Fully boxed frame vs c-channel

This article makes great points on the merits of the open c-channel frames vs fully boxed frames. Good stuff!
https://www.treadmagazine.com/features/open-c-versus-boxed/

 

Interesting read and timely, thanks. I've got boxing the frame on my to do list as it's considered necessary for a proper LT conversion.

 

In the article it mentioned that fully boxing a frame was hard on the mounts because of stress. Causing the suspension to have to do more work. But since you will have killer LT suspension which is supposed to be doing All of the work. I would imagine boxing the frame would have no ill affects on all the mounting locations along the frame. I can only imagine that the type of stuff you will be doing with long travel, the frame needs to be super rigid for it to all work together properly. Will you be doing a cage?

On the last off-road trip, and even on the freeway I was looking in my Sideview mirrors at the bed. Watching it just jiggle down the highway LMFAO. All I could tell myself was, it’s putting in some work right now as it was designed to do. My 02 ram RCSB had a fully boxed frame. I remember thinking how bad ass that was at the time.

 

No plans for a cage...........yet. Just a bed cage for the rear shocks. I'm a little concerned about boxing 'cause once you beef up one area you've effectively moved the stress to another location. I'm likely to be like a dog chasing it's tail. The frame curves up at the back of the cab to meet the bed and switches from double C to C. I've seen that the area left open. Then the bed can flex upward and hit the cab. It would help if I knew what I'm doing. Oh well, what could go wrong?

 

It’s definitely something like a science experiment if it wasn’t designed that way. Boxing in the frame sounds simple enough and seems like a no brainer. But you’re right it’s just going to translate that stress to another location. I’m sure there’s been a few guys that have boxed their Tundra frame, but it’s hard to know what problems they had to chase to get it right. I remember reading on this form of someone whose bed started to rip. I can’t remember if it was because his frame was boxed or if he had reinforcement of the frame that caused the stress to translate to the bed. Too bad a frame company that makes custom frames for hot rods didn’t make one for the Tundra. Obviously that would be expensive but would also be super bad ass!

 

I think it's @n2deep that has some stress related bed issues but not sure if he's boxed or not. I know @osidepunker, @papasmurf, @froggy78 all have boxed frames and @TRD15559 is in the process.

 

I recall reading on here somewhere that their ride went to hell after boxing the frame because the suspension wasn’t engineered for it from the start.

 

Craig, Zac, and Jimmy just off the top of my head all have their beds falling apart from off road because the oem frame flexes too much.

I boxed my frame and my bed cage is bolted to the floor of the bed at all four corners. I have zero cracks in my bed.

The rear half needs to be boxed if you're gonna of road. Its MANDATORY

I have been considering boxing the center section as well, but not super high on my list of priorities.

One thing that article does not mention is that if you take the same size frames, say 6" tall by 4" wide, one boxe the other C channel, the boxed frame will be MUCH stronger, and yes, it will flex a lot less. So yes it will get stress cracks, but only if you EXCEED its limits. On a Tundra, boxing the frame makes it so much stronger that it does not get stress cracks; at least with the loads I am putting it though. I weight 8000 lbs, 4000 over the rear axle. So far so good.

 

I did not notice a change in the ride quality after boxing it. But I did notice my bed no longer hits the cab

 

Thanks for clarifying, I had it backwards LOL.

 

Another thing not clarified in the article is what TYPE of stress. The article alludes to carrying weight but never mentions anything about off road/ bumps, that type of stress.

 

yeah the big problem is overloading. Like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B215vsnnKiu/?igshid=kieuac6f1kbn

Guys do this shit all the time and a c channel will survive but boxed won't. Off road stresses are not what the manufactures are worried about

 

@osidepunker that completely makes sense that the flexing of the frame would crack the bed and not the other way around. I don’t know what I was thinking. I swear if I ever come into an abundance of funds I would like to build my truck. Probably have Bruce do it. Boxed frame, bed cage, LT and of course don’t forget 3 inch leaf packs! Then only to decide whether the rear needs to be spring under or spring over. Because of course if I have an abundance of funds there is a trailer in my future LOL.

 

I got you bro!

Do SUA with a jonny bar and a removable air shock. The air shock raises your ride height when you have a heavy hitch weight and the jonny bar locates your axle and prevents axle wrap

 

HAHAHAHA^^

 

That’s right! I did see a picture of someone that had a removable air shock. He just swung it up out of the way and re-bolted it to the frame. That sure is a sick set up. Was that you that had it? I get everyone’s builds confused.

 

no not me but lots of raptor guys do that and I seen one tundra with that setup

 

IG, Kibbe setup is my guess as to where you saw it

 

That receiver extension sure puts a lot of leverage on everything. So this is the second time? Time to change strategy or beef that frame up. But I guess if it’s in the budget...

 

For those of you interested in frame boxing, i documented this process on my build thread, but ill post some pics here too... and for clarification, this is a must for heavy off road use, otherwise you will have bed cracking and bed hitting the cab, stiffening the frame allows the suspension to do the work. it doesnt move the "stress" elsewhere, it puts it properly on the suspension.





they key is completely enclosing the frame. from the double C all the way to the end, and including all gaps. you can see here in the second pic i made plates to fill in the gaps from the dimple die plates. that is important.

 

Uhh, "it puts it properly on the suspension." that's still moving it elsewhere.

 

Yes please!

 

well .. ok ill give you that, but instead of the frame doing "suspension" work, it moves it to the suspension completely.. ok i guess i shouldnt have said that exactly that way, but it doesnt move the effort onto the body / cab or anything else other than suspension.

 

i got you... let me know when you are ready! LOL

 

**Zombie thread alert**

I’m curious what all you pro-frame boxing guys think about my situation. I traded my 4Runner in on my truck, and I’d like to continue the off roading adventures I often took my family on in the 4Runner. Nothing high-speed, but plenty of twisted up, rutted out trails that had me in situations with a wheel (sometimes two) in the air. The 4Runner frame never flexed at all, and I was able to get anywhere I wanted. I know the tundra is capable, but it’s a lot bigger and heavier, and I’m wondering about how much stress the kind of off roading we do will put on the Tundra. I want to prevent the stress cracks and bed/tailgate issues I’ve read about on this forum.

Although I will miss the 4Runner, we simply outgrew it. And I’m not knocking the Tundra; in fact, I love it. I’m approaching this situation as a problem to be solved. What should we do to ensure our continued adventures don’t cause problems down the road for my new truck?

 

IMO, boxing the tundra frame is pretty much just for LT and high speed stuff but wouldn't hurt a MT build. I think there may have been some guys that went LT, put racks on the bed and an RTT and discovered the bed was being torn apart. But, ask @osidepunker

 

Box the rear half up to the reinforced center section. Its mandatory for all tundras that will see regular off road use. Even MT trucks have been cracking their beds

I've been thinking hard about boxing the center section under the cab as well

 

Ignorant question: does boxing the rear half require relocating the spare?