Front End Dolly Idea

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subcom

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I was thinking of building (having a friend build actually) a front end dolly similar to some of the others I've seen on FABO. Harbor Freight has these "swing back trailer jacks" that are rated to between 1000-1500 pounds and I thought they would be great for providing a vertically adjustable dolly. I did a crude little drawing to try and illustrate the idea. The trailer jacks are $27/each.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
 

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Other than not needing a floor jack to lift up the shell what would the advantage be?
 
I wouldn't trust my baby to anything from Harbor Freight. Even the oil leaks still get at least Sears fliers under 'em.
 
jos51700 said:
I wouldn't trust my baby to anything from Harbor Freight. Even the oil leaks still get at least Sears fliers under 'em.
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Ok. So assuming I don't use Harbor Freight brand trailer jacks and use super-duper brand X, is the idea sound?
 
i used to buy all name brand tools and sears was a popular hangout. til i realized i was always there returning ratchets. i buy all kinds of stuff from harbor freight. not everything, but all my air tools and a ton of other stuff. my homemade rotisserie rolls on harbor freight castors. i wouldn t be afraid to use anything from there as long as you re smart enough to use it and know its limits. and i ve got nice babies. lol

YOU HAVE A COOL IDEA. don t mind if i make myself a set. i was thinking of making something similar for my ride inbetween rotisserie and final assembly.
 
Wonder if anybody makes that style trailer jack with a air filled tire......then if you had to push it outside to clean the garage out etc. at least you would be able to....
 
A bigger tire is nice. With a heavy duty jack you'd only need one in the middle.
I keep my engine hoist handy when the car is on the dolly. Very handy and lifts as high as you want.
 
Take it from me I owned a trailer company, the swing away tongue jacks can be scetchy at best and even good quality ones sometimes don't fully latch and come crashing down. I've seen it way too many times and would shy away from it.
 
Yes, it would work and like Ink said pneumatic is a good idea I can see why you want to build something like this breaking down and cleaning front-end parts etc...you could actually build your own if you have a welder.
 
About the front tire size, I had about a 3.5" one, hit a 3/4" cement lip pushing it into the shop and snapped the swivel apart. Bigger wheel = better :)
 
gtmopar said:
Take it from me I owned a trailer company, the swing away tongue jacks can be scetchy at best and even good quality ones sometimes don't fully latch and come crashing down. I've seen it way too many times and would shy away from it.
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Replaced the jack on my car trailer a while back with one that is mounted on a piece of tube and is secured in the up/down position with a hitch pin..........never like the looks of the one that is mentioned above....
 
I think a jack on each side would want to bind whenever you tried to jack one side or another up, unless you had a helper cranking the other side at the same time.
 
I think it would be a workable idea. Maybe replace the pin with a grade 5 bolt, because folding it up isn't useful anyhow for this application.
C
 
sireland67 said:
I think a jack on each side would want to bind whenever you tried to jack one side or another up, unless you had a helper cranking the other side at the same time.
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That's a very good point and I something I never considered.
If the jacks are close enough though like in my drawing, with a little coordination I think one person could manage it.

At the end of the day the idea is to have a dolly capable of supporting the front of the car after the engine and K frame have been removed.
 
I would think one jack centered would be adequate with K and engine removed.
C
 
Darn It! The title threw me off.

For a brief moment in time I thought you had come into some great bootleg photos.

Oh, well......:eek:ops:
 

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Dago Red said:
Darn It! The title threw me off.

For a brief moment in time I thought you had come into some great bootleg photos.

Oh, well......:eek:ops:
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Nope. But if the idea ever makes into mass production, I'll need a "spokes woman" and Dolly would be perfect.
 
inkjunkie said:
Wonder if anybody makes that style trailer jack with a air filled tire......then if you had to push it outside to clean the garage out etc. at least you would be able to....
Click to expand...

The bigger tires do make it easier to move around.


vbpgimage.php
 
I see what Hawaii's done there - definitely the way to go. Get your preferred tires and casters rated for the weight, a few bits and bobs welded and drilled to fit/bolt securely and make a proper dolly. Use a floor jack to raise it up on the dolly, attach and done.
 
I find this arrangement convenient. Simple to build.
 

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Idaho, is the engine hoist part of the dolly setup? My tired old eyes can't tell. A larger photo would help. Maybe ya use the hoist to lift the dolly, bolt it up, then move the hoist out of the way??

ATB

BC
 
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