Finishing up my Hitch/Trailer project

TraditionalToolworks · Sat Jul 20, 2019 4:09 pm

I was finally able to get new tires on my old tilt-top 12-ton trailer. This is how the truck hitch ended up, I've posted this a few weeks back.

: Truck hitch repair; truck-n-trailer-hook-tube2.jpg (54.19 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

This trailer has the old style split-rims that use a lock ring. Seems this lock ring style is about the only split-rims you can get people to work on, but it's difficult, as none of the big stores will work on them due to liability. I had taken my trailer to 4 different places, and the last place steered me to a small independent tire guy who was able to do it with his son.

These rims are known as "widow-makers", similar to how arborists refer to a hung tree when felling.

The 2 guys that did this for me were a Father and Son, and they were kind enough to explain these wheels and why they are dangerous to change the tires on. The problem is when people remove the lock ring improperly, it can cause a crack/fracture in the ring, and if that happens they can blow apart when you put air in them. He was kind enough to show me how to remove the rings properly, by prying the end out and running a pry bar around the ring, lifting it from around the rim lip that it sits under. He wire brushed each of the lock rings when he got them each apart to inspect and make sure the rings were ok. Everything is fine on this old trailer. These tires are L rated and will handle 3350 lbs. each, so 8 of them is 26,800 lbs. and the capacity of the trailer is 23,500 lbs. I'm not sure I would ever load it that heavy...look at one of the old tires mounted on the inside. This is the reason I haven't used this trailer. Been trying to get someone to change the tires.

: horrible tire mount on inside of axle...YIKES!; IMG_1556.JPG (108.15 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

The tire guy said these are good tires and once you have them installed on the rims they should last quite a long time. My plan is to use this trailer for 2-3 years and sell it. Everything is operating as it should, there's a winch which I have fixed and it attaches to the trailer and has a fairlead permanently attached to the trailer, I keep the winch in one of the tooling boxes on my truck.

: Winch mounted on trailer; truck-n-trailer-winch.jpg (67.06 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

One thing is pretty cool about these old trailers is the wheels are on a pivot, so you can slowly drive over a speed bump and the wheels will pivot up and down so the trailer stays level, only the wheels pivot. That is actually kind of cool. The brakes were really well, they're electric and I added a Tekonsha P3 brake controller. Here's a video of the wheels pivoting as the trailer is set back on the ground.

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Here's a picture of the lock ring, it is like a giant compression spring, and therein lies the problem when people remove or assemble them incorrectly. The tire guys were beating the p!$$ out of them, getting them seated under the rim lip. These wheels are VERY heavy.

: rim and lock ring; IMG_1546.JPG (68.95 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

This turned into a major project to get the hitch all welded back up, get all the wiring fixed, a brake controller added to the truck, fixed a broken winch and mounted it on the trailer, and finally get these tires on.

The tire guy said these trailers are good and hella stout, so I shouldn't have any problems. These are bias ply tires so are not held in by a bead on the rim like radials.

: one axle done.; IMG_1557.JPG (67.04 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

: New tire waiting for lock ring and air.; IMG_1547.JPG (84.51 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

I have a foundation that is just being completed for a shop/home I'm building. I will be able to drive this trailer around to the rear of the house and unload in front of the walkout basement. I will use the basement for my shop to build the house and later if funds permit I will build a detached shop.

The foundation and walkout basement where my shop will go initially.

: Foundation for the new shop.; IMG_1455.JPG (95.15 KiB) Viewed 1257 times

And this is the house as it sits now near my home I live in now.

: Log Home to top plates; log-home-to-top-plates.jpg (61.75 KiB) Viewed 1254 times

This is the biggest project I have ever taken on. I was given an approval for a 320 amp single phase electrical service. I will use 100 amps to run a 55amp/20HP Phase Perfect digital phase converter. I will have enough amps to run a large transformer if I desire, but chances are I will end up with a nicer/larger inverter like a Dynasty or HTP. Being the bottom feeder I am, I hope I don't drag home some huge transformer though...

There will be a number of blacksmithin' and welding project to come!

Cheers,
Alan

homeboy · Sat Jul 20, 2019 7:40 pm

In a long gone repair garage in town there was a safety poster of a once white, dirt smudged shop ceiling with a clear, man shaped, smudged imprint with a large brown stain and split rim arc marks around the head area. Don't know if it was authentic or a dramatization but I do know everyone stayed well back when one of those rims was being pressured up. No tire cage back then either.

Sat Jul 20, 2019 8:25 pm

TraditionalToolworks wrote:
One thing is pretty cool about these old trailers is the wheels are on a pivot, so you can slowly drive over a speed bump and the wheels will pivot up and down so the trailer stays level, only the wheels pivot. That is actually kind of cool.

its basically a load sharing suspension which is good. however i suspect its the type with no springs which makes it very harsh riding. they bang around like crazy which is why they are almost nonexistent today.

TraditionalToolworks · Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:30 am

homeboy wrote:In a long gone repair garage in town there was a safety poster of a once white, dirt smudged shop ceiling with a clear, man shaped, smudged imprint with a large brown stain and split rim arc marks around the head area. Don't know if it was authentic or a dramatization but I do know everyone stayed well back when one of those rims was being pressured up. No tire cage back then either.

Do a search on YouTube for "split rim explosion" and see if that's not serious...

The guys that did it were not using a cage, but they did know what they were doing, and explained it.

The tires are not really like radials, they don't really pop the bead when inflated, they kind of just ride on the rim between the outside flat and the lock ring on the other side. One thing I noticed in some of the videos were lock rings that were sprung, looking almost like a lock washer. That's a problem too. All of my lock rings were flat like they should be. He wire brushed each one of them, cause even he said if he finds any cracks he won't fill the tire and you're SOL.

tweake wrote: its basically a load sharing suspension which is good. however i suspect its the type with no springs which makes it very harsh riding. they bang around like crazy which is why they are almost nonexistent today.

Indeed your are spot on tweake. My flatbed rattles and shakes itself when it's empty, and that trailer does as well. I only got 6 MPG (petrol) on a 54 mile trip. I normally get 10 MPG with no trailer, 8 MPG with a load on the flat bed and don't have too much experience with the trailer yet, but it was a rattly day hauling that trailer around empty with an empty flatbed...Would have been better with some weight.

Alan