Building a short bed welding skid

[@cg8469]

I think you've got more talent in your pinky than I do in total. I've fabricated more than a couple custom bed rigs though, and one of my requirements I give to all clients is they have to pay me to build maintenance access on their weld machines. If your living is based around your power plant being functional, you need to take care of it. Every weld machine I've installed is almost always shoved up near a wall or bulkhead which means you can't access the oil drain or battery terminals. I either attach low voltage quick connects (like solar style prongs) or permanently wire in another battery to the truck system. Also, drill a couple holes + grommets and drop an oil drain hose underneath the bed, usually somewhere near the driveline. The Miller units typically have that push/twist oil drain system, so you should be able to put a bucket on the ground and then open up drain. Also, I typically rivet or rivnut all the tools necessary to complete maintenance inside of the weld unit. Obviously if you have daily access to a forklift this doesn't really matter. For a lot of guys though, they often need to do this in a parking lot or in their driveway at home. Love your channel man, you're an inspiration, keep posting.

[@dannoth5433]

You are killing it !!!! That is an awesome job laying out your rig . You gave me a couple of ideas for my skid. It is also great your this busy and you are making it happen. Keep up the GREAT work and the videos..

[@larryvollmar8763]

Great video as always! I did find out the hard way pakouts aren’t rain proof. Mine were full of water driving to a job up state in downpour. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Timbo428CJ]

Very well thought out 👍🏼 Nice job !!

[@derekh0322]

That's a great lay out for such a small truck. The table on the back is gonna make whoever runs that truck happy

[@mophomanners]

I would build the box for the pack packouts. I know how it is at get to the hotel time. Plus it's prime pickings for lunch and fuel stops. Also, add some pockets for a few flood worklights. On your after hours stuff it shows you like to work in a well lit area.

[@JD-526]

What a great idea and compact design. I love your videos they show us how things are done 👍.

[@warrenjones744]

Crane tuck is in my world is king,, but sometimes it's not what you need. That poor little truck is gonna be heavy but pretty handy! I like the table that folds down and the clever use of the job box handle latch thingy.

[@roadsideservice2406]

I switched over to pickup trucks years ago for equipment repairs. Just carry smaller tools, I can switch over to another truck in about 1 hours. Truck fully loaded fits easily in the garage, still have a service truck but only use it when I need the crane. Thanks for the video

[@terryperrott9913]

Nice set up,very well done

[@RicksterX-92fs]

Great conservation of space and well planned fixtures!

[@scottfeatherstone7156]

Awesome build. Really enjoyed the build process and tour!

[@mcfwelding]

Awesome. Efficient and simple, can get most jobs done

[@mikeallen266]

Cool build ! Being organized saves time👍saving time turns time into money $

[@elliotstoolsandprojects]

great looking set up, very cool design on the skid and layout!

[@JBlake-moon-shdo]

Looks great nice job. You have some of the best equipment.

[@sjohnson1776]

Very cool build! I'm interested to see how it evolves (if at all) once it's in the field. Sweet!

[@AndreZA979]

Man, that's an awesome rig!

[@ChuckNorriz1122]

That is the nicest press brake I have ever seen. Can’t wait to see the video on that!

[@MrRebar15]

*On Fire Welding* Bravo well done, thank-you sir for taking the time to bring us along. GOD Bless.

[@jamesbuttleman3130]

Nice project,well planned,looks like it will fit your needs. Capable of being modified easily. The drop down work table is trick,sure will save the tailgate. The press brake looks amazing,will look for a video on that beauty.

[@gettinbentfabrication9137]

Man you just helped me out with this video with ideas for mine I actually work out of a s10 and I have a Lincoln ranger 250 full torches and all the tools in it and they just helped me how to set it up better thanks

[@johnmckeighan4400]

I love the table!

[@ronbelldvm]

Ingenious! Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@machinemoverman4614]

That is a pretty handy little setup!

[@kenbouchet7874]

Thanks, great job. Well thought out and built.👍

[@bsquadrider]

Came out sweet, I really like the deep pack rat for the everyday tools. Most skids I have seen have tool boxes that aren't easy to access without climbing in and out of the bed, which would get old fast.

[@Darlhim89]

awesome setup as always. Your trucks are always A+.

[@hairypaw9165]

Sweet rig! 100% functionality.

[@steffob4729]

❤ what a nice custom build you constructed. I think a lightweight cab as protection against weather and theft would not be wrong.😊

[@bartscave]

Awesome job! I’m jealous of that new brake.

[@derrickpettit86]

Awesome set-up man, organized is key, if truck is squatting a little, maybe put airbags on the back then truck will sit level all the time, but it's a Cummins an it can handle the weight, sweet set-up, thanks for sharing

[@Jacob-40]

Cool idea 🤟🏻🤟🏻 my recommendation is make a cover like the ones on fire trucks that you can lift up like the ones some stores have. On the right side of the truck one and on the left the same thing and in the back of the truck one too. When you lift it up you will have room to reach all the things. Oh, I remember. Like garage doors.

