Welding on Truck Bodies

[CamoGirl]

Does any one know if it's ok to weld items (a tank) onto a truck body. I'm in VA. I own my on small welding business. My husband thinks he's heard that you can't, but needs to know for sure and if possible where it's written.

[specter]

What kind of truck and tank? Is it a new tank or used? If used what was in the tank? What will the tank be used for?

[CamoGirl]

Dump truck body. Water tank.

[CamoGirl]

Used tank. The tank will be used to spray water on dusty roads.

[specter]

Alot of times you can find those tanks around farms. Where your at in VA the Virginia Dept of Transportation (VDOT) has specific tank requirements for any tanks to be used on any roadways you might try going to their site at http://www.virginiadot.org and see if there is a point of contact. The VDOT site might actually go into the requirements if you spend some time searching their site for water tank requirements.

add: if VDOT can't help you try http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/commercial The VA Dept of motor Vesicles should be able to answer your questions.

[CamoGirl]

Thanks for the insight Specter!

[specter]

Hope it helped. Each state has there own requirements regarding tankers and VDOT is very picky when it comes to enforcing those requirements.

If the tanker will be used off roads and highways then for the most part you will not need to comply with on-road tanker requirements, registrations, and labeling.

much will also depend on weather its potable vs non-potable water.

[cablecat]

Also, what is the tank? Is it gonna crack out from chassis flex, or flex from the dump body? How was it mounted previously might be a good indication of how it should be done in the future. I did one last year, still allowing for the truck frames to flex independantly of the double walled tank. Told the fellow it was going to crack and the inner liner was going to collapse on the heating coils. Made it 2 months, when it went bad, it went useless-bad quick. That water truck had to run every day, all day when needed up in Alaska. So, more planning or another tank might be in the future. Or not, depending...

[i4sillypwr]

Yes you can do that. I've built a few 50000+ gallon dump truck water bodies for coal mines. And here is a picture. I'm pretty sure this is one of the ones I painted too http://www.minerite.com/watertruckbodies/52000.html#

I wouldn't weld the tank directly to the frame of the truck. These style bodies mount on the frame in pretty much the same manner as a dump body only they don't tilt. If you get a used tank I would just fabricate a mounting system onto the bottom of the tank that the truck frame you are using will accept in a near stock fashion. Obeying all local and federal laws of course. I know nothing of that end of it. I've never built one small enough to drive on a public road.