Some of my recent projects.

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First up is a propane burner for one of me most repeat customers. This guy owns a clam bake/cook out buisness and has a bunch of equipment that needs fixing or upgrading. Until I came along he was useing the blower type propane burners that only concentrated on one spot. He wanted a more universal burner that could heat large pans and be swapped out to grill with too. This was made based on a guide from another forum(theres only really one out there). Using parts frm home depot, 1" black pipe, and the frame was made from the old burnr frame. I made it do the burner can be removed from the frame and dismantled for easy cleaning and the ability to change it up later if he needs to.Theres many possiblities with this design. By switching up the burner pipes this could be used for almost anything from heating pans and then removing the inner 2 burners and putting it in a pig roaster. By switching around burner pipes, propane nozzles and psi you can get alot of diiferant flame characteristics. Attached Images
Reply:I also made 2 differant venturi's for more variable flame characteristics. Attached Images
Reply:Lengthening a small boat trailer to hold a 18' canoe. I added 5' to the tounge and reinforced it. Made the roller mounting tabs from strut channel. Attached Images
Reply:This one didnt involve too much welding but it could save you $230+. My door latch on my suburban stopped working. It wasnt the usual just stuck in the down postion. This time the latch was just flapping in the breeze and would catch in any position.There isnt many junk yards around here and the dealership wanted $230 for a new one. I was certain befor I took it out that it had to just be a broken spring.Upon inspection the catch for the latch's spring as broken so it wasent locking into position. I formed a peg on the plastic corner and welded on a tiny piece of 1/8" rod to the catch. Using those 2 points I added a spring I had in a variety pack.Works like a charm... for now atleast  Attached Images
Reply:Heres a trailer I found for free. It was side swipped and in the accident both wheels and hubs broke off of the axel. I rebuilt the axle and converted it from a boat trailer to more of a utility trailer. I cut the tounge down about 4' and added it to the middle above the axle for extra support.I used 7018AC at 135-150 amps. Attached Images
Reply:Hope your not on a 56k connection Ad heres my shop mascot. His mid section is a spring handle from a chipping hammer. He dances pretty nice in the wind. Attached Images
Reply:Nice work!  I really like the burners.  I need to make the same type for holding steady heat in my smoker after the smoking part of over.
Reply:Nice work, but one suggestion is the lengthened tongue for the boat trailer, even though it's only holding a canoe, that tongue is going to bend after going down the road a few times.  Personally I would add some 1/4"-1/2" flat stock, with the edge stitch welded to the bottom of the tongue to give it some added bracing to keep it from flexing.
Reply:i liked the door latch and the sculpture, what can u tell us about that axle? that isnt bed frame angle is it? I think you would have been better off building a whole new axle there.Nothing Ever Got Done By Quitting, Never Give Up.
Reply:I like the burners too. I recently made a BBQ that i think is just too big for charcoal... Mind posting the link to the other forum for that burner information? Or if thats not allowed, PMing it to me? That would be sweet! Love the mascott!
Reply:Originally Posted by AntiblingPersonally I would add some 1/4"-1/2" flat stock, with the edge stitch welded to the bottom of the tongue to give it some added bracing to keep it from flexing.
Reply:Originally Posted by Doug247i liked the door latch and the sculpture, what can u tell us about that axle? that isnt bed frame angle is it? I think you would have been better off building a whole new axle there.
Reply:I as well am looking at the canoe trailer, super wide turns. I have seen people before on the highway that have a rear support for canoes on short trailers. I'll see if I can find a pic...
Reply:Well I found a crap load of the same design I did.Thanks for being worried but I did my homework. I felt comfortable with it and if theres a problem I will pay the price. Attached Images
Reply:I hope that the weld in picture #4 of post #5 is not indicative of the type of welds you put on trailers.  Leaving a blow hole in a crater is a HUGE mistake!!  Know what stress risers are?  Ever hear about mechanical resonance?  Know much about basic engineering?  Got GOOD insurance?  You may need it."The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:Originally Posted by Bob the WelderI hope that the weld in picture #4 of post #5 is not indicative of the type of welds you put on trailers.  Leaving a blow hole in a crater is a HUGE mistake!!  Know what stress risers are?  Ever hear about mechanical resonance?  Know much about basic engineering?  Got GOOD insurance?  You may need it.
Reply:By Skeluhtor;That wasent the end of the weld. The blow hole was ground down, tied into, and continued. Insurance covers me for 2 million, lets hope a 600lb max load trailer doesnt cause that much damage.
