Conveyor build

Tacked the brackets on and rechecked them for straightness. Then put the gussets on and welded everything up.



Makes for a nice strong mounting base.



Close up of the front leg. I'll drill a hole through both legs and put a bolt in for now. probably put a pin with linchpin later. Single bolt you see here is one of 2 pinch bolts that Have slide inside. Not strong enough to hold it for me.



Slid the caster assembly in and rolled the conveyor back over. Starting to come together now.



Next up is getting the wheels and lifting system worked out. First up is the axle and wheels. Brother in law came through for me and had some mobile home spindles. Even brought me 2 new rims and tires. Thanks Rod!!



I'm doing something a little more involved than just a normal axle. I want to be able to slide it flush with the side so you can pull beside it close and have the wheels to be able to turn 90 degrees. Some idea crunching in my head and started by cutting a couple 2 1/2 inch holes in a 3/4 Inch thick strap.



Use a lot of cutting oil and slow speed and those hole saws will last pretty good. After one was drilled I cut it in the middle and cut the rest off. Then did another one for the other side. These will be weld cradles for the outside of the hinge.



Used some triple wall pipe I had laying around and they will be what the hinge will ride in. 2 1/2" OD 1 1/2" ID. I want this whole hinge to be able to slide in the axle tube. Hard to explain but as we go along you'll see what I'm after. Trued them up on the lathe.



I always add grease zerks on everything so stuff will last and this is no exception. Won't get a ton of wear but it's always nice when something works easy! Easier to drill and tap before welding up so that's what I'm doing here.

 

Drilled a center in the end of the shaft and spun it down to the size of the triple wall pipe. Gave it .002 - .003 clearance. Someone needs to clean their lathe!



Nice and smooth and I'll cut the shaft later for the 2 sides. I'm using the same size box tubing on the spindle side and that is next.



This is the 4 inch box tubing with the layout shown. 1 1/2" hole for hinge and the 2 center punched dimples will be where the locating pin will be( 0 and 90 degrees) Also going to drill the ends for set screws to hold the hinge pin in place.



Drilled the big hole with a short pilot drill first. then switch to a longer aircraft drill to get the other side. This way the holes will be true and no more measuring needed.



Didn't have a 1 1/2" drill or reamer so I used a hole saw again. Not real critical as the set screws will keep the shaft in position. Wear will be in the middle where it is right. Pilot drilled for set screws and drilled to tapping size. Put the shaft in and sunk it into it as well.



I then cobored the holes so I didn't have to tap so much. No need for that much thread anyway. The indexing holes will be enlarged when it get put together. that way I can stair step drill them so the holes align correctly.



I have to cut the reliefs on the sides and going to rough them in with the plasma cutter. IF I had a mill it would be easier but I'm going to have some handwork here. Set up cheater with a 1/2 inch offset. I drill a hole to save backsplash on start up.



Doesn't take long at all and now I have a stop line when coming in from the end to finish the rough in for the pocket.



Worked out that the tubing was close enough to do both sides

 

Majority is out and now I'll have some "quality" time with the angle grinders and files.



Contoured the ends while I had the torch out.



I spray a little dyechem or paint to get a shadow to blend too. Magic marker will work as well. This is after getting it close with the grinders and ran a file over it a few times. Takes some time but the results are worth it



Here it is finished blended. Notice how it fades evenly to the hole side. The opposite side will ride nice on that.\



Up next is to get the ends uniform and smooth.



I use a piece of round as a guide and use a C cl;amp to hold it in place. Rough it real close with a body grinder, then true it with a hand file and finish with 80 grit sandpaper on a soft back pad on a die grinder.



I guess I should show some of the tools. I keep a variety of hand files with varying cuts.



I use a 9 inch and 4 1/2 inch angle grinders. Both are Milwaukee and I've wore out both as these are replacements. Yes, I use them a lot! With a new wheel on the 9 inch you can use it to get things real flat.



