Van-Trailer Roof and vertical supports . Do they support the floor frame at all ?

We have a 53 foot van , Does the roof and verticle supports have any structial effect on the floor frame . Want to make a van a flatbed ? Please help. Thanks

 

@TripleSix probably knows the right answer.

 

Make sure you have a videocam running when you start the major cutting. Post it when you're done. If for some reason the trailer doesn't end up on the ground be sure and have the video rolling when you try to load it. LOL

 

Only 40-50%

 

The frame structure is way different. Stop being cheap and buy a flat bed
Look at a flatbed trl snd it's frame, then look at a van trl frame. Way big difference

 

Yeah those walls are part of the structure. Cut the walls off and you've ruined the integrity of the entire floor.

 

A company I worked for years ago had a bunch of trailers break in half while rolling down the road. Turns out the aluminum z-rails were improperly heat treated and were brittle rather then flexible. (the z-rails are the aluminum rails that go the length of the top and bottom that the side panels are connected to). The side panels are actually structural... Kinda like the middle OSB section of a wooden I-joist.

 

I watched a guy who had bought a D3 from the company I worked at load it into the back of a van,.. as he reached the halfway point the tracks crashed through the floor. It was hung halfway in and half of the ground. the trailer was toast.

I was told to go into the office because the guy had pistol and wanted to shoot me because I was laughing so hard.

True story,.. LOL

Hurst

 

The big beams running down the middle of a flatbed are just extra weight. You can haul more by converting a van. Idk why more people don't do it /

 

Saw a relatively new van trailer on the side of 80 one day with what looked like 1 big paper roll that tacoed the trailer. No outher damage I could see? Trailer was in 1/2 and roll was sitting on the asphalt.