chip box, steel or aluminum?

[Al Smith]

It's not the inside sides ,it's the top of the box .

 

[tophopper]

That's why there are deflectors on the chipper chutes. Who blasts chips off the ceiling of the box? Not moi! The only surface area that gets directly blasted is the front wall, when the box is empty.

 

[Al Smith]

Well yeah some chutes are adjustable but some are not .Some of those old chuck and ducks you didn't have much leeway on .

 

[Husabud]

I am running a plywood box now with a sacrificial front wall. Plywood is cheap and so is paint. I will be upgrading to an Aluminum box this year with a similar sacrificial plywood front wall. I have to agree that my 200 xp even with the 90 hp Perkins puts a hurtin on the plywood.

 

[tophopper]

Even so, you should be throwing chips straight into the truck, not up off the ceiling. And 95% of newer chippers have deflectors on the them. If its non adjustable, it may be a tongue height issue.

 

[Tucker943]

Al, I mean no offense man but for the first time I feel you are way out in space on this one. Aluminum. Period. It's light, and plenty strong enough for a chip truck. I've chipped into many aluminum bodies, some very old that had been chipped into daily for many years. No erosion or any crazyness like that. I've chipped into MANY plywood chip bodies as well. No they don't hold up to weather and impact from logs and machines but ill be damned if I ever saw a chipper blast chips through one. We are talking residential chippers, not morbark chipharvestors with a 425 cat. As far as chips being corrosive, yes they are, when you leave a gob of chips stuck in the corners of the body for years on end, otherwise, the weather will wreck your metal before the chips do.

 

[Al Smith]

Well now you're talking again about "newer " chippers .Toms Morebark has an adjustable chute with a rotational deal you turn via a rollar chain .His old Lindag , chipping old beast it was could only blow about straight in .With a taller truck you had to bounce off the roof .

 

[Al Smith]

No now I'm just asking a question about this .I don't know how aluminum would hold up .I've never ever seen an aluminum chip box .

 

[Tucker943]

I wasn't blasting you al. Just know that. Disagreeing, yes, but I wasn't trying to blast you like a jerk off.

 

[squisher]

Ewwwwww!

 

[tophopper]

Me either, I think ole Al is just over thinking it

 

[Al Smith]

I didn't take any offense .I'll tell you though ,no chit I saw Tom blast right through 3/4" plywood in about three days with that old Lindag .He had a piece of 3/4" in the roof hauling chips with a canvas top in a dump truck because the chip hauler was down just to get by with until it got fixed .That's like a 95 HP I think Ford 300 six doing the blowing . .

 

[Tucker943]

Ewwwwww!

I didn't mean it like that. I meant like I wasn't trying to lay into him like a jerk

 

[tophopper]

Squish always goes there. He cant help himself.

 

[squisher]

lmao and I take anyone else with me that I can!

 

[Al Smith]

Oh stop already .

 

[Tree Reb]

I was going to say something about how long my aluminium floor has lasted, but I just lost the plot.

Sixteen years, chips only.

 

[treesandsurf]

Alright, finally got this project underway. Ended up going steel framing 1.5X1.5x1/8" tubing. Going to build an addition over the toolbox. PLanning on using 1/8" aluminum sheeting once the frame is done.

 

[treesandsurf]

thanks to Brendon again for the advice and photos on box

jp

 

[HolmenTree]

It'd be a good idea to go double wall with the aluminum at least 1/2 ways up the sides. This would help the outside walls from getting all dented up if you should ever throw rounds in the box.

Al made a good point about plywood getting beat up from the chips. I had to put a full width sheet of thin steel along the top front inside of my wood covered chip box to avoid erosion. I don't mess with adjusting the spout chip deflector, it's always aimed for the top front of the box.... the box will fill on its own only with a little side adjustment of the spout to fill it evenly.

I built my dump trailer walls and roof with 1"X1" steel tubing, covered the roof with 1/8" aluminum sheet. The walls are covered with [forget the name] the same smooth pressed wood 4'X8'X 1/2" sheets the government makes some of their highway signs out of .The front is covered with aluminum diamond plate, inside front covered with 3/8" fir plywood, top inside section protected with thin steel. About 8 yrs now and still no problems.

 

[Al Smith]

Well on that just a sheet of 20 gauge will take a lot more abuse that plain old plywood .Well think about it .You're blasting pine plywood with hard wood chips unless you live in the PNW or down south .

 

[brendonv]

Farmtek sells a plastic I am going to line my next box 2-3' up the sides with. It's not an issue now, but if you go all aluminum down the sides it will get dented. With the mason tub like ours you have a foot, foot and a half of damage support.

Then again I only have probably three dents over 3? years. I don't discriminate on what goes in the truck either.

Here's the thin plastic, ply would be cheaper prob but this would last indefinitely.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_building_material-ft1_polymax_wall_4;pg106835.html

 

[CurSedVoyce]

You and I are thinking on the same lines Brendon. I have seriously been eye balling the farm tek stuff.

 

[treesandsurf]

$hit that's right I remember checking that stuff out a year ago, I'll have to see if there are suppliers here in HI.

jp

 

[Tucker943]

The bottom half of my stakebody turned chip truck is done in black 1/2" polyethylene. Its mean stuff, but heavy. It runs from the bed to the top of the stakes which is 3 and a half feet high or something close.