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Paul I am thinking 1/2" thick at the very rear only w/ Alum the rest of the way.Artisan,
Are you sure you want to use 1/2" plate. Wow that will make your trailer very heavy. Truck beds are at the most 1/4" tread plate. AW Direct from WI has the keyhole slot backing plates I believe. Should make your tie downs easy. I was thinking of using weld in D rings.
Still soaking my starter brush plate. Got new brush springs for $1.25 ea. No success yet, may have to get a new brush plate with brushes if my brushes don't get unstuck soon.
I picked up some 2x10's for decking. Do you know if they will be too thick and would prevent a container from rolling up the bed w/o dragging on the wood? Most if my use should be trailering vehicles but I would still like to do containers too.
Also planning where to put a locking toolbox to hold tie down straps, chains, binders, etc. Maybe a couple deuce toolboxes under the tongue somewhere. Thanks, Paul
Decking over the trailer will probably present several problems.I want to steel plate the rear 1/2" thick and cut in the standard recess'd key slots
one might find on a flatbed / rollback towtruck bed. I am having a hard time
finding the dimensions or preferably a CAD File for this reveal. Do any of
you guys know where to get this info? CAD files would be GREAT.
Decking over the trailer will probably present several problems.
Indeed there are some challenges but I am confident I can do this and
maintain the best of both (or more) worlds. I have drawn my ideas
into CAD, that is 1/2 the battle, and I see the light at the end of the
tunnel I do believe.
The trailer is designed for a uniform load from a container. A vehicle will load the trailer at a small number of points under the tires. This change in loading could adversely affect the structural integrity of the trailer.
Actually at first look one might assume that. I have some backing to add to
make it sound, but the facts are is the shipping container
does not drag across the rails, it rolls, you connect the GUIDES to the container then
winch it on to the trailer. There are rollers at the rear that take the load and
the GUIDES themselves have rollers. The very last 8" or so of the rails, up
front, ramp down thus allowing the container to sit "ON" the rails and not on the
rollers either front or rear. Kinda hard to explain, I will drag it to a SCMVCC
meet when I am done modifying it. The structural integrity of these trailers
is off the hook incredibly beefy, right down to the 6005 POUND rated EACH
tires. The trailer has a 15,000 capacity w/ a GVW of 22,000 Pounds, so a
20' container weighs about 5,000 pounds and you can load 5 TONs in the
container THEN load it, OR unload it. Till you see it, it is hard to explain.
It is a beef cake monster.
One issue is when loading a container you will have to drag it over the deck instead of it rolling on the rollers. The winch loading system is designed to move a rolling load. It is not designed to drag a load over the deck.
Read above, the container rolls on rollers till the very end maybe 8" or so.
Hard to explain, once you see it you will realize the genius in the design.
When loading or unloading the container for the most part rolls on rollers,
front AND rear.
Another issue is locking a container to the trailer the container locks may not be tall enough to lock into the corner fittings. We have found that a lot of containers are not perfectly square and level by the time we get them.
I am sure there are some beat up containers out there. Our plan is to
buy one trippers, even then there is a LOT of slop designed into the
corner connectors. Click HERE to see what Schutt used OE on these trailers. As a matter
of fact I looked up these parts just today because I am thinking about
making the exact same design on the back of my M916 for a 10' long Container. I have a
plan that is 75% thought through...I can do this I am quite sure.
PS, were accepting pricing for 1-20' one tripper and 1- 10' one tripper.
The sand or Beige coloring is acceptable, Mil green a bonus! No junk...
The best way of using this trailer to move equipment or vehicles would be to use a flat track or something like a flat track or build a deck out of a container floor.
Nope, that would be too heavy and too complicated.
Once you see it in person you will understand my concept I do believe.
Here is a PrtScr from my CAD program showing my real life design. The very front will
be cut from .5" thick Aluminum and the other two will be cut from .5" steel plate.
Here is a PrtScr off my CAD program, accurate down to .xxxx I am getting very
close to completing phase 1, phase 2 will be a lot easier, that being just 1/2" thick
Aluminum over welded in steel channel for backing. It will be awesome...