Reply:Will be used for hauling scrap gutter pieces. Just needed something 8'  long.I know its not the best plan for the axel but its not a perfct world by any means. That weld was in the middle of the axel. It was 2 peices of angle overlapping each side about 5". There was a gap and I was burrying the weld in to penetrate the tubing underneath and tie in the sides.  It could have been some zinc boiling off, some paint, flux, or a bit of rust at the end that caused it. I think it just had to with it reaching the end and blowing through the bottom or getting really hot as the heat had nowhere else to go at the end. It was 7018AC at 150 amps, crappy lincoln rods from home depot. Please give me something constructive to go on as opposed to just jumping to conclusions and insults. Even if you advice is to never weld again.
Reply:Skeluhtor, my intention is not to slam you for welding.  The statements I made were to give you somethings to think about regarding the design of parts and the altering of trailers.  Mechanical resonance applies to the long extension of the trailer tongue and the way the splices were made.  Weld craters should never have fish eyes in them.  Even an empty trailer going down the road at 50 MPH is subjected to enormous dynamic loads, especially if the road is rough.  Clean steel is one of the requirements for good welds.  Please use a rock and/or tiger paw liberally.  Consider the use of plug or slot welds in some joint designs.  Good luck, Bob."The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:Personally, I think you should do a FEA model of the entire design to see what the mechanical resonance is at different speeds on various road conditions.  That way when you are going through one, you can accelerate quickly through the spike.  See what the National Canoe Trailer Comittee has for guidelines concerning maximum amplitude vs frequency is, where the spike can be located on your speed map and make sure you have the latest copy.  : )
Reply:LMAO I'll let the mythbusters do a show on it.
Reply:I was browsing craigslist a little while after ths convo took place and found this "customized trailer" by a local welder for $300. Wonder what mechanical resonance would do to this gem.*waits for the person who will argue its a better design then mine* Attached Images
Reply:I try to avoid anything that says custom....The definition of "CUSTOM" when referenced to an add is, Hey, this item is complete junk and the only reason it is custom is because no one else would be dumb enough to do it    Same thing with vehicles when they say, Rebuilt engine.  Rebuilt by who?    Sorry, a little off topic. Like the burner idea though.  If my father in law is home, I'll post up a pic of his "custom" M36A2 deuce
Reply:I think Bob was being a little hard on your welding bead (I had to go back and look at it twice before I even saw the little eruption at the end of the bead) and I am quite sure that we have all done beads that looked a lot worse than that one.  However, when you post projects and close-ups of your welds, you are inviting constructive criticism.  If we all just ooh and ahh'd at your photos, you would think you had done a perfect job and you would not strive to improve.  I have been welding for 40 years and I KNOW that I would get called on the mat for some of the welds that I still occasionally produce.  Conditions sometimes dictate that, no matter what you do, some problems will arise.Miller Syncrowave 350Millermatic 252/ 30A spoolgunMiller Bobcat 225g w/ 3545 spoolgunLincoln PowerArc4000Lincoln 175 Mig  Lincoln 135 Mig Everlast 250EX TigCentury ac/dc 230 amp stickVictor O/AHypertherm 1000 plasma
Reply:I understand I am not hurt really. I didnt post that weld because I thought it was perfect. When I work its hard to think of anything(i usually forget to eat) I just happend to remember to take a photo right at that moment and its the only one I got of a weld. I have been meaning to post atleast one picture of a weld I have done so I bit the bullet and put that up. I know posting anything other then a perfect weld is asking for flak but I also wanted to have atleast one weld pic in this huge post so people didnt feel cheated.I'm an amateur, but I think that weld will hold just fine.I have been on wrecking jobs where crap was slapped together with imperfections, little weld, unclean metal, etc. And I was amazed at how much abuse those items could take without breaking. For example, using huge I-beam for dragging around a jobsite to smooth the roads. Weld on a couple of lugs and attach some chains. Man, you wanna talk about stressing a weld! It would get caught on parts of concrete foundation wall, then it would be swinging and bouncing from being moved around, hanging on the bucket of an endloader. You would be amazed at how strong "weld" actually is.I think after the ed mac hitch thread, everybody is on a perfection bandwagon."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:I think part of Bobs problem with it was the direction of the weld aswell? It running lengthwise on the axle may be asking for trouble? I think thats why he mentioned plug welds. I have seen some amazingly bad welds by people who make 2-3x more then me, are certified, and are working on HIGH risk things. My boss when I did structural welding said NEVER to chip off the slag and check the weld. He wanted me to just go as quickly as possible and didnt want to fix it if something was wrong under the slag. Needless to say I didnt do as he wished.