This is a die grinder with a 3M roloc attachment. Then a 3M soft back pad. These things are great and I don't know why 3M doesn't promote them more. Sticky back sandpaper is used on them.

 

Here's a close up of it. I like it as I can go cheap with a sand paper. I have a buddy who works at a body shop and he saves all their DA paper. Most the time they use just the outer edges and the center is fine. Not a big deal to cut them out as the pad twists off in a 1/4 turn.



They work extremely well on smoothing thins out once you have them roughed in.



This one is a little chewed up but wanted to show the surface. You can dress them smaller on a belt sander or bench grinder. Wish they made them in bigger sizes.




Here is the result of using these tools. Gives stuff a better than factory finish and looks great when painted.



The index holes will get redrilled when I get the center tube mount done.



I made the hinge a pretty tight fit so I had to have hard corners there. I filed them in.



For the center tube I have to weld the spindle collars inside and it needs to be smooth. The weld slag is in there and I used a cold chisel to get most of it out.



On the spindle tube holders I had to radius the outer edges to match the inside of the tube. Did it quick with the angle grinder but wanted nice , sharp corners to hold itself in place and allow it to be checked for the correct position.



Marked the line and clamped a piece of steel on the line. Then hand filed it. Here it is finished.

 

Very nice fab work.

 

The detail you put into your work Kevin in Ohio reminds me of the aircraft builders I've had a chance to watch over the years. Very impressive stuff... Keep em comin... !

 

Great fab skills and equally impressive ideas/solutions! Keep it up, it's coming along very nicely.

 

Drilled 4 large holes down the length. These will be so I can plug weld the spindle/hinge tubes. Hard to get a lot of good weld on the inside so this will work in this application.



Crank the amps up and try to push the heat down, then circle your way up to fill. Makes it basically flush when complete.



Then welded the front side. Snag ground reliefs on this stuff for stronger joints.



I chamfered the tubes as I want some extra there. I have to grind it flush after welding as the other half rides on it. Cleaned everything for welding.



Clamped a piece over the hole to keep it clean and put a bead down.



Ground down and filed in.



All done except the index holes and works great.



On 90 degrees it bottoms out on the center tube as I had hoped it would.



Couldn't have anymore room than that! I relieved the steel in most places prior to welding so it's even stronger than it looks.

 

Next is to make a box that with hold the axle. I also need to have it "lock" into position for road transport and have something to keep the slop out of it. I cut 2 pieces of angle to length.



I'm going to make pushers out of some 2 1/2" box beam. 3/8" thick so it will be strong enough. Drilled the 5/8" tapping size hole through. I'll cut it in half to make the 2 brackets.



Cut a couple chunks of solid steel out and ground a 1.05 inch radius to match the box beam on the axle. This will push the axle on 45 degrees making a positive locking system.



Here's a trick. When you want to weld a nut on and tap the beam below. Run your old drill up through the tube and nut. This will self center it so you can tap easily. I've had binding issues when tapping the beam prior.



I countersunk the blocks with a 5/8" hole. This will keep it in position while the tube is sliding.



Back to the angle. Marked where I wanted the brackets to be welded and cut to the lines with a small wheel on the chop saw.



Then cut the straights with the plasma cutter.



Cleaned up the pockets and ready to weld the pusher brackets on.



After double checking and cleaning up the edges for good welding contact I tacked them on. Everything looked good.

 

Your attention to detail is second to none.

I'm enjoying this build. Keep up the great work.

 

Really like your ideas and how you're doing them. Nice!

 

Final welded them and should be plenty strong. I'd like to double nut them but will either have to find an extra long threaded bolt or modify the ones I have here.



Now I'm ready to get the outer box ready to weld. I'll use some .155 thick washers so I have even slop and the tube will slide easy. This will allow fot any warping during welding too.



Went to the surplus store and low and behold they had these 5/8 bolts with threads all the way at a $1.00 a pound. I'll cut them to size later. I cut the angle here on 2 sides to get the gaps right for welding.



