new purchase new project

[frosties snowremoval]

i just bought a 81 c30 dnevy and will make it my summer project it will be my sander truck
first pic side view

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pic2 bed up hoist

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back of truck rhino liner pealing

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pic of the cab

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driverside floor rot

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pic of the sander(reason for purchase)

[frosties snowremoval]

todo list includes:
remove passenger side tank to ad a underbody toolbox
repair floor
ad cb radio
ad airbags
repair seal in auger motor on sander
possibly put a used straight blade on the front
repair bedliner
ad a tralier hitch and electric brakes

[JCurtis]

That chassis looks pretty good except for the rust on the dump lift frame

[frosties snowremoval]

yea i couldn't believe how clean the frame was and the lift frame is just surface rust so no big deal the dump and spreader where put on in 98 when they bought it from the state

[frosties snowremoval]

well i have started on the trailer hitch here is a pic of the rear now i am in the process of taking the undertailgate sander off but one of the quick couplers is froze up so i will let it soak in some penetrating lube.

[frosties snowremoval]

forgot the pic

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pic of a piece of 3/8 steel i cut to 12"x36"

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a alyout of lights d rings and reciever

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torched holes for reciever and tack welded the d rings

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here is the corners that i also rounded over with the torch

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close up of the front side of hitch welded

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two pics of d rings welded i welded them in three passes

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first pic is rear of tube
second is after first filler pass to fill all voids from torching the plate

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final two pics of the hitch
first is after root pass
second after final two passes

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first pic is the hole torched for 6 pin connecter
second is connecter setting in place

[frosties snowremoval]

well thats as far as i got today hopefully i will have time tommorow to install lights and finish removing the sander so i can install it. i would have kept going but a buddy has my hole saws and i didn't feel like torching two 4.5inch holes

[snowplowjay]

Looks like you had a busy day Frostie.......... :D

Nice work so far, keep those pictures rolling on in :D

Jay

[snowjoker]

Nice job!! Make sure you brace the back of that 3/8 plate. That will still bend under heavy pullung , but im sure you already know that :grinz

[cat320]

Well I was thinking about that backing the plate too and also shouldn't he brace the trailer reciver tube too ? Looking good other wise .

[frosties snowremoval]

yes i am planning on bracing the top edge will have a full weld all the way across the top 3" channel that is currently on the truck and then the reciever tube welds on to a 2"x1/4" thick angle that was installed to cradle the reservoir for hydro fluid i then well make two braces one on each side that will extend to each frame rale right behind the leaf springs out of some 1 1/2" sqaure tube i have

[frosties snowremoval]

today i drilled two 41/2" holes for the lights i also welded the light cans in were te factory holes were at

[frosties snowremoval]

first pic shows the backside of brake lights with a gap around them
second pic i filled the gap with a body filler to prevent the buildup of road brime
third pic is with a layer of galvanizing compound

[frosties snowremoval]

final pic's for this evening hopefully if its not raining tommorow i will finish it up but it doesn't look good
first is a pic of the front with filler
second sanded
third coated with galvzinc

[Pelican]

Frosty, I think those lights will come back to haunt you. To much junk flying around back there, they will be very suseptable to corrosion. I'd have gone with the 4" grommet mounted modular S/T/T light, you can get the grommets in a boot style where the back of the light and connection are covered and protected. In the long run, I think it will be less trouble for you.

Pretty impressive looking welds though!!! :notworthy

[wyldman]

Very nice work !

I agree on the bracing for both the plate,and the hitch tube.

I also agree with Pelican.After all that nice work,why install those crappy lights ? They will rot out and corrode in no time,and then you have to cut them out and replace them.The sockets they use are junk too.

Rubber grommet mounted lights are the way to go,preferrably LED with sealed plugs.You can then unplug them in the winter,and run an extension harness up to another set of lights mounted on your salter\dump body,as the lower ones will be hard to see with the salter on.No corroded wiring this way either,it's all sealed plugs.I would also do the same for the reverse lights,and\or clearance lights.

