Updates

Well now... No point in lying. I was anxious and a little worried to actually pull it. Fact is, I didn't really calm down until after I weighed it on the big truck scales, got a bite to eat and took a break...
I torqued all lug nuts, checked lights, checked breakaway system battery, put my gooseneck spider in my bed on rails, secured with pins, connected breakaway line, inspected all of the shackles, spring mounts etc. I greased all grease fittings. (jacks, equalizers, coupler) Set all air pressure to 80 psi and reversed and pulled forward braking numerous times. I drove around a 3 block circle and returned for inspection. Then I drove out to the four lane and hit it! I did keep my truck in 3rd instead of overdrive, we know the trailer is at least 6200 lbs. I didn't add welding wire and I didn't have the correct measurements on the dovetail angle 5/16 X 3, as well, the scales could be slightly off... I couldn't ascertain a correct intelligent answer as to what percentage are they guaranteed correct... Such is the world/time in which we live... I was so excited I have no idea what I paid for the two weighs... She pulls just as pretty as you please, my truck knows she's there, but just goes on... My happiest realization is that there is no jerking/bucking going on and I purposely hit potholes to investigate oddities. So, in light of that, I'd say the rigid frame and neck idea are an extreme success.

Here are the scale tickets, as you can see; Steer axle is 3200 lbs. Drive axle is at 3820 lbs. and trailer axles are at 5160 lbs all while connected to truck.

Total is 12,180 lbs.

Then I dropped trailer on scales and weighed alone. At the jacks the trailer is 1880 lbs. At the axles the trailer is 4620 lbs.

Total trailer 6500 lbs.

I'd like to point out that I'm building ramps now, 40 inches wide each and they are very heavy, I'm guessing I'll be lucky if I can keep them at 300 lbs. each. I ordered 3 sets of assist springs, up and down is plan, I may adjust that number by necessity... 

Also, as time/money permits I have every intention of removing 7k axles and replacing with 12k axles and running super singles rated at 6005 lbs each.

I pulled it roughly 46 miles all told and I plan to pull it again unladen on a nicer day with no rain in forecast. I've yet to finish priming and painting bottom of bed plate and painting the rest of the mainframe...I expect I'll get on those issues as work permits. I'm attempting to design and build ramps in the evenings/nights but I have to rest a little... 

Good Day!

Tunes

People I am so tired working 16-18 hours per day that I've just been dragging butt this morning, should be doing wiring, yet I am listening to music. Here are a couple I found recently that I'm fond of, I don't consume alcoholic beverages anymore but I can certainly relate well.
Neither of these recordings sound quality on a system (ie. I'm running a DJ mixing board, Crown amps and JBL M-Pro's (dual 15's, horns) switchable to Klipsch CF-3's...) however, on my little computer speakers (Klipsch THX) they actually sound fantastic...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO3RIy7JB7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McdA0aPQEUI

A good laugh!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMFY7RhzhDA

All Mickey Gilley...

Here is one that does sound fabulous on ANY system and can be really cranked up!!! I thrive on the horn parts!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaUVLvhwwK8

Okay, that's enough goofing off, have a nice day...

DREADNOUGHT

Dreadnought definitions that suit me...

One that is among the largest or most powerful of its kind.

Fears nothing.

Big, Strong, Impressive, Awe inspiring.

Any large heavily armored battleship.


Heh!

Sand application between topcoats

Here folks is an image of the result of shaking clean/dry sand in between the final two topcoats...The feel is that of around 20 grit sandpaper...

Hi Solids Polyurethane

Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to these types of coatings because the actual topcoat hi solids polyurethane was actually much worse than the Kem Kromik primer, as far as odor and dislike. I'm not sure if the hardener was the culprit and what, if any, effect the reducer had in the mix, I had to reduce it a small amount to make it more workable... Very happy I never opened the stuff inside!!! I even had a good breeze blowing and it annoyed me.

After careful consideration, I'm leaning towards letting the huge landing gear idea go at this time due mainly to the weight. (I have a slightly educated guess that they are over 220 lbs each)

I might add that if I do happen to come into possession of a GM Duramax (Preferring the GMC)  I could go ahead with the extra weight...Especially if a set pops up on Craigslist that's reasonable...