With the box tube inside along with the washers I then stitch welded it all up.



Tightened the bolts down and then drilled a 3/4" hole for the pin. It will be a safety to keep the axle from being able to move side to side while in transport.



Slid it under for mock up and looks good.



Slid a tire and spindle in to have a look see. I'm keeping a 6 ft wide track so it doesn't take up a lot of road while moving. Up next it to weld the spindles to the outer hinge box.



My BIL cut the spindles off quick and wanted to true them up so I took them apart and ran them on the lathe.



While it was in there I skimmed the flange face and cut the tube to a nominal size. You'll see why shortly.

 

Angle ground the box heavy for a strong joint and cleaned up the flats for welding.



Laid the first bead down.



Then put a second bead all the way around. Up next is to weld the backside on the inside of the tube.



This is what I have looking inside. Going to make up a filler piece that will take the gaps in so I can weld it all up here as well.



Got some 1/4" x 3 strap and cut it out with a hole saw while it was long. Rounded the 2 corners then cut it off. I then rounded the 2 remaining corners. The hole saw was a nominal size and that is why I turned the shaft down to that size.



Drove the filler in and now it is ready.



All welded and done now.



Now I'm going to make the brackets for the support/lift arms. Using box tubing here and will drill all the holes first. It's easier to hold for me that way and it's keeps them straight with no flexing while drilling.



Did the measurements and allowed for the cut as well. No bandsaw so I'll use the chop saw for that.

 

Kevin in Ohio this is just absolutely amazing watching your plan come to fruition and with such perfection and detail.
It's a joy to behold.

 

Once they were all drilled, I used the plasma torch to rough cut to length. I'm going to round the open end so leaving it long. Just quicker to cut this way and less wear on the chop saw blade.



All cut up and ready to round the open end. I'll cut a short piece of round stock, center drill a 5/8" hole and bolt it to the bracket. I'll blend it out using the method shown before. Takes a little time but gives it a nice finish touch.



Got those all done and cleaned up. I'll work on the arms next. I have to make up some solid pivots for the ends that will be welded into the box tubing and will keep the wear to a minimum.



Marked the hole for the pivot and drilled it out. I'm drilling into a long bar and want them straight so I supported the far end and brought it to level with the table. Keeps everything straight that way. You can see I'm getting rid of the honeysuckle in here! Doesn't take but a few pieces to keep the shop nice.



These are the bushings I'll weld into the ends of the box tubing. Made them out of bar stock. I chamfered the ends so when I grind them flush there is still weld there.Also drilled/tapped them all for zerks.



Recessed the tubing and held it all in place with a 5/8" bolt for welding. this way everything stays true and tight. I'll grind away the excess.



Quick welding here and it really is overkill but I want them solid.



All blended out and ready to go. This way everything clears the mounts when it swings and just plain looks better.



Here you can see the full radius and how it will be able to pivot.

 

Next I had to determine the position of the axle so I needed to find the balance point. Lifted it a few time but got it. I'll use this as a center line on where to put the axle. Still have to add the hitch, jack and such at the end so it will be front heavy as it should be for towing and such.



Pulled the axle out and i'm going to weld the pivot brackets on. I want them as low as possible so I have as much of an angle as possible. This will make raising and lower it easier than if it is close to flat with the conveyor. Laid it on the bench and squared everything up before clamping them in place.



Welded them all up on all four sides.



A little later I realized this was a mistake. You need to have the front a solid mount otherwise the axle will flop over.



I had to cut one of these off and weld the tube on. You'll see this set up for a while then it will change. Made a boo boo there!



Now for the slide brackets for the other end of the lifting arms. Local used steel supplier sells by the pound and the have an extremely well organized place. had the ready cut smalls laying there so I snatched them up.



Marked a single piece first and drilled it out for a pattern. Looked good so I grouped the closest sized pieces and drilled them in sets of 4. Keeps everything the same and goes quicker. Once 2 holes are drilled I bolt them together for sameness.



