Driving a Mini Excavator Up Onto The New Dump Truck

[@bioniclife]

Man! I was sweating loading my "new to me" IHI 35j onto a deck over trailer. I have a new appreciation for the "pucker factor" of loading into a dump box!😂😂

[@ClimbingColt]

Switch to barn doors for the rear gate, then your ramp pockets could be welded right to the bed where it’s stronger. Unless you’re spreading a lot….. I’ll be hauling this way in the near future but I’m only hauling a compact tractor (much lighter) for tree work. Thanks for sharing!

[@zaccheus]

@@ClimbingColt i tried my best to find a barn door truck when I was shopping around. I had too many other priorities and had to let the barn door go. I might be able to retro fit this one now that I think about it a little though.

[@ClimbingColt]

@ I know how that goes when shopping used equipment. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with! Other good options in the comments…

[@evanvandeusen9573]

the business is growing on piece of equipment at a time!

[@zaccheus]

@@evanvandeusen9573 yes it is!

[@dankotos61]

That's cool man adding some bracing to the bottom

[@zaccheus]

@@dankotos61 thanks Dan! I think I might try something like that!

[@kennyhaug6943]

Yank the whole bed off and install a Hooklift. No need for big ramps to load and unload, safer to load because you'll be about a foot off the ground instead of 4. Also can really load a container a lot easier/ fuller than a dump bed. If you really don't want to trailer the machine this is the best option IMO.

[@zaccheus]

@@kennyhaug6943 I’d love a hooklift. The lifts themselves are like $50,000 though and I was unable to find a hooklift truck in decent condition for less than $100,000. The market is just so inflated.

[@edm3397]

Use a chain and binder from the top of the post to the front D-rings while you are unloading? Or maybe a temporary prop under the gate to the pintle, that would take some weight off of those gate chains too.

[@zaccheus]

@@edm3397 oooo, I really like the prop to the pintle idea. That’s definitely worth some consideration. Only bad thing I can think about it is that it would pull on the tailgate latches kinda hard in a bad way. They might be able to handle it though!

[@benburns5995]

Hi Zach, it was crazy to see how far of a gap spread when you drove off. As soon as it started to tilt that weight increase seemed to put a lot of stress on it. One advantage of not having a trailer behind your truck it makes it a lot easier to backup without much of a struggle. Sorry I can't add much more, but enjoyed the video.

[@zaccheus]

@@benburns5995 thanks for you comment Ben! You mentioned a very valuable thing. I think the weight does increase on the tailgate chains as the bed tips. I

[@minnesotatomcat]

Weld a tab on the side door and one on that rear post and put a turnbuckle between them to spread that load out and if you even need to open the door just spin the turnbuckle off quick.

[@zaccheus]

@@minnesotatomcat that’s definitely a good idea. I’ll have to take a look and see if I can make something like that work.

[@michaelwhiteoldtimer7648]

Sure hope you can figure this problem out, I agree sometimes it’s just easier not to have to drag a trailer out.

[@zaccheus]

@@michaelwhiteoldtimer7648 I’ve got a solution in the works! I’m just waiting until I have some time to put it together!

[@justinperretta1067]

A hook lift with a dump bed and a flatbed would be great for this setup

[@zaccheus]

@@justinperretta1067 it really would. I shopped around a bunch to find a hooklift before I got this truck. They’re super expensive and I wasn’t able to find anything in good shape for a reasonable price.

[@emptyb9968]

Weld hinges vertically from side rails to the posts and head boards with removable pins. The pins are easy to pull, the force is transferred to the headboard, there is very little change in operations of the bed and it's cheap. You just need to make sure the hinges will support the load but I don't see that as a big obstacle.

[@zaccheus]

@@emptyb9968 oh that’s a great idea! I like that!

[@ClellWise]

I like the idea of drop down jacks/stabilizers to reduce the movement of the bed. Either that or you're just gonna' have to suck it up and get a trailer. Stay safe buddy.

[@zaccheus]

@@ClellWise haha maybe i will indeed. I do like that idea too. I’m going to see that I can find.

[@woodworker3122]

I agree with others, add two drop down or swing down legs under the stress points to off load the stress to the ground? Pop up and pop down when needed.

[@zaccheus]

@@woodworker3122 I’m really liking that idea too. I’m going to see if I can figure something out that’s strong, but not too heavy

[@RC-Heli835]

You could just take the gate off until you need it and make up a 2x12 board gate with two 2x4 posts that slip into the bed for moving dirt and rock without spilling it. We used those on single axels for years and kept a place to store it on the side boards. Later we went to a metal split gate system that folds back and pins to each side of the bed to dump and one pin in the middle with the gates in closed position.😄

[@zaccheus]

@@RC-Heli835 that’s not a bad idea. Some other folks were suggesting modifying the existing tailgate to split and swing both ways like you mentioned. It sounds like a good idea

[@RC-Heli835]

@zaccheus ours now is 3/16 inch plate with 2x2 square tube frames. The reason I mentioned saving the original gate is if you ever had a long driveway to do you can set chains and spread gravel saving hours of work.

