It's The Truck It Self That Failed

[JB400]

Is Dodge cutting weight out of the frame in areas they shouldn't?

 

[vintage chromoly]

Another reason I’d never buy a dodge truck.

 

[slimt]

The box thats shown would be no different in weight to a standard box it came with .It looks like two by two steel tube framing with a aluminum bed insert .

They just put the rear feet in the wrong place . They should of been by the front shackle mounts.
There was a dealership up here that did the same thing on a chevy 3500 series it buckled right behind the cab it had a standard box on the back .They replaced the pickup.

 

[Don Frelier]

It's gross negligence. (PERIOD)
How anyone here can suggest that this is due to the trucks construction or design is absurd.
Given the numbers listed that spot where it cracked had a moment arm or torque of roughly 36,000 ft/lbs.
I think any truck of similar rating would have bent or broken.
How would you not notice it flexing badly just lifting it off the ground?
Simply unbelievable.

 

[69b3rt]

If this dealer works on trucks, it should have other style of hoist that lifts by the axles. When I worked at Ford dealer, we had the underground two post lifts that lift at axles. We could lift RVs, bucket trucks and even limo's.
It was just wrong and unsafe to lift that kind of truck like that. There was too much weight hanging off the frame. If the frame was a boxed frame he probably would have gotten away with lifting it that way. The tech and management should know better.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

This is a Dodge dealership? Check and see if the owner's manual or the service manual for the truck has a section that spells out proper lifting points or procedures. If one of the manuals has the factory instruction, it should be easy to determine if the dealership screwed up or not. (To me, it looks obvious that the lift arms were spaced WAAAY too far forward.)

 

[steve from staten island]

It's gross negligence. (PERIOD)
How anyone here can suggest that this is due to the trucks construction or design is absurd.
Given the numbers listed that spot where it cracked had a moment arm or torque of roughly 36,000 ft/lbs.
I think any truck of similar rating would have bent or broken.
How would you not notice it flexing badly just lifting it off the ground?
Simply unbelievable.

Since you think my opinion is absurd id be very interested to know how you came up with the calculations that you did. My opinion is based on over 30 years in that field.
The thought that i could place two jacks just past the cab of a pickup truck and attempt to lift that truck at that point and have the frame fold up is absurd. What in the name of God is that frame constructed of? While I'm not saying it does or can not happen I'm saying the design of these vehicles today are inferior to yesteryear. Maybe its weight issue or they want frames to fold up in accidents but what was stated by the OP and another post shows me how poorly we make things today

 

[khryslerkid]

I had a neighbor that loaded up his short bed chevy pickup with overhanging barn beams. Went over a bump in the road and bent the frame behind the cab. Looked like a dump bed after that.

This case is definitely mechanic neglect. Neglect in not knowing what the hell he was doing. I'd sue the hell out of them. A couple of lawyers letters should get their attention. Don't let off until they want to make a settlement. They have the money and insurance to back up their loss. Some of these places think they know it all and rape customers everyday. Don't let them get by with it.

 

[moparmarks]

As stated before, you have the world at your finger tips. I would be posting this up for everyone to see. This is what can happen if you buy a Ram and have this dealership work on it.
It isn't slander if it is true.
If FCA sees that their name is being drug threw the dirt they may force the dealership to fix it.

 

[Jcharger]

I don't like to read this. Go through the legal system. It might be biased against us common folk for some things, but gross negligence won't favor the big corporations. Good luck.

 

[Don Frelier]

To answer Steve's question it's 9th grade physics:
Distributed load extended from a fixed point in space.
Force = Mass X Distance/2
OR
Approximate the number based on the following.

lb ft ft*lb
500 0.5 250
500 1.5 750
500 2.5 1250
500 3.5 1750
500 4.5 2250
500 5.5 2750
500 6.5 3250
500 7.5 3750
500 8.5 4250
500 9.5 4750
500 10.5 5250
500 11.5 5750
Total 6,000lb 36,000 ft*lb

 

[steve from staten island]

Don, your math skills are beyond mine for sure. ,I still do not understand what your telling me and how you came to that conclusion. Are you saying that at the rear of that truck there is a downwards load of 6000 lbs?
I still maintain if the web was wide enough and thick enough with no load other than the body the frame would never bend

 

[MarPar]

Me wonders if the "ratcheting" action of the lift had a hand in it too...

 

[slimt]

Don, your math skills are beyond mine for sure. ,I still do not understand what your telling me and how you came to that conclusion. Are you saying that at the rear of that truck there is a downwards load of 6000 lbs?
I still maintain if the web was wide enough and thick enough with no load other than the body the frame would never bend

Problem is the rearend with springs and a dually as well were at the flex point when the wheels were lifted off the floor. Math or no math it was lifted at the wrong location. A given for failure.

 

[slimt]

I showed this bunch of pictures to my boss . First thing said. Wrong hoist for this truck shown. Hes a heavy duty frame repair guy. He would know.

 

[steve from staten island]

Problem is the rearend with springs and a dually as well were at the flex point when the wheels were lifted off the floor. Math or no math it was lifted at the wrong location. A given for failure.

I agree wrong point to lift the truck.

I showed this bunch of pictures to my boss . First thing said. Wrong hoist for this truck shown. Hes a heavy duty frame repair guy. He would know.

Whats a heavy duty frame repair guy? Are we talking tri axels dumps, Dump trailers, flat beds or what?

 

[slimt]

I agree wrong point to lift the truck.

Whats a heavy duty frame repair guy? Are we talking tri axels dumps, Dump trailers, flat beds or what?

Anything tandem axeled. He owns a frame shop . Repairs and replacements

 

[steve from staten island]

Anything tandem axeled. He owns a frame shop . Repairs and replacements

So if the frame rails are bent on a Dump trailer he has the equipment to straighten them out. If a tandem dump truck, flatbed, cement mixer is damaged he can change one or both frame rails. Cross members R&R, Rear end saddles R&R Fifth wheel king pins, R&R he does all that. Correct ?

 

[1967coronet]

I want to see the pics of them getting it back down on the floor. I think I can see a red brace jack in the last small picture under the front end. That's one Fd up deal there.

 

[mopwrd340]

Frames can be repaired i saw a 7 axle loaded dump truck break right behind the cab coming up to a light it was fixed right there at the light as they couldn't move it .most anything can be fixed that truck was put on the lift wrong the lift arms probably strong enough .