The Road Ranger. 1997 SEMI

[pjtoledo]

I don't see anything on that trailer

 

[snoranger]

Don’t forget… it’s bad luck to tow an empty trailer.

 

[Rick W]

I don't see anything on that trailer

Sweet pea is redecorating and giving up a nice recliner. I’m thinking of bringing it up strapped to my trailer to the Truck Nationals. Then I’m going to give rides to @lil_Blue_Ford and @Shran and the other nay-sayers to prove how safe the coupler is!

 

[Rick W]

Don’t forget… it’s bad luck to tow an empty trailer.

View attachment 94987

You all keep missing the point that it’s a toy for show, for play, for parades and such.

I would NEVER carry a load like that!

 

[Rick W]

Carrie, The Beach Boys and I cut the nose off the trailer today, flipped it over and I fabricated/added the assembly for the pin. It’s based on Class III receiver frame brackets, and a Class IV tongue and receiver tube. And yes, of course, all upside down.

94+ today, so I quit before I had to start welding, and lined it all up for the next time. After a shower, Lincoln and I went to Home Depot in the Missing Linc to get a few more bolts. I have to check the alignment, because it keeps veering into the beer store on the way home.

Willie and Elvis have also assisted all along the way. If I get that $50 radio put in, they may be coming with me to the Truck Nationals.

 

[Rick W]

Got the step up tongue/pin assembly all bolted and welded together. I might’ve had it actually mounted to the trailer, but I ran out of welding rods. After beer/sprite shandy, and a great hot shower, Lincoln and I went over to Home Depot and got some rods in the Missing Linc.

The Missing Linc is actually Lincoln’s truck. It’s his favorite vehicle. I’d use something with air conditioning, but he rides with his front paws on the armrest like he’s a king in the truck. I have a safety leash attached to a hook above the passenger seat that allows him to stand (front paws) on the windowsill and look out the window and “comment,” stand on the armrest for the front, and climb halfway out onto the toolbox for the back, all without him being able to actually jump out or on top of me. He loves to let any one jogging, or riding a bike, or sometimes just walking down the street, let them know what he thinks. Then, when we get somewhere where he can’t go inside, the second I leave the truck with the windows open, he curls up on the armrest like a kitten.

Trailer should be roadworthy this weekend, and then I’m going to start on the undercarriage, and then the cosmetics and the lights and such.

I have to check my Rustoleum stock too! They no longer carry all the colors anywhere, so I have to order it if I need some.

 

[racsan]

I think sometimes rustoleum drops colors too, Not long after I made my truck a two-tone blue/silver I could no longer find the dark blue I used. Shoulda stocked up while it was available I guess.

 

[Rick W]

I think sometimes rustoleum drops colors too, Not long after I made my truck a two-tone blue/silver I could no longer find the dark blue I used. Shoulda stocked up while it was available I guess.

Since the biggies won’t stock them anymore, they still make all the colors, but sometimes you have to wait until they do a “run.” I’ve called the Rustoleum company a couple times with the same issue, and they let me know when the run was going to go, and who would have the paint in my area.

Hope it helps

Edit: but then, when you order it from Home Depot or Lowe’s, or whoever, they have a 2 quart minimum, and the price is triple what I used to pay. Makes it hard to get some stock for a touchup every now and then.

 

[Rick W]

I think some of you are trying to tell me the most important thing in a build like this is making sure you use all the proper equipment in the way it was designed.

Then, again, some of us hear a different drummer…

And yes, I’ll weld the jack stand to the kitchen chair if that’s the final design.

On the jack stands, they are cast-iron from my late uncle, from my grandfather, from the early 1920s. Cast iron mast, cast iron housing, cast iron angle legs, riveted braces. & some more recent Rustoleum.

 

[Shran]

I believe in safety first bud.

 

[Rick W]

I just checked my springs and U-bolts, and now they’re not supposed to be here till Monday

 

[Rick W]

Working my tail off on this goofy trailer. I haven’t welded, cut, drilled etc., this much in 20 years. But it’s coming together.

I got the tongue welded out and assembled, still have to do the upper deck.

I also got some legs installed, two swivel trailer jacks I had that had wheels, cut the wheels off, and that let me finish the tongue assembly. I’m debating between making sleeves for the wheels that were on there, so I can push the trailer around when it’s not on the truck, and also making some flat pads that I can use when I’m just parking the trailer. Decision for another day.

