The "Colossus" project

[Pullstart 59,738]

The 2” tube would give 4” more lift if it were essentially stacked 3 pieces high, right?

 

Here are a couple masterpiece options for fishplates.  If the option on the left were used, you might be able to box the top of the fishplates too.

 

 

[ebinmaine 63,206]

3 hours ago, pullstart said:

The 2” tube would give 4” more lift if it were essentially stacked 3 pieces high, right?

 

Here are a couple masterpiece options for fishplates.  If the option on the left were used, you might be able to box the top of the fishplates too.

 

 

.

 

Awesome drawing. That's exactly what I had in mind.

Edited April 10, 2020 by ebinmaine
Repaired idiot text... :-)

[Cvans 1,009]

Off hand I'd say 4 inches. 

[ebinmaine 63,206]

3 minutes ago, Cvans said:

Off hand I'd say 4 inches. 

 

@pullstart 

 

Yeah you're right.

 

 

 

WTH was I thinking?

[Pullstart 59,738]

4 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

@pullstart 

 

Yeah you're right.

 

 

 

WTH was I thinking?

 

I didn’t have a clue what you were talking about...  I decided to pick my battles and let you come around   have a great day, Oh Enlightened One 

[ebinmaine 63,206]

4 minutes ago, pullstart said:

 

I didn’t have a clue what you were talking about...  I decided to pick my battles and let you come around   have a great day, Oh Enlightened One 

It's the new math. It's confusing to me.

 

If you drop a piece of metal 2" and then you drop a piece of metal 2" again, you get potato. Or Cheez-Its. I can't remember. But I still get an A.

 

[Oldskool 6,582]

I assume by this point you have found the center of your spindle?

[ebinmaine 63,206]

1 minute ago, Oldskool said:

I assume by this point you have found the center of your spindle?

Nope. Haven't tried that yet.

 

You got a trick?

 

[8ntruck 6,377]

5 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Or more like a plate like a railroad track holding the two rails together? Just welded, not bolted....

Welded, not bolted.  I had envisioned a plate on the front and back of the axle at the joint, with triangular extensions extending past the ends of the axle pieces.

 

What material is the donor axle made from?  If it is cast iron, the welding could be a little tricky.

[ebinmaine 63,206]

2 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

Welded, not bolted.  I had envisioned a plate on the front and back of the axle at the joint, with triangular extensions extending past the ends of the axle pieces.

 

What material is the donor axle made from?  If it is cast iron, the welding could be a little tricky.

I'd say it's regular 2 inch steel tubing because you can see the seam in it on one side.

I don't know the thickness. Pretty heavy.

 

 

[Oldskool 6,582]

2 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Nope. Haven't tried that yet.

 

You got a trick?

 

I clamp a piece of angle iron to the bench. Then roll my stock against it with the end you are going to drill closest to me. Then I get a piece of wood or steel or what ever you have that is half the thickness of your diameter. Place it against your shaft and scribe a line. Rotate your stock and scribe again. After multiple times you should have center

[8ntruck 6,377]

29 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I'd say it's regular 2 inch steel tubing because you can see the seam in it on one side.

I don't know the thickness. Pretty heavy.

 

 

I agree.  That looks like square steel tubing.  Should not be a problem to weld.  

 

Kevin's artwork is what I was trying to describe. 

 

Another possibility would be to cut each side of the donor axle at some angle, then weld pieces of matching size square tubing to the ends, kind of like 'Z'ing a frame rail, to get the lift you want.  Assuming the donor axle is 2", making the Z pieces out of 2" tubing will widen the axle by 4", plus whatever the cosine of the angle of the cut will add.

 

You will probably want to keep the original camber angle on the spindle bores.

[ebinmaine 63,206]

2 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

I agree.  That looks like square steel tubing.  Should not be a problem to weld.  

 

Kevin's artwork is what I was trying to describe. 

 

Another possibility would be to cut each side of the donor axle at some angle, then weld pieces of matching size square tubing to the ends, kind of like 'Z'ing a frame rail, to get the lift you want.  Assuming the donor axle is 2", making the Z pieces out of 2" tubing will widen the axle by 4", plus whatever the cosine of the angle of the cut will add.

 

You will probably want to keep the original camber angle on the spindle bores.

That would save some steel stock as well not having to run all the way across.

 

I like that idea better.

 

I figured on carefully checking the spindle angles but leaving them alone.

 

[8ntruck 6,377]

4 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

That would save some steel stock as well not having to run all the way across.

 

I like that idea better.

 

I figured on carefully checking the spindle angles but leaving them alone.

 

Cap the open ends of the new pieces of tubing, too.  Grind it all smooth, and it will look like a single piece angle.

[ebinmaine 63,206]

I started on fabbing up the front axle.

 

Some beads came out good. Others are ugly but functional like me.

 

I've been mentally processing how to accomplish what I need for the front axle given the materials, skills, and tools I have.

I decided that as much as I like the idea of having an axle that looks like one solid tube I just don't have the tools or skills to cut the angles required... Yet...

 

So I went with a modified version of the step down plan.

 

What I've come up with gives me the width at 40" or so after tire installation.

The frame height addition is 4" plus the axle I used is 1" taller. (Not counting additional tire diameter).

Also I put a forward sweep of 2" in the new piece.

 

Total front frame lift will be about 8".

 

I'll cap all 6 open ends and also the V notch where I put the sweep.

 

 

Materials used were at least 1/8", maybe 10ga. I didn't confirm but there's plenty of meat there.

 

Welding is all with the old Lincoln 225 AC set to 105 amps. 1/8" 7014 rods.

 

Here's a pictorial.

 

 

 

 

 

I cut a piece of 2" tubing 23" long and cut 3 sides, relief cut the fourth and hand bent it to a 2" V.

 

 

 

Set the pieces in place and triple double checked where I was...

 

 

 

 

Cleaned all the paint and mill scale off the metal and burned some rods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's where I was at yesterday at quitting time.

 

 

 

[Tractorhead 8,611]

Great, 

it seems you got now enough trust to your Weldings. 👍

 

Keep on rockin!

 

 

 

[Pullstart 59,738]

Those welds look plenty strong EB, good job buddy!

[Stormin 9,975]

Well done, Eric. Those welds look good considering you've only just started to weld.

[WVHillbilly520H 10,369]

Practice makes perfect grasshopper... Not bad at all for a rookie.

[8ntruck 6,377]

Looking good.  Looks like you'be made friends with your welder.

 

You going to close the gap in the two tubes under the pivot?  Doing so would make the axle stronger.  It would also remove a 'break here' feature.

[ebinmaine 63,206]

11 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

made friends with your welder.

 

You going to close the gap in the two tubes under the pivot?  Doing so would make the axle stronger.  It would also remove a 'break here' feature.

 

Made friends.... Hahahaha.... Sounds like something I'd say.

 

 

That Gap is going to be closed, yes.

 

I started to do so this evening. Got the pieces cut and cleaned up and just ran out of time.

I'll also close all 6 of the open ends.

 

[ebinmaine 63,206]

I had made up reinforcement pieces for the front axle pivot pin in the past few weeks.

Today I welded then in place after grinding a V groove  in the frame and support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have NO reason to post this next pic....

 

 

[Pullstart 59,738]

There been flashers on the loose in those woods EB?

[Tractorhead 8,611]

See that last pict and must laugh,

Must be thinkin on „ I‘m your Father“  😂😂😂

[Lee1977 6,221]

Remember when you climb on that thing it's a Wild Horse. Mr..Pond tamed the Wheel Horse.  Once you modify it;s a wild horse again.