Building a chip box

paul phalloides

paul phalloides

New member
I'm going to be building a chip box on the back of the truck from my other thread. I've never built a box on a truck before and was hoping to get a few pointers. I was planning to frame the box out of 2x4s screwing them (or should they be bolted?) to the 2x8x9' boards that sit in the metal slot of the bed and then use 1x8x9' pieces to do the sides and the hump over the cab. Does that sound as solid to you as it does to me? Whats the best option for a roof here? Ideally I'd like it to be solid but I've seen a few dudes who put clevises on the sides and used a old trampoline as a cover with great success. My other question is regarding the wood. There is a local Amish family real close to me that operates a lumber mill and I've done work for them in the past so they usually give me a good deal on lumber. It's not treated wood though and I've only ever used it for structures that were not going to be in the elements. If I used non treated hemlock with a good coat of paint would it last for a while?
 
There's a thread that someone used pallet racking and pole barn sheet metal to build a box. Looked fairly solid to me and cheap!. Tarps are good and bad IMHO. They let more sawdust and chips through but are more versatile. You can always pull the tarp off and load the last few logs if you have a larger loader.7' from the bed sounds pretty tall to me and the weight of the wood might limit your load capacity. But I'm probably saying things you have already thought of.
 
The mesh tarps ate best for a top in my opinion as they allow the air being pushed by the chipper to go out the top instead of circling back onto you as you chip. Makes for a little more blower time for cleanup but the chipper ' s radiator stays clearer too
 
I was a little worried about the weight 7' would create but a friend of mine assured me it would be fine. I think I'm going to go with the mesh top. I'm gonna play around with it today. I will post pictures of the finished product! Thanks for your advice, as always!
 
I made mine from a lumber rack that I picked up from the dump, and some tongue and groove 1x cedar oiled siding. Since this a box on a full sized pu, I built a hinged lid for a roof that folds up over the cab of the truck. This facilitates the box to be filled by a loader. The only issue I have is the discharge shoot on the chipper, the adjustment pegs only allows for one position so I have to adjust the shoot with angling the truck.
 
Evo, my chipper has the same problem. Here is the what I've got so far. It's all hemlock and the 2x4s are legit 2''x4''. I drilled up thru the box and screwed the frame directly to the metal box. I'm gonna stain it I think and wait for it to finish drying out before I paint it. As I was trying to leave with the load of lumber my starter quit working and I had to get a push from a skidloader to bump start it and get it home. I just got the starter ripped out and found a new one for $51. Lumber ran $72 What do yall think?
 

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Def want the lid, maybe hinged so you could open and lower wood in?

My first built box was of wood on my one ton.

I used rustoleum paint on the wood. Paint the wood with a roller, laying flat prior to assembling. You will use twice as much paint, but it will not run and will self level.
 
I made mine with a 1/2 roof. Thinking if I needed to stand in it I can still reach the back with out issue. About a week later, my wife wanted to pick up 3 yards of gardening soil. The truck couldn't be filled with a loader, so I had to remake the roof hinged where it folds over the cab. I don't have a dump on it so this also helps unloading.
 
I made a full length hinged roof, but removed it.

Being able to stand on the truck box, and store ladders is useful. When I can reach the first branches with a 25' ladder, I generally do, if I'm just working low down in the bottom of the canopy. Saves a lot of time to take the "stairs". I got an old 25' Werner extension ladder for free. Light duty, 200 pound limit, easy enough for one person, easy on the shoulders. One tree isn't worth taking of the truck. Six, easy decision.

I made a " keep an honest man, honest" hinged door for the back, which works with a cable around the tail gate. Good for running into the store on a busy day, etc.
 
I'm staining it with a ebony stain. It's looking really nice. I repainted the metal parts of the box as well. Gonna do the chipper in black paint as well. I've thought about building a solid roof but have decided, at least for now, to get some heavy duty shade cloth from a landscaper I know. It's cheap and a lot more durable than a tarp. My wife wants me to get a bunch of soil so having the top easy to take off will be nice. In the future I may check out that hinged lid idea, I think that sounds really cool, but for now this will work just fine. I will post pics of the completed box and the chipper when finished.
 
What's with the wive's and their soil needs influencing our tree service equipment needs?!

Only took me 15 years to get my woman to go to the garden center to buy bails of pro mix ...great, guess who gets to hydrate the soil, find the containers, then fill the containers, hey she did buy the seeds, I planted them. Now, she does water them, most of the time.
 
The visibility may a little less than the yellow it was but now that it' black the lights really really stand out as do all the reflective pieces I'm adding. Black may not have been the best option for a chipper (given the heat) but it is my favorite color and I may have gotten just a bit too excited by the fact that I got to choose the color. Looks pretty sharp but still needs a few more coats. I'll try to get a picture up later tonight.
 
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