Gav Peter
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2010
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I started this thread on 'the other site' ages ago but it got a bit of a nudge on Friday courtesy of a day off work being spent down at Col's workshop... Here's the history for those that don't know it.
Mostly, its Jon Wildsmith's fault that I have become so chop happy with MUX but once I'd seen Jon's old RIP 80 with the rear bumper he made for it, I knew I had to have a play...
So the first thing I took off was all the covers, corner bits, tread plate & towbar bits & was just left with just the rear crossmember in place. She looked like this, having a stretch after the school fair a while back...
Not long after, I hacked that off too... With Col's assistance (my ace fabricator buddy BTW), a template was made from light guage sheet to mock up the shape which was then duplicated in 4mm plate with 15mm plates for recovery points. The rear crossmember was repositioned in the space usually reserved for the spare wheel - here's a couple of progress shots...
Then it was all welded up & gave it a coat of hard hat rattle can spray peint in the back garden
Which is how things stood til Friday, barring the towing plug being fitted when I bought my trailer a few months back... I had been doing stuff in readiness for a swing out wheel carrier but as with all of us, time is the killer... A further setback was my inept attempt to weld up part of this carrier last week... Anyhoo, here's the results from Friday's 'design-on-the-hoof' day...
As things stood at 08:30 hours:
Note to all, never leave your NATO hitch open like that as it can & will dent your lower tailgate
Whats on the bench?? Looks like the makings of a carrier to me...
Mocking up on the back of MUX:
I was feeling fine about things with that there wheel on it but can anyone spot the deliberate mistake...
Yup, try shutting the tail gate & keeping the wheel tucked in nice & snug... Had to a bit of that 'on-the-hoof' design changing thing...
With an angle grinder!!! It got a plate top & bottom to make an 'I' beam in place of the box section & by now it was getting on to Col's hometime.
Just fit the toggle clamp & I'll be off methinks...
An hour later after much fiddle faffing, all of it unsuccessful, I tie it on with some of that high tech blue rope all adore so Col can get to the pub... I can't get the over centre clamp to hold it when in motion, hence the safety rope...
This is where we are now:
I'm going to reconfigure the clamp & add a safety pin (or two) so I can get rid of the rope & use my boot again...
I drove to Snowdon & back on Saturday & it all seems pretty secure as is - quite a reasonable view out of the back window which makes me wonder if I have mounted it high enough but if I lift it much higher, I'll need a set of stilts as well as a hernia operation...
Va bene
Mostly, its Jon Wildsmith's fault that I have become so chop happy with MUX but once I'd seen Jon's old RIP 80 with the rear bumper he made for it, I knew I had to have a play...
So the first thing I took off was all the covers, corner bits, tread plate & towbar bits & was just left with just the rear crossmember in place. She looked like this, having a stretch after the school fair a while back...
Not long after, I hacked that off too... With Col's assistance (my ace fabricator buddy BTW), a template was made from light guage sheet to mock up the shape which was then duplicated in 4mm plate with 15mm plates for recovery points. The rear crossmember was repositioned in the space usually reserved for the spare wheel - here's a couple of progress shots...
Then it was all welded up & gave it a coat of hard hat rattle can spray peint in the back garden
Which is how things stood til Friday, barring the towing plug being fitted when I bought my trailer a few months back... I had been doing stuff in readiness for a swing out wheel carrier but as with all of us, time is the killer... A further setback was my inept attempt to weld up part of this carrier last week... Anyhoo, here's the results from Friday's 'design-on-the-hoof' day...
As things stood at 08:30 hours:
Note to all, never leave your NATO hitch open like that as it can & will dent your lower tailgate
Whats on the bench?? Looks like the makings of a carrier to me...
Mocking up on the back of MUX:
I was feeling fine about things with that there wheel on it but can anyone spot the deliberate mistake...
Yup, try shutting the tail gate & keeping the wheel tucked in nice & snug... Had to a bit of that 'on-the-hoof' design changing thing...
With an angle grinder!!! It got a plate top & bottom to make an 'I' beam in place of the box section & by now it was getting on to Col's hometime.
Just fit the toggle clamp & I'll be off methinks...
An hour later after much fiddle faffing, all of it unsuccessful, I tie it on with some of that high tech blue rope all adore so Col can get to the pub... I can't get the over centre clamp to hold it when in motion, hence the safety rope...
This is where we are now:
I'm going to reconfigure the clamp & add a safety pin (or two) so I can get rid of the rope & use my boot again...
I drove to Snowdon & back on Saturday & it all seems pretty secure as is - quite a reasonable view out of the back window which makes me wonder if I have mounted it high enough but if I lift it much higher, I'll need a set of stilts as well as a hernia operation...
Va bene