Reply:On a more serious note,Bob is right about stress concentrators.  Be mindful of any weld that is going to undergo alternating stresses.  This is an excellent area for a crack to start and propagate.  From a design standpoint, welds in these areas should be ground down to a smooth surface and any 'major' defects should be weld repaired.  Dimple like spots aren't as bad as 'linear' (i.e. crack looking) defects, be practical.A good way to think about good designs (low stresses) is to look at nature.  Trees, for example, don't have limbs come out at 90 degrees with no radius.  So make your welds fillets nice and smooth if you are worried about stresses, especially alternating stresses like your trailer will see.  It's not always good to show off your 'stack of dimes'.  Canoe trailer - I'm sure you're fine, turbocharger impeller - smooth ground welds, boiler piping (Bob the Welder, right?) - smooth ground welds that don't stress or corrode as easily in hot dirty steam.  I'm not sure on the direction of the weld in relation to its loading, maybe someone else can chime in.  But, I would be concerned about a good surface area of weld.  I was joking about the mechanical resonance because the complexity involved is outstanding and the results would be hard to use, even if somehow accurate.  Cheers,
Reply:By Stick-man;You would be amazed at how strong "weld" actually is.
Reply:The first thing that caught my eye was the "diamond shaped" fishplate on the side of the trailer reach - Pic 5 of post #3.When I have time, I will scan in some material and post it so you can see how to do that properly.  In an attempt to make it "Stronger"... You have in actuality introduced a number of Stress Risers and made it much weaker than you realize.I don't know how much I agree with using the angle iron stuck together to cobble up an axle either, but I will sidestep that and comment that Bob was Spot-On when recommending Plug or Slot welds to properly weld out to the axle tubes in this application.  I think the method you employed leaves a Large margin for Error.By your comments, and your responses, I can see both your enthusiasm for this trade, but also your ignorance of basic sound principles to do it properly.  Do not take that as an insult - It was not intended that way - Instead USE that enthusiasm to drive you to research, and learn, and better yourself.I'll dig out that material in the next day or two and post it for your consideration.Have a Good DayLater,Jason
Reply:Where on the cape are you?Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:PocassetI am going to stay away from trailers and anything risky. These where the only 2 trailers. I hope they hold I will cut my losses there. Just needed to make up for the Cape Cod annual 9 months of no work so figured I could risk 2 trailers to catch up on bills. I am eager and willing to learn and thank you guys for your input. Honestly I am just working towards my plans for production pieces that have no liability. Should be moving on to those within a month. Dont ask what it is cause I am guarding it with my life just trust when I say theres no liability.
Reply:Plenty of work for you there, I am originally from Plymouth and did a ton of work in that area. I had work all year round down there, just gotta go after it.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by SkeluhtorHeres a trailer I found for free. It was side swipped and in the accident both wheels and hubs broke off of the axel. I rebuilt the axle and converted it from a boat trailer to more of a utility trailer. I cut the tounge down about 4' and added it to the middle above the axle for extra support.I used 7018AC at 135-150 amps.
Reply:Great points. Thank you.I agree with almost everything.The turning radius to me doesnt add up. I know if the tires where forward more it would seem like a shorter turn radius but the length of the trailer would still be the same. The end of the trailer would still follow the same arc as if the tires where in the back. Atleast the way I invision it. So now essentially you have a trailer that looks like it has a tight turning radius so you forget the 5 feet hanging off the back. I saw this potentially causing some major damage.I now agree the tongue could have been done alot better. I dont think the length of the tongue is the ssue as shown by many other trailer manufactures using long tongues. But i agree the way I went about it could have been alot better. I like the sleeve Ides but this was an odd shape 1 3/4" x 3" I dont think I would have been able to find an exact match to slide over. I think it would have been best to just replace the whole tongue with smething a little beefier and welded support to the bottom. Someone suggested angle on the bottom in a "v" stile. I also thought of doing this and was thinking of using grarage door track cause I have a bunch of it.Money was a big issue as it stood the guy wasent happy with the $200 bill total(thats everything 4 hours labor and material) I actually had maybe 10 hours into it. between wiring, 2 hours round trip to get material, painting, and etc. I originally hgave him 2 designs but we decided on long tongue as oppsed to extend the back. Extending the back on this isnt as simple as it looks. The lights and plate would have to be moved. The C channel on the back was really flimsy I didnt trust it to hold all that extra metal(and incase someone puts a motor boat on it) it also only had the 2 bolts one on each end. So I would have had to reinforce the back aswell. It would have taken probaly double the time and material. The axle may have been to far forward for that setup aswell. I would have been 5 foot extra off the back and maybe the canoe will stick out a little too.I also figured adding the lenth to the middle of the tongue would cut down on any vibrations and bending effecting the welds. Thats why i didnt add it to one of the ends. I figure the weakest point is the middle and my design has the welds as far from the middle as possible.Last edited by Skeluhtor; 06-14-2011 at 02:55 PM.
