AlanB
Elite Member
Well, with any luck, next week we will have purchased a new to us house, and I know it is going to consume every spare moment for a while,, Sooooo, the urgency to modify the tailgate on our dump trailer moved up a notch.
Was supposed to do it yesterday, but it came a small flood of pouring rain, and I do not have a shop to work inside of (hence the new house
)
So, about a 6 month old Homesteader dump with 2 way tailgate, dropped like an old pickup and hung on chains, or opened like a large dump truck, with the chains acting to regulate it. I thought it would be ideal this way.... Oooppps..
OK, the idea of spreading gravel with the tailgate just does not work, you usually need two people involved, or you are dragging your control along the ground, you are only handling 4 to 5 tons at a time so there is just not much room, while it seemed like a good idea, it just never panned out.
When you use it as a tailgate, then that effectively lowers the dumping height, and everything is sliding across your tailgate, that gives some problems as well.
So I lent it to my buddy, and at some point it hung a bit, and I think he bent it somewhat, as evidenced by the gap in the picture.
Debated the best way to do this about a gazillion times, and finally just ran out of time and started in on it. My DW had the better idea of removing everything off the side, including the upper stake pocket, and getting my hinge leafs shorter that way then what I had in mind. I think that was the right thing to do. I can go back later and rework some pockets if I want to go that way.
Of course with about 2/3 of the stuff cut off, my Plasma cutter threw a overtemp light on, then when fooling with it, I got the Parts in Place light on (bad thing) and could not get it to clear either... Hope it magically heals itself, but out came the sawzall and the 4.5" grinder with the cutoff wheels because the wife is in the middle of a pond project (hole dug, no liner yet) and she would not be very happy with me if I told her that trailer she said I was spending too much money on and was not really needed was not available for her to use. Funny how that works.
OK, here are some pictures, no done ones yet as it is dark outside while I was working on finishing up.
Was supposed to do it yesterday, but it came a small flood of pouring rain, and I do not have a shop to work inside of (hence the new house
)So, about a 6 month old Homesteader dump with 2 way tailgate, dropped like an old pickup and hung on chains, or opened like a large dump truck, with the chains acting to regulate it. I thought it would be ideal this way.... Oooppps..
OK, the idea of spreading gravel with the tailgate just does not work, you usually need two people involved, or you are dragging your control along the ground, you are only handling 4 to 5 tons at a time so there is just not much room, while it seemed like a good idea, it just never panned out.
When you use it as a tailgate, then that effectively lowers the dumping height, and everything is sliding across your tailgate, that gives some problems as well.
So I lent it to my buddy, and at some point it hung a bit, and I think he bent it somewhat, as evidenced by the gap in the picture.
Debated the best way to do this about a gazillion times, and finally just ran out of time and started in on it. My DW had the better idea of removing everything off the side, including the upper stake pocket, and getting my hinge leafs shorter that way then what I had in mind. I think that was the right thing to do. I can go back later and rework some pockets if I want to go that way.
Of course with about 2/3 of the stuff cut off, my Plasma cutter threw a overtemp light on, then when fooling with it, I got the Parts in Place light on (bad thing) and could not get it to clear either...
Hope it magically heals itself, but out came the sawzall and the 4.5" grinder with the cutoff wheels because the wife is in the middle of a pond project (hole dug, no liner yet) and she would not be very happy with me if I told her that trailer she said I was spending too much money on and was not really needed was not available for her to use. Funny how that works.OK, here are some pictures, no done ones yet as it is dark outside while I was working on finishing up.
