Custom Dog Kennel

Custom Dog Kennel

 

 

Let’s get started

        Pro Plastic Welding was contacted by a local firefighter that is also involved in Search & Rescue for our area. The customer needed a safer and cleaner way to transport her pups around as they work and play. The customer was also adamant that we create underfloor storage that lined up with the space underneath the kennel base.
 

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Designing

        The design process started with taking the measurements needed to maximize the kennel space for two German shepherds. We also had to make sure we were able to align the mounting points with the original seat belt bolts. This kennel needed to be secured in a way it would not be a danger in an accident. The material we selected was a Marine grade HDPE. We selected this for two reasons. First, it’s UV stable and second, it’s extremely durable. As you can see from the pictures of the model the entire kennel is slotted. This is for air movement and for the customer to be able to check on the dogs as they are in transport. Each door is lockable and affixed with a slam latch. The slam latch enables the customer to essentially slam the door closed with one simple motion. The truck originally had storage under the seat. The customer wanted a removable floorboard in the kennel to again gain access to the storage area under the seat. After we were all happy with the design and details, we were ready to move on to the quoting process.

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Quoting and building out our design

         Quoting this job was very easy since we already had produced the DXF files for our CNC equipment in the designing process. We made sure to consider the tight areas we would be welding in as well as not damaging the truck in the process. This kennel had to be built inside the truck from scratch and is not removable. Since we would need the truck for multiple days, we were able to schedule this process to occur when the customer was out of town on a trip. The truck was left in our care over the course of a week. Thankfully this project was completed in just a few short days.

Conclusion

           The customer was very pleased with how this turned out. Over time each design detail has worked out as we hoped. The doors haven’t sagged, and the slam latches have continued to operate as expected. This unit has been in operation for many years at the time of this writing and still going strong.