You can also buy premade light boxes,with the holes already cut.Just bolt ot weld them right on,saving a lot of fab work.If they get severely damaged,you just replace them.

I would also add a sealed weatherpack,or metri-pack connector to your trailer socket,so you don't have to cut\splice wires when it's time to change it.Just unplug it,and then wire a new one up on the bench,no lying under a dirty truck.

[FCLC]

I like the truck and it looks like it'll be a good solid rig when your done. Just wish I could find one. My step Dad bought an '83 1/2 ton last fall, already has the steel flat bed. Rebuilt 454 and an auto, if I could talk him out of it and thought I could make the swap I'd put one ton axles and springs under it and us it as a salting truck this winter.

[wyldman]

I forgot to add...........what about adding a box to house your hydraulic quick disconnects for the tailgate salter ? A small steel door can be made to cover them in the off season,so they don't get packed full of dirt.

[frosties snowremoval]

wyldman i have been thinking of adding a box or some kind of mount for the couplers someone has done that before i dont remeber if it was pelican or 75 i am going to try to find those pics i thought it was agood setup.

[Alan]

This was how I armored my spreader connectors.
http://www.letstalksnow.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3139

[cat320]

I agree as far as the light goes it does look nice but I think a nice oval led with the weather proof conectors would of been the way to go,plastic and rubber not to much to rust lol . looks good just the same hope everything works out .

[frosties snowremoval]

i seem to be catching a lot of greef about the lights but it is to late i originaly was going to use the oval ones with the rubber gasket but i don't think i could have got the gasket to seat over the 3/8" plate it looks like they were more made for 10 ga. metal so that is why i found these

alan that is the covers i was talking about how did you mount the couplers to you're bumper is it a special coupler?

[frosties snowremoval]

well igot the sander off today had to do some torching becuase the bushings were rusted to the pins

[frosties snowremoval]

first pic is the rear end with the sander off you can see the top 3" c channel i will weld the bracket to and the bottom one well sit on top the reciever tube and i will weld those together
second pic its mounted
i am going to wire it tommorow and start on fixing the rot below thew tailgate

[Alan]

Frostie,

The couplers aren't hooked to the rear plate at all. I plumbed the truck with Sch. 80 seamless 1/2" pipe on the pressure side and 3/4" Sch 40 for the returns. The returns are "t"d together into one line, the feeds are seperate lines on each side, inside the frame. I don't remember if I welded it to hangers or clamped the pipe to the hangers, but it's firmly in place. I ran nipples through holes in the plate and just threaded the couplers on. I filled the gaps around the pipes with my favorite black gasket goop so they couldn't rub on the steel and sealed all connections with Loctite hydraulic/pneumatic sealant.

I didn't want to run hoses all the way back, once they start to weathercheck the braid rusts and you end up with weeping hoses. In addition you have to get at the hose to hold it if/when you need to change a coupler. As it is now I can spin a coupler off from "outside" and put another one on pretty easily.

If you wanted to use hoses it would be pretty simple to weld a pipe nipple into the plate so you could screw a hose on one side and the coupler on the other.

[frosties snowremoval]

alan thanks for the info i will use your pipe nipple idea becuase i dont want to repipe the hole truck there is ine hose i need to replace where it was rubbing on the shock from not being properly attached inside the rail. alan what would you reccomend i use for hydro oil? i saw some 20-w50 at tractor supply would that work or what would you reccomend?

[Alan]

There are oils made specially for hydraulic system service. I'm assuming the 20-w50 is a motor oil. I think dedicated hydraulic oils have better anti-foaming properties than motor oils do. There are (at least) two types, one is strictly for hydraulics, the other is for hydraulic and transmissions and is used in tractors and heavy equipment where the transmission is also the hydraulic supply. I think the hy-tran stuff can be used in pure hydraulic systems but not vice versa. Either should be available in five gallon pails.

