Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I think Ive bitten off more than I can chew....

Am building a budget 16 foot flat deck (almost) car trailer.
Have bought truck tray to use as floor.
plan was to:
- cut deck to length (done)
- flip tray over (stuck here)
- trim excess metal off
- drop complete trailer chassis onto it
- weld together
- flip completed trailer back up the right way.

But Im stuck.... after 4 hours of 2 of us trying to flip it - I cant lift it far enough to flip it over. I thought once I got one side up to about 45% - it would flip easily. But no......

I was using a high lift jack to lift it bit by bit. Using drums, blocks and 4x2s as struts. It all went OK - but I am stuck how to lift it the last bit....

If I need to get a crane truck in twice - its gunna cost me $500+

Tray weights - maybe 500 kgs and is 5m x 2.5m

This is being done in my backyard - and I have access limitations (ie getting my car in a spot where I could even think about using my winch....)

Im in melb NW....

Any ideas...

Safer option?
Don't worry about flipping it.
Build a trailer chassis to suit and slide the tray onto it.
Make it bolt on, as they do onto truck chassis.
I guess you could still weld parts of it once its on the chassis, if you think the bolting points aren't enough.

Find someone with a tirfor.
Shouldn't have any problems.

Cheers Paul

what about engine hoist?

Yep, I agree with the first option, build a chassis, then slide the tray on. If your having problems now, think of the extra problems once there is a chassis on there, all the extra weight.
This is an accident waiting to happen, IMHO.
BUT, if you really want to go this way, and you have a winch, and a snatch block, rig up a change of direction with snatch block attached to tree, or fence post. Just make sure you can do the same thing to get it back on its wheels. Just be bloody careful.

cleaning up the bottom of the existing tray would be a killer if you had to do the whole thing from under the tray...
Bolting wont give me the structual integrity of welding.
And finally its damm hard to weld the chassis from the bottom up !!!

An engine hoist will stuggle with the weight and definetly not have the reach (2.5 m wide/high to flip)

a tirfur is great if you had a sky hook !!!! (ive got nothing to anchor it too...)

BrettInUte wrote:An engine hoist will stuggle with the weight and definetly not have the reach (2.5 m wide/high to flip)

a tirfur is great if you had a sky hook !!!! (ive got nothing to anchor it too...)

Okay, I've got it.. You get TWO engine hoists, one and each end. Basically you hoist it up from the centre (at each end) and once its over 1.25m from the ground, you can flip it and lower it back down.

Bottom line is: How much does it cost to hire two engine cranes? X 2 occasions that you will need them.

get a couple more mates or neighbours to come over and help. 500kg is not that much.

howd ya get it in there????

use a snatch scrap or rope or something else up for the jos and roll it, using ur car/4wd. you might have to have it on an angle before you start tho,

Weld or bolt on some loop points in the centre of each end
then lift with a pair of suitable A frames or such like!
Hope this helps

cheers

i am in epping and have got an engine crane , tirfor and electric winch

organise a day and a few mates and a few beers and it will be flipped

PM me if you want help

There is some great ideas there guys.

I gave some thought to the 2 engine cranes (I cant see them lifting 2.5 m high and still being stable)

I think I will try again using tirfur and elec winch to flip over.
(will start from a different position - to make it easier to get a car in there.....)

I also know where there is a gantry - but need to find out if its high/wide enough.....

Thanks for the ideas guys - Ill keep persisting...

Can you use the "slide it on" method and do the underside welding with the whole assembly tilted 45 degrees?

Or, can you slide the tray onto the chassis, put a few bolts in, then drive it somewhere else to tilt it sideways and do the welding?

One last thing, sometimes bobcats can be very handy for lifting and moving heavy things, just another option to factor in if you are hiring stuff.

BrettInUte wrote:There is some great ideas there guys.

I gave some thought to the 2 engine cranes (I cant see them lifting 2.5 m high and still being stable)

The two cranes only need to lift roughly 1.25m off the ground, then you rotate the tray. Its pivoting off the center of the ends or the tray. Between the rear taillights if you can imagine, is where one crane would be, and the other at the opposite end.

Good luck with it, and remember to post pics....

Toy80Diesel wrote:The two cranes only need to lift roughly 1.25m off the ground, then you rotate the tray. Its pivoting off the center of the ends or the tray. Between the rear taillights if you can imagine, is where one crane would be, and the other at the opposite end.

Good luck with it, and remember to post pics....

Yeah, the rotisserie method is the go. Weld a stud in the centre at each end of your frame, then weld up 2 rough tripods at 1300 high with an eyelet (tube offcut) at the top of each.
Lift up one end with 2 hi-lifts (one at each corner), slip the stud into the eyelet on one of your tripods, then repeat for the other end.
You can turn it over and back as much as you want then. Just tack a few outriggers onto the sides of it before you go climbing all over it

A leg would do it. There is a picture on pirate for rolling a car over. Chock one side with pegs so it can't slide. Get a 2m piece of timber and stand (bolt ideally) in middle of deck vertically. Run cable over it. As you pull on the cable the deck will lift and rotate over. Once it hit's 90deg it will fall over and the timber will fall out on it's own.

Run your cable round a pulley block if you can't get car in right spot. You just need something solid (very) to attach the pulley block to.

Paul

me3@neuralfibre.com wrote:Run your cable round a pulley block if you can't get car in right spot. You just need something solid (very) to attach the pulley block to.

Thanks for all the advice guys....



yep - after much thinking
I rolled my buggy out of the shed - got it in a spot just out of the way (where I couldnt put my car with winch)
put a chain and pulley onto it. Blocked and pegged it down.
Pulled my wagon near enough so I had just enough winch cable to connect everything and keep a safe distance...

Job done. 30 minutes to set it up - and 10 seconds to actually flip it....


To flip it back the right way - ill make sure I spin it 90 degrees before I start - that will let me get 2 vehicles with winches in (one each side) - and simply use one to lift it - and the other to lower it down....

Cheers

Any pictures of what you are going.

Ludacris