Reply:I really wonder how the other trailer manufacturers get away with it. Seriously look  these up theres 18' trailers with some pretty flimsy tongues. I know they are solid and not hacked up like mine but they should still droop as everyone is claiming.Last edited by Skeluhtor; 06-14-2011 at 03:04 PM.
Reply:As for the axle repair trailer. I now know it would have been unmeasurably better to just buy an axle or atleast axle tube. I sold it to a friend of mine who needs it for bringing gutter scraps to recycle. He would only pay me $150 for the trailer in working condition. So spending too much money getting it somewhat road worthy was tough.I know a friend can become an enemy when something goes wrong and I also know he could use it for something unforesen. But again in an imperfect world with everything considered thats how it went down.I think I maybe made $10 an hour after, loading an 18 foot trailer with no axles ontop of my suburban by myself, misc parts, swapping a new tire onto one of the rims by hand, cutting welding, testing, etc.Last edited by Skeluhtor; 06-14-2011 at 03:03 PM.
Reply:DeletedLast edited by Black Wolf; 06-14-2011 at 04:10 PM.Later,Jason
Reply:Sorry that doesnt make sense at all. While bending just my elbow my elbow becomes the pivet point at the hitch. Which makes my forearm a representation of a smaller trailer.While swinging at my shoulder it makes my shoulder the pivot point which represents my whole arm being a longer trailer.As for "tighter turning arc, but increases Tail Swing" Thats exactly what I said and described. That is my problem with it the 5+ feet hanging off the back that can "tail swing" into other vehicles.EDIT: My point was a trailer of the same length has essentially the same arc no matter where the axle is. I understand shorter trailers would have shorter arcs.Last edited by Skeluhtor; 06-14-2011 at 03:26 PM.
Reply:DeletedLast edited by Black Wolf; 06-14-2011 at 04:10 PM.Later,Jason
Reply:We are in total agreemant as far as I can see. Dont see why we are argueing and why your saying I am wrong. I completely understand turning radius. In both your examples the *** end of the trailer will still stick out the same amount no matter where the axles are. The problem comes with the shorter arc. As you take a tighter turn it makes the *** end kick out at a more extreme angle and when that kick out is 5' thats potentially reaching into oncoming traffic.If your axle is at the very back your vehicle would already have to be in oncoming traffice for the *** end to follow that arc.I am guessing thats why the genius engineers designed big rigs with the axles in the rear.
Reply:DeletedLast edited by Black Wolf; 06-14-2011 at 04:10 PM.Later,Jason
Reply:That would be a trailer with a pivet in the middle. IE: a big rig hauling 2 trailers
Reply:Originally Posted by SkeluhtorEDIT: My point was a trailer of the same length has essentially the same arc no matter where the axle is.
Reply:DeletedLast edited by Black Wolf; 06-14-2011 at 04:11 PM.Later,Jason
Reply:Please stop repeating yourself. My statement was poorly worded but if you actually read what I am saying you should see I understand.It doesnt have the same arc but it does have the same length and if the arc was the same it would actually hurt my arguement.EDIT: I had to recollected my thoughts and I still hold firm a trailer with the same length is capable of the same turning arc no matter where the axle is BUT it will turn with very differant chracteristics. That is the point I am trying to make with that statement.Last edited by Skeluhtor; 06-14-2011 at 04:44 PM.
Reply:I UNDERSTAND TURNING RADIUS!!!Anyone who has ever driven 2 differant vehicles does. Anyone with an IQ above 50 does!!I DO TOO
Reply:dude,my elektron-bremen spotwelder tripped a breaker,not it wont even come on.Any palce you might direct me go to for help?
Reply:I have went back and deleted my "Repetitious" Posts.My point of concern is still your statement that I have quoted in Post #44.If you have it sorted out, then the conversation is redundant.Carry on.Last edited by Black Wolf; 06-14-2011 at 04:16 PM.Later,Jason
Reply:Great so now it looks like I was argueig with myself for 2 hours. I refuse to post in this thread anymore everyone who had complaints you win I give up please feel free to get your last words in so everyone knows you have won.