had the two bars running down to the trans crossmember.
If you think about the way the plow frame is bolted up and the hump in the frame rails to just behind the controll arm, all the weight of the plow is forced to this area due to the lower controll arm supporting the weight of the vehicle there.
One thing I don't know about is if I should remove the short brace that runs to the 1st crossmember from the beam or not to force the weight of the plow to the strait rails of the frame behind all of this.


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

Joe, that sounds like a good idea. Could you post any pics? I would try that myself before we rip open another truck. I think I would still leave the first ones there and just add the others.


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

I have my plow frame off still, yes I take it off for the off season as it kills the ground clearence in the front. 
I also have the side plates that drop down from the frame rails to the center beam flipped around to bring the plow closer to the truck. I will post pics as soon as I get it back on. I need to paint them up 1st. before I install it. 
On the other site one of the guys had a similar system installed on his Ford to keep the weak mount from bending


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## BlueK1500 (Nov 17, 2006)

*Frames*

My dad works for a zinc mining company here in east TN. The company he worked for from '87-'96 had four '90-92 K-2500 regular cabs with the 6.2 diesel engine, two '86 K-20 6.2 diesels, and two '89 F-250 7.3 diesel 4x4's. All of these trucks were driven underground into the zinc mine approximately 1200 feet below the surface. Personally, I was underground with dad at least a half a dozen times on the weekends to make sure the mine dewatering pumps were still running. Let me tell you, I think that these conditions were some of the most severe that you could possibly subject any vehicle to. The roads were so rough in most places that it would shake the fillings out of your teeth. If you weren't wearing your seatbelt, you would bounce up off the seat and hit your hardhat covered head on the roof of the truck. The trucks were subjected to tremendous amounts of flexing, and at times they were driven in water up to the tailgates. On the '90-'92 Chevys, the frames would develop stress cracks around the upper A-frame mounts (just like in the pictures in this thread), in the areas underneath the floor boards, and the area between the bed and the cab. They would steam-clean the frames periodically and check them. If they saw cracks, the guys in the shop would plate them up and weld them. According to dad, they didn't have any problems with the frames on the '86 Chevys or the '89 F250 trucks, just the 90-92 chevys. I'm no engineer by any means, but I think that the A-frame front suspension design puts more stress on a smaller area of the frame leading to the cracks. A solid axle leaf spring design spreads out the stress to 4 seperate areas which are fairly far apart compared to the A-frame/torsion bar setup. What do you guys think? BTW, I am a Chevy guy at heart....not here to flame Chevy trucks.


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

I think that boxing the frames is a bad idea as it does not let it flex smoothly and tends to create high stress spots. The older GM's pre 87 only had issues where the steering box mounted to the frame.


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

So, just noticed that the frame on my 05 GMC HD is cracked as well - that is 2 of our trucks (the other was the 04 GMC HD) I had the 04 welded a few weeks ago and it has been fine since, the 05 is a bit worse but will get welded this week. Joe, were you going to post some pics of your mount? I need to come up with a better idea than what is going on. Of course we plow about 600 hours a year (per truck) so that is a heck of a lot of wear on the trucks but still...


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## Joe D (Oct 2, 2005)

jhook;355641 said:


> So, just noticed that the frame on my 05 GMC HD is cracked as well - that is 2 of our trucks (the other was the 04 GMC HD) I had the 04 welded a few weeks ago and it has been fine since, the 05 is a bit worse but will get welded this week. Joe, were you going to post some pics of your mount? I need to come up with a better idea than what is going on. Of course we plow about 600 hours a year (per truck) so that is a heck of a lot of wear on the trucks but still...


 I forgot all about this. I will get some as soon as I can and post them. They look just like the bars on the older fisher systems, before mm1 cam out.


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## BigDave12768 (Nov 17, 2006)

jryden145;305162 said:


> hey i was just wondering if anyone has had any problems with there duramaxs cracking frames. The reason i ask is because we have had bad luck with chevys before, a 1993 light duty 3/4 ton w/western mvp, cracked, and also our 1999 3500 srw w/boss 8'2" has a cracked frame, we do aprox. 80 drives and 15 commercial so any input would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks


Buy a Dodge with a CTD. Haven't you learned yet that Chebby's are not real work trucks


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## William B. (Jul 22, 2004)

BigDave12768;355682 said:


> Buy a Dodge with a CTD. Haven't you learned yet that Chebby's are not real work trucks


That was real helpful to the coversation.

Where on your 05 is the frame cracking at? Any chance for some pictures?


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## B&B (Nov 4, 2006)

Yea, pics would be great of you can post some.


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## Rampart Ranger (Oct 18, 2006)

Plowing these gravel roads littered with tree roots and BIG under road granite rocks is very hard on frames. Every plow I have used here has developed frame cracks after a few years.

This can be minimized by allowing the plow to float as much as possible, and avoiding HARD contacts. At CDOT we were told NEVER to carry the plow (yeah, that guy never sat behind the wheel!).


