Project of the Century E-450 Dovetail

[Impact-Vector]

Great project!

Here is an idea.
If you look at the top you can see a colorful picture. heres what it should mean

Get a piece of tube/Pipe and weld it on the outside or cut and weld it in where the vertical stakes go on your side rail. inside that tube you run your spring (So its safe if it breaks and you dont have to worry about weather/fingers etc)
Run the steel cable out and over a roller (Any parts store should have a timing belt tensioner or any mechanic can give you one free.. OR another piece of pipe)

The Blue is the tube.
The Red is your existing stake The spring would bolt to a plate on that end
The light green is the spring. I would make the tube long enough so the spring almost always hides in it.
The green is the cable.

Worth a shot if your keen to change it. Only other recommendation I would have would be to maybe lower it to the deck height so when the gate is open the cable is parralel and right next to the ramp so its not sticking out for someone to trip on!

[flatlander42]

thanks for the pic. I have seen that style/design before. I don't feel un-safe with it the way I have it now. I will just add a second spring right next to the one I have allready. And continue to lift/lower from the drivers side.

[flatlander42]

Oh yeah, for all of you thinking that it is going to or should bottom out.......IT HAS NOT!!
And I have driven it into some perty nasty looking dips, driveways....No Dragging!


Just thought I'd throw that out there for you.

[mowandblow1980]

Do you do leaf clean-ups? If yes, how do you transport leaves?

[flatlander42]

Originally Posted by mowandblow1980

Do you do leaf clean-ups? If yes, how do you transport leaves?

See post #185


I've got partial sideboards on, and mow weekley on most places. And I just stuff the leaves where the grass normally goes.

I have some green plastic snow fence that I also lay across the top when the leaves start falling to help them from flying around.

[f50lvr2]

Originally Posted by flatlander42

We will go ahead and turn this into a Big Dog mower thread also. Here ya go, have at it. The stripes may not be the best, but it sure does cut nice. I fell in love with it. Steers and drives sooo nice and smooth also. Powered blower for the bagger is on the way, should be here yesterday.

That looks like a nice mower. I had to dig up this thread because I just saw the Big Dog dealer advertising mowers a couple days ago. They have this exact mower asking $3499!!! They also have their full commercial 60" asking $5599!!! I don't own a Big Dog and have no affiliation with them but at those prices it's extremely tempting to pick one up.

[flatlander42]

Van has been SOLD.

[patferg]

I got the end of the thread and was surprised to see sold. Why did you sell it?

[flatlander42]

Originally Posted by patferg

I got the end of the thread and was surprised to see sold. Why did you sell it?

I went out and got a full time job as a welder. And now I will only be mowing a few lawns a week....and very well could just use my trailer like old times.

It just had to go. No need for a single purpose vehicle anymore.

[StihlMechanic]

Originally Posted by flatlander42

Van has been SOLD.

Sad to see you sell it after all you did. Hope you made a few bucks.