Once all drilled and bolted, I true up the ends to make them the same. Easier as a group because you can see the flatness come in. 9 inch body grinder makes quick work of it.




I rough them in with an old wheel then lay a new wheel flat faced on the end. Does a nice job as you can see. Every so often I run a cluster diamond over the surface to keep the glazing off of and the cutting going on.

 

Corners rounded and smoothed here. I'll now weld the brackets on 2 of them.



Brackets on and they are done. I'm making them bolt on so I can adjust if need be. Once I have exactly where I want I may drill a single hole to bolt through to lock in position.



Mounted the bracket on the rail and gave myself some adjustment room on both sides. Always good to have a plan B if need be.



With the bracket ready I can now measure and drill the front tube. I'll just drill it for now and wait to weld in the bushings till I have it all checked out.



With the 2 finished ends bolted together I drill the opposite end. I used 2 pieces of heavy stock and C clamps to hold the other end straight.



Slid some bolts in so next is the back. I need to make up some Spool type rollers to slide on the 1 1/2" rails. I'll turn them out on the lathe.



Had some 3 inch diameter stainless so I made them out of that. center drilled the end and started working it all out. .375 shoulders and here I'm basically done. I'll drill the 5/8" hole in the lathe as well.Edit



Cut them off and skimmed the ends to bring in the .375. Added bonus I'll have no rust issues since they're 300 series stainless.



Should keep the tube captured pretty well. I allowed some clearance for paint on the tube but it'll wear off fast.

 

Clamped the spool at the furthest point possible. I'll take this measurement and cut these tubes to length. I can always shorten if need be. With on the fly making stuff I tend to like to have options.



To mount the spools I needed some stout strap. Had some leftover 3/8" that I had cut off something with the plasma. Had a nice cut side so I cut them to the same length. I want them the same and smooth so I'll use the 9 inch to true up the sides. Clamp them together first.



After roughing in with the old wheel put on the newer full size and sprayed a dust coat. Lets you see the lows better. Ran it over a few times holding flat and when it stops cutting nice I skim a cluster diamond over the surface of the wheel.



In less than 5 minutes you have decrease your scrap pile and found a use for some steel on hand.



All four pieces are ready for next step. I need to bend some offsets in the as the spools are wider than the tubing. This is why I went with heavy pieces for this. I need a 1/2" offset on each side. Could weld spacers but I have another idea.



Got 2 pieces of 1/2" scrap stock and put them opposite of one another. Then used 2 large chunks of hardened tool steel above and pressed it with the 40 ton. Put layout lines on it so I should be able to make them all the same. Steel doesn't argue with the press!



Got all the strap bent and the same. I'll now drill them out and round the corners.



Threw the spool in there to double check and looks good.



Put the arm in position and clamped on the roller bracket assembly. I'll weld it up now that I now everything is lined up right.

 

With the sides welded I'll make up a extended cap to tie everything together more. It'll also keep moisture/dirt from running down the tube as well.



Caps are on so now I'm moving on to tying the 2 arms together and making an attachment loop for the winch cable.



Got some 1/2" round stock and cut it to length. I've made up a chart over the years of what sizes are needed for ones I've done. Used the compact bender to them it cold.



Makes real nice loops and fast too! I'm going to used tubing for cross braces and will drill through and weld this in on the backside of the tube.



Cut a couple a pieces of tubing to length. I want to make it a double box if you will for more contact area and strength. This is the basic layout as I'll build this on the floor. I won't weld it to the arms until I reinstall it.



Where the loop goes through I want more meat so I cut a piece of 3/8" out of some scrap and trued the edges. I then marked centerline and 4 bend lines.



Put the 3/8" piece in the compact bender and bent the angles equal.



Then bent the other ends till they were straight with the middle flat. quick and easy



Here's all the pieces after cutting out a few more braces. Looks like it will all work so I'll tack and weld the center of the strap to the lowest box beam. I'll then drill the holes for the loop, while it's easy to do.