Re: Outdoor Welding

On 6/15/2025 4:13 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:102nele$14o2m$1@dont-email.me...
 There is also the matter of connecting them if I weld them in place.
I'd probably have to make a 3 piece connecting tube/rod or put it on
before I weld them in place.  I'm thinking 3 pc connecting rod so I can
add a sprocket later.

but I am leaning more towards dual landing gear.

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 Two separate unsprung wheeled jacks will only rarely share the tongue weight.
 I increased the ground footprint of the retractable mast end wheeled jack on my shop crane by adding an outer pair of wheels on a longer axle. They no longer caster well so I made a steering handle that attaches to the axle and forces the wheels into line with my pull.
 The first version had a hitch coupler on the end of the handle as a tow bar. That worked well going forward unloaded but transferred all the pull to the jack and its mount, and I couldn't back up, so the second version has a separate rigidly attached coupler and a tee handle to pull on the caster axle by hand but not with the tractor.

Most wheel jacks aren't rated for this much weight either.
Landing gear... one of the plans for the connecting tube assembly is snap pins rather than bolts or welding.  Makes it dead easy to make sure both jacks contact the ground at the same time, or close enough.
While I didn't mention it in the original post I also plan to be able to stand on the drop foot, and then lift the front of the trailer higher than is normal when unhitched to facilitate some types of loading. There is already a tilt down support with drop foot in the rear to prevent back tipping when loading unhitched, or when hitched to a lighter truck.
I thought about chopping the tail and adding arched ramps, but it starts getting overly complicated.  This is simpler from a fabrication standpoint, and I can keep using the straight ramps that slide into carriers on the bottom of the trailer.
I will need to pick my final weld-on height with the trailer hitched to the truck to make sure I have enough ground clearance when running in order to maximize everything else.  I'd like to have about 12 inches clearance under the landing pads with the trailer level on the truck with a load.  I'll probably just set them at 13 inches unloaded.
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Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff
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