Leroy's Power Steering Dump Bed

(Page 5 of 5)

January/February 1985
The Mother Earth News staff 
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A quick look at expenses shows, that the conversion is economically feasible, as well. The two used cylinders cost Leroy an even $100, and a surplus four-way valve set him back $60. The 26-odd feet of 3/8" hydraulic hose, the pipe, and the fittings came to just over $100, and all the channel iron was purchased used for $101. The $156 worth of new sheet metal brought the grand total to about $520... considerably less than the $2,485 MOTHER paid for the store-bought bed and dump mechanism used on her one-ton Eco-Village flatbed!

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As with any first-time project, Leroy feels that there'd be room for improvement the second time around... but not a whole lot. Specifically, he'd use oii-impregnated bushings at all the clevis pins and probably build a double wall into the bed sides and tailgate. Even so, the rig is worth its weight in contractor's fees, according to its owner, who didn't even realize how much he needed a dump bed until he took the time to build one himself.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you're interested in adapting this homebuilt power-steering dump bed system to your own truck but would prefer detailed, step-by-step instructions, we've put together a set of plans that will fully explain the modifications described in this article and will help you in applying them to your vehicle's configuration. The plans package is available for $15 plus $1.00 for shipping and handling from Mother's Plans, Dump Truck, P.O. Box A, East Flat Rock, NC 28726.

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  • Tim 3/5/2007 2:45:07 PM

    I noticed that you mentioned using the power steering pump to run
    the dump cylinders. Do you mount a different pump or use the
    existing? Existing could be a safety issue. I worked in a a Saginaw
    plant that built pumps (the big 132). FYI - We drilled out the hole
    in the flow fitting one day and put it on a pump with a high reject
    valve(1800 psi). It normally ran 1.2 GPM at 1500 RPM but pegged the
    5 GPM test stand gage at 500 RPM. Could be useful it a higher
    required GPM (off vehicle) application.

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