I guess it's time to talk about my truck. I suppose you can see it in some of my posts. I love it! It is a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 2wd extended cab long bed with the 6.0 LS engine.
A little story; I've gone to look at the new trucks, mouth gets all dry, then I get back in my paid for, nothing wrong with Baby and she glides away just as pretty as you please... Sure a crew cab four door, four wheel drive, dually, WITH DIESEL AND ALLISON TOO!!! would be tits!!!
Some of you may know, if you've ever heard of a spark plug, or haven't spent your life on Uranus, that GM's LS engines are the easiest to soup up.  Very reasonably priced mods and some of the best engines in existence... SO! I've toyed with the idea of freshening it up (new rod bearings and mains, rings, oil pump etc) and slapping on a set of aluminum L-92 heads and a new intake. Then adding a small turbo charger (75mm) and running about 10 lbs of boost. I figure that'll get me in the 500-550 hp range and around 500 ft. lbs. of torque to pull my trailer loaded uphill without, lets just say, getting in the way... My dealer says they can reflash computer and offered options for the transmission.. While toying I have noted that Hudiburg Fleet sales in Oklahoma seems to have the best prices on the 2015 and 2016 3500HD crew cab 4X4 with Duramax and Allison....Both with pickup bed and cab and chassis and bed options as well. (I'm rather fond of the aluminum flat beds)
Obviously I'd go with the dually for stability but folks that's an awful lot of money, I cannot trade my truck because she's my girl...She's reliable if I do nothing! I have a car I could trade in but I'm not a fan of payments AT ALL! Therefore I'm left with paying for it by working my butt off. I'm starting a complete exterior first thing in the morning, I'll get the interior as well... But honestly, I'd need 20 more to buy that truck and I'm not certain I could do it. Sure, it would be fantastic and I could do more dabbling in heavy equipment (buying/selling) but I just don't think I could do it. That is a boatload of money!

That's all I have to say about that. I need to get up early, get to Nashville and get to work... It rained a good portion of the day here and I had to give a bid for work so nothing got done on goose today, still need to finish priming bottom of diamond plate and painting it as well, then I need to run 7 conductor wire in conduit, wire in breakaway box, electrical connector, brakes, stop and turns... Then design and build ramps. Add additional lights etc.

I'll tell you what!!! Has anybody seen the big truck trailers with the tilting landing pads on jacks? They ride in a low in the rear attitude and look B.A. to me. The 12 thousand pound axles from Dexter are $1300 each through my dealer in TX. Two month waiting time after ordering... Tires and wheels are $235 each and are 18 ply rated at 6005 lbs each. Though they are 17.5 inch, they are actually smaller in circumference than the 16's. (lower profile side wall) The total will be around $4000. to get to the labor part. Meanwhile I'm looking for the big truck jacks I've got to have, these Bulldogs are petty in comparison., comparatively the Bulldogs look anorexic...
Talking to my engineering friend, we agree there is no rating that can be put on my mainframe and bedframe because there is no comparison, the weight carrying capacity of my trailer can *ONLY* be limited by the axles. The diamond plate is 278 lbs per sheet, times 5 equals 1390 lbs...

I was thinking of putting JDM inside neck I-beam and now I'm toying with maybe:

LEVIATHAN
BEHEMOTH
COLOSSUS
DREADNOUGHT

Heh!

Maybe DREADNOUGHT and my phone number...

Anybody have a set of big truck trailer jacks that sound like what I'm talking about please contact me... I don't believe they are made any longer, too much weight...

Another comment on commercial trailers... Folks the entire "torque tube" fiasco created by the large trailer companies to sound intelligent and add cost is killing me really, I get tears streaming down my face at the lengths they will go to in order to build a cheap trailer and make cheap sound inviting. Hilarious doesn't quite get there...

So as I mentioned in an earlier post, get up on a commercially available trailer and walk to any corner and jump and the opposing corner flops up and down, well looky here people... Along comes the almighty *torque tube* watch this; by welding a piece of pipe at 2 or 3 points inside the mainframe they can cut down on the flopping when you jump on the corners... Hehehehehehe....

Okay, here's the thing people... steel flex is about the worst thing you can do to steel, it causes the steel to become stressed, metal fatigue is a serious problem, you cannot fix it. Imagine replacing the main beams in these trailers after a few years...

Again, I'd like to point out that anybody can build their own. My fully boxed mainframe beams are extremely ridged, the rear wall of the 6 inch channel is 7/16 inch thick, the web is 3/4 inch, now double that and you can imagine the strength we're talking about. Two of those for the main frame and then main frame crossmembers from the same material, then add another one to the center of the crossmembers... Do you think this system can flex???