[@davidmcduffie1398]

Great job ! Very good use of the space you have to work with ! Go set-um on fire ! ! ! Liked the video as always !

[@markboyanton9880]

Good to see your business grow. Keep up the amazing work!

[@PrairieMechanic]

Damn man, you used all of that truck box. Nice and clean. Great work as usual

[@BMGrilla60]

You should market that setup. Great modular, easy install rig for a medium duty mechanic. Lot of good ideas and excellent use of space.

[@1leggeddog]

Looks good! I'd definitely look at getting like a rolling shutter in front of the tool boxes for easy access

[@neilheriot2361]

Nice work, that is a slick little table.👌

[@ruefc3652]

Great build man. Keep a pack out dolly in the truck when you have to take em all off, it’ll save many trips if you travel a lot

[@GICK117]

Very nice rig. I like your idea of making a steel cover for your hand tools, It could have gas shocks to hold it open when needed and be closed to keep sticky fingers off your tools. Should be easy for you and save you some grief for sure. Nice work young man.

[@markbraham5439]

Looking great, easy to deploy and utilised. Definitely needs to box in quick release storage.

[@Rubbernecker]

Awesome rig!!!

[@gidge34]

That table is dope, Well done🤙🇺🇸

[@grumpyoldman336]

Nicely done mate well played on this build

[@NoPhuqsGiven]

Just an idea, but if you lowered the 330 down and laid the oxygen bottle down horizontally you could probably get an ARE cover over everything. ARE makes a cover where the sides open up for access and it’s not glass so you can’t see inside. Back flips up, sides flip up for access to the pack out boxes. Might require some additional tweaks, but it would be fully enclosed, secured, and wouldn’t look like a welding truck. Thieves wouldn’t know what’s inside. I really like what you’ve done here and plan on building something very similar to this for my short bed Dodge. Sort of a stealth rig.

[@OFW]

I like that. I’ll look into it

[@NoPhuqsGiven]

@OFW Just looked and the one I'm thinking about is the A.R.E HD. You can also customize one, add a pretty beefy roof rack, etc. ​Just a thought.

[@ypaulbrown]

So fantastic to see you growing so much…

[@coreyb4073]

Pretty sweet, you could probably make a gull wing type door that went over the packouts and hinge it off the jobox, then you could padlock it down, the back is already shielded by the table, and the front is locked by the welder, it would also help keep the rain and sun off the pack outs.. awsome build though, I like the gooseneck attachment idea, makes it so you can pull it with one pin

[@markfryer9880]

OFW. I liked the idea and the way that you fitted everything together. Like many other viewers have concerns about the security of items as well as weather protection. Another viewer mentioned water in toolboxes, and after personal experience, I couldn't agree more. You don't need that hassle in your life. Definitely look into a complete canopy for the rear bed. I think that climbing up to the upper toolbox is going to get old very fast with or without making a step pathway. The less you have to move things, the sooner that you are earning money. Work from the ground where possible. Is this vehicle to be used in the Brush Fire support role? If it is, then definitely get a canopy and have more support around the Milwaukee boxes as they won't stand up to those rough trails without breaking and spilling tools and parts everywhere. Again, I noticed that the Miller has no compressed air storage, but finding room for a tank is going to be tricky. I hope that this comment will help you a bit. Thanks for the video. I photographed that air compressor lifting system we have at school, do you have an email I can send the photos to you? It's a big bastard of a system running on 415 volts. Mark from Melbourne Australia

[@Boogieshoes-s9o]

That's pretty Awesome I was thinking all along find a home for a vise on a reciever but you nailed it

[@SFS13-01]

A lot of great ideas! Very handy. Bet you’ll run the wheels off of it because you’ll use it more than you imagined. About the welder not being balanced, none of the four Lincoln 305G’s that I have owned have been either. They droop in the rear of the machine and makes mounting it to the truck by myself (which is 95% of the time) a little more interesting, for sure.

[@Asomesauc]

Great build 👏 👌 👍🏻

[@michaelbigelow367]

Great job ! Look awesome !

[@merkyworks]

Very nice setup, you got a talent for sure

[@marshmellow1323]

Nice set up Greg, i need that set up in my life 😂

[@petermccuskey1832]

Outstanding job!!!

[@paulleeson1218]

A couple of thoughts, you have some crazy hot suns over your side of the pond, Would the "workbench" distort at all ? 2/ Over here that would attract thieves like moths to a flame, would some kind of sliding hardtop be difficult to construct ? It could slide back/off and with some fold out legs double as shade/shelter for the workbench area and keep all of those goodies away from prying eyes. 3/ Like everything I've seen on this channel its very well thought out and very well executed and evidence of the care you take, I love it.

