Long bed to short bed conversion

[Honky Kong jr]

So I'm in a handful of welding engineering classes. Now I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert by any means. But I asked my professor what he thought would be a better cut for shortening a frame. He thought a straight cut would be best, minimise the heat affected zone. And he's not just a desk jockey, he was an aerospace welder himself and an accomplished welding engineering. This guy is pretty damn smart, he has a good handle on every flavor of engineering and the science behind it. Figured I'd pass on what he thought.

Now not to say a fancy cut wouldn't work, it's obviously tried and proven as well.

That’s well and good and not arguing, but when you splice a beam it’s done at an angle or step. Just saying. I’d think a sheer connection isn’t ideal. Just my .02

 

[vkh]

That’s well and good and not arguing, but when you splice a beam it’s done at an angle or step. Just saying. I’d think a sheer connection isn’t ideal. Just my .02

Fair enough, maybe if I get some time I'll see if I can model it in solidworks.

 

[echo7bravo]

If I was closer that swb would be on my trailer.

I’m serious about getting rid of this frame. I pulled the cab for my truck after another board member grabbed the bed. My brother snatched up the engine/trans. So now there’s a rolling chassis on some old Krager 15” and tires that hold air.

If no one wants it, it is going to end up in the scrap yard, chopped up, sold to the Chinese, melted down, turned into some plastic handle Star Trek steak knives, and sold to some fat guy who actually believes XBOX is a sport.

 

[smoothandlow84]

That’s well and good and not arguing, but when you splice a beam it’s done at an angle or step. Just saying. I’d think a sheer connection isn’t ideal. Just my .02

X2. Aerospace engineer or not...they too have had more than few failures... ( cough...cough)...oh ibk...the space shuttle challenger, and a few 747 incidents. But they know what they are talking aout ....right.


All that aside the whole "heat effected zone"....you wouldn't be using a cutting torch to slice the frame. Drill the corners and use a sawzall. Hell a plasma cutter won't overheat the area either.

 

[smoothandlow84]

Fair enough, maybe if I get some time I'll see if I can model it in solidworks.

Im not opposed to argiung on a daily basis with engineers. Most of the time while they are trying to prove that they are the smartest person in the room, someone else finds a simpler solution becuse they have done it a few dozen times with excellent results without the calculator.


More often than not...common sense trumps book sense.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

He thought a straight cut would be best, minimise the heat affected zone. And he's not just a desk jockey, he was an aerospace welder himself and an accomplished welding engineering.

The logic is sound, but at some point you have to ask, does it matter?

The heat affected zone would be stronger, but does it matter?

A longer, non-sheer joint would be stronger, but does it matter?

They are legitimate questions, to get answers, you can simply go to the real world and look. Large trucks are cut and lengthened, and squarebody ramp trucks and tow trucks, with straight cuts. There are now bolt/weld on shortening kits that use straight cuts. There are thousands of trucks running around, hauling dumpsters and other trucks on them with straight cuts.

I would not use a straight cut and not use a fish plate. I would not use a 110 flux core, or other amateur equipment to make this weld. This is something I personally have only done with a buzz box.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with an S cut, if you want to take the time, it will work great. I would fish plate it as well.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a straight cut either. I would not send it without a fish plate. I would not do it for my first project, or with low end equipment.

 

[vkh]

X2. Aerospace engineer or not...they too have had more than few failures... ( cough...cough)...oh ibk...the space shuttle challenger, and a few 747 incidents. But they know what they are talking aout ....right.


All that aside the whole "heat effected zone"....you wouldn't be using a cutting torch to slice the frame. Drill the corners and use a sawzall. Hell a plasma cutter won't overheat the area either.

Actually the engineers told them Challenger was going to blow if they launched it. It got way too cold the morning of for the seals in the boosters. It was the management at NASA that decided their schedule was more important than what the engineers thought.

And by heat affected zone I was referring to the heat from the welding, not the cutting.

 

[vkh]

Im not opposed to argiung on a daily basis with engineers. Most of the time while they are trying to prove that they are the smartest person in the room, someone else finds a simpler solution becuse they have done it a few dozen times with excellent results without the calculator.


More often than not...common sense trumps book sense.

Discorse is good. When I'm out of school I'd want people to call out my oversights.

 

[vkh]

The logic is sound, but at some point you have to ask, does it matter?

The heat affected zone would be stronger, but does it matter?

A longer, non-sheer joint would be stronger, but does it matter?

They are legitimate questions, to get answers, you can simply go to the real world and look. Large trucks are cut and lengthened, and squarebody ramp trucks and tow trucks, with straight cuts. There are now bolt/weld on shortening kits that use straight cuts. There are thousands of trucks running around, hauling dumpsters and other trucks on them with straight cuts.

I would not use a straight cut and not use a fish plate. I would not use a 110 flux core, or other amateur equipment to make this weld. This is something I personally have only done with a buzz box.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with an S cut, if you want to take the time, it will work great. I would fish plate it as well.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a straight cut either. I would not send it without a fish plate. I would not do it for my first project, or with low end equipment.

My intention wasn't to suggest that you're damned choosing the wrong one. Just happened to be a question I'd asked my professor just alittle earlier and I figured I'd pass on what he said. I think both are tried and proven. Personally I think I would stick to the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method.

If I'm honest I'm a nerd for this ****. If I see a way to link what I'm learning in school to something I'm passionate about (mostly automotive) I get kind of excited. I think it's neat and figure someone else might find it interesting. Not trying to say other ways are wrong or make myself seem smarter. I just find it genuinely cool.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

My intention wasn't to suggest that you're damned choosing the wrong one. Just happened to be a question I'd asked my professor just alittle earlier and I figured I'd pass on what he said. I think both are tried and proven. Personally I think I would stick to the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method.

If I'm honest I'm a nerd for this ****. If I see a way to link what I'm learning in school to something I'm passionate about (mostly automotive) I get kind of excited. I think it's neat and figure someone else might find it interesting. Not trying to say other ways are wrong or make myself seem smarter. I just find it genuinely cool.

My intention wasn't to talk down to you, or anyone else.

I am an engineer in my day job, not a welder lol. I often have to reel people in, colleagues, and co-workers.

KISS is the best, usually. I often run into people, who ask, "why'd you stupid engineers make it so I have to take my vehicle apart to change the blah blah blah."

There's no simple answer to most thing's in my world. Does it matter? Where is it in the list of design considerations? Is it cheaper, faster? I often tell people, that we need to make things so simple that an 8th grader can do it. That someone who worked at Shoe Carnival 2 weeks ago can do this.

The best way, to do any given thing, can vary wildly depending who is doing it, and what they have to do it with in terms of tools, budget, and experience.

A fair bit of people, the answer for how to get a short bed, is to buy one. Some people can learn a great deal by getting into a project over their heads, and come out experts. Other people can get in over their heads and make a good truck into a parts truck lol.

 

[Scott91370]

LOL

All this talk about shotbed conversions. I have a short wheel base rolling chassis in my front yard I need gone.

Why are all these deals always so far away!!!!

 

[MarshMobbin907]

If anyone wants to throw out a short bed or anything in that matter near Fort Polk, I'm all game lol

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