You can file this away for future use. I tend to agree with the comments others made about the lights not lasting very well. When those do fail you can replace them with lights which will fit those same holes but have a rubber housing. I assume they are still being made. They are identical to the ones you have now except that the housing is all rubber with a circular spring clip to retain the lens. Those will last about forever. You would have to drill holes in the plate to allow use of mounting screws to hold them in. I lined mine with aluminum foil to get a little better light reflection from the inside of the housings.

[capnkel]

20w50 is a motor oil,most of the transmission/hydraulic fluids are 46 weight,for running a tailgate spreader ,try to find some aw 32,the aw stands for anti wear,you should be able to find it at napa,or a hyraulic supply house,46 tends to be too thick, if it gets too cold the pump may not pick it up very well,another thing you should do if you change it,is drain everything you can get out,then refill with the new oil.

[Pelican]

I'm running straight 10 weight hydraulic fluid in my 550 and even then it gets thick in cold temps. When you're running the pump for long periods, the weather is cold so 10 weight is ok. For the ocassional body lift in summer months, the oil won't get a chance to get too hot so you're still safe.

[frosties snowremoval]

the 20w-50 is a hydraulic fluid it says its for use in john deere case and a bunch of others but i didn't no what would b a good one for a engine drivin pump and a hoist like this

[wyldman]

Your dealing with two different types of viscosity rating systems here.10W,30W,20W-50,etc are all SAE rated oils.AW32,AW46,etc are all ISO rated oils.They are all very similar,and can be used in just about anything.The main difference is just the way they are rated.

AW32 is the most commonly used hydraulic oil for cold temps.Warmer climates may dictate the use of AW46,but it's too thick for most winter use.10W is about half way in between AW32 and AW46.

You may need to use a specialty oil if your using it in a tractor or transmission.There are also some specialty grades like AW22 or AW15,which are for extreme cold weather use,but tend to be too light once the system gets warmed up.They are more designed for extreme cold where the hydraulic system never really comes up to normal operating temps.

A tailgate unit,dump body,and most common hydraulic systems will use AW32 for year round use.It may take a bit of running to get the system warmed up,but once warmed up,it will be fine.You should also never push a cold system (you'll hear the noise when it's cold),as cavitation can severely damage the pump and motors.

[frosties snowremoval]

ok i was way off it was a 10w-20 that i bought will it work yes or no?
and i finally have it all wired including the 6 pin i do need to trace for a break in the park lamps thow there not getting power i think i found it were it looks like the wires fell on to the exhaust. so i will have to repair that i also got my cb and brake controller mounted in the cab i still have to wire them in

[wyldman]

10W20 is too thick.That is comparable to an AW46 or more,which is too thick for most small hydro systems in cold weather.

If the truck wiring is bad,just replace it all.Disconnect the plug at the firewall (it comes apart in three pieces,and the rear lamp wiring is one piece),and take it inside and attach new wires.Run them all the way to the back,and run a sealed junction box.You can split out your wiring there.Leave extra wire tucked under the frame in case of repairs.I use SOJW extension cord,or 6 conductor trailer cord (the sealed black stuff),as it's double insulated,and easy to string under the truck.

[frosties snowremoval]

well its been a long time sence a update so here goes. sorry, no pics right now.
well first the sander is all broke down ready to go to the sandblaster. the auger motor is at the hydraulic shop for new seals they are also getting my quick connects with a adapter that will goe thre my plate. the last two weeks after work i started tracing wires looking for the culpret on py parking light problem and ended up rewiring the alternater and starter before i purchased the truck there was a engine fire from a hydraulic line that burst on the exhaust manifold and the wiring had to be patched to the starter and alternater were it was melted. well when i started looking at it i was unhappy with the repair job so i cut it all out and started fresh.in ther cab i found that someone ran a hot leg of the fuse panel to the light controller to power the head lights but nothing with the park. i am guessing they lost power to the controller during the same fire and the same dummy who did the other wiring did this so i pulled every thing apart in the cab and traced the wires out and rewired the contoller i also found a blown fuse on the park lamps and fixed that the fuse didn't even look blown i had to trace it out with my meter. so today i finished all the wiring and put the cab back together. i also talked to the owner he is going to find the bill from when he had the bed coated and tell them a employee is droping it off to get it fixed so they well cover it under warranty.
next well be fixing the floor rot and ill get some pics