[@fredee8887]

Love the setup & how you utilised every square inch. I wonder if the weather would affect hoses and plastic components. Also, insurance wouldn't be happy with tools exposed for easy picking. I love your channel, keep uploading those videos. Cheers 👍🏻

[@Zeropointmagic-mh9pv]

Love watching your idea's come together now you have to show us how your are utilizing these tools. I also wish you would go back and review how some to the big repairs hare fairing. 😀😃😄

[@overwatch2671]

When you get this modular welding pac tweaked and tested. You should market this. One of the best ideas I've seen in a minute The only thing I would suggest is a front loading metal, lockable cabinet for your Milwaukee pack out tools.

[@bambambundy6]

Nice build for sure but after being down many bad roads and time with that stuff sitting you might consider helpers for the back end. Great video!!

[@2tana22]

Fantastic, built the way you want, should last for years, everything is thought out to be fast and efficient, what a great rig to get the job done easily, I certainly don’t see anything in the bed that would be a problem ACCEPT maybe getting a black heavy material made (Cordura) (with corner patches sewn in to help last) covering the Milwaukee boxes from sight, with quick release snaps of some sort,,,i would not want those red boxes seen,,(red flag),,, love the fold down table, maybe even paint the top with bed liner, if that would work around welding, I would not like things sliding around on the work bench ( so to speak) Job well done!, I’d sure be proud of it

[@OFW]

Berliner and welding definitely don’t mix. Good ideas though!

[@2tana22]

That’s good to know, sure be great if it didn’t catch fire

[@carlocrivello3044]

Great lay out there. that is going to make the fast job a breeze to do. You could use a cable track mounted to the 75/25 bottle brackets for the air lines and cable for the side out.

[@506curtis]

Yea sometimes it's nice to just have a small setup, I have been thinking about building an aluminum skid setup in a f350, with my lincoln 305G. the new miller stuff is so sweet. I just wish miller would make a 400 pro air pack with WIC and a kubota, that would be the ultimate machine for me. Nice man your killin it!

[@FrankRoden-wm2lm]

Great Idea ...I like how it all fits together and utilizes the space. I think i would try to come up with a cover, for the pack outs. It would be a pain to unpack them, if you should need to over night in a motel. You may be on to something here, I bet people are going to steal your idea. Best wishes !!!!

[@scrapmanindustries]

it is kinda funny to see the evolution of people and their rigs. I don't know what you had in the early days but it looks like you went from smaller trucks up to a standard mechanics service body 5500 up to the big truck now you ran that for awhile and went back to a set up similar to mine. which does speak a lot to the newer guys out there that you really don't need the huge set up for every job out there and just having an average rig is probably good for quite a lot. I know there's some jobs I've had I got really creative wishing I had a crane but then there's other jobs I do where I just pull up set up real quick and get done in about 30 minutes and usually those jobs are pretty had to navigate with a truck bigger than mine. some jobs I can pull right up to but if I had a dually I would need 100 foot more leads.

[@OFW]

I didn’t go back to anything, I am adding another truck to my arsenal. But yes, you usually don’t need the big truck and a crane.

[@scrapmanindustries]

@@OFW I was kinda hoping your next set up would be like a 50 ton Manitex or something. Some of them buckets be making the crane on your big truck look a bit small. Just kidding. (Kind of). It would be cool to see some of the jobs you’re doing with the smaller trucks though.

[@9fa4108f]

As for the fire extinguisher, I'd weld a small bracket behind the vise and secure it there (you have clearance). So every time you lower that table you'll have to put the fire extinguisher away from the truck which is the ideal procedure. I loved your design 👍. Best from 🇧🇷

[@berniestraka577]

Awesome build!

[@jeffs2809]

Decent looking setup, but after working (not a welder) out of my pickup for a couple years I was VERY happy to move into a service body truck. I would definitely swap my pickup bed for a flatbed if I had to give up the service body truck.

[@OFW]

I agree. A service body is way more convenient to work out of.

[@bigred06100]

Nicely built sir 👍

[@ÁREAJ27]

Olá amigos uma camionete dessas já é meu sonho de consumo,imagina com todas essa ferramentas seria fantástico!!! Boa sorte sempre!!!

[@jasonchampion9932]

Great job!👍🏼💯✌🏼

[@stevekitchens7876]

Pretty slick! Need to send ya some more tower upgrades!

[@dougkinney4521]

Great job!

[@glennmeadows6892]

That is a jam up system very creative design and practical

[@BruceBoschek]

Great rig! That will suit you well. BTW, just weld a counterweight on the end of the Miller for balance! 🙃 Thanks for the excellent video!

