This place needs a buildup thread, dial up warning

[Deleted]

Love the build-up pictures, but when will we see some 'wheeling photos? Will we have to schedule a Paragon trip to see this thing in action?

[kwrangln]

Being realistic, I dont think I'm going to have it done before I have to pack everything up and move half way across the country. As much as I'd like to wheel it, I just dont see it happening with my work schedule. My dad is probably going to tow it down to Chesapeake to store it till I find a house and garage and can tow it out to St. Louis and finally finish it. The new job should have alot more time at home, and no unscheduled buisness trips. Still trying to work out a way to haul it out there with me, dont think it will fit on a u-haul trailer, even with street tires, not to keen on the idea of flat towing it that far, no time to build a trailer, and what they are asking for new trailers these days is just nuts.

I'll figure something out.

[toynrnd]

What coast is St. Louis, east or west, Ken?

[kwrangln]

toynrnd said:

What coast is St. Louis, east or west, Ken?

Its far enough west for me to count it as the west coast. When California finally gets its crap together and drops off into the sea, it'll be even closer to being the real west coast.

[kwrangln]

Not much of an update this time, been busy with more travel at work, and gettin ready for the move west.

So, with the upcoming move to St. Louis in a couple weeks, I was stuck with how exactly to get the heep halfway across the country. Solution? Throw together a towbar and hook it up to the daily driver to drag around like a red headed stepchild for the 1000 mile trip.

Here's how it turned out.

Fullsized Dodge quad cab 4x4 looks kinda short dont it?


I've always been partial to pintle hitches, so of course I used one here too.


Built it out of 1 1/2" x 3/16" wall square tubing with 3/16" flat for the gussets. The mounting points on the bumper are shackle mounts from Zach. Yes, the 5/8" grade 8 bolts will be getting nylock nuts for the trip. The bolts ride in bushings that are a tight fit in the shackle mounts and keep the tabs on the towbar from compressing when the bolts are tightened. The plate on the outside reinforces the joint where the bar straightens out to meet the bumper, note the end of it is at an angle just like all frame patches should be.


I also made the bar a bit longer than most commercially available towbars out there to reduce the angle between the bumper and hitch. Think most bars are about 3 feet between hitch and bumper, this one is 4 feet. Same principal as long arms on a TJ. I'm pretty happy with the angle its sitting at now, glad I kept the adjustability in the hitch setup, first attempt was way too steep (hitch in middle of adjustment, and lunette in middle adjustment). Angle should help a bit with transferring weight to the tow pig during braking.


Not in the pics are the safety cables I put together, 5/16" winch cable with thimbles and swaged eyes running from the shackles on the heep to the hitch on the truck. I'm also going to wire up some lights for the back of the heep so people will know when I'm stopping or turning. Got all the stuff, just need to get to it.

I've taken a short test tow with it and it tracks just fine, tires straighten right out after a few figure 8's in the lot, backing up is not so fun, but possible as long as no drastic corrections are made. Of course there is the familliar pintle banging around, lets ya know its still back there and doing just fine, start worrying when its quiet.

Total cost? Hows $33 for the pintle eye sound? All the rest I already had, just took a few hours to put it all together (would have been quicker, but I TIG'd all the gussets just for kicks).