Shipping container mod

Winch

Winch

Location
Asheville, NC
Not sure what to call this message, but click this link to see what I'm talking about:

http://goo.gl/OQLpx

Has anyone ever modified one of these to be a chip box?

I'm looking at a truck that has one of these, but much shorter. The truck is what I want. The box is not. I think that I could cut the box down to the size I want, replace the rollup door with barn doors, and make the roof removable. Other things I would have to do include, but are not limited to:

-Cover the inside beams with thin sheet metal so no chips/log parts get caught up when dumping

-Make a steel bulkhead of thicker-gauge stuff at the front for the chips/logs to run into

-Metal on the floor, or rhino-lining?

I'm thinking that this conversion could cost substantially less than fabricating a brand new steel body.

Anybody have experience, or think this is not doable? Any input is appreciated.
 
That would make a great shop...but, I think, a lousy start for a chip box.

Too many modifications needed.

How many cubic yards can your chassis haul? 550#/yd

If you have a flatbed dump it's not expensive to have an angle iron or tubular steel framework welded. Add Delrin or some other tough and light weight plastic sheeting on the inside and you'll have a nice box.

If you plan on hauling logs you'll have to build up the sidewalls a bit more robust. Not hard to do though.
 
Southco forestry box, used, sounds like a pretty good idea, but one I don't know where to find.

Got any leads on that AA?

Tom, I definitely thought about the "great shop" idea, and that may well be what it turns into, if the chop/mod idea turns out to be too expensive/difficult.

You raise a good point about the sides needing bolstering.

Truck I'm considering could haul more than 20 yards by that 550lb number, easy. Truck is not the limiting factor.

Steel framework could definitely be expensive, but I haven't priced it yet. Last time I had a removable roof made for my F350, it cost about $800, and that seemed pretty reasonable. At least quadrupling that figure to make a box, but that's still not too bad, considering it would be exactly what I needed.

Still interested in this idea, though. Thanks.
 
Isn't southco right in Shelby, NC? There was an outfit, also in Shelby, that refurbishes old Asplundh units, forget their name. They would sell hundreds of surplus old forestry units at auction, including old southco boxes.
 
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