plate steel price, heavy duty carryall

[brownbr]

I'm trying to convince myself that I can get away without buying a pickup truck. I have a E350 van with break controller, so I can tow stuff. I need a tractor for multiple reasons and want to figure out how I would use the tractor in place of a truck on my farm. I need to build a lot of fence so I don't want to lug heavy posts around with wheelborrows anymore. I know I can get a wagon or implement trailer to tow behind a tractor, but the carryalls look attractive.

So I've been considering building a heavy duty 3-point carry-all. I want to use it like a big lift gate. I was thinking of getting a heavy duty hay fork with a wide seperation to construct a platform on it. Ideally it will be made of heavy sheet steel, and I will have this for the next 50 years and move it from tractor to tractor. I've also been thinking of mounting one of my spare van bench seats on it with the rider's back to 3-point hitch. Then I could also haul my kids around where if they fell off they wouldn't get run over.

I saw this fork that can lift 3000 lbs.

So effectively I want to make ~a 5' square floor and weld it on to this.

What should I expect to pay for some heavy plate sheet steel?

What gauge would be good 8-3? heavier?

Any good places to buy it for cheep by mail order?

Or will it be cheaper at some local metal supplier?

Anyone think this is a silly idea?

would any of this material be good?

http://www.metalsdepot.com/products/hrsteel2.phtml?page=plate&LimAcc=$LimAcc

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[Ken45101]

I think you will need some cross pieces to support the sheet metal, and then go with something lighter than the heavy gauge steel you were looking at. A 5'x5' piece of quarter inch plate is quite heavy and even then you would probably want some braces underneath it. You would absolutely need braces on the outside.

Most carryalls like this just use wood planking for a floor.

You definitely are right to go with something heavy duty. I've had the typical 3pt carryall fail with a load of rocks, the angle iron bent at the lower 3pt arm attachment.

I often look at metalsdepot for pricing and figure that I can get it locally for about half their price. You can also check scrap yards and see if you can find something there.

5x5 is not a standard size for gauge metal or plate, you would have to piece it together from something 4' wide.

I don't know about riding someone back there.

BTW, TSC sells a dump bed carryall with sides
Carry-On Trailer Carry Hauler Tractor Attachment - 2130097 | Tractor Supply Company
They claim it's rated to 2500 pounds. I don't know that I trust that rating but it might be fine for 1000# or so.

Ken

 

[BHD]

If it was me I would make a "steel" pallet, even a hard wood solid floor like a pallet, that could be pinned on it or bolted, that way you would still have the forks, and if wanted a box (even a dump box if one wanted to build one), and or what ever else one could want for a platform, and it would relative quick change.

 

[Ken45101]

If it was me I would make a "steel" pallet, even a hard wood solid floor like a pallet, that could be pinned on it or bolted, that way you would still have the forks, and if wanted a box (even a dump box if one wanted to build one), and or what ever else one could want for a platform, and it would relative quick change.

Good idea :thumbsup:

 

[brownbr]

Good idea :thumbsup:

that is an awsome idea. I've got to study this some more.

 

[lostcause]

i'm not sure exactly hat you are looking for when you say heavy duty, but steel sheets are generally available between 24ga (less than 1/32") and 11ga (1/8") and from there it is usually sized in 1/16" increments until you get past 1/2", and from there it may vary by mill it comes from.

another thing to remember is that steel weighs 490lb per cubic foot. if you break that down 1" plate is 40.83lb per square foot, 1/2" is 20.42lb per sq ft, 1/4" is 10.21lb per sq ft, and 1/8" (11ga) is about 5.6lb per sq ft. anything less than 1/4" is going to be very springy to stand on, and also very prone to bending. 1/4" and thicker can still bend very easily when persuaded by an immoveable object in the travel path. you're going to likely want some sort of frame under the plate to help prevent bouncing and bending. this will add more weight. a 5x5x1/8" deck with a 2x2x3/16 angle frame under it will weigh about 200lb-250lb.

the last thing to consider will be the cost. generally steel in my area is around $1 per pound. if you get full length pieces you often get a discount of around 20% since they don't have to handle it and have an employee cut it. depending on your supplier thinner steel sheets can often be found in 5x10 sizes, so you shouldn't have too much issue getting a 5x5 piece. i've never bought steel online and i have looked at it a few times for tool steel, dom tubing and 1018 cold rolled shapes, but it is always quite pricey and the shipping is murder. if you have anything even remotely local (under 100 miles away) you're going to be better off to get it there since you are looking at a fairly heavy order.

lastly, for my money, i'd build/modify a hardwood pallet to fit on the forks instead of making a steel deck. steel sheet is tough, but it is also slippery and heavy. the only time i would prefer steel is for moving extremely heavy but compact items such as gear cases and engines that could crush through a pallet. for those i'd probably just get a scrap of plate to keep on hand to put over the wood.

 

[JoeL4330]

Aluminum diamond plate? ...if you're determined to dis wood

 

[Villengineer]

First, before you get any farther, what tractor do you have and what is the 3 point lift capacity? It's not going to do you any good to buy a 3000 lbs capacity attachment or build a heavy duty platform if the 3 point won't lift it or if the front wheels come off the ground.

 

[brownbr]

First, before you get any farther, what tractor do you have and what is the 3 point lift capacity? It's not going to do you any good to buy a 3000 lbs capacity attachment or build a heavy duty platform if the 3 point won't lift it or if the front wheels come off the ground.

I have a few unknowns that are yet to be determined. One is the tractor. I haven't bought it yet. I'm targeting something 75hp 5000-6000 lbs. I'll probably go with some older allis or something I can pick up pretty cheap.

another unknown is what I will haul. I just got the farm, but I know the kinds of things we struggled with on my parents and grandparents farms. I could see lifting and moving small steel implements or "pieces" of implements and scrap steel. Maybe septic tank. A lot of the old timers places turn into an implement grave yards where you can go shopping for parts to canibalize. We uaually just suspended from log chains and hoised on the scoop. so perhaps steel is over doing it. Considering I've built trailers with treated lumber and hauled heavy stuff with it, perhaps some treated 2" could be heavy duty enough.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I have one of the Country Line Carry All attachments. My tractor is a compact, category 1 and not rated for that much wight.

This has been a real back saver. I have moved a lot of pallets of patio blocks etc. I built a 3' x 4' deck for it with a backstop.

The only thing I'm going to change is to lower the 3pt attaching points. I can lower them 8" and get closer to the height of my trailer. This will make things easier.

You will find a LOT of uses for this implement once you get it.

Enjoy