Another newbie

[Boating Bill]

Hi, I'm Bill, a maker of sorts, always interested in building new tools for use around my home and out at the ranch. I'm a whitewater boater by heart and I'm thinking about modifying a small cargo trailer with rollers and a simple winch so I can load my 14' inflatable raft already rigged with frame, dry box, and cooler. Broke my back a couple years ago so I'm not supposed to lift much heavy stuff anymore.
I also have a Cat D3 that I use for logging on a steep 5-acre parcel I own. The drought here in CA and beetle infestation have killed about 200 large Ponderosa, sugar pine, and white fir so I'm looking for ideas of how to make a tree spike to fit on the ROPS to either push them over or push them in the direction I want them to fall when cut. Many will be difficult to access, even with a small Cat so I will need to figure out a snach block/winch system to pull them where I want them to fall.
Then what do I do with all that lumber? Build a mill?

[Jon]

Hi Bill - welcome to HomemadeTools.net

Here's a build you might like for a trailer idea: Boat Trailer

I'll see if we can get you some answers for your tree processing project.

[Boating Bill]

Hi Bill - welcome to HomemadeTools.net

Here's a build you might like for a trailer idea: http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/b...2105#post44660

I'll see if we can get you some answers for your tree processing project.

Thanks Jon. I just happen to have an old utility trailer bed I could probably convert for this project. Getting too old to roll up my boat and load it in the truck.
Bill

[NortonDommi]

Hi Bill,
A friend bought a jet ski trailer for his 12 1/2' tinny. It came with carpet covered wood runners and was a P.I.T.A. to load. Took a lot of effort from two of us.
I picked up some HMWPE cutting boards at the local clearance shed and cut them into strips, counter sunk screw holes and covered the wood. At the back end cut tapered leads onto the runner and formed the cutting board to shape with a hot-air gun.
To load now with fully laden boat takes hook-up to winch and wind. One person operation. The first time we put the boat on with the cutting board covers it nearly went off the front it slid so easily.
If you are going to push trees with your Cat I hope you have a VERY strong safety cage with mesh screening, that can be very dangerous as sometimes a trunk will explode or twist in an unexpected way.
Tight lines.

[Boating Bill]

Hi Bill,
A friend bought a jet ski trailer for his 12 1/2' tinny. It came with carpet covered wood runners and was a P.I.T.A. to load. Took a lot of effort from two of us.
I picked up some HMWPE cutting boards at the local clearance shed and cut them into strips, counter sunk screw holes and covered the wood. At the back end cut tapered leads onto the runner and formed the cutting board to shape with a hot-air gun.
To load now with fully laden boat takes hook-up to winch and wind. One person operation. The first time we put the boat on with the cutting board covers it nearly went off the front it slid so easily.
If you are going to push trees with your Cat I hope you have a VERY strong safety cage with mesh screening, that can be very dangerous as sometimes a trunk will explode or twist in an unexpected way.
Tight lines.

I do whitewater boating, so my boat is a little different than flatwater craft. It's a 14' long x 5.5' wide inflatable, much like the life rafts the Navy uses. I'm thinking of using the Harbor Freight type trailer I inherited from an old tenant, tear off the boxed top, and lay a flat bed with a roller bar in the back. That way I could back it up to a river and slide the boat on or off.
I like your idea about using JMWPE for the deck. Not sure where I'd find a 4x8 sheet of that and wonder how it would hold up parked in direct sun all day.
I've got a very strong ROPS on my Cat and I supplemented it by welding 2x2" safety screens for the back and sides. Believe me, the possibility of dropping a tree on myself is one of my primary concerns. The trees died from the drought and bark beetles here in the Sierra so they're very brittle and prone to snapping off widow makers. The plan is to cut the fall side notch, back the tractor up against the tree with the tree spear against the treel, then siimply push it over .

[NortonDommi]

If you saw how fast the water here changes you'd know that "flat water" is a rare day. Pacific one one side and the Tasman on the other with a 20 minute drive between. Why we won the America Cup you know. Quite conversant with RIBs too.
That plastic cutting board is tough stuff, UV resistant and only needed where the hull makes contact. What about a roller bar that extends out back and retracts when prow hits a stop at end? would winch up easy with a conveyor roller underneath and simple guide plate at back edge of trailer. You could knock up something like a spring loaded trailer gate lock to put through a couple of tags to lock it all down then the old tie down over the top. Since the trailer owes you nothing you can have at it. Hinge trailer behind axle to unload?
Sounds like you have the tree problem sussed.

