MTFCA Forum

This is kinda off-topic but I really don't have a good place to ask this type question, so hopefully someone here is knowledgeable about this and can give me some advice.

We are building a larger 'tow truck' to pull our enclosed trailers (-which will be used for hauling Model-Ts and parts ) -and with the purchase of a Class 8 truck we are now building a 11½ foot box that will effectively make this truck into a RV Toterhome. l have seen where a slab of wood is used between the frame rails and the box frame to eliminate squeaking & slippage. Does anyone know what type of wood is typically used for this application? Would Ash (-since I have an abundance of that species at my disposal) be suitable for use in this area??

Thanks in advance!!

I was always under the impression it was oak.but not sure, I would not use untreated pine for sure.
I like your idea and I hope you keep us updated on how it works out.
Being it is going to have "living quarters" you can register that as a "rv". which will have several advantages.

Hi Brent,
Having worked on petroleum tankers for a couple of decades I can't remember many mounted on wood. They are mounted on pocketed rubber
pads @ the front & back so the frame can flex without trying to twist the ridged tube of the tank. Your living space will need to be well insolated
from that motion. You may want to look @ the mounts used on motorhome bodies. If using wood I would look into Apitong like they use in trailer decking. My brother has a similar set up, he has a class A CDL. He gets pulled over some times & has to prove it is not a commercial vehicle. He
has also been stopped for bypassing scales. Make sure you have lettering on it that states "PRIVATE COACH NOT FOR HIRE" or you may have issues.
Some states because of the length they may insist you have a A CDL to drive it. I have seen some real neat ones made on a 6x6 chassis also.
Craig.

tdump wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 8:55 am

I was always under the impression it was oak.but not sure, I would not use untreated pine for sure.
I like your idea and I hope you keep us updated on how it works out.
Being it is going to have "living quarters" you can register that as a "rv". which will have several advantages.

Actually, it is already registered as a MH on the title. Tennessee asks questions but our county knows us, so we told them what we are doing and so yes it is now an RV

Craig Leach wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 9:40 am

Hi Brent,
My brother has a similar set up, he has a class A CDL. He gets pulled over some times & has to prove it is not a commercial vehicle. He
has also been stopped for bypassing scales. Make sure you have lettering on it that states "PRIVATE COACH NOT FOR HIRE" or you may have issues.
Some states because of the length they may insist you have a A CDL to drive it. I have seen some real neat ones made on a 6x6 chassis also.
Craig.

Yeah Craig, with my mini-semi rig that I had back in the late 1990s/early 2000s was just like that where I always had LEOs not quite sure what to think. When we were doing the GreatRace, it was always a hassle even with us being a private vehicle. I have had a couple other rigs since then with my last one a F450 and a 32' trailer, and the LEOs have started to turn a blind eye towards us. In the racing world we play in, there are guys with 50' long toterhomes pulling 40' trailers traveling up and down the roads. These rigs are more than 30' over legal limit, and they roll right past the scales without a problem. Below is a picture of my rig back when we were doing the GreatRace each year, and a box truck we built to haul a car inside. The last picture is of a friend's new rig that is 80' long.

BRENT in 10-uh-C wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 7:09 am

This is kinda off-topic but I really don't have a good place to ask this type question, so hopefully someone here is knowledgeable about this and can give me some advice.

We are building a larger 'tow truck' to pull our enclosed trailers (-which will be used for hauling Model-Ts and parts ) -and with the purchase of a Class 8 truck we are now building a 11½ foot box that will effectively make this truck into a RV Toterhome. l have seen where a slab of wood is used between the frame rails and the box frame to eliminate squeaking & slippage. Does anyone know what type of wood is typically used for this application? Would Ash (-since I have an abundance of that species at my disposal) be suitable for use in this area??

Thanks in advance!!

It was my understanding that the body (cab, bed etc) was not mounting directly to the frame but in pads to allow the frame to flex without flexing the body & to eliminate squeaking. https://www.google.com/search?q=body+to ... s-wiz-serp

This video is about mounting a cab to a chassis, don't see why this method wouldn't apply. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7n9AdQUFdIY
other considerations https://www.ntea.com/NTEA/NTEA/Member_b ... dures.aspx

Brent, In the crane company I used to work for, we used oak or apitong (the same wood as is used on the decking). We never had any problems with crushing or rot. In Denver Colorado, they use salt and liquid deicers in the winter. Very hard on wood.