[@zaccheus]

@ absolutely. I do like to use the coal chute in my current tailgate as well. Keeps me from having to dump materials on residential jobs

[@johnsmith-wd5sq]

Inside corner braces and maybe some kind of "Legs" That you can attach temporary to the tailgate to Ground for support!

[@zaccheus]

@@johnsmith-wd5sq oooo, I hadn’t thought of legs, that’s a really good idea!

[@guillo2388]

Use a chain from the front bottom of the bed (D-ring) to the rear top corner (post) of the same bed to correct the problem. The use of his chain can be temporary, so you can remove when opening the sides of the bed.

[@zaccheus]

@@guillo2388 that’s a good thought. My only hesitation is that it will load the D ring sideways and when I pull on that d ring, it moves the whole headboard. I don’t think it’s mounting point is well designed

[@astr0lite1]

Some sort of support under the rear that goes to the ground? Drop down jacks like on dump trailers setup to haul equipment? Another chain from the rear post to the front?

[@zaccheus]

@@astr0lite1 I’m really liking the Jack support idea. A lot of folks suggested that and I think I’m going to look into it.

[@dutchdog804]

Got the tandem axle. Did you get your CDL?

[@zaccheus]

@@dutchdog804 Yes I did! The penalty for not having one was too high for me to risk it 😅 the CDL was expensive too, but it wasn’t a risk of jail time

[@andrewvanada52]

Another thing I saw was the bed itself is trying to dump. Might need to add a way to lock the dump bed down so it's not lifting during loading. If you do that, you HAVE to put some reminder or something in the cab so you do not try to dump with it locked down -- you'll break some part of the hydraulic system.

[@zaccheus]

@@andrewvanada52 I noticed that too while I was crawling up on there. I didn’t like it, but the hydraulics kept it from lifting any farther than it did. Excellent idea, the reminder would definitely need to be a part of it 😅

[@paulsharpe3794]

Hi there if you drop the tail gate and hang the ramp on the bed of the tipper where every thing is in line.

[@zaccheus]

@@paulsharpe3794 that is true for sure! The tailgate is way more than I can lift for reinstallation. I’d be able to move my equipment, but the. I wouldn’t be able to use it as a dump truck at the job if I left the tailgate at home. I did try letting the tailgate hang upside down, but it hits the bottom of the bed and doesn’t hang low enough to leave room for the ramps.

[@mitchalwaggoner1648]

Hmm, the simple solution is adding a propeller to the top.

[@zaccheus]

@@mitchalwaggoner1648 hahahaaa, yes!

[@robertvannicolo4435]

Zach, many scarry things going on. First Rugby beds not the strongest light dudy. Tailgate I would not trust the weight. Take a chain bind from front of bed to area where comming apart what is your travel height. My opinion trailer best option. You will destroy that bed. Good luck I would be scared to load it in the truck.

[@zaccheus]

@@robertvannicolo4435 yeah, I agree, it’s definitely hard on the bed to do things this way on this truck. The travel height is below legal height limits. I did check that before I rolled out. A trailer is definitely a solid solution. They just cost a lot more and this set up is so easy to get in and out of small job sites.

[@marymulrooney1334]

Worry wart me, my first thoughts were about your insurance. If using a dump truck for something other than what it was intended to be used for or making modifications (Even if structurally stronger), could null and void insurance if there were an accident or damage. Like if your insurance could deny coverage after an incident because you made structural modifications.

[@zaccheus]

@@marymulrooney1334 mmm that’s something I didn’t really think about. I’ll have to ask my insurance guy about that. The bed is not installed by the truck manufacturer so I don’t know how that kind of thing would be regulated.

[@sizemoretreeworks]

How tall are you with the mini in there?

[@zaccheus]

@@sizemoretreeworks mini is 8’4” and deck height is 4’6” so the total is just shy of 13’ and 13’5” is legal everywhere all of the time. 14’ is legal some places some of the time.

[@villageearthwright]

Other then what you're using this for, that bed is very nice, do you know the mfg? Dropside is not ideal for loading equipment like you are finding but they are great for other reasons.

[@zaccheus]

@@villageearthwright it’s a Godwin/Galion bed. They’re made right here in Ohio, about an hour away from me. It does seem to be nicely made and it’s certainly not a downfall of the bed this it’s not holding up to the misuse I’m putting it through.