[frosties snowremoval]

here is a pic of the sander i am hoping to drop it off this week i have been pretty busy

[frosties snowremoval]

well here are some pics of the rear end rot that i need to fix

[Pelican]

I notice the marker lamps you have on the rear with clear lenses. If you're planning to use these as reverse or work lights, you'll find they won't throw near enough light to do much for you. I'd put a couple PAR36 floods back there at minimum.

[frosties snowremoval]

no those are just to make it legal there are to flood lights on each side of my sander that come on when i have the warning light on

[frosties snowremoval]

well i got the valve covers replaced today with some edelbrock valve covers only 40.00 and some new gaskets i tried this gasket tack that is a spray on version it worked great i have never used it before i have used the yellow stuff that you squeeze on i like this much better.

[frosties snowremoval]

three more pics

[Pickering Snow]

A couple of tips Frostie you went a little heavy on the high tack i dont know if i would of sprayed it on the heads with rockers exposed maybe its just the gasket i see installed second crome valve covers are gonna probley rust quik this winter i personally would of went with painted. high tack is a ok product but requires about a a 1/4 of the app that was used.

[frosties snowremoval]

i covered the rockers up when spraying it i did get some over spray on the outside of the engine but very little inside. i have these on my 76' and they have been there for three years no rust yet the painted goodwrench ones they had were 80.00 i didn't feel like spending that much.i no i did go a little haevy on the tack but it looks worse then it is with the reflections of the chrome

[wyldman]

Next time buy the better silicone rubber gaskets,instead of cork.You'll be changing the cork out before too long,as they always leak.

[frosties snowremoval]

wyldman i was under the impression that the cork gaskets swell und seal nicely were the rubber don't and the rubber leaks sooner?

[wyldman]

The silicone rubber ones are virtually indestructable.Buy them once,use them forever.

The Fel-Pro cork gaskets aren't that bad,they will last longer than most.They will eventually start to come apart,and fail.

[frosties snowremoval]

well it was raining on saturday so i painted my sander that i picked up from the blaster
first before
2nd after i will let them dry this week then assemble next week maybe

[frosties snowremoval]

well it was nicer on sunday so i started on redoing the fuel supply i got the old tank out and ready for my toolbox i didn't start repiping any of the lines for the driverside tank yet the neighbors had a open huose at one so i didn't want to be making a mess why that was going on. i will paint the body frame hopefully this week i have to pick up some black enamel first

[frosties snowremoval]

its been a while here is a update. over the last couple weeks i have been re piping the gas lines i also switched the sending units with the one i removed. replaced the fuel pump replaced the oil pan gasket. and mounted the tool box i have some pics of the box the support i put on the rear also carrys my trailer ball when not in use.

[snowplowjay]

I like that idea. Keeps the ball out of sight when you are not using the trailer hitch...


Jay

[Pelican]

Very clever! You don't get ball grease all over everything that way either!

[frosties snowremoval]

well thanks for the comments. i tripped over the scrap piece of reciever tube when making the support and decided to put it to use.

[AL Inc]

Truck is looking good, frostie. I also like the hitch idea. Keep us posted on your progress.

[frosties snowremoval]

thank you all!! for the tips and comments. today i got the starter back in and it started up after getting thelines primed. the fuel pump must have been bad not suprized sence i found the return line capped. before the fuel filter would only hold about half a glass and now with all new fuel lines and pump its plum full. if the heat lets up and the refrigeration service calls slow down i am hoping to get the sander hydraulic lines and couplers mounted before the weekend. i also still need to replace the driverside brake rotor and rebleed the brake lines.