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

I will see about taking a picture tomorrow. Basically, the same place as the pic posted earlier in this thread - just mine isn't that bad...yet


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## Detroitdan (Aug 15, 2005)

BigDave12768;355682 said:


> Buy a Dodge with a CTD. Haven't you learned yet that Chebby's are not real work trucks


Ever notice how rarely you see actual work trucks from Dodge? I don't mean pickup trucks, I'm talking about a one ton with any sort of equipment, box, wrecker, utility, boom, you name, it rarely happens, at least in my neck of the woods. Word I heard is because nobody wants to touch the frames. I'll have to look around and see if I can find that info again. And speaking of work trucks, when did you last see a medium duty Dodge? No 4500, 5500? They must leave building real trucks to the real truck companies. Maybe Daimler Chrysler can order something from Mercedes/Freightliner divisions and put a Dodge emblem on it.


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## William B. (Jul 22, 2004)

I believe it is Dodge that doesnt recommend a plow on their half tons. Infact I dont think you can put one on with out having to weld the mount on beacuse the front half of the frame is a crumple zone.


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## Motorman 007 (Jan 11, 2005)

We all know he is just baiting us. Why does a Mopar guy feel the need to post in the GM forum?


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## Antnee77 (Oct 25, 2005)

Detroitdan;356024 said:


> Maybe Daimler Chrysler can order something from Mercedes/Freightliner divisions and put a Dodge emblem on it.


That would be awesome. I'd love to see a Class 3 Freightliner.


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

*05 2500 HD cracked frame*

Ok, let's hope this pic comes out right... here is what the frame looks like on my 05 HD. Going in ot the welding shop tomorrow. Notice that the crack follows right beside the factory weld - that's where they go. Lucky we caught this one before it went over the othe side. It goes about 1/2 way accross the top of the frame. Last time I took my 04 in to gt welded, the guy at the shop couldn't beleive that I had found the crack (it was smaller than this). I told him I knew where to look


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## 02DURAMAX (Dec 27, 2006)

jhook;356937 said:


> Ok, let's hope this pic comes out right... here is what the frame looks like on my 05 HD. Going in ot the welding shop tomorrow. Notice that the crack follows right beside the factory weld - that's where they go. Lucky we caught this one before it went over the othe side. It goes about 1/2 way accross the top of the frame. Last time I took my 04 in to gt welded, the guy at the shop couldn't beleive that I had found the crack (it was smaller than this). I told him I knew where to look


 Man that looks bad....What do you do with your trucks?....I've had a plow on my 02 2500HD since new and I don't have that on my truck....


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

02DURAMAX;357025 said:


> Man that looks bad....What do you do with your trucks?....I've had a plow on my 02 2500HD since new and I don't have that on my truck....


Well, we start by planting a 950# Blizzard 810 out the front, then we run the trucks about 600 hrs/ yr (just plowing). They get tired before too long 

That truck has plowed well over 1000 hrs already. I can't begin to imagine how many times the plow has gone up and down and how many snowbanks it has pushed into.


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## Proscapez LLC (Aug 9, 2006)

On commerial vehicles it's illegal to weld on the frame outside the factory.
D.O.T. forbids it.
They have to plate it then drill holes an bolt them back together,
I think it has something to do with temper of the frame.
Has anyone brought this to GM attention, if so what was said?


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

Lawns & More;357039 said:


> On commerial vehicles it's illegal to weld on the frame outside the factory.
> D.O.T. forbids it.
> They have to plate it then drill holes an bolt them back together,
> I think it has something to do with temper of the frame.
> Has anyone brought this to GM attention, if so what was said?


Hmm, I would like to see how you would plate that and I am not really in a position to drop the truck off at the local scrapyard. I would like to hear though if anyone has gone to GM with this.


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## joe_padavano (Nov 29, 2004)

Lawns & More;357039 said:


> On commerial vehicles it's illegal to weld on the frame outside the factory.
> D.O.T. forbids it.
> They have to plate it then drill holes an bolt them back together,
> I think it has something to do with temper of the frame.
> Has anyone brought this to GM attention, if so what was said?


That's interesting, since the GMC Upfitter's manual specifically tells you how to extend or shorten the frame on their commercial trucks by welding. My FSM also has a section that describes how to repair cracks by welding. I don't suppose you have a link or reference to a law number for that statement, do you?


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## Proscapez LLC (Aug 9, 2006)

joe_padavano;357388 said:


> That's interesting, since the GMC Upfitter's manual specifically tells you how to extend or shorten the frame on their commercial trucks by welding. My FSM also has a section that describes how to repair cracks by welding. I don't suppose you have a link or reference to a law number for that statement, do you?


I quit driving Semi's in 1994 and that was the law back then.
I apologize my info is out dated, I see there has been a change to it.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?section=393.201


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## jhook (Jan 24, 2004)

Well, took her in to the highly recommended local welding shop yesterday. One of these guys that has been welding since he was in diapers  Fixed her all up, $25 and I was on my way. Will see how it holds up now. Still got one more year before the lease is up on this one


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