Fifth Wheel Dolly Built From Salvaged Parts

Fifth Wheel Dolly Built From Salvaged Parts HITCHES Hitches 27-5-29 Lee and Charlotte deVries, Scio, Oregon, enjoy taking long trips with their pickup and fifth-wheel trailer. But putting the trailer into storage was always tricky. The extended cab pickup and trailer together were so long, Lee couldn't get a straight shot at the door. "My wife usually helps guide me into the building and we have to go back and forth several times before we get the trailer parked," he says. "I thought it would be really nice if my 8N Ford could perform this task rather than the pickup," he says. Trouble was, the hitch weight of the 24-ft. trailer is considerably more than he could put on the old tractor's 3-point. "I needed to come up with something that would carry the weight and still be maneuverable," he says. When he heard a neighbor was scrapping out an old self-propelled Cockshutt swather, he bought the pivot wheel and the V-frame, which is made of 2 1/2 by 5 1/2-in. channel on one side of the "V" and 3 by 6-in. channel on the other side. He cut the V-frame off 48 in. in front of the pivot wheel. Then he added vertical supports on the front ù at the two ends of the V - and attached mountings made of 1 1/2 by 3-in. channel iron so it would couple to the 8N's 3-pt. hitch. He also added bracing from the vertical supports back to the V frame to steady them, and attached 1 1/2 by 2-in. angle iron legs to support the front end so he can unhook or hook up easily. These swing up and lock out of the way when in use. He bolted a length of 3 by 6-in. channel iron (left over when he cut off the V-frame) on top of the frame about halfway between the pivot wheel and the 3-pt. hitch. In the center of this, he welded a 3-in. length of 3-in. inside diameter steel tubing. This makes a receiver for the trailer hitch pin. Now, all he has to do is unhook the trailer from the pickup, back his fifth wheel dolly into place and lower the trailer hitch into the tube. Because the 8N is shorter, more maneuverable, and allows him a better view while backing up, parking the trailer in the shed is no longer a despised chore. "For safety sake, I recommend using a stabilizer bar on at least one side of the 3-pt. hitch, especially if you're on a slope," he adds. "I think several brands of swathers could provide the basic components for one of these," he says. He says making the dolly cost under $100 and took very little time, yet it saves him a good deal of time and frustration each time he uses it. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lee deVries, 43251 Rodgers Mountain Loop, Scio, Oregon 97374 (ph 503 394-3088; email: sewfun@wvi.com).

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