Pick up bed into a trailer

TCJatko · Jan 21, 2013

k0ua said:
The only problem with that is...the old "there ain't not free lunch" problem.. if you put an generator/alternator on the drive shaft.. it will introduce even more drag. the net result will be negative energy generation In other words it will use more energy than it will produce... Sorry cant do it.. people have been trying for thousands of years..hook the input shaft to the output shaft..it is called perpetual motion.. Now you can generate power instead of converting motion to heat with brake pads you can make the stored energy brake the car by turning a generating device to produce power which you can store in a battery to use to drive the car again when you want to move forward instead of slowing down the car..This is what hybrids do, convert what would have been waste heat into useful energy to propel the car.

James K0UA

What do you mean there is no "free lunch"? Congress doles out billions in "free" money every hour.

two_bit_score · Jan 21, 2013

flyerdan said:
It's been noted that these trailers have problems with cg issues, that's a given since the axle placement was for weight distribution over the entire wheelbase. The reason that most of these get made is because we already have the raw materials and it costs very little to fab them up, other than time.
I'd thought about slaving an alternator to the differential yoke, but figured it would just be something else that would go wrong and need fixing to be worthwhile. Not like I need the power anyway. This is my lazy way to unload a non-dumping trailer.

Are you getting good life out of that muffler?

flyerdan · Jan 22, 2013

Muffler? There's no exhaust parts of any kind, stripped that all out. There is a fuel tank as it mounts to the box rather than the frame. Wasn't hurting anything so I just capped off the lines and left it. Hopefully it's still good inside, might be useful for something later.