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zelatore
11-27-2009, 04:21 PM
George has been preaching about the joys of dollies for some time now. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Being that:
A-I have an unstable job and can't spend any money,
B-I need to practice my welding skills anyway and,
C-I just thought it would be fun,
I decided to make my own.

The frames are 2" box, the uprights are 1.25", and the sliders that drop into them to give adjustments on the height are 1". Most of the tubing as well as the casters I picked up at a local metal yard (Alco Iron). The 2" stuff was new, the rest, including the casters, was from the scrap bins. I also got a piece of 1/4" plate from them to make the bases for the casters. Most of the angle stock and some of the other plate stock is stuff I had laying around.

The bunks are 2x6 scrap, about 15" long. I covered them with some leftover trailer bunk carpet from an old trailer project a couple years ago.

As you can see, I can still modify them somewhat to get the boat lower, and will probably do that after lunch. Lower is better!

All together, I've got about $170 in materials. Was it worth the savings to make them myself vs buying George's? Maybe, maybe not since I think George's cost about $200/ea + shipping so the savings weren't that much and his are undoubtedly nicer and probably stronger, but I enjoyed the project and as they say, I've currently got more time than money.

Seems pretty stable. Of course, there's not really much room to move it around in my little garage. (Not that I'm complaining too much - it's a big garage by most CA standards.)

The big mistake I made was pulling it off the trailer. First, I had to back it into the garage as there's a pretty good lip at the garage door that I wouldn't have been able to roll the dollies over. That's a real PITA as the trailer fenders only have about 1" clearance on either side getting through the door. And with a long wheelbase truck, it's not like I can maneuver it with pin-point accuracy. The real problem was that I should have rolled the gantry forward and used the bow eye to pick up the front of the boat and used a floor jack in the rear. That way I could have pulled the trailer out easily. But the gantry's not quite wide enough to go around the trailer fenders, so I used it in the back and alternated between a jack and jack-stands at the front as I eased it forward about 2 feet at a time to get around all the cross members. I think I'll find a way around that issue next time as that an even bigger PITA.

So George, now we'll see if it's worth it. :wink:

Of course, this assumes I have any money to actually do any projects. Maybe I'll make a Carl Cabin - that shouldn't cost much if I don't do custom carpet, and I can always add that later.

The real bummer of course is I still can't close the garage door all the way. But at least I can close it part of the way and keep the rain out.

Donzi Vol
11-27-2009, 04:29 PM
Cool stuff, man. I salute your craftsmanship. :yes:

Let us know how it goes with the "Carl Cabin." I would love to have that setup, but am leaving mine alone for now.

jg480
11-27-2009, 04:38 PM
Nice job! I was thinking about doing the same thing myself, I need a set for my 18'C and the project St. Tropez. Work here in Michigan is pretty scarce right now so I've got plenty of time on my hands.

gcarter
11-27-2009, 05:48 PM
Well done Don! :yes:
The Williams Eng. products have the vertical tubes on the inside of the frame also for a little more lateral adjustment, but I really like your transverse bracing.
The set Poodle loaned me initially had some very tall vertical members. I used them to allow movement all the way under the keel. When I used those pieces, I tied some ratcheting straps around them.

Enjoy!

gcarter
11-27-2009, 06:02 PM
The way I get the boat off the trailer is to raise the dolly bunks to the highest position and w/the trailer tongue all the way down, I slide the dolly under the transom.
Then, I use a floor jack to raise the bow keel clear of the trailer bunks.
Then I slowly start moving the trailer forward until the next trailer crossmember comes in contact w/the floor jack. then all you do is reposition the jack several times and repeat until the trailer is clear.
Then the other dolly is moved in under the bow.
Easy!:wink:

zelatore
11-27-2009, 09:39 PM
Cool stuff, man. I salute your craftsmanship. :yes:


Craftsmanship? Wow, that's a pretty strong word for what I did there!