I drilled and tapped a 5/16 hole on top of the tongue, and then on the coupler for alignment rods. I put a wingnut on the end of each rod, upside down. (imagine that from me) so I could thread it in the hole and run the wing nut down to hold it tight and straight, and then I can remove them once I’m hooked up. With the rods I can back it up on the coupler from the rearview mirror. I have to admit I astounded myself when I got it dead nuts the first time! I have to find some orange balls or such to put on the top of the rods so they’re more visible

That let me set the ball in the nightmare hitch (it’s not going anywhere, but I did think of an improvement from all the creative criticism). That let me mock up the level on the trailer (it was still on sawhorses this morning). I pulled a string from the front turn signal, all the way to the back of the trailer along the lower body line on the door. I was once again astounded that the body line, the tops of the rear tires, and the full length of the trailer were probably within 3/4 or 1 inch of where I wanted them. The truck body line slopes up from front to back, and the trailer will slope down a little bit from front to back, with a little rise at the coupler. That way with the slightest load, the whole thing should ride level and straight. (theoretically. None of my welding is level and straight).

That let me figure out how tall the spacers needed to be between the axle frame and the trailer frame. They came from the new piece of 2 x 2 I had to buy at retail, (almost ruined the whole project for me). I got them in and got them welded. I still have to do the front-to-back cross braces and the side-to-side cross braces. The trailer sat on the tires and on the ball for the first time.

I got the front cross piece for the decking installed, and I think I figured out what I’m going to do with the rear bumper, a big piece of square tube. Next step will be putting that bumper on, then pulling strings from the tip of the front deck rail to the tips of the bumper (which I have to cut down). Then I can do all the supports for the decking down the outside sides of the trailer frame, and I need to put a few cross supports inside the trailer frame.

U-bolts and the second set of springs are supposed to be here tomorrow, and that’ll be mixed in with fabricating the rear bumper and finishing up the springs and cross bracing. Btw, most of the bracing is made out of Craigslist free bed frames that I’ve accumulated for the last few of years.

I’ve been putting in a lot of thinking on how I can run a sturdy member down the length of the sides to use for tie down straps, but still have a channel or angle at the edge of the decking for running lights. Dilemma for another day…

Shandy time, and you probably even realize from where you are how bad I need a shower.

 

[Rick W]

Afterthought, full disclosure, I found two significant goofs on my fabrication the fly approach (no, not the coupler).

When I fabricated the tongue assembly, I kept focusing on the bottom of the ball to the bottom of the upper deck frame to clear the fenders in a turn. Then I had the brainstorm to just use a class 3/4 receiver with an inverted ball. It’s super strong and it gets me to the right elevation, but I completely missed the fact that the class three receiver brackets will hit the fenders if I turn more than about 45° I want to be able to go 90°.

The second goof was the uprights for the step up. I picked up those two white pieces of 2“ x 4“ square tubing, super heavy duty, for the axle mounts. Of course I had to cut it to the right length for the axle mounts. The two drop pieces coincidentally were almost exactly the right height for the step up on the deck. I assumed the drops were the same length, oops! I only used one for all my dimensions, and then I assembled it and welded it upside down before flipping it over and attaching it to the deck, all on sawhorses, and all on my brick driveway, which is uneven in that spot after 30 years of roots growing underneath it. I didn’t notice until I got it on the truck and tires yesterday that the one piece was a little longer than the other piece. After 68 years, I haven’t figured out how to read a tape measure yet.

It’s nothing unsafe on either item, and I won’t have time to fix it before the nationals, but they will get fixed.

 

[Rick W]

And for full full disclosure, I really only welded my c-clamp to the trailer once (the other two were just tacked). That and I only set the garage on fire once (saw dust under the chop saw after I shifted to the metal blade).

These won’t be happening again.

 

[Rick W]

I cut the bumper to the right length (4 inch tube), cut the uprights for the lower bumper, and cut the lower bumper, all 2 inch tube. Ran out of daylight.

There will be a hitch receiver and shackles on the back of the trailer. Let me be clear it will be a normal receiver tube that will take a normal trailer hitch, all facing correctly and right side up (so if the trailer coupler goes, everything goes at once in one piece). The shackles were in the shed of miracles, and tonight I also cut and drilled the 1” studs that will hold the shackles. I can barely believe it, but I don’t have any 2 inch receiver hitches, tubes or tubing left over in the junk pile. I’m going to have to go buy something. Gosh I hate that.

And an update on the alignment rods for when I’m coupling up. I went to the dollar store (can you believe it’s actually $1.25 now?) Looking for a couple little Styrofoam Day-Glo balls to put on the end of my little threaded rods. Nothing.

Then I found Mickey Mouse and the pig(?):

I was raised with Walt and Joe, very good people, good stuff, but lately I have not spent any of my money on any Disney product. This little Mickey and pig(?) were in the dollar store, I’m out of time, and they were only $1.25 each, and they were bright and noticeable and the right size.

Then I was inspired for the installation which made it worth the $2.50:

Now, when I put the rods in, and I’m backing up, I know when Mickey kisses the pig’s ass everything is working correctly.