[@yenerm114]

Looks good 👌🏼👌🏼 crazy how fast ya run out of space when building something like this , always more stuff 😆

[@darrellk9671]

Thank you, Greg.

[@scrapmanindustries]

I would use that space under the machine for material and such. Like maybe scrap pieces that you may or may not need to save the day on repair jobs.

[@shelbyprestwich5781]

Glad I’m not the only one who finds the unlevel lifting point a pain in the rear. Was my first time seeing any welder like that before.

[@jamest.5001]

I'd make a cover from a canvas tarp or something similar, maybe two layers with a 3/16 " cable sewn into the perimeter, and cross the top in some way. Use it to keep the sun and rain off a bit. And add some security when parked at motels, or outside at night. Rarely do you stay anywhere where someone isn't thinking they want your stuff more than you do . The cover attach at the front with a padlock, then another pair of locks at the rear. Using the cable to brace the edge of the canvas. Maybe add a water proofer to the canvas.v

[@crazyguy0189]

So this is going to sound crazy but most people don’t try to hang a welder in the air without leads connected, I’m betting if there was a 75’ ground and stinger attached it would be “ level” I like the setup , its nice seeing something different

[@89firebird]

Nice Fab work to set it all off and install you a nice Bush guard winch system on the front

[@machinemoverman4614]

Bushes are not so common anymore. lol

[@joeblow3939]

❤ GPS air tag the truck & equipment. I have just learned that CAT has a tool line made by SNAP-ON at about 1/3 the price. 👍👍 Looks good

[@chuckiowa]

Hey there Look Great only one thing were the Step ladder other than that it Look Very Nice Keep up the Great work

[@guygfm4243]

Very tidy, well worked out

[@tomhendricks316]

Really great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it! I really like the work table. Could you put a step on a hinge? When the table is up it hangs flat when that table is down it hangs down as a step. Thanks Tom

[@dirk4926]

Looks like it's going to be a great truck for you.

[@LachlanRoberts-dn5qi]

I never understand being an aussie why the idea of ute trays never caught on in the states. A simple tray, couple under tray boxes would be a treat to work out of

[@tdotw77]

We have flatbed\utility beds too but this is how most trucks come. Plus the beds aren't cheap at al($10k -15k)l & make truck a permanent 'work truck', however this one can go back to normal with a forklift just removing it. I do like those ute beds though! The ones with boxes underneath are nice. 👍🏻👌🏻🛠️🔧🔩

[@blister762]

They've become popular over the past decade or so. My brother has one in his Raptor.

[@richardjohnson8009]

I was just looking at making something like this! I was on looking at towable crane, would be pretty simple to make one also. Nice!

[@williams.7314]

Awesome, really enjoyed seeing this. Would you ever consider doing a video where you, without doxxing yourself, give like a life's journey sort of recap? How you got into welding, built your business, got into gov contracting, etc? Did you go to school, how many employees did you start of with, when did you decide that you wanted to do technical work and manage people, do you have an HR department, etc.? Just like, a more philosophical view of your path to this point, without too much personally identifiable information to protect yourself to the extent you are comfortable with.

[@OFW]

This is a popular request. I will probably make that video one day.

[@ThisyoungTony]

Better mpg, no scales, cheaper parts, less on registration and insurance. A win is a win. But then again sometimes you don’t expect to throw the kitchen sink at it but it wants you to. I’m sure it’ll be a great support truck at big jobs too. Much easier to run and grab parts and materials when the crane truck is already setup.

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

You've never done field work. Working out of a bed of a truck is a compromise on the best f days.

[@T.McGarry]

Great concept, well executed, and will definitely pay off in the long run. Meanwhile, where is that lounging Weimaraner ?

[@OFW]

Unfortunately both of my Weimaraners have passed away. 😢

[@T.McGarry]

@@OFW So sorry to hear that news. We lost both our ridgebacks in the past two years, so I feel your pain....

[@timf2914]

I think it's a great setup 👌

[@Casey2]

Nice work, tons of storage, only thing I would do different is mount the leads/reels on the operating side of the welder

[@sccolbert]

That is freaking sweet!

[@gworx-247]

nice build, sir 👍

[@scotthultin7769]

1,269 👍's up on fire welding thank you for sharing 🤗

[@Matt-s3q]

That's sick! Job well done as usual. What about a rear view cam?

[@tomredmond]

Thinking you could mount the fire extinguishers under the table so they would be above tailgate when it is folded. Nice compact unit you've built.

[@OFW]

That thought did cross my mind.

[@Watchyn_Yarwood]

When you do need a heavy duty vise, consider a receiver hitch vise that you could keep stored in that area under the welder.

[@Fabian7024]

Bro that press break 😂😂 beautiful !

[@McNeillWelding1]

Nice set up