Stupid trailer tricks

[dremu]

I had trouble finding a dolly wide enough to tow my Blazer, so I got one that was close -- used, sorta cheap -- and went to work modifying it to fit the wider track of the K5.

However, as I was testing it out, I had a few minor problems with the first revision. Namely, the Blazer went up on the ramps, and KEPT ON GOING right off the end of the dolly. Never heard noises like THAT before!

To wit, first picture attached. This, mind you, was AFTER I ran to get some hydraulic jacks, scrap 4x4 lumber, and had jacked the truck up enough to get some ramps under the front wheels. I wasn't gonna take the time to snap a pic first, not least 'cuz the front diff landed on the trailer's spare tire.

Oh yeah, I also used the Chalet as my example Blazer, as my wheeler is in the garage on jacks while I work out some brake issues ... so I'm using an overweight tail-heavy Blazer to boot (Though it does have that nifty tire carrier up front...)

Didn't seem to harm anything, save the abuse on the trailer spare... ended up having to half dismantle the dolly to slide it out from under the Blazer -- furniture dollies are handy, better than skateboards, IMHO

With some further tweaks to the design, the truck now goes onto the dolly AND STAYS THERE, second pic.

Sheesh. Some days I wonder how I don't kill myself in this hobby -- I mean, recovery procedures should not be necessary in my driveway!

-- A

 

[dontoe]

I saw a truck pulling a small car on a dolly last week in Conover that evidently hit his brakes real hard and the car was straddling the dolly like in your photo! Don't know how he managed to get out that mess on a busy highway.


I had too use cement blocks on dirt and grass last year to swap axles off my K-10 to my '73 K-5. Couple of weeks ago I finally got around to putting the axles back on the K-10 so I could move it. I'm nervous anyway laying under the truck and those wobbly cement blocks and my wife tosses a breaker bar into the bed of the truck. I 'bout sh!t my pants and pulled muscles crawling out from under there. Thought it was collapsing on me!!!!!!!!!! Dang!!!!


Good job by the way! Good looking tow dolly!

 

[dremu]

I saw a truck pulling a small car on a dolly last week in Conover that evidently hit his brakes real hard and the car was straddling the dolly like in your photo! Don't know how he managed to get out that mess on a busy highway.

This dolly, at least, has ratcheting straps to hold the tires down *and* chains to stra the axle to the frame ... sounds like the guy you saw forgot the backup!

A small car might be easier to move, but then the Blazer, at least, was easy to get OFF the dolly ... freaking heavy, but I jacked it up by the axle and voila, lots of clearance.

I had too use cement blocks on dirt and grass last year to swap axles off my K-10 to my '73 K-5. Couple of weeks ago I finally got around to putting the axles back on the K-10 so I could move it. I'm nervous anyway laying under the truck and those wobbly cement blocks and my wife tosses a breaker bar into the bed of the truck. I 'bout sh!t my pants and pulled muscles crawling out from under there. Thought it was collapsing on me!!!!!!!!!! Dang!!!!

Umm, that's just frightening ... both parts. I was pissed when I did this 'cuz my '74 is using all four of my good jack stands right now, so I used the bottlejacks as stands very briefly (professional test driver only, don't try this at home.) When you say "cement blocks" do you mean the cinderblocks with holes in them?

Good job by the way! Good looking tow dolly!

Thanks! I *think* when I get the kinks worked out I can still fit a little box up on the tongue, carry the straps and other whatnot, plus the spare. Never have too much storage!

All going well, it'll allow me to tow the '74 on the 35x12.50's without having to switch to pizza cutters, plus anything else I need to move

Final project will to paint it camo... prolly desert tan to match the tow rig. The Blazer is sky blue camo, bit bright for the trailer

-- A

 

[dontoe]

When you say "cement blocks" do you mean the cinderblocks with holes in them?

Yea, hope it's the last time!
I have been meaning to get started on the garage/shop but dread the loan, permits and stuff.

 

[dremu]

Yea, hope it's the last time!
I have been meaning to get started on the garage/shop but dread the loan, permits and stuff.

Jeez, you're brave (crazy? stupid? )

How about a 2x6 on the ground with a jack stand on it? Much safer! Sh!t, anything's safer than cinderblocks!

-- A

 

[dontoe]

Jeez, you're brave (crazy? stupid? )

All three I suppose.
Didn't have any jackstands that high.

Well, I did have four stacks, for what that's worth. Had to get the truck high enough to roll the axles out each end. With tireless wheels. Next time I'll have a cement floor and real jackstands! Hard working on grass and gravel. But if it's all ya got.........

 

[towdriver80]

This is something I actually saw happen, not a secondhand story. I was swapping axles with leafsprings still attatched from a 81 k5 to a 87 suburban. I had nothing I could lift the trucks that high with, but I had a s***load of cinderblocks and two floorjacks. I was doing one axle at a time, Jack the floor jack all the way up, put another cinderblock under the second floor jack,and so on. Had the rear high enough off the ground to remove the axle and leafsprings in one piece, from the side! About six cinderblocks in each stack. Anyway, the rear axle, driveshaft, and springs were out. The front end was on the ground. So you would think those blocks weren`t even holding that much weight. While I was dragging the axle to the other truck, no one was touching the blazer. Nothing was moving around it, there wasn`t even a breeze. The cinderblocks made a popping noise and let go with no warning whatsoever. Only one cinderblock out of the 10 or twelve that were there was still in one piece. All the others had let go in some kind of domino effect. I was 16, but that`s a crappy excuse.

 

[diesel4me]

Not safe at all....

Even solid cement blocks cant be trusted--I've seen them literally explode into nuggets when used to support the weight of a heavy truck like a K5 or fullsize pickup...without warning,and very quickly,like a blink of an eye..

I use big peices of logs cut with my chainsaw if I dont have enough jackstands,even pine is MUCH stronger than cinder blocks (or stones off a stone wall--I read of one kid near my house was crushed under a blazer while installing a lift kit with only a floor jack and a pile of rocks.. )-

-I use logs about a foot in diameter,and cut them as square as possible,and dont use any over 2' tall--too "tippy"...I see them do crazy stuff at junkyards,like hold a full size truck up with 8' 4x4 posts,and work under the truck--they are nuts,I hardly trust the forkloader to hold up a car or truck!--it is amazing how much weight a 4x4 post will hold up though--but I wouldn't trust MY life under it...