[frosties snowremoval]

i painted the dump bed today

[frosties snowremoval]

with new paint i still need to paint the rear and the gate

[frosties snowremoval]

will i put the sander together today

[frosties snowremoval]

well the sander is done except the hydraulic couplers tomorow i plan on fabing up the brackets for them today i also removad the brake master cylinder and hydro booster i thought i picked the right one up from the junk yard yesterday but it turns out the one i picked up had double flare connections and mine has the o ring seals so i don't no what i am going to do now i also got a new steering box andit is the right one so i have that to put on also then i can drive down to the graphic shop and have every thing lettered

[chipsearthworks]

looks good :rocker :rocker . But you must have some cool neiabors (spelling?) because mine would flip if I did all that work in My driveway :fuming . but still looks good plowing!

[frosties snowremoval]

i apologize to all for my grammer in the last couple of posts. i was in a hurry and wanted to get the pictures posted. i just saw how bad it was myself when rereading the thread.

[frosties snowremoval]

saturday night my new hydro boost, brake master cylindar, and power steering pump came in. so today i painted them up and got them ready for install all the old parts are off and waiting i also switched out the gear box today with the used one i picked up from the junk yard.
pic one old box leaking at shaft were steering shaft bolts on.
new one installed i took it off a suburban that also had a cooler mounted under the radiator so i put that on two.

[frosties snowremoval]

i also mounted some new led strobes i got off ebay i was unable to wire them up sence i couldn't raise the bed untill the steering is back together. i am planning on rewiring the switches for the warning lights and reverse lights i need to mount on the sander. i was also thinking about replacing the emergency brake cable sence it appears to be rusted up. cost for the for cables is 200.00

[frosties snowremoval]

here is the pic of lights i don't like them inside the bed but couldn't think of any better place that would work

[Pelican]

I have a warning light mounted in the same location. It works very well, can be seen from quite a distance and is tucked out of the way of damage. Don't worry about it, they will work out fine.

[frosties snowremoval]

well today i finally got the sander couplers mounted although i still have to hook the lines up. i am getting new lines made up for it but i need to get the dump up so i no how long to have them made. the problem is that when i went to put the power steering pump on today i noticed it had a 1/4" of play in the shaft so napa is getting me another one. so maybe by the end of the week. well here is some pics of the couplers.

[snowplowjay]

That looks great man!!!

You do nice work!!!


Jay

[cat320]

It's looking good for something that has not been a frame off restoration.

[frosties snowremoval]

well steering and booster are done. although the brake booster doesn't seem to have much help the petal is real stiff any ideas? also now thayt i got the bed up i found out that the couplers stick out 1/2" to far when hooked up so i made a new racket that dropped the couples below the auger tray. thats done the hoses are all installed. i repainted the spinner bracket and put new hoses on it. i need two adapters for the truck side hosesto finish the hydraulics. i also got the backup alarm and lights mounted and wired. there is two on the driverside and one on the passengerside.
one more question. sence i switched the sending units from the tank i took out the fuel gauge doesn't work it is pegged about 1" past full is the sending unit bad? i tryed wiggling the wires on the tank thinking there was a bad ground but didn't even move thye needle?

well here is some pics of the new couplers and lights. i am going to order a new spinner but want to finish up the other parts so it is a working truck. heck i still three others to go over before winter hits

[Pelican]

Sounds like you might have a bad ground on the fuel gauge, check that out carefully.

Project looks good!

[wyldman]

A bad ground would cause the gauge not to read,or read empty.Sounds like you have a grounded wire,or a bad sending unit.

[kemmer]

how much did that restoration cost you total?

