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Add-On Box Builds Road Shoulders Fast
A simple bottomless three-sided box hanging from the back end of a gravel truck helps Norm Pierce keep local township roads in shape.
"It works great, and there are no moving parts," says Pierce, a township highway supervisor in Poplar Grove, Ill. "It cost less than $100 to make, and I've run hundreds of tons of
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Add-On Box Builds Road Shoulders Fast TRUCKS Miscellaneous 30-6-16 A simple bottomless three-sided box hanging from the back end of a gravel truck helps Norm Pierce keep local township roads in shape.
"It works great, and there are no moving parts," says Pierce, a township highway supervisor in Poplar Grove, Ill. "It cost less than $100 to make, and I've run hundreds of tons of gravel as well as hot and cold asphalt through the box."
The idea is simple. The box is 1/4-in. steel plate and measures 36 in. front to back and 18 in. side to side. The sides taper from 12 in. in the back to 6 in. in the front. A piece of 1-in. round stock is welded to the front lower edge of the two sides, providing support and holding them rigid.
The box hangs from a framework that is bolted to the frame of a dump truck equipped with an auger at the tailgate. When the box is in place, material is augured to drop into the "gravel" box. As it falls onto the road shoulder, the backside of the box strikes it off at the desired level. "The sides keep it restricted to the 18-in. width," says Pierce. "Dumping to the left allows the operator better visibility of the box and better control over release of materials."
The framework has a rigid upper cross bar running from the plate that bolts to the truck frame to a point flush with the left hand tire. A short length of 3-in. by 3-in. tubing is welded to the outside end of the cross bar. A 30-in. length of 2 1/2 by 2 1/2-in. tubing slides through it and down to engage the round stock at the front of the box. When the box slides out to the working position flush with the tire, the round stock slides through and is supported by the vertical tubing.
To lock the box in place vertically, Pierce tightens down on an L-shaped bolt that is turned through a nut welded to the side of the sleeve. As it turns, the bolt jams against the sliding steel tube and fixes it in place.
A second 16-in. upright is welded to the secured end of the framework. A short section of 1 1/8-in. pipe is bolted at one end to the upright with the other end extending toward the gravel box. A second length of 1 1/6-in. pipe is attached to the rear of the gravel box and slides through the larger pipe. A similar L-shaped bolt turned through a nut welded to the outside of the pipe jams against the inner pipe to hold the box in place. To slide the box in and out of position, the bolt is loosened.
A final support for the box is a chain that is attached to the top of the box's rear plate. It slides back and forth through a piece of twisted round stock on the auger and catches to help maintain pan position.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Norm Pierce, 1250 Candlewick Drive N.W., Poplar Grove, Ill. 61065 (ph 815 703-4256).
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