Dakota Dump Truck?

From : clyde

Q: anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde .

Replies:

From : f red

anybody have any experience with this there must be issues gas fill pipe wires..etc.. are these kits really practicle for the talented do-it-your-selfer thanks for any feedback! clyde wrote anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde you may have to cut and paste this incredibly long link but it looks like what you are describing. the first item listed is universal and can probably be adapted to your dakota. http//www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/llcategorydisplayviewstoreid=6970&langid=-1&catalogid=4006970&photos=on&test=y&productid=622668&c ategoryid=416 .

From : mac davis

on thu 8 apr 2004 185824 -0400 f red spin@yahoo.com wrote they dont give much info do they... anybody have any experience with this there must be issues gas fill pipe wires..etc.. are these kits really practicle for the talented do-it-your-selfer thanks for any feedback! clyde wrote anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde you may have to cut and paste this incredibly long link but it looks like what you are describing. the first item listed is universal and can probably be adapted to your dakota. http//www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/llcategorydisplayviewstoreid=6970&langid=-1&catalogid=4006970&photos=on&test=y&productid=622668&c ategoryid=416 mac .

From : tom lawrence

anybody have any experience with this there must be issues gas fill pipe wires..etc.. are these kits really practicle for the talented do-it-your-selfer thanks for any feedback! actually theyre pretty easy to fit. it helps if you can weld however... the bed gets removed and a cross-brace installed. on a universal you probably just drill the bottom of the bed and bolt it on with carriage bolts round head. a cross-member gets installed between the frame rails again a universal is probably a two or three-piece unit - probably telescoping. you extend to fit between the rails drill and bolt to the frame rails and drill and cross-bolt the telescoping portion. the hydraulic ram gets attached to these two crossmembers. the only other part is the hinges that get bolted to the back of the frame rails and the back of the bed. usually the bumper mounting brackets get removed from the frame rails and welded onto the bed so the bumper tilts with the bed. this can be left till last and just driven over to a shop that can weld em on for you. the gas filler neck gets re-rerouted or replaced with a rigid piece that sticks out into the rear wheel well so its clear of the bed when it tilts. go look at any mason dump-body truck to see something similar. so other than the welding of the bumper everything else is pretty much just drilling holes and bolting things together. if you have a few friends to help with the bed removal and re-installation it should be pretty simple to do. if not a stout ceiling framing member and a block&tackle would be able to hold the bed of a dakota without much trouble. .

From : roy

anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde a friend had a lift bed on a 3/4 ton and it was more of a pia than it was worth. you might be better off with one of those things that you unroll in the bed of the truck put the mulch in and crank it off the back of the truck. a lot less money and bs imo. roy .

From : nosey

clyde wrote anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde you may have to cut and paste this incredibly long link but it looks like what you are describing. the first item listed is universal and can probably be adapted to your dakota. http//www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/llcategorydisplayviewstoreid=6970&langid=-1&catalogid=4006970&photos=on&test=y&productid=622668&c ategoryid=416 .

From : andy s

clyde wrote anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde you may have to cut and paste this incredibly long link but it looks like what you are describing. the first item listed is universal and can probably be adapted to your dakota. http//www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/llcategorydisplayviewstoreid=6970&langid=-1&catalogid=4006970&photos=on&test=y&productid=622668&c ategoryid=416 or you can just go here for the same web site o http//tinyurl.com/3brog .

From : clyde

on thu 08 apr 2004 015815 gmt dodgemanfromhell@aol.com clyde wrote anybody heard of anyone who has converted a dakota into a light duty dump truck a kit maybe i have need for an inexpensive small mulch hauler and i have 2 92 dakotas. too many garys .. so .. clyde thanks for the responses. dont mean to answer my own question but i got this info elsewhere. called these folks and they gave me the name/number of a guy in california who had converted a dakota shortbed with their 2 ton kit. the calif guy runs a gp /machine/welding/repair/ shop and it took them 8 hours to make minor mods to the kit and have it working and out the door. they had to make the bed sit about 3 higher than normal to clear the fuel tank and the rear end hogshead. didnt ask about wiring but i dont see a big problem there. fuel filler cap ... they simply twisted it to the rear braced it in place and cut a hole in the front side of the inner fender so you can reach in and remove the cap and fillerup with the bed down. it wouldnt bother me to have to raise the bed a few inched to fuel up. here is their site ... a lot more info than the other one... http//www.indianvalleytrailers.com/pages/877134/index.htm im gonna do this. will keep you posted. again thanks too many garys .. so .. clyde .