Man I do NOT have the suds, anymore

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Got a bit more done today. Got the new extensions welded to the old tongue, and got it jigged up and got one inboard pivot welded in. Going to rain tonight, tomorrow, I have a Doc's appointment, anyhow

And, dammit, it appears that my lens might be toast. This is a Canon 17-55 2.8, and costs nearly 900 bucks new. I dropped it some time ago, and thought it was OK, but all these appear to be some out of focus.

You can see the rust where the tongue is now out further than it was. This is to leave room for the "wench" bracket to put the winch out in front, as well as the toolbox which bolted to the tongue. I'm also hoping a bit more length will cause it to pull straighter. It tries to "walk" the Ranger around a bit.

Still have a lot to do.........finish up the main pivots, and construct latches for the front, and figure out a way to jack it. And of course build a mount for the winch. It will stay on it's 2" hitch plug in so if I want, I can hook it to the hitch on the pickup.
 

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Lookin' good! That's nice fab work there my friend. You will be very happy when this thing starts tiltin'!
 
Thanks. I still have to add some cross bracing, etc, to the new members. But I'll do that once I get things further along. However, SOMEHOW, I did get one "tilted a bit. Might have to apply some twisting force and weld in the brace. I had a straight piece clamped across, and thought that would be enough.
 
67Dart273 said:
Oh hell, I've lost count (years). I've had a beard since the mid? eighties?

Remember the tower climbin' thread?

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=174936

This was me along about 96 or so, so I was 48 then. Even though my joints were givin' me 'ell back then, I was still in pretty good shape. I guess I weighed about 175
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I do! I recently grew mine out; folks like it, might keep it around awhile. Beard brothers! :thumbup:
 
Got a bit more done today. This morning was cold, wet, and bitter. So I hauled a little lathe I've got up out of the basement. My friend "down south" is going to buy it. Damn, that thing!!! went DOWN those stairs a lot easier back when I bought it!!!

This afternoon I got some cuts and welds cleaned up and ground somewhat smooth. I ordered a "long ram" jack through HF like on a cherry picker, only "heavy duty." Cost me 75 bucks by the time shipping (only 7 bucks ground) and sales tax

I can't put in any cross bracing until the jack gets here and see how it fits. Bottom photo is what it will be if I jack it "clear up, IE rear wheels on the ground, tail of trailer on the ground. My goal, really, is just to lessen ramp angle for "low cars" and that includes the Dart.
 

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Since health tips for us geezers are being passed around I'll add this one..

COQ10... It's a natural enzyme that helps turn carbs into energy. I was told to take it when I was on medication for cholesterol. In Canada and Germany when a doctor prescribes an anti-cholesterol medication they also prescribe COQ10 to go with it. American doctors rarely prescribe vitamins.

I started feeling better within a couple weeks. I didn't even realize just how sluggish I was until I started to "come out" of it. I've been taking 200mg once a day for the past couple years.

More energy meant I was able to do more around the house which led to me eating less and losing weight. Without really dieting I've lost over 50 lbs since starting with the COQ10. I'm now off of the cholesterol med and my blood pressure is good.
 
That tilt conversion is very cool. I've never seen anyone convert a standard to a tilt before.
 
I cannot speak for the idea itself. I found several on the www. This trailer is much taller than the beat - to -$hit one I used to have, and even with the Dart, the ramps are at such an angle that unless you have a reversed hitch receiver (in my neighbor's) "tall" pickup, the thing drags on the exhaust.

The irony is, at my age, I don't need this so much anymore. I would have "killed" to have had this trailer 20-30 years ago.

This is my old beater, now gone. I bought it in about 72!!!! in San Diego. It's been from there to N Idaho, to Lethbridge, Alberta, CA, to the W coast a couple of times near Seattle, and numerous short trips, Moses Lake, etc.

The old one. My unca Bill, the trailer, and the Toyo powered Cletrac and the old Red Ranger are all gone now

http://i52.tinypic.com/14d1p9j.jpg

What's left of the once 340 4 speed powered FJ-40 "Desert Dogs" forever!!!

http://i56.tinypic.com/20adv8j.jpg
 
Well, got a bit more "along." HF does not seem to know whether they actually shipped my jack or not!!!! But I got guide plates made for the sides, where the bed comes down on the "straight" part of the tongue, and got 1/2 the pin brackets done on the front of the tongue.

Next step will be to use these as guides and drill the tongue for hitch pins "so they match" and then I can slap the "other half" of the pin brackets on the inboard sides and weld those two on.

