Progress Update:
September 2, 2007
Things were really starting to come
together when I stopped by this week. I talked
with Steve on Friday, and while he indicated there
had been good progress during the week, with all
structural and internal work complete, he suggested
that I wait to visit till Sunday, since he was
hoping to bead blast and prime the trailer on
Saturday.
He was true to his
word. Although Steve's shop looked like a frat
house on a Sunday morning, the trailer had indeed
been primed and was sitting temporarily on a shop
cart and the hastily-(and temporarily-) installed
landing wheels on the front, since he'd clearly
moved the trailer out of the shop for the bead
blasting.
Major changes since
last week, primer notwithstanding, included the
construction of the heavy-duty forward control post
that would house a 12-volt battery and the hydraulic
pump and motor for the trailer arms (with fluid
reservoir built into the vertical structure itself),
and installation of external steel stiffeners on the
outside of the trailer frame, in addition to
completion of all the tubing and channels for the
cross support beams used to hold the boats' keels.
We planned a
hydraulically-operated pivoting hitch on the
trailer, which would allow the frame to be lifted
and lowered at the hitching point to aid in blocking
and so forth as required. This heavy
arrangement, supported on a pin and bearing of
impressively fine tolerances, looked great.
Steve was
optimistic about the trailer completion, and said
that he hoped it would be done in a week. In
fact, he had a series of boat moves and hauls
scheduled for Friday the 7th, for which he
hoped--and planned--to use my trailer as a sort of
shakedown and trial run. While things were
clearly coming together, I thought that seemed a
little optimistic when only three working days
remained.
Work remaining
included: applying the final paint to the trailer
and suspension parts; permanent installation of the
suspension parts; fabrication and installation of
all the hydraulic lines, air lines, and electrical
system; mounting the tires and rims; installing the
air tanks and appurtenances; and a host of other
detail items, including DOT inspection and
installation of a VIN.
Meanwhile, I still
have a couple things to get finished up on the
truck, which ought to take place this week.
On to the
pictures... |
