Posted by RDavis on Saturday, December 08, 2001 at 6:09PM :
In Reply to: Shortening frames... posted by Brian in Oregon on Friday, December 07, 2001 at 1:34PM :
I guess extending a frame would consist of the same concern so using a friends terminology for how he extended his 1-ton F-350 frame I'll tell you it wasn't as big a deal as it would seem. he was a steel fabricator and he did have access to a machine that could make a "fish plate" or frame looking piece that was stamped to fit snug inside the existing frame channel.After cutting the frame, he welded a splice piece in for the correct length,clamped the fish plate(which extended at least 1ft beyond the cuts) snuly inside the frame and drilled holes to put bolts for added strength.
I assure you, this man put more weight on a extended 1-ton frame than I would have attempted with a W-500 and it never gave a moment of trouble.
Its always wise to be safe but, over the years I've seen folks who "strain a nat but swallow a camel" meaning, you can worry too much about things without seeing the real problems.
I will admit, many WDX-WM300s I've seen have had the frame welded vertically due to breaks behind the cab, so this is a sress point for sure.