[@brandon-rustystreecare]

If it was me I would take the board out and weld a piece on top and weld a piece where the board was and still be able to fold the sides down just will have a permanent metal bar across the top. Or I would do some bracing underneath

[@zaccheus]

@@brandon-rustystreecare those are both good ideas! Thanks for sharing

[@gregbrown9271]

On the top out side fix something up like the ramp drops on a trailer

[@AndrewAntonelli-dj4qt]

get a trailer, but you can due this truck load sometimes when convienent, with a trailer you can have dirt in the truck, machine on trailer, this can save you a return trip to jobsite ......... also, i wouldnt attemt the truck load in winter ice can be the one bad day that could happen truck loading.....ive slipped of ramps loading mini skid into dump trailer in winter,

[@zaccheus]

@@AndrewAntonelli-dj4qt that’s an excellent thought about ice in the winter. I definitely had to be careful with that in my old truck. I don’t really ever haul dirt back to the shop, but it might be handy to be able to put tools and buckets and pipe in the the back of the truck

[@deadmanswife3625]

Congratulations I guess you held on to your political situation there in Ohio❤

[@JJawsyW]

A piece of angle would have worked much better. You would have had strength one at least two sides, horizontal and vertical.

[@zaccheus]

@@JJawsyW a piece of angle across the top of the tailgate? I thought about that. I had a piece available. I just didn’t want any extra weight. That tailgate is pretty heavy

[@facelesspsycho8252]

Dude please use a trailer when that tailgate fails its going to jack your back up .

[@zaccheus]

@@facelesspsycho8252 I was definitely thinking about how terrible it would be for me and equipment if everything failed. I had a good was to put equipment in my last truck and I just wanted to have that option with this truck. It’s just so handy to get in and out of places.

[@groundpounder24365]

International 7400?

[@zaccheus]

@@groundpounder24365 7600! Cummins, full locking rear and all. I really wanted to go hooklift, but the hooklift market is crazy and I couldn’t afford a decent one. This seemed to be the next best thing. And it turned shorter than all the hooklifts I drove.

[@Zogg1281]

I'm thinking that part of the problem is the leverage caused by the tailgate as you drive over it. Sadly, I've got close to 0% physical world experience to fix the problem, I just noticed that you've built a nice lever into your ramp setup. At a guess, I'd say that there would be hardly any problems if your ramps fixed to the bed of the truck, not the tailgate. Just another thing to solve, sorry. 🤔🤔🤔 Bracing tie-down chain running from the top of those posts to the farward tie-down would work as a temporary "fix." The problem with temporary "fixs" is that they quickly just become the permanent fix that you'll still be meaning to sort out in 5 years time...... when the back of the truck falls off!! 😅

[@zaccheus]

@@Zogg1281 haha, no need to apologize. The first step in solving any problem is figured out exactly what the problem does. I appreciate your observation. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. I had this set up to work on my old dump truck and when I did that, the ramps hooked directly to the back of the bed and it definitely worked better. I can’t really remove the tailgate on this truck because it’s too heavy, but I think I can figure something out here that’ll work.

[@HYDETREEWORKS]

You get you CDLs

[@zaccheus]

Yes I did! This truck definitely requires it. Worthwhile move for me. It’s expensive, but I can drive anything I need to without worry.

[@laneherrlinger7478]

Would you sell your f800?

[@zaccheus]

@@laneherrlinger7478 it’s posted up for sale on Facebook now

[@laneherrlinger7478]

@ do you have the link?

[@zaccheus]

@@laneherrlinger7478 Sure thing send me an email at the address on my channel profile and I’ll send the link right over.

[@alltree78]

To sketchy for me

[@richardf9137]

TRAILER!! Dump truck is not built to haul equipment.

[@zaccheus]

But that’s no fun

[@richardf9137]

@ But it's A lot Cheaper !

[@woodworker3122]

Take from no man his song.

[@zaccheus]

@@richardf9137 these ramps are only $2,500. A new $14k trailer is $10k and a decent used one is $5k. How are you think a trailer is cheaper?

[@HowardWaggoner]

So... how many motorcycles can you carry on that? I've watched operators for more than 45 years take hoes and dozers off full size trailers with out ramps, this is much safer.

[@zaccheus]

@@HowardWaggoner haha no idea 😂 I’m not sure I want to ride the bikes up onto the truck though. I tried to load the machine into the back of a truck without ramps once. I bought ramps quickly after.

[@HowardWaggoner]

@@zaccheus And if mini had wings it wouldn't bump it's tracks either!

[@zaccheus]

@ haha if it had wings, I think I might just fly it to the job 😂

[@harryjones8952]

Where’s your masks 😷

[@zaccheus]

@@harryjones8952 what do I need a mask for?