The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1949 3800 DUMPER HELP

HOWDY FROM ARKANSAS! I AM A NEWBIE AND NEED SOME REAL HELP. SHORT VERSION FOR NOW. I WILL POST AND SEND PICS LATER. PURCHASED A 1949 3800 LAST FALL FROM ORIGINAL OWNER. HE ASSURED ME THE DUMP BODY, AN ACTUAL BOX LIKE THE BIG DUMPS HAVE JUST SMALLER CAME FROM THE DEALER WHERE HE BOUGHT IT. TRUCK IS ALL ORIGINAL AND IT RUNS AND WORKS GREAT. I DROVE IT HOME(60 MILES). I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING ABOUT DUMP BOXES OFFERED FROM CHEVY IN 49. WE RUN A NON-PROFIT FOR DISABLED HUNTERS AND PURCHASED THE TRUCK WITH A NICE 1961 LOWBOY TRAILER ATTACHED TO PULL MY TRACTOR AROUND AND USE MAKING FOOD PLOTS FOR DEER AND TURKEY FOR OUR GUEST HUNTERS.
ANYWAY, MY QUESTION IS THAT I AM LOOKING FOR ANY INFO ON THE ORGINAL DUMP BOXES OFFERED. IF ANY. AND WE ARE HAVING TROUBLE TRYING TO DECIDE IF WE SHOULD RESTORE OR MODERNIZE AND KEEP AS AN ACTUAL WORKING RIG. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT AND IDEAS. THANKS GANG.

welcome from central Ark,, brian

Welcome to the bolt!

Please stop SHOUTING (All Caps)

I don't know if they were RPO or aftermarket, but I'm sure someone will be along soon who does.

Dump 'Bolts rule!

Welcome to the Bolt

Cliff59

Here's my experience with mine. As the current owner of a 3800 with a tilt-bed on it, my best guess is that the hydraulics were added after the factory.

The best evidence I can find for that is that mine appears to be a dealer, after-market, or possibly an owner add-on based on the fact that the ends of the frame were cut off using a torch (pretty ragged cut at that). I would expect a "cleaner" frame end if it was a factory install. I've also not been able to find any factory documentation on hydraulics for 3800-series trucks but I've found a couple of after market references on tilt-beds. My experience on dump boxes for larger trucks (during the late 60s to mid-70s) was they were always added after the truck was delivered to the dealer (my Grandfather was a F*rd dealer) or that the hydraulic setup was added to the factory platform or stakebed.

On mine, the hydraulics were manufactured by "Harsh Hoist" not too far from the original owners farm, as I have recently found out. It's about 70 miles between Brush, CO where the truck lived most of its life, to Eaton, CO where Harsh is still headquartered. It's a double ram setup using the PTO from the transmission and other than the cuts on the frame ends, looks like a pretty professional installation. You can see one of the rams in the pictures that are in the Gallery. The best that I can figure, is that mine was an original platform or stake bed (haven't been able to determine which) and that the hydraulics were added later, possibly at the dealer before delivery, so that the wheat farmer didn't have to shovel the contents out of the bed.

Anyway, that's what I've found so far. If anyone knows different, please feel free to correct me and set me on the path to greater Stovebolt enlightenment.

Welcome to another 3800 owner!

im sure all dump bodies are aftermarket, and there are alot of different brands. (Giant, Midwest, Heil, and lots of others just to name a few.)Parts arent that hard to come by though, but ya shouldnt need parts anyway if it works....maybe a seal here or there,and those can be had from about any bearing, seal, or hydraulic place.. theyll run and dump for years with no problems. Pto's and pumps can be seperate or different brands too, but they dont really give much trouble other than a seal,,or even a packing nut that you just tighten up to keep from pouring out oil, a tad bit of leakage is normal with a packing.

Yes, Welcome to the 'Bolt, Zeb!

Make sure you visit the other parts of the site, too -- use the menu bar at the top of the page. We have some Tech Tips for dumps, hydraulics, etc you might find useful.

But the guys are right -- Chevrolet didn't offer dump bodies -- they were all after market options that sometimes dealers offered but usually a truck buyer bought the cab and chassis from the dealer and then took it somewhere for whatever body they wanted. The only big truck body available from the factory was a flatbed.

Again, Welcome!

Regards,
John

If you need any work done on the hydraulics you should be able to find someone local who can do the work. New hoses can also be made locally.