Aluminum Alloy on Truck Dump Beds?

6061 and 6063 are the 2 most common on dump beds and flat beds. Very easy to weld if you can get it clean enough. Road grime and grit get really ground in to the surface and the exposed surfaces are heavily oxidized.

So you will need to use a stainless steel wire wheel on a grinder to prep any surface to be welded.

tbone,

I'm goin' through similar agony with a 1978 aluminum end dump trailer. The factory technical guy suggested I use:

Alcotec 1/16" mig wire ER5356 part no. 535616062.

Ernie, will you buy that??

Vernon

I forgot to add that the factory guy said the same thing Ernie does below. After so many years of use the aluminum, which is very porous, sucks up a world of grit, grime, diesel smoke and other shit that is NOT ALUMINUM.

He said that once I start welding up cracks I'd likely be wringing my hands in despair over the gloppy porous welds.

But he urged me to grind 'em out and weld 'em up again and again. And that finally, the crap would fly up to heaven where it can be useful to God's work of depleting the ozone layer, and I'd finally get a good weld.

Frankly, I haven't yet made a single aluminum repair. I'm up to my neck in suspension and axle problems...

If you get good at fixin' yours why don't you come on down and fix mine??

Vernon

tbone,

I just realized I don't understand what you mean by "with a fifth wheel in BAD need of repair."

To me, the fifth wheel is the big round pancake on a tractor.

Exactly what part of the dump body are you needing to repair?

Vernon

5356 and 4043 are universal aluminum filler metals. They will work on most weldable aluminums. 5356 is stronger, harder and has better corrosion resistance. 4043 is more ductile, flows easier and has better color match for anodizing.