Project of the Century E-450 Dovetail

[Lefet]

I have to give you credit, you're getting it done! I'd be still stuck on what to do first. Really enjoying the thread.

[flatlander42]

Originally Posted by KE-llc

bet that thing will bottom our REAL easy! Nice fab work though.
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No worse than any of these pics..... Or any Camper, youhaul, handibus, school bus....ect. Hell, even almost any landscape body I've seen is this bad if not worse.

IF it were to bottom out....wouldn't the trailer jack on my little 5x8 trailer be scuffing the ground everywhere? Notice my username?? LOL Time will tell I guess.

[flatlander42]

My main concern is the tire clearance. I may have to cut a radius above the tires.

[Falcon50EX]

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=271490&page=39


I hope the link works above these guys fab every thing and do good work just look for their trimmer racks.

Great Job keep the pictures coming

[Falcon50EX]

Originally Posted by flatlander42

My main concern is the tire clearance. I may have to cut a radius above the tires.

Could you lift the bed or would that alter the geometry of the ramp

[Tyler's Lawn Maintenance]

Are you planning on putting sides on the dovetail?
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[Tyler's Lawn Maintenance]

Originally Posted by Tyler's Lawn Maintenance

Are you planning on putting sides on the dovetail? Also why not make the gate a split gate?
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[stang2244]

Fun to see these projects. I just did a smaller version of this on a chevy 2500. You mention the reason for the hinge design but do you think it catches that much wind with the expanded metal? Seems like opening and closing it would be alot easier if you only had to bring it to vertical and not beyond that, if that makes sense. What angle did you make the dovetail and how long is it? Also how long is the gate? Looks like you put some good thought into it with your removable design. I like it! You going to do any trimmer racks/baskets, etc...?

[flatlander42]

The gate is not split because I don't want a hinge in the middle.


Sides on the dovetail.....Yes.

Racks? Yes

Expanded metal will catch a bunch of wind. Even if it was a tube structure w/o any mesh it would catch wind. Do some reading about sandrails and the guys say that their car actually has more drag with the tubes exposed. The cars become faster when they put the panneling on them.

Last year I pulled one of my fathers trailers around and the thing had a ramp that was pry 8' tall. It was just a skinny 13' long single axel trailer, nice and light. That stupid thing was harder to pull than the 16' tandem axel trailer I pulled the summer before.

[flatlander42]

Originally Posted by Falcon50EX

Could you lift the bed or would that alter the geometry of the ramp

I am/was trying to keep the bed as low as possible. I'm sure if I went higher the ramp would have to be longer.