Timber between the frame rail and the added body is used to isolate the body from the truck.It greatly reduces harshness and noise, especially when the truck is empty. Hardwood lasts longer and does not crush so much.

Allan from down under.

Ash is a great hardwood but remember powder post Beatles love it too. Treat it for insects.

What sort of thickness are we talking about for this application? For much smaller vehicles, I have used 1/2" thick conveyor belting rubber slabs at the body mount location.

Jack Putnam, in Ohio wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:20 pm

Ash is a great hardwood but remember powder post Beatles love it too. Treat it for insects.

Thanks Jack. We have a product called a Penetrating Epoxy that wicks into wood and is a great preserver. It is made by a company called Total Boat, and is made for the wood boat restoration industry. If I knew the Ash I have would work equally as well as the Oak, -especially if I treated it with the penetrating epoxy, I would do so in a heartbeat.

signsup wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 06, 2024 8:13 pm

What sort of thickness are we talking about for this application? For much smaller vehicles, I have used 1/2" thick conveyor belting rubber slabs at the body mount location.

We drew the plans for the box using a true 1" thickness for that board. I have ⁵⁄₄ and ⁶⁄₄" air-dried material that I can run thru my planer to get to that size. The weight of the box is not going to be that great however the superstructure of the box will be the trailer hitch, so my concern was that I don't want the wood to crush or shrink over time. FWIW, the box will be anchored into the side and end of the truck frame rails with either 16 (-or maybe it was 18) 0.750" Grade 8 Bolts. We have a CNC Plasma table to fab the brackets, so we are using 0.250" thick plate to make those brackets that will attach the box's main rails to the truck. The rear hitch tubing is 2"x8"x.250 wall too. I hope this all makes sense.

White, Swamp and Curly Ash is harder than oak 1320 ash vs 1290 red oak so use it if you are sure of the species of ash you have because other species such as Black ash are way lower on the scale. The issues with the Beatles should be only with live trees and not your epoxy treated wood.

This may help you decide - compression with flex?
https://workshopcompanion.com/KnowHow/D ... rength.htm --
--
Open Source Calc --
Microsoft XLS

Using a rubberstrip on the frame rails with a heavy durometer would work but clamp it in several places. There are other things that would work also. There is nylon artwork other things
I can't remember the name of which are similar which would wort also.
I don't know about Tennessee but in some states units with air brakes require a CDL.
That rear air suspension will give you a nice ride but here is a. Suggestion for you. Put a small brass shut off valve on top of each air bag. That way if you blow an air bag or get a bad leak in one you can isolate that one and may be able to make it in. Do this on a trailer also.. l talked my boss into doing this on 2 axle chip trailers and when a bag blew out the driver could shut the valve off and the other bags would inflate and the driver could finish his trip. With 80 chip trucks it saved a lot of road calls

Dennis_Brown wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:27 pm

l talked my boss into doing this on 2 axle chip trailers and when a bag blew out the driver could shut the valve off and the other bags would inflate and the driver could finish his trip. With 80 chip trucks it saved a lot of road calls

And exposed the driver and the driving public to unsafe equipment on the road. Just as bad as driving with 1 of the tires flat. Not to mention Illegal for a commercial vehicle.
Did yall also delete the EGR systems as well?
Were the trucks also equipped with calibrated tire thumpers as well?
That valve should only be used to pull the vehicle off the road for a repair and not to finish the run.

There used to be a company in Memphis Tennessee that made the floor boards for big trailers or tractor trailers and a lot of other things.

This was in 1960 and my memory is not so good now, but I think the company name was Bruce.

My neighbor worked there and could bring home a few 1 X 12 inch glued together board segments that they would give him from a few cutoff pieces and that worked fine for chopping blocks.

Most of the wood was maple or oak then.

I still have and use my cut off board and it has never needed any reglueing.

My board is oak.