I am helping a friend retrieve this truck. It has no engine and not much front suspension. I'm new to loading cars in this condition (this will be the first time) and have no clue how beat to accomplish this. Any brilliant ideas?
I am helping a friend retrieve this truck. It has no engine and not much front suspension. I'm new to loading cars in this condition (this will be the first time) and have no clue how beat to accomplish this. Any brilliant ideas?
I've done this sort of thing more than most sane people.
I'd just drag it up the trailer with a winch, probably with a jack or dolly underneath if you're worried about scraping things.
If you're not able to drag it up the ramps, lift it with two floor jacks and back the tail of your trailer under the nose a foot or so, then use whatever combination of boards/dollies/winch to get it up from there.
Oh, I guess I didn't give you an option to do it without a winch on the trailer.
The easiest way is to spend $200 adding a Harbor Freight winch to the trailer. Seriously. I did that in a parking lot once on my way to get a car with a new trailer because it makes things so much easier. I'd go through that trouble even if you'll never need the winch again. Once you have one, you'll never go back.
Winch isn't an option? Use a come-along or two ratchet straps instead. It takes longer, but works just as well.
Jack it up higher than the fenders on the trailer. Build a beam that runs under the front of the truck and is held up by blocking so that the bottom of the beam is higher than the trailer fenders and the blocking is wider than the trailer. Back the trailer under the truck. Lower the truck on the trailer. Looks like the building is in the way...
So... jack it up high enough to get on the trailer, but have the jacks behind the front fender openings. Back the trailer under the front of the truck. Lower it onto rollers so that you can roll it forward on the trailer.
Nothing to add but cool truck, and hope we get to see more of it
Engine hoist on the trailer bed. Let the hoist roll on the trailer.
Alternately, jack the frame up enough to put it on blocks on the edge of the trailer. The blocks give clearance for getting a jack (on the trailer bed), under the frame. Let the jack foll on the trailer.
Either way, you just need to get enough of the frame over trailer bed to eventually lift it enough to get a big board and a furniture dolly under it.
Bolt large blocks of wood to the frame and let them work like skids.
Can you just put bearings, hubs, and wheels on it?
Steal an axle from a trailer?
Get the front high enough to get the trailer under it, lower the truck onto the trailer,strap the truck to the trailer so the trailer can't just pull out from underneath it when you pull away. Then you can drag it out, rolling on the rear wheels, to a spot that is easier to work on.
or could you maybe use a dolly instead??
I use cribbing and a dolly with big wheels for stuff like that. Couple sheets of plywood to roll it on till you get it off dirt/gravel.
Given no engine would dragging it on with the rear towards the hitch cause a weight distribution problem? Do they have a front end loader at the loading site that lift and drag?
Lots of ideas posted so far but it really depends on what you're towing with? Like, what's the ramps situation on the trailer?
I can tell you how not to. I tried to do this a long time ago when I was a little less experienced (=dumb). Because of the lack of rolling and the trouble pulling it on the trailer I got it on "far enough" to make the couple of mile trip I had. Major fail is it had negative tongue weight, first time I got the brakes the trailer popped off the ball and plowed through the tailgate. Even if it's super hard make sure you get the weights right.
You may consider hiring a roll back to pull it from its current spot and set it on your trailer. A decent tow company should be able to do that easily and pretty cheap.
No option for temporary wheels? Then what Tom said with the winch and jacks.
If your really worried about scratching things like the guy that got my folded in half ranger, plywood under the frame rails should help it slide better.
When I mentioned that there were two wheels in the shed I didn't noticed you didn't have any lugs to mount them to. I would search that side of the shed and see if you can find the hubs in there. That's a lot easier than trying to load it without wheels. Let me know if I can help.
Cool truck.
I am assuming you don't want to damage it while loading.
Drag or roll. Those are the options. Dragging risks damaging it.
So, you gotta figure out how to get some wheels under it. Stampie's right- first try to mount wheels. If that is not an option, and form of dolly strong enough to hold the weight will suffice. Big wheels will make it easier.
Do you have AAA?
You may be able to get them to haul it under your policy.
The rollback driver will have skids just for this scenario
These thing are always useful to have around
hubs and wheels are definitely the best choice, even if they're crappy and put on loose with no bearings. The spindles may be shot from rust anyway. Wobbly wheels means less directional control though, and no matter what a winch will make your life easier. if no wheels, maybe grab a couple of wheel dollies from Harbor Freight or Northern and ratchet strap them under the front axle or beam? They'll definitely take the weight but I don't know if that's enough clearance.
If you have a spare trailer floating around, stick a trailer axle under the front end.
Another option is crib it up on some 4x4s and back the trailer under it and set it back down.
Edit: Got a gantry crane?
I have one if these winches:
They are portable, and don't need to be installed. I just use a short piece of chain wrapped around something on the trailer.
For $79, they are hard to beat.
But it won't drag they dead weight without wheels.
Great ideas so far! I have a good winch on my trailer so that will help. We'll grab some harbor freight supplies as well. Jacking up the front end and backing the trailer as far underneath it as possible makes great sense.
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:These thing are always useful to have around
I was gonna say find a way to get these under the front end.
Grab a couple of eight foot two by sixes, jack up the front end,set one end of the boards on the trailer, lower the front end down so the ends of the u bolts are stuck into them, and winch it up. The boards will slide onto the deck, or the axle will slide up the boards if the ubolts are upside down. Hook your cable on the axle, run it over a 4x4 so its lifting the front end a bit.
I would be worried about damaging the front sheet metal ,
Can you make a skid , one under each leaf spring ? maybe with a trash can lid under the skid to help it slid ,
Are you planning on using stock drums ? if so then buy them and install......protect the spindles anyway.
Make sure the back wheels will roll , you do not want to drag them skidding up onto the trailer .
the best plan is an old boat trailer axle and chain it onto the original axle ,
And take pictures !
Good Luck
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
RE the Harbor Freight winch and using a chain
- I mounted a trailer ball in the middle of my trailer deck a couple inches behind the front lip of the trailer. I use the winch mount and have had no problems pulling derelict Triumphs, VWs and the like onto the trailer.
how about some logs under the front end. That way you won't scrape it up too bad.
Maybe substitute the people with a winch.
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