Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Full-boat-tail trailer with gap-fillers for Toyota T-100 pickup

aerohead · 07-23-2011, 04:07 PM

'been recycling metal into the gap-fillers.
I was given the late Bob Parson's sail car by his wife and I'm chopping up the steel tube truss sections to create the space-frames for the upper Viking gap-filler panel,as well as the T-100 rear,upper,inter-spanning gap-filler panel.
The Viking upper panel is 'there' and in a tack-welded condition.I've run it through the full range of motion and it's going to operate just fine.
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I am nearly complete with one of the side-panel super-structures.I came up with a double-wheel bogey and single roller combo which 'ride' the prismatic trailer face,forcing the outward swing articulation of these panels as the trailer comes off-center during a turn initiation,all forced by contact of the lazy-C pivot-frame face with the contact rollers on the rear face of the integrator.
What remains,is a final roller which supports the outward lower rear extremity of the frame when on-center,should the rig encounter 'jerk' from a killer pot-hole,etc..The roller will roll atop a heavy aluminum bellypan section which cantilevers forward off the lower prismatic face on each side.
All the rollers are from recycled inline skates.1-skate will do an entire side.$2.
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During near-jack-knife turning maneuvers the operating velocities should be low enough,and on level enough ground to permit survival of the lazy-C pivot-frame which carries the 'flag' side-panels.The lazy-C frame's weakness will be in torsion.So the support rollers should really help.
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The tack welds will make 'corrections' easier,should I get stupid and have to re-engineer my engineering.

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The fiberglass welding blanket has allowed me to weld 'directly' on/over the trailer.It's a nice addition to the shack.
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So far,so good! No major surprises.
I'll get more photos taken soon,and post the few that I have if Al can break free.
The 'trumpet-player' should be back from Europe soon so my 'working vacation' is nearing its end and will have to go to work soon."#%@(*&)+_@*&^%!!!!!"

07-23-2011, 04:07 PM	#168 (permalink)
aerohead Master EcoModder Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A. Posts: 16,314 Thanks: 24,440 Thanked 7,386 Times in 4,783 Posts	Project Update,maybe photos later 'been recycling metal into the gap-fillers. I was given the late Bob Parson's sail car by his wife and I'm chopping up the steel tube truss sections to create the space-frames for the upper Viking gap-filler panel,as well as the T-100 rear,upper,inter-spanning gap-filler panel. The Viking upper panel is 'there' and in a tack-welded condition.I've run it through the full range of motion and it's going to operate just fine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am nearly complete with one of the side-panel super-structures.I came up with a double-wheel bogey and single roller combo which 'ride' the prismatic trailer face,forcing the outward swing articulation of these panels as the trailer comes off-center during a turn initiation,all forced by contact of the lazy-C pivot-frame face with the contact rollers on the rear face of the integrator. What remains,is a final roller which supports the outward lower rear extremity of the frame when on-center,should the rig encounter 'jerk' from a killer pot-hole,etc..The roller will roll atop a heavy aluminum bellypan section which cantilevers forward off the lower prismatic face on each side. All the rollers are from recycled inline skates.1-skate will do an entire side.$2. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- During near-jack-knife turning maneuvers the operating velocities should be low enough,and on level enough ground to permit survival of the lazy-C pivot-frame which carries the 'flag' side-panels.The lazy-C frame's weakness will be in torsion.So the support rollers should really help. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The tack welds will make 'corrections' easier,should I get stupid and have to re-engineer my engineering. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The fiberglass welding blanket has allowed me to weld 'directly' on/over the trailer.It's a nice addition to the shack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- So far,so good! No major surprises. I'll get more photos taken soon,and post the few that I have if Al can break free. The 'trumpet-player' should be back from Europe soon so my 'working vacation' is nearing its end and will have to go to work soon."#%@(&)+_@&^%!!!!!" Attached Thumbnails Last edited by aerohead; 07-23-2011 at 05:28 PM.. Reason: add images(1-more)