Car Sign

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Any one here who has a welding business knows waht goofy jobs come around some times. Well, this is one of those. My powder coater wanted a sign for the back of their Smart car. The rest of the car is painted all over for advertising but the back wasn't where the painter thought he could do a good job. So, it's time to call Bob.I had to get two eye screws from Mercedes that screw into two wierdly threaded holes in the back of the Smart car. They cost $38 a piece! I built the sign and cut out the al. to fit the frame. After painting they riveted it to the frame.After seeing it, the owner asked if I would build a trailer hitch to bolt into the two holes. He also wanted me to build a little trailer to tow behind this little roller skate. I've been in this business long enough to know when to say NO! Attached Images
Reply:They remind me of a geo metro but the geo got better gas mileage and was alot cheaper. Nice looking sign and I feel safer on the road knowing it doesn't have a trailer hitch.
Reply:I have seen a smart car with a trailer hitch before.   (No im not drunk)  so someone has to make one.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Some one Dualie, but not me. As my dear old Dad would say "This thing wouldn't pull a sick whore off a bed pan"
Reply:I wont make custom hitches for anyone, too much liability.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Originally Posted by BobSome one Dualie, but not me. As my dear old Dad would say "This thing wouldn't pull a sick whore off a bed pan"
Reply:Originally Posted by DualieI have seen a smart car with a trailer hitch before.   (No im not drunk)  so someone has to make one.
Reply:i just dont think that i could hold my head up high and drive around in one of them things.... my daddy for sure would come by and whoop my john brown hindpottsnothing fancy, just a few hot glue guns for metalwww.sicfabrications.com
Reply:Just thinking and looking... I would bet that is one more fun li'l pair to back upA saddle for every horseLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:In the first photo - that trailer would be nice......... to haul my mother-in-law around in. I wouldn't have to hear her!!!"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 saw a Toyota camry at Lowes this weekend with a 12' trailer that was stacked with all sorts of cabinets and stuff - all I could do is sit and stare.  I am a big fan of failblog and thereifixedit but I rarely get to see that stuff in real life.  This was a classic overloaded sedan.  The only consolation is that he simply wont be able to build enough speed up to be a real danger to people Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:Originally Posted by gwileyThe only consolation is that he simply wont be able to build enough speed up to be a real danger to people
Reply:Originally Posted by gwileyI saw a Toyota camry at Lowes this weekend with a 12' trailer that was stacked with all sorts of cabinets and stuff - all I could do is sit and stare.  I am a big fan of failblog and thereifixedit but I rarely get to see that stuff in real life.  This was a classic overloaded sedan.  The only consolation is that he simply wont be able to build enough speed up to be a real danger to people
Reply:C'mon skeluhtor  get honest here... what zactlee is the top speed allowed on Cape Cod? 30 35 mph probably  Too pretty to drive too fast. Biggest problem ya' got is dodging the Porsche Carreras.  Take heart, I'm about to unveil the smallest welding trailer in the world on WW.  a bike could tow it.  It'll make yours look like a hvy equp trailerLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Yeah I am not really mad but it does hit close to home when I hear about small cars and trailers. I posted a bakfiets someone was using as a welding rig on the rigs post. I am interested to see urs papalion.The top speed is 65(on the "highway") but its all 99% one lane roads and 99% retired old people driving so if you can hit 35 you should feel lucky
Reply:Originally Posted by SkeluhtorCamry's come with v6's. I dont see why people think you need a truck of some sort to pull a trailer? Suvs(tall station wagons) and light trucks usually have 4cyl-6cyl and they weigh twice as much and usually dont have disk brakes all around. I have seen an f 250 with a v6. I know the whole torque argument but honestly when your vehicle weighs twice as much before adding a trailer and more weight lets look at the big picture.The main concern I would think would be first in peoples minds is the ability for a smaller car to be able to stop fast enough with a trailer. Logically if it has disk brakes all around it will be able to stop even faster then a truck. Everyone knows trucks are horibble at braking even without added weight.The 2 main things to consider are your engines cooling system and type of brakes. A smaller vehicle wont be able to hold as much tongue weight but thats about the only drawback I can forsee. Also the sedan doesnt hold the weight the trailer does thats what they are for.What problems do people think smallers cars will have with towing a trailer? Everyone frowns upon it but there points are so vague "overloaded sedan"? "wont be able to build up enough speed"? I dont see where your making these connections. I included pictures of my tailer setup so you can laugh and make judgments. Heck I even give you permission to submit it to the failblog. But for the record I hold my head up just fine knowing I can logically understand how a small car would be able to pull a trailer just fine. The money I make doing it helps a little too,the gas milage I get(30mpg), and believe it or not it can get up to speed just fine. I wont be pulling any whores off of bedpans in my forseeable future but in the meantime I think I can live with it.
Reply:Makes perfect sense thanks for putting it into prospective for me gwiley. I knew transmissions played a big part obviously thats why big rigs have like 20 gears. But I didnt really make the connection between that and a small car. Funny thing is I saw a 90's camaro with a 12'-15' trailer at home depot just the other day and it made me feel a little better. But by what you say that could almost be a good towing vehicle if the gearing was right and it had a transmission cooler  I know they use truck engines and transmission in some models but the rear end is probably geared differant. Also sportier cars have over sized brakes.I feel like I hijacked the thread so im gonna stop talking now
Reply:Simply put, takes weight to move weight.    Mass and inertia.     When the trailer weighs equal to or greater than the weight of the tow vehicle, when the tow vehicle turns in a panic maneuver it better have the mass to assure the trailer follows.   its never good when the trailer starts leading the tow vehicle around.   Second is most new sedan's are front wheel drive, when you load the trailer up it takes weight off of the drive wheels AND the steering wheels.  Having trailer brakes only serves to make this worse as grabby trailer brakes will only add more down force on the hitch putting the front end farther up in the air. The arguments about brakes are also very valid.Another thing that trucks have that cars don't is leaf springs,  coil springs tend to have to much variable rate in them to be great for towing and hauling.   some Late model pickups have coil springs that they some how engineered around this problem but i still think a leaf sprung solid rear axle is preferable for towing.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Just like dualie said...One though comes to mind for me when I think of a car towing a "big" trailer... jackknife...  In the event that a small car can stop fast enough with its undersized brakes for towing (or even a sports car with "oversized" brakes)  when the inertia of the trailer wants to keep moving straight ahead and there is not sufficient weight on the rear of the vehicle to prevent this it wont be pretty.  Also on a bouncy/rough road towing a heavy trailer with a car that literally has no weight in the rear and the tow point so close to the rear wheels I would not think it at all unlikely that the trailer could lift the rear wheels off the ground when its bouncing all over the place.
Reply:Her ya go Skeluhtor, only 1/2 done as of today ... dimensions, tongue to tail  53" long, width including tires  34" max, so it'll go thru doorways even.  Not for highway use, but it'll go everywhere on the ranchita behind my li'l tote mule. Betcha the Smart could even tow it Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:That things sweet  widen the wheel base a little and I would take it on the highway  I think CrazzeeeKellie could pull it. Thats actually how I got my trailer some guy was using it on his farm with a 4 wheeler  got it for $50, rebuilt the bearrings, rewired, new deck, and 4 cans of paint and primer.What else are you going to do. Do you have a thread going for thi sproject? If so link it pls.
Reply:i wish i had a picture of it when i saw i was fueling up my f450 work truck out at the river with the boats which is easy for my truck i saw a chevy s10 pull up with a 24' fishing boat hitched up the trucks turning radius was so bad with all that rear weight