DAPNET Forums Archive › Forums › Equipment Category › Equipment › Work sled with quick-drop wheels?
- This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 9 months ago by
carl ny.
- AuthorPosts
- February 13, 2013 at 4:17 pm #44508
Tracey
ParticipantI have a problem and an idea to solve it. Before I go re-inventing something, I want to find out if it (or plans) already exist.
I run a small school farm and we have a nice little bunch of maple trees. We usually hang buckets on 40-75 trees. Getting there with the horses involves about a half mile of road travel and about half mile of snow/ground.
I lay awake at night thinking of a work sled with wheels. Now let’s see if I can describe it…
The idea: on the runners (attached on the up side) there’s something like motorcycle kickstands. You stop the horses, drop the kickstands, ask the horses to step up, and the whole rig is off the ground a few inches, resting on kickstands. Then with the next step forward the kickstands rotate back as wheels drop down. A spring-loaded pin (like on a jack that folds up) catches and holds the wheels in the “down” position. Ready for road travel. To get back to the runners, pull each spring loaded pin, step the horses, the wheels rotate toward the back, then are secured “up” with the same spring loaded pin.
Anyone ever seen/built anything like that?
There ARE easier ways to collect sap, but I’d rather employ our horses and students.
-TraceyFebruary 13, 2013 at 6:18 pm #77442Andy Carson
ModeratorHi Tracey and welcome,
I love thinking about these types of new applications and inventions. I have seen wheels for moving sleds around like in the link (they even sell kits), but I do not think this is not exactly what you are describing. http://www.buggy.com/pneumaticwheel.htmlI think what you are describing makes good sense, but I am guessing the devil is going to be in the details with this design. How much wheel clearance do you need in the road or sled position? If I understand this design correctly, the weight will have to be lifted to assume either the road or sled position (wheels come down or sleds come down). How much weight are we talking about? Will you need a jack to lift this much weight? Will you allow the front wheels to turn? If so, how? Free swivel (loss of control?) or linked to the pole (does this interfer with raising and lowering sleds/wheels)? If the wheels do not turn, do you expect the limited turning radius to be important in your application?
I might be tempted to use a wagon. If the snow is too deep off road, how about setting up some detachable skis to fit over the wagon wheels? I have attached a link to some for an airplane below. You could set these out in front of the wagon, drive over them, and then strap them on. If you are clever about making them attachment and detachment might be quick and easy. They look pretty easy to build and you might already have a wagon you could strap some of these onto. Note: these don’t have brakes, so you’ll probably want to set some of these up for bridle chains or similar. Just an idea…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wheel_skis.jpg
Good luck no matter what you decide, and be sure to keep us all posted. There are a lot of folks here who appreciate new designs and applications.
February 13, 2013 at 6:41 pm #77444Jonathan Shively
ParticipantWell as I sit here looking at the mudboat I just finished redoing, I was thinking of what you were describing. I don’t know if I have it all straight in my head, but here is my idea. On each corner a pipe (vertical) attached to your sled. A smaller diameter pipe fits in this affixed pipe and on one end of the smaller pipe is a hub with a wheel. You can have two sockets and one jack or a jack on each side in the middle of the sled, jack up one side, pull a pin, let the pipe with the wheel hit the ground and put the pin back in. Do this on each corner of that side, raise the jack, go to the other side, jack that side up, pull pins, wheels down, line up appropriate holes, viola! sliding sled is now four wheels. Make the front crazy wheels then turning isn’t tough on your tongue. You can make the front’s crazy wheels by putting a washer and the pin below the large pipe allowing them to turn. Clear as mud??
February 13, 2013 at 6:57 pm #77441Big Horses
ParticipantHere’s a couple ideas from aircraft. When we put skiis on planes, usually we need to have a “dollie” to get them in the hangar again… or else shovel snow IN, which nobody likes to do. These are pretty basic and are lever actuated.. should work ok in your application?
This should be an interesting thread!
JohnFebruary 13, 2013 at 9:31 pm #77445carl ny
ParticipantI think the wheels that you lift with a lever like Big Horses posted would work best.Have a pin to lock up or down.It shouldn’t take over a minute or two to do all four wheels.JMHO
carl ny
February 13, 2013 at 10:39 pm #77443mitchmaine
Participanthi tracey, interesting idea and one you should work through. lots of good ideas already.
another rig that you might be interested in making, for pulp and sap, is a cart that is pretty common around here. i have one, and it is basicly two 2wd truck front ends. invert the axle and bolt a 2″ hardwood plank to each u-bolt pad fore and aft. 6-7′ is a common wheelbase. weld the kingpins solid on the rear x and weld the tie rods on the front x to the pole swing for auto steer. build any kind of body on the planks or not. pile four foot wood side way on the planks with stake pockets at either end or lash a sap tank same way and your in business. - AuthorPosts
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