[NortonDommi]

Or you could knock up something like this:

RIB at 2:41
and use that trailer you have to cart a chainsaw mill to the trees you knock down and use it to cart the timber back home.

[Boating Bill]

If you saw how fast the water here changes you'd know that "flat water" is a rare day. Pacific one one side and the Tasman on the other with a 20 minute drive between. Why we won the America Cup you know. Quite conversant with RIBs too.
That plastic cutting board is tough stuff, UV resistant and only needed where the hull makes contact. What about a roller bar that extends out back and retracts when prow hits a stop at end? would winch up easy with a conveyor roller underneath and simple guide plate at back edge of trailer. You could knock up something like a spring loaded trailer gate lock to put through a couple of tags to lock it all down then the old tie down over the top. Since the trailer owes you nothing you can have at it. Hinge trailer behind axle to unload?
Sounds like you have the tree problem sussed.

I like the idea of a roller at the back and maybe a couple more in the bed. No reason the boat would need to be supported over every square inch. And the winch to, finally found a use for that one I bought years ago. I love the folding trailer except I'd worry about it holding up on long trips. Sometimes we drive 500-600 miles to get to our put in.
Thanks for the ideas.

[Ed Weldon]

Neat trailer design. I'd add a second pin to the towing bar joint to keep the up and down forces on the moving trailer from working on the clearances in a single pin.fit. To tell the truth I think I'll use that joint idea for extending the tow bar length on the cheap Chinese import trailer I want to use for my semi cocktail racer I'm puting together. What's the "semi" thing about? Well, there is no cocktail racer activity where I live in the USA so I'm puting a real motor on it. (a Merc mark 25)I've done this sort of crazy thing before, too much motor on a little boat, so I know where the limits are. Beides the boat I have is a foot longer and heavier than the standard cocktail racer.

[KickStart]

I have a small Harbor Freight trailer that I used behind my trike when traveling around the country. I've had it configured different ways, according to my needs, from having a cartop carrier to having a frame of 80/20 extrusion on top so I could carry my wheelchair, and just a flatbed with tiedowns. A couple of things I highly recommend doing; replace the hardware with high-quality stuff, not the typical hardware store variety. I used stainless steel. And exchange the wheel bearings it comes with to a quality set like Timken. They're metric size, but still available. I can't think of the part number off the top of my head, but it's best to check yourself anyway, as they may not be the same. They made a huge difference in smoothness, and confidence. I removed a leaf from the two-spring pack. They're horribly over-sprung, and one leaf has cut out most of the bounce. I put a permenant tag on it when I licensed it, and now I can take that tongue and lic plate and put it on any other trailer I might build. I'm considering a small trailer build of 80/20 aluminum extrusion with torsion axles. It would be completely adjustable for size, and modifiable in almost any way.
On my boat trailer, I also went to plastic overlays on the runners, as my boat was difficult to load. It was a good change. I also went to oil hubs for long distance travel, and those worked excellent. They kept the spindles cool no matter how fast or long I pulled. That meant no water ingress at launch. Of course, they won't work on the HF trailer unless you change the axle.
Something else to think on; the less runners under a boat, the easier it is to load. But if you're traveling a great distance often, more runners will support the hull, and whatever structure is immediately above it, better. On thick aluminum with nothing inside, it doesn't matter so much. On anything else, it kinda does. An option is to have fold down bunks that you can raise after the boat is loaded. As long as they're the exact height needed, they can even be carpeted. You can use a lever to raise them in place if there's a lot of flex in your hull.
As far as the Flip N Easy folding trailer tongue, I don't foresee any wear on that pin if it's built right. There's a bit of tongue weight holding down on it, and the joint should be built with some slight tension on the pin. If there isn't, a rubber bumper or stiff spring can be added on the front side, so that you have to push down on the joint slightly to push the pin in. And the pin and hole should be smooth and sized for a close fit.