Gotta Problem With My Ball (part 3)

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To reach the top of the frame as the bed is designed and mounted (remember bed has to have an allowance for suspension travel), the total drop on the ball plate wound up to be 4 1/2 inches.While it seems like a lot of hullaballoo about a few inches, it's critical.My main concern is an older stock trailer that has no adjustment left in the hitch.  It's as high as it will go.Also, if you look at the pic of the ball that I normally use, it's a high lift ball.  It has a 2" lift.  This is in order to be able to travel over very rough ground without cocking the trailer and truck hitches.  And it's also necessary for the style of hay trailer I use.  The entire trailer tips to the right in order to roll the bales off, so it needs a high ball in order for the hitch to have enough room to travel without hitting the plate as it tilts.  (pics of ball to follow this post)PIC ONE-  The old plate as it was cut from the truck.  Note that it was a bent assembly.  Done on a press.  You can see the curve at the lip where it's been cut.  I don't feel comfortable welding to this.  It's been bent, and will be thin at the outside edge where a fillet weld has to goPIC TWO-  In order to get rid of the suspect outer lip, the plate was cut down, and a wider set of edges welded in place to give the proper width, and good material to weld toPIC THREE-  Top view of lowered pocketPIC FOUR-  View from under the bed.  I prefer a lap weld for the extension instead of a butt weld.  A lap weld will give me two welds..........one in tension(the topmost weld inside the pocket), and one in shear(the lower weld on the outside of the pocket).  The lower weld will be the strongest by far.  It will be like a ledge holding the plate.  Welds in shear are exceptionally strong.PIC FIVE-   In addition, there will be 2 new crossmembers below the existing crossmembers.  These will also help to carry the load out to the bed frame rail, and provide for a place to attach lateral bracing at truck frame level to resist fore and aft motion of the hitch.  Note the notches in the upper flange of the channel.  These are to give adequate penetration when tying the existing crossmember to the new crossmember. Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:The ball I use compared to a standare ball.  It's higher to give more clearanceHandtpipline asked why it was critical to lower my pocket.  This is the reason why.  The inches are pretty critical with the rolling stock I own.  It's mainly due to the tilting hay trailer Attached Images"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Oh yeah, as usual this is a build from the existing structure out.  It can't be assumed that anything is square or plumb.  Everything has to be clamped, then tacked to fit the bed as built.  Measurements can lie to you in a situation like this"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Looking good.  Hope everything turns out good and there arent any surprise problems.
Reply:Wait - in that last picture, Samm's got two balls!(Boy, I am SO gonna get in trouble for that ....)I do like the way you're taking this on, Samm, and rebuilding some originally bad engineering.  You're doing a good job so far - keep up the good work.  And you forgot to include a picture of the "supervisor" this time around ....
Reply:Ok, I completely understand now.  I've seen a lot of the tilting hay trailers around, but never used one, or even seen one dump.  I didn't realize that the whole neck tilts with the trailer when it dumps.  But it makes sense now.  I don't know how much you could tilt a trailer on one of my trucks before you started having  binding problems, but I'm sure not the 30 degrees or more (probably more, just guessing here) needed to dump the hay.I can understand the stock trailer thing too.  I have a friend that bought a used stock trailer several years ago.  I think it's either a 28' or 30' trailer.  Bought it from a guy in Arkansas, that had moved the axles forward... To pull it with a half ton pickup.  If I remember right, they had moved the axles forward between 3 or 4 feet, to put more weight on the trailer tires.  They had also adjusted the hitch out to the second hole, then welded it solid.  Before it was over with, I had cut out and replaced all the crossmembers in the floor (I highly doubt the cow crap had ever been shoveled or swept out since the trailer was new, so you can imagine the state of the floor) replaced the hitch on the front with a new ADJUSTABLE one, sandblasted and painted the whole thing.  I wanted to move the axles back to where they belong, but my friends dad insisted it would be best as it was.  Worked fine on their 2 wheel drive chevy 1 ton flatbed with little tires, but who do you think they wanted to pull it when the pasture was muddy? Yep, me with one of my 4x4 one ton Dodge diesels with the factory lift and oversize mud tires...I've graded many of their pasture  "trails" with the back end of their stock trailer, due to the excessive overhang on the back of the trailer...  Gives all new meaning to a "ground load" stock trailer, with the back of the trailer just about a foot off the ground on a level road...  And on one of my dually's, I always took the tailgate off to pull it , and you had to remember and be very careful not to turn at  the wrong time, since I had to pull it with the hitch slid all the way together to keep the back of the trailer off of the ground, which made the neck part of the trailer only about 3" above the top of the tailgate on level ground.  Ah, the good old days...
Reply:I see weld on D-rings.  Looks like you had the same idea I had. Attached Images