The angle and channel are just spacers to give it a bit of "play"

I really cannot brace up the tongue assy until I get that blasted jack
 

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And..............got a bit more done before my back finally gave up, this evening. Got the tongue drilled for the pin, tomorrow I'll trim the inner brackets to fit and get them welded on. Drove a big 'ol bar in the ground and used it fer a redneck drill press, LOL


Then wait................for...........the............tongue...........jack..........from..............HF
 

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Slowly making progress. Did nothing today, still hurting from last few days, but DID get my SB heads back and ran some errands. Got the bottom welding done, and part of it wire brushed, throw some paint on the bottom. I got out my "favorite" material.........surplus metal locker parts, cut out a sheet and welded to the bottom front of the tongue. This will make a 'quickie tray' to throw chains, binders, etc, when hooking up, etc. Got the crossmembers welded in, new pieces of conduit for wiring, and the mount for the bed jack.

Still need to mount the tool box.
 

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Finally hosed it downs with paint late this aft. just in time for .............rain!!!

Spent all morning I made the huge mistake of "taking a look" at a friend's non running lawn tractor. I DID get it usable, but one morning does not make up for 15 years neglect, LOL

After it dries, I need to flip it over, build the mounts for the main toolbox, and paint the top side, and paint at least part of the trailer. Then re--wire it. I think, (FINALLY) that I'm on the downhill side of this project

http://i57.tinypic.com/rirxux.jpg
 
Today tried out the "system." It's not done. Have to mount the winch and toolbox. The jack is too "horizontal" to get any leverage when bed is down. I'll probably lower the front pivot point a few inches. "No fun."

Still need to rewire it

Here is the "worst case" situation, IE loading / unloading with no ramps. I "felt" the tractor on / off to the balance point, then jacked or released from there. You can see the front trailer tires are a bit off the ground. I'll have the winch when / if I get it remounted, for today I ran it up there "on the starter."

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This is a more "normal" attitude for car loading. All I really want is to straighten the ramp angle as shown here

CONCLUSION: Some minor tweeks. I do need to rework the jack pivot and probably strengthen the structure under the bed a bit for the jack angle.

THIS THING is just going to work great. A typical scenereo of a few years ago, was loading my little crawler, which is gone now, or this little Farmall or similar, or a scrap car body. Should be easy to tilt the trailer "under the wreck" and skid it right up on the bed, "tires or no tires" LOL

View attachment _MG_7240cs.jpg
 
It looks great! I wish mine did this.

To me, it looks like your hydraulic piston is much too long for its application. If it was shorter, it would pivot faster on the trailer side mount and hence put it into a better angle (closer to perpendicular to the bed angle) faster. Just a thought if this setup doesn't have enough to do what you want it to.

I love it!
 
I think you're right. I have the tongue out, upside down, as of yesterday, (THANKS!!! little -Farmall-with-front-loader!!)

And am lowering the mount point. "I would bet" I'm going to have to redo the trailer end, too

Of course you don't have much choice for cylinders on these, as a "regular" bottle jack is not long enough

I originally was going to use a cylinder and pump

or my "big old" floor jack, very very heavy.

Hope to get the tongue back under the trailer late today. I won't get the trailer end of the mount done, though.
 
That looks great, Del. I agree with 68GTXMan. You might consider a shorter jack AND relocating the trailer side pivot point to the very front of the trailer frame. That would really give it some leverage.
 
The problem, Rob, is there is just not that much choice in jack length. "The thing is" LOL I've looked at photos of some of the older, SMALLER dump truck beds, and some of those damn things don't look like they have the leverage to dump a load of marshmellows!!! LOL

..........And..........I'm out the door, headed for the welder. It's 9AM, here!!!
 
OK, here's a shot of the new lower mount, upside down, on the tongue. I guess I gained about 3". And a shot of it installed. I can gain a bit more by modding the bed mount. I can already tell "it works better."

2sagsx2.jpg


2qb61js.jpg
 
A port a power jack is a LOT shorter. Hell, for that matter, you could mount a bottle jack vertically and attach it to the front of the frame.
 
Bottle jacks I looked at, as well as porta power don't have enough stroke. Only thing "I have access to" that does otherwise is a big 'ol (heavy) all -steel floor jack. I thought about using that, but it would require a major frame redo in the tongue, too. This is getting there. If I can get the bed end of the mount raised a couple more inches, it will be workable.

What I SHOULD have done is "abandoned" the hitch receiver now in the front of the bed, reworked the tongue, and mounted the jack plunger at the top front of the bed frame. Then built the new winch mount "around" the plunger. . . .. Hell, LOL, I might do that yet
 
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