Making a much unloader for my trailer.

[Jg1]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this?
I have an 8’x5’ utility trailer I would like to use for unloading mulch, wood chips and dirt. The tarp I have is from an old cargo unloader that I use to use for unloading wood from my truck. I see you can buy them from harbor freight so you have a picture of what I have. Instead of cranking it by hand I would like to use an electric winch that I have. I’ve seen it done on a video. The problem I have is my keyed hub is 1-1/4” (1.250) and the pipe it needs to go on is (1.275). It doesn’t seem like much but it is. I would like to drill out the hub so it can fit over the shaft but I don’t know what will happen when the flute of the drill bit comes in contact with the keyway. Do you think it will damage the hub? If anyone is familiar with making a bored hub with 1/4” keyway larger?
I would greatly appreciate some advice.
Thanks

 

[oldnslo]

I believe the drill bit will catch and chatter on that key way unless you have the coupling rigidly mounted in a good drill press or milling machine.

How true in diameter does the bore need to be?

 

[Jg1]

I’m thinking it could be a little bigger because I’ll be using the key and it has a set screw. I’m using the hub and rim from a broken down golf cart I have. I need the rim to wind the winch cable on so the winch can turn the rim that’s attached to the pipe and unload the trailer. It’s not like I need to use it on the road. I don’t know, it probably could wobble a little bit.
The pipe looks like a black schedule 40 metal pipe.
I do have a good drill press and years ago I went to a garage sale where I bought a bunch of drill bits of sizes that you would never think existed. The guy was a machinist that had passed away. I have one that is
1-19/64” which is just a little bigger than the pipe. I guess I’m afraid of something breaking off and hitting me. I just wanted to know if anyone had done something like this or had some good advice.

 

[BlueKnife]

I would like to drill out the hub so it can fit over the shaft but I don’t know what will happen when the flute of the drill bit comes in contact with the keyway. Do you think it will damage the hub? If anyone is familiar with making a bored hub with 1/4” keyway larger?
I would greatly appreciate some advice.
Thanks

It probably wouldn't damage the hub, but it would almost certainly break or bind up the bit. Your best bet would be to take the hub to a machinist. Do you have a link to the video you reference? I'm not 100% sure I follow what you're trying to do.

 

[Jg1]

Todd Folmer

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If the link doesn’t work, I’ve attached a picture from the video.

 

[5030]

Sounds to me like you need to invest in a used manure spreader and use that to unload your product and eliminate all the hassles.

 

[Jg1]

I would like to use what I have lying around. Besides, the manure spreader wouldn’t be roadworthy to pick up wood chips, black dirt or gravel for my driveway. I’m retired and it gives me something to do in the winter.

 

[oldnslo]

If you can rigidly clamp the keyed hub in your drill press and control bit feed rate you might be able to drill the coupling if it is not hardened. I would still be concerned with the bit chatter and or catching and trying to screw itself into the coupling.

 

[California]

I wonder if a battery powered heavy duty drill would be a simpler solution.

 

[2manyrocks]

I have the HF unloader. As long as the tarp is not overloaded, the hand crank is actually pretty easy to wind.

If your objective is to install a large hub to drive the roller, why not attach a pipe of the appropriate diameter to the hub and drill a pin to mate up to the unloader?

The guy in the video appears to have welded some kind of hub to a rim that is connected to some kind of pipe being used as a roller. It doesn't look like he is actually using the HF roller that I can see.

 

[Jg1]

I thought of something like that. I have a larger pipe I can weld to the rim. The pipe will fit over the existing pipe and I could bolt it together like you had mentioned. Then I wouldn’t use the hub at all. I wanted to use the existing pipe because it already has the right size bearings to mount to the trailer. Right now the simplest thing to do is drill out the hub. I just wanted to know if anyone has done anything like that. Would it be possible without breaking anything? I can use that ideal as plan B.
I just talked to my brother in law, he’s a mechanic at a large farm. He didn’t even think about it. He says. Oh yeah, take your key stock and grind the end down to the same angle of my drill bit. Clean the keyway and key up really good. Get some Blue Loc tight glue and glue it in. Clamp it down and wait 24 hours. After I’m done drilling the hub, heat it up and knock the keyway out. No problem he says.
So tomorrow I’ll go get some loc tight and let you know how thing's turn out in a couple of days.

 

[2manyrocks]

Suggest you look on youtube for a video by Luke Fugate. He welded a large nut onto the roller pipe and then welded a corresponding socket onto the output shaft of an electric winch. That is how he connected his winch to turn the roller pipe without having to use the cable or a rim.

 

[Jg1]

Wow! I really like that setup. No cable. I’ll have to rethink my setup.
My winch is a different set up. It’s a Badland 2500. It has a knob connected to a small shaft that you pull out to free wheel the cable out.
I use my winch for other things so I don’t want to make one dimensional.
I’ll have to slow down and think about that but I’m still going to drill the hub out. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. It would be so much better without the cable.

 

[Jg1]

It’s done, no problem. I didn’t grind it down to the angle of the bit. I bought a key that was 1/4” to 3/16” and cut the 3/16” off I also used super glue.
I slowed my drill press down to as slow as it could go. I took Oldnslo’s advice and bolted it down to my drill press table so it wouldn’t move. (Thanks). The hardest part was getting it centered and bolting it down without it moving. The bit walked right through it and the bit looks good.
It chattered a little but not much at all. I think it was the key stock, I’m sure it wasn’t cut perfect.
I still like that Luke’s video with no cable. Maybe net winter.
Hope you all have a nice spring and thanks.