Stretching a Single axle service bed into a tandem service bed?

I have a spare tandem axle truck, and considering making it a service truck. Currently have an F550 service truck and could use more room. I would be looking at either an IMT Dominator or Maintainer Body, but the tandem bodies seem to be rare. A single axle body is more common, and if I am going to put the work into either stretching a body or making my tandem a single thought a tandem was worth exploring. Somewhere I have seen a post of a guy taking single axle Imt Dominator body for a 33k gvw truck and stretching it over the wheel well making it a tandem. Thought it was on here years ago but I cannot find the post anywhere. Second, does any manufacturer make a stand alone welder deck for behind the cab? So welder at waist level on one side and enclosed cabinet for torches on the other.

Look at stellar bodies. i see more tandem bodies from them than anyone else. My second service truck has a 14’ stellar body with a stand alone welder deck between the body and the cab. I’ve got one not so good picture of it but when I try to load it, it says it’s too big

the welder deck on my truck doesn’t have a cabinet on the opposite side of the welder. It’s a flat deck all the way across and we’ve got a gas powered compressor mounted there

dieseldog5.9 said: I have a spare tandem axle truck, and considering making it a service truck. Currently have an F550 service truck and could use more room. I would be looking at either an IMT Dominator or Maintainer Body, but the tandem bodies seem to be rare. A single axle body is more common, and if I am going to put the work into either stretching a body or making my tandem a single thought a tandem was worth exploring. Somewhere I have seen a post of a guy taking single axle Imt Dominator body for a 33k gvw truck and stretching it over the wheel well making it a tandem. Thought it was on here years ago but I cannot find the post anywhere. Second, does any manufacturer make a stand alone welder deck for behind the cab? So welder at waist level on one side and enclosed cabinet for torches on the other. Click to expand... You might contact Summit Truck Body. They have service bodies for tandem trucks. They build a good body, but they are not cheap. You can talk to their regional sales rep, for your area, by contacting their factory. The territory rep for your area happens to be a friend of mine who lives in Ohio.. He can give you a lot of good ideas to think about.

None of them are cheap. I suspect a new tandem body is close to $200k

If you're cheap, a lot of the power line trucks are tandem with utility boxes. I see a lot of bodies for sale after they pull the bed to repurpose the truck. More digger derricks than bucket trucks. If I wanted a tandem, that's what I would start with. I think the last summit body I looked at was over $200,000.

crane operator said: If you're cheap, a lot of the power line trucks are tandem with utility boxes. I see a lot of bodies for sale after they pull the bed to repurpose the truck. More digger derricks than bucket trucks. If I wanted a tandem, that's what I would start with. I think the last summit body I looked at was over $200,000. Click to expand... With time and energy, I’ve seen some of those transformed into a nice mechanic body. They can be a good value.

The problem with utility boxes is that they are sometimes fiberglass, not very deep or tall, and aren’t setup for a crane. it’s damn near impossible to find something that compares with an actual mechanics body. My current truck is a 2017 IMT 14’ body with a hydraulic compressor and a 10k 30’ crane. Wireless remote. Hydraulic outriggers, big workbench bumper. LED lights on all 4 corners plus on the crane tip and inside the compartments. 7 sets of drawers plus a bolt bin. Dedicated torch compartment. Raised rails on the top of the bed so I don’t have to drill holes in the top to mount more boxes, etc. not trying to toot my own horn but it is a literal shop on wheels.

Mike L said: The problem with utility boxes is that they are sometimes fiberglass, not very deep or tall, and aren’t setup for a crane. it’s damn near impossible to find something that compares with an actual mechanics body. My current truck is a 2017 IMT 14’ body with a hydraulic compressor and a 10k 30’ crane. Wireless remote. Hydraulic outriggers, big workbench bumper. LED lights on all 4 corners plus on the crane tip and inside the compartments. 7 sets of drawers plus a bolt bin. Dedicated torch compartment. Raised rails on the top of the bed so I don’t have to drill holes in the top to mount more boxes, etc. not trying to toot my own horn but it is a literal shop on wheels. Click to expand... What do you estimate that would cost to replace today? Rough guess?

$300k

This is $3,000. Steel boxes. Set up for a tandem. For $10,000 more I could put a lot of led's on it, and buy toolboxes. Its probably got stairs on the other side, which I think would be nice. Get rid of the digger, keep the outriggers and put a knuckleboom on it. Or you could make the digger boom remote.

This is $30,000 cummins and allison. 2013 freightliner. I think I could get creative and make a mechanics bed out of it. Most of the service trucks are single axle just to get around the CDL rules, and most everyone that I know is overloaded with the single axle rigs (450-550 pickup based rigs)

This a 2017 pete, stellar body. 14k crane. For sale for $275,000

A 550 service truck is a joke. Overloaded most of the time. Eats tires, brakes, and springs. But most mechanics don’t carry a CDL so they are popular. I get your point, crane operator. 30k is a big difference from 275k. IMO I’d rather have the mechanics truck. Drawer sets are hard to find for shallow boxes. I’ve never run a knuckleboom crane. I want maximum capacity for my gvwr And I have no interest in building a custom truck to try and meet my requirements.

I understand the mechanics truck also. You work out of it every day. Time is $$$, and everything having its place is pretty nice. I've been looking pretty hard at mechanics trucks, we have always gotten by with a regular truck and do most of our work at our own shop. But we are going further away from home base for work all the time, and it would be nice, to have more available than what I throw in a cardboard box. I don't really care what the truck has for a crane on it, because I've got plenty of other lifting equipment. I have been debating weather to get a van air type compressor, or a gas driven tank type. We mostly deal with tires in the field. So the tanked compressor appeals to me. In my situation with plenty of other places to spend $200,000, we're probably just buying a under $30,000 type truck. It would be nicer to be under CDL for one of my current guys.

I have a CDL A, and comfortable with large trucks offroad. The reality for me is an off the shelf service truck for $300k has a few draw backs.

1. I would spend $300k on another part of my buisness first.
2. In New England rust destroys a $300k truck just as fast as a $50k truck. So major depreciating asset.
3. I have kept away from emissions equipment to the point that we are putting frames in pre emissions 3406E/C15 trucks to keep in our fleet. I have one of those tandem digger derrick trucks in the yard that is on a tandem FWD chassis, Coming from a traditional IMT body and Ctech drawers it is not the same. I can however come up with multiple IMT, Stellar, Maintainer single axle trucks that are used. I have a Peterbilt 357 with a 20k front and 46 rears with a 3306 Cat that would probably pull a service body around, with a larger crane. I have read partway through the "dream service truck" post and I would say similar to what Hatch Equipment has done, but more traditional style truck. Somewhere someone posted about cutting these bodies above the tire and streaching them to make a tandem, but have wasted more time looking than i probably should have.

That road salt. What a shame. You guys can’t have anything nice.

It sucks, When I lived in Denver Colorado I drove a 1979 chevy K20 and the frame was clean. Here my 2010 Ram just had the frame repaired for inspection. Incidentally they got rid of inspection rules in New Hampshire starting January 1.

I think the question is what is your budget cause rebuilding beds is a massive endeavor if its in your spare time If you can afford to spend 200 ish then a used twin screw truck put together can be found I wouldn't buy a bucket truck bed I thought about it but they just don't have it in my opinion the power companies don't load them up the way mechanics do