| Author | Message | ||
     Djkaplan |
The owner of the company I work for wanted an aluminum platform and headache rack to replace the steel one delivered on our new HD2500 diesel crew cab. I was constrained to using off the shelf extrusions we had in our inventory. What I came up with is about 3" lower than the old steel platform and has a few features built into it. I designed the entire thing on SolidWorks before we cut any metal and worked the welding out so there are no exposed welds. I incorporated a goose-neck trailer hitch that's tied directly to the frame and helps support the center section of the platform.   The headache rack is substantially lower than the old one and gives a panoramic view out of the back window... great for backing up.  The old fuel filler was mounted below the plaform on the old rack. I put the new filler in the headache rack because the aluminum platform is so much lower than the old one. The new location worked out great.  Because the new headache rack is thicker than the old steel one (to incorporate the fuel filler), I was easily able to add this storage compartment.   A neat feature... the license plate mount swings back to reveal the lowering mechanism for the spare, and the license plate light automatically shines on the spare at night.  This shows the location of the 10 D-rings, stake pockets, and goose neck trailer hitch and tie downs. The check plate is 3/16" 6061... hard stuff.  We were able to mount the new rack without drilling any holes in the frame: I designed it so we could use the existing mounting locations for the old platform. The extrusion along the side of the rack is actually a rear door track used in heavy duty 'sideloaders' in the beverage delivery industry. The steps in the rear are the same steps you'd see on these same sideloader trailers. It was a real trick to utilize some of the different extrusions not normally used in this application, but those steps were easy and they look and work great. Next comes tool boxes and storgage compartments under the platform, and side gates that will double as ramps. What do you think? | ||
| No_rice |
that is pretty trick. wish i had the computer ability to be able to design things that way. i am always stuck with just the picture in my head. luckly my ideas seem to work out as planned. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"wish i had the computer ability to be able to design things that way." Believe me, the ability use CAD is a lot easier than it looks. It's the ideas that come hard. You always have to start with an idea or premise; you don't need CAD for that. It certainly helps with administration and application, though. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Very nicely done Danny. Only problem that I see is that you forgot to show the pull-out full width motorcycle ramp.  Uh,you did do the full width motorcycle ramp, didn't you, Danny? | ||
| Djkaplan |
Mounting details and structure...   The only special extrusions are on the side of the platform and the rear steps... all the rest is off-the-shelf stuff. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Man, that is a fine piece of engineering. The $40 question though is did it fit just like it was supposed to? | ||
| Djkaplan |
"Only problem that I see is that you forgot to show the pull-out full width motorcycle ramp." You want a job, Jon? We'll eventually incorporate ramps that will double as side gates, but it'll be designed for the owner of the company's four-wheelers. We got something special in mind for motorcycles. Maybe it'll be at MB5. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"The $40 question though is did it fit just like it was supposed to?" Even I couldn't believe it, but it did. I give all the credit to the outstanding welders and assemblers that worked on it between their normal projects. They gave me +/- 1/16" tolerances throughout. They pulled it off without a hitch... ahem. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
That's very slick. Good for you to design it using available extrusions! | ||
| Cereal |
Looks nice, but won't the tires rub? | ||
| Sleez |
pretty cool! | ||
| Manofthefield |
Just curious, why the switch to aluminum? | ||
| New12r |
Sweet, that is some nice work! I need a full alumn. trailer, you can hook me up cheap right. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"Looks nice, but won't the tires rub?" It was definitely something I was keeping a careful eye on. One of the contraints of the new platform was to be as low as possible for easy loading. The range of motion for the rear tires was the very first thing I had to establish before starting the design process. If you look at the bottom view of the platform, you can see where clearance wells were cut into the extrusion for tire clearance. The axle has to compress the bump stops 1 1/2" before contact with the bottom of the checkplate becomes an issue. The reason most platforms are so high above the frame is to give operators options on tire sizes. With the standard tires, there is more than enough vertical clearance and at least 1/2" of side clearance when the suspension is articulated through its range of motion. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"Just curious, why the switch to aluminum?" Mainly because the owner of the metal fabrication shop across the street from us has an aluminum platform and rack for their work truck. Must be an Industrialist vs. Industrialist thing... Really, though, the original platform was too high for easy loading and the headache rack was a full 6" higher than the cab; it was killing fuel mileage on the highway and it was pretty ugly. The new platform also weighs less... not because it's aluminum, but because it's not as tall as the steel one. Two people can lift it and we installed it by hand with only four people. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"I need a full alumn. trailer, you can hook me up cheap right." We'll see... I might have something to show you at MB5. | ||
| Sleez |
well executed! | ||
| Interex2050 |
Very well done! | ||
| Jasonk |
Solidworks just rocks, don't it? Got my own seat @ home, and play with it when I get the chance. |