To be honest, I'm not much of a welder. I bought a 110v Lincoln mig a couple years ago and just started trying to stick things together. I'm far from a craftsman with it, but at least nothing's failed yet. :bonk:

I made some little tweaks to the rear sliders so it's sitting about 2" lower now. Just in time too, we got a nice little thunderstorm this afternoon.

The truly sad part is that I had to clean out all the engine parts that were scattered around the garage to make room for the boat. Although I knew I wasn't going to spend the money to put the engine back together until something dramatic shifted on the job front, it was still sad to to put it all away. While it was sitting out I could at least pretend there was hope.

Ah well, maybe next spring. I don't plan to miss Powell again!

Donzi Vol
11-27-2009, 10:09 PM
Craftsmanship? Wow, that's a pretty strong word for what I did there!

To be honest, I'm not much of a welder. I bought a 110v Lincoln mig a couple years ago and just started trying to stick things together. I'm far from a craftsman with it, but at least nothing's failed yet. :bonk:

Well my craftsmanship usually stops after the word 'weld' is even mentioned, so I figure you're pretty good in my book. haha

Just Say N20
11-27-2009, 10:14 PM
Very nice looking job. Keep us posted on how they work out.

jonzis donzi
11-28-2009, 06:42 AM
Hats off to you! I'd be proud if I'd made those. That right there, on a small scale, is what makes America GREAT!! When things are tough, we tend to get more inventive.

Hotboat
11-28-2009, 08:02 AM
I purchased a set of the Williams Eng. dollys on George's reccomendation and was so pleased that I bought a second set. I already had a full length 16' dolly that I had been using but the Williams dollys are so much easier to move. I guess 8 wheels instead of 4 makes a big difference. I have 2 gantrys that are wide enough to clear any trailer. Lift the boat up at each end, pull the trailer out and put the dollys under. Makes a great way to work on and store several boats in the basement. They are well built and worth the money.

MOP
11-28-2009, 08:23 AM
Nice job! You will like the way you can shove it around in any direction.

Phil

gcarter
11-28-2009, 09:23 AM
regarding that floor lip...
Could you make some small ramps to bridge the difference in height?
When I had just the hull on the dollies, mine was easy to move in and out of the shop.
But when I put the deck back on, moving it back into the shop became a real challenge pushing it uphill with the additional 500-600#!!!!!:nilly:

MOP
11-28-2009, 01:40 PM
Cut some wedges out of Oak they will hold quite well.

zelatore
11-28-2009, 05:28 PM
I'm sure I could make some sort of ramp to get me over the lip at the garage door, but I don't know if I could push the boat up it! If I had something solid at the back of the garage, I'd consider attaching a come-along and pulling it over the ramp, but other than some rather wimpy cabinets, there's not much there.

If I was really desperate, I could empty one of the lower cabinets, find a stud in the wall, and put a big eye bolt in, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm just happy the thing's in the garage and on the dollies. It's sitting nice and secure. I think I'll even be able to shove it around far enough to get the door to close, which is critical since I don't want to leave the door open even though I live in a pretty low-crime area. No point inviting every low-life within 100 miles to tour my toolboxes while I'm away for the week at work.

zelatore
11-28-2009, 09:06 PM
And now proof positive that with some creative shuffling, I can get the boat fully in the garage and close the door.

Those with good eyes might notice the scraps from what I've started working on this afternoon. That will be the subject of my next thread, but for those who want a clue, think 'Carl C'. :shocking:

gcarter
11-28-2009, 09:24 PM
Makes ya feel good, doesn't it?

zelatore
11-28-2009, 09:53 PM
Makes ya feel good, doesn't it?

Makes me feel like I need to hit the gym! Rolling it side to side was easy, but getting all 8 casters to turn when I tried to roll it backward was tough! I had to 'jog' it side to side to get it to start moving. And that's without the motor in it. I'm thinking this is probably a function of having small casters. Bigger ones should roll easier, and certainly I could have gotten heavier-duty ones that should pivot under load easier, but the bigger the wheel, the higher off the ground. And the more money.

But everything works, and it's rock-solid sitting on the dollies. Now I've got no excuse for not doing work over the winter.