[frosties snowremoval]

good question let me look at my reciepts

[frosties snowremoval]

total for all bills up to now 2551.38 that includes:
new radiater
new rotors and front breaks
rebuilt steering gearbox
new hydro boost
new power steering pump
all new gas lines and pump
underbody toolbox
sandblasting and painting of spreader
new hoses and couplers for spreader
rebuilt both hydro motors
all new ignition components
in cab organizer
had a cb rebuilt
and many other little things

still need to replace exhuast after last week when the muffler fell off and will probably need tranny rebuilt next year. the truck runs great so far i love it i will try and get some pics tommorow when i head out salting it will carry 4 tons salt but i normally only load 3 at a time

[cbsuperduty]

Looks good frostie... To bad we didn't get as much of the white stuff as they thought. I heard around KC some got 10 inches. Keep up the good work and get us some completed pics with the plow and everything.

[frosties snowremoval]

there will be no plow so far i have thrown 27tons threw it. i had a nother problem pop up on thursday with it, THE TIRES FELL OFF!!! i was heading out west with three tons and the passengerside duallys fell off. it snapped the lug nuts clean off so it was a great week. i have pics to post of fixing it but didn't get any on the side of the road

[frosties snowremoval]

first pics

[frosties snowremoval]

last three the tires are on i am missing the plate that the lug nuts seat on so i will have to try and find one. i am replacing the studs on the other side also to be safe

[chipsearthworks]

omg omg omg :zoinks holy crap thats sucks!!!! hope everything works out,

[urethane dino]

I hate those retainer rings with the tappered lug nuts. WHy they didnt use a flat seated lug nut like ford is beyond me. My 86 K 30 did that to me more than once. Only I found out in a lot at 5 mph, only one lug was still attached. Fixed in the parking lot the next day. Anyway, it seems to be an auto tranny issue. My same era trucks with sticks never loosen up, but the auto tranny trucks I retorque the rear lugs 2x a storm. When the auto shifts into gear it must have just enough torque, to gradually loosen the lug nuts. Glad nothing serious happened.
Dino

[frosties snowremoval]

anybody no wear to get one of those retainer rings i looked at the junk yard and no luck. i can't find it on the road either.

[Pelican]

The Ford version is not infallible either. My driver lost one set of duals last season while plowing, anytime you spin the wheels and get the rear hopping you should retorque the nuts. It kind of "disturbed" me that my driver didn't realize he had a problem until the wheels fell off!! I've got a different driver this season.

[urethane dino]

dealership

[frosties snowremoval]

yep dealer had one 48 bucks

[Big Dog D]

first pics


I had the same thing happen to me twice on my 87 K3500 about 10 years ago. It's not the studs that failed it's because of overloading. I discovered(the hard way of course) that what happens on those trucks with that tire set up that what happens is when the truck is loaded(which in my case and most likely everybodies too) the tires sg and squat and subsequently rub against each other at the bottom when loaded. When you run the truck down the road the vibrations cause the lugs to loosen slightly which allows the rims to move back and forth on acceleration & braking causing the lugs to loosen further to the point where the rims start to wobble in and out slightly. When this starts to happen occasionally the rims will push in opposite directions, one inboard and one out board and the studs wind up failing from the resulting pressure, just like when a rope snaps under too much pressure.

The first time when mine snapped and failed completely it was just after I had used an entire load to sand a lot and was on my back to the yard to refill. The second time was traveling from one plow jab to another with about 1/3 of a load in the sander. I have also had the studs fail on F-350's numerous times too because tthe lugs loosen slightly and allow the rims to slap back and forth again causing the holes on the rims to elongate slightly and then subsequently because of the movement start wearing away at the studs.

The best way to prevent it from happening is to not overload which in some cases isn't always practical. You can also try to prevent it by getting a spacer to sandwhich between the two rims to give the tires more room so that they don't rub against each other. In order to do this though you will most likely have to change to a stud that is a 1/2'' +/- longer to accomodate the spacer.

Sorry for being so long winded but I have been where you are many times before and figured that I would try to help make yoyr learning curve much shorter, cheaper, and most importantly safer!:salute

[atgreene]

I think Mick had that problem last year as well. My 3/4 ton snaps lugs now and again. Can't seem to figure out why. We assume it's the cold (usually does it at -5 or below), maybe the rear end differential not slipping properly?

Looks like a nice truck. I like my tailgate sander, a little different style, but they all work on the same principle. I'm on my 2nd. auger. My first broke in 2due to rust. A new one is almost $400.00 plus shipping from H P Fairfield. So Steve McLean found me one, but it ran in reverse of what I had and the flights on the auger dumped in the wrong place. So I cut off the flights from my old one and extended them on the new on and reversed the hoses so the motor would run in the right direction.

You'll find that the flights wear down easily. I've built mine up by taking a 1/2" x 20' steel rod and welding it to the flights. If you start at the end of the flight and tack weld the rod, as you weld it to the flight it will bend easily due to the heat so you can turn the flight and weld as you go. It's slow, but works good. If you're real patient, you can hard face it.

Good luck with it, great job.

[Mick]

Yes, I had the duals on the driver's side fall off last year - snapped several studs. I was particularly interested in Big Dog D's explanation as it fit my situation at the time. I don't think I was overloaded, but had quite a load on it with two yards of sand. I'd run a full Vbox for a couple days, but had only put on maybe 50 or so miles since the dealer had put the studded tires on. The mech who fixed them blamed the installer, saying the bolts had probably been over-tightened. I just know I couldn't get any flatbed wrecker anywhere to come and get it till I unloaded the sand in the Vbox and took the plow off it.

[Big Dog D]

Yes, I had the duals on the driver's side fall off last year - snapped several studs. I was particularly interested in Big Dog D's explanation as it fit my situation at the time. I don't think I was overloaded, but had quite a load on it with two yards of sand. I'd run a full Vbox for a couple days, but had only put on maybe 50 or so miles since the dealer had put the studded tires on. The mech who fixed them blamed the installer, saying the bolts had probably been over-tightened. I just know I couldn't get any flatbed wrecker anywhere to come and get it till I unloaded the sand in the Vbox and took the plow off it.


MICK,

The overloading doesn't cause them to snap, it causes the lugs to loosen up which in turn allows the rims to have the room for the play which allows the rims to get into the position to pry against each other thus resulting in the snapping.

Think about the design of the F-450's & F-550's. They are running the low pro tires and use a wheel that is offset quite a bit in order to keep the tires from rubbing. Most of your larger 6 wheelers and up all use similar techniques to achieve the same thing. When I owned that K-3500 the tires almost touched even when the truck was empty due to it's design.

I honestly don't feel that ATGREENE's problem was caused by the cold it was just coincidence that it happened when it was cold. Those kind of temp's will affect plastic, but it would have to get a helluva lot colder that to affect steel.

[frosties snowremoval]

thanks to all the comments hopefully tis wont happen agian i will check the lugs more often i promise that. i normally fill it up with 3 tons at a time

[Big Dog D]

thanks to all the comments hopefully tis wont happen agian i will check the lugs more often i promise that. i normally fill it up with 3 tons at a time


Do yourself a favor and get the spacers!! You are putting 6000 lbs of sand, plus a sander that weighs 600lbs?? on to a truck that weighs 8500lbs?? and has a GVW rating of 10-11K lbs??

You, as most do are overloading the $h!t out of it. For saftey's sake get the spacers to prevent the tires from rubbing. The danger isn't in the truck hitting the ground, the danger is in what the wheels will hit! Do you want to be responsible for the wheels slamming into an on comming car and killing somebody??

[frosties snowremoval]

were do you suggested i get the spacers at

[Big Dog D]

I think JC Whitney may sell them. If not they should be easy enough for any machine shop to make up. Take a brake drum to them and let them measure or trace the basic pattern on to a piece of aluminum or steel stock the desired thickness and cut and mill it up. My guess is that you will need about 3/4'' +/- to keep the tires from rubbing.

Good luck!