Cradle Carrier

[Fiero1Fan]

I saw this awhile back and can't remember who posted it. Can anyone remember who it was?

[Pyrthian]

yeah - that is an AWESOME contraption!
not sure how I would get my cradle up on & off it when fully loaded - but it would be great to be able to work on the underside.

[Fiero1Fan]

I have an engine lift (cherry picker) that will lift the full cradle no problems. I am just getting tired of working on the cradle bent over like an old man. Then feeling like an old man when my back starts hurting.

I found the link:
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Arch ... 29840.html

It is from a guy named Rickker on PFF. I have sent him an email and PM to see if I can get a set of the plans he made for it.

[Fiero1Fan]

Rickker sent me everything I need!! 16 files at 1.2mb. Fantastic stuff made in CAD but saved to jpg files so anyone can use them. If anyone else wants the files just let me know and I'll send them out ASAP.

[Shadow]

Yo send those files my way. As soon as my chop is done that'll be my next step.

[Fiero1Fan]

The files are available for download here: http://www.fieronews.com
You'll need to register and then go to downloads.

[Fiero1Fan]

Here are some pix of the finished product.

The complete kit:


The base:


Close up of the casters:


Arms on (Finished):


Doing its job:

[Fiero1Fan]

Here are the CAD drawings to make it:

[Fiero1Fan]

Here is the Materials list:

Qty Description

2 Base Frame Bar (2" Square X 3/16" wall X 43" long)
2 Base Frame Crossbar Ass'y
1 Crossbar - 2" Square X 3/16" wall X 31.5" long
1 End Plates - 2" Flat Bar X 1/4" thick X 8" long

2 Front Vertical Support Ass'y
1 Front Post (2.5" Square X 3/16" wall X 19.5" long
1 Front Cradle Support (see drawing)
1 Bottom Support (see drawing)
2 Reinforcing Channel (see drawing)

2 Rear Post Ass'y
1 Rear Post (2.5" Square X 3/16" wall X 25.5" long)
1 Rear Offset Support (see drawing)
1 Bottom Support (see drawing)
2 Reinforcing Channel (see drawing)

4 5" Casters
4 Plate - Caster Mounting (see photo - typical)
16 Bolts (5/16" X 3" long + Nuts & washers)

Hardware:

8 Bolt - Crossbar Assy to Base Frame Bars (1/2" X 3" long)
(plus 8 Nuts & 16 washers to suit)


8 Bolt - Reinforcing Channel to Post (3/8" X 3.5" long)
(plus 8 Nuts & 16 washers to suit)

4 Bolt - Post Assy to Base Frame Bar (1/2" X 4" long)
(plus 4 Nuts & 8 Washers to suit)

[Fiero1Fan]

Here is a How To:

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING

This design is based on the "field fabrication" principle. That
is, components are clamped or temporarily bolted into position,
then tack welded or through-drilled and match marked. This
allows you to use size-on-size holes with almost zero clearance,
and still allows easy assembly and disassembly. While it is
possible to do the welding operations and drill all holes
beforehand, I do not recommend this approach. You would have
to work to VERY close tolerances and even then the end result
may not be satisfactory. You can't beat having parts set up,
squared and aligned perfectly, and then tack weld or through-drill
the holes. There is no real machining required, just some
accurate saw cuts and drilling, and of course the usual deburring
and filing of corners, etc.
NOTE: You will need the cradle out of the car, or borrow another
cradle to build this design. You will actually have the cradle
sitting on the temporary structure to tack weld the posts and
drill the critical Bottom Support holes.

MATERIALS:

Please refer to the post above "Material List" for a
complete listing of all components that are needed. Most parts
are made from square hollow bar stock, either 2" or 2 1/2" with
a 3/16" wall thickness.

If you are buying new steel from a supplier, I recommend that
you get all parts cut to the proper length. It is important
to have nice square cuts on all components. I was able to get
the supplier to cut the Front Cradle Supports, Rear Offset
Supports and Bottom Supports on his band saw at no extra
charge. This way I only had to do the drilling operations.


General steps to take:

A. Purchase materials, fabricate 4 Bottom Supports,
2 Front Cradle Supports, 2 Rear Offset Supports,
8 Reinforcing Channels

B. Fabricate Crossbars and bolt Base Frame together.

C. Fabricate Front & Rear Posts

D. Final Assembly

___________________

A. All of these parts can be made without any "real" machining.
The top and bottom supports are all made from square hollow
bar stock. All that is needed are some accurate band saw and
drilling operations. I was able to get my steel supplier to
cut all parts to the proper length, including the "transverse"
cuts to create a channel shape out of a square bar. Just refer
to the drawings and work as accurately as possible.


B. BASE FRAME (Refer to "Crossbar Ass'y" drawing)

1. Lay Base Frame Bars on a level Floor.

2. Position the Crossbars and End Plates, so that the End Plates
are about 5" from the end of the Base Frame Bar (See Assembly
Drawing) This works for a standard 5" caster. Make sure the
caster you are using will fit between the Bottom Support and
the Crossbar. Refer to the drawing "Post Fabrication Details".
You want the Crossbar Assembly to be as far apart as possible.
You just need to provide enough room to mount the caster.

3. Once you have verified that the position of where the
Crossbar Assembly will bolt on is correct (by ensuring there
is enough room to bolt on the caster), use a large C-clamp to
clamp the End Plate to the Base Frame Bar. Refer to Crossbar
Fabrication Drawing. With the parts clamped, drill the two
1/2" holes through the End Plate and Base Frame Bar. (You
will likely drill a smaller hole first, then finish with the
1/2" drill bit)

4. Install 1/2" bolts and tighten nuts. Remove C-clamp. Do
this for all 4 End Plates.

5. Now place the Crossbars into position. Use a large Carpenters
Square to make sure the Crossbars are at right angles to the
Base Frame Bars. When everything is lined up square, you are
ready to tack weld the Crossbars to the End Plates. It is a
good idea to use a couple of ropes or strong Bungee Cord to
"compress" the Crossbars between the Base Frame Bars. You don't
want anything to shift when the tack welding is going on.

6. Tack weld the Crossbar to the End Plates. Now mark the
position with a stamp punch or drill small holes, so you will
know how the Crossbar will go together again. Then, remove
the 1/2" bolts and weld thoroughly all around. Don't get any
weld on the face of the End Plate where it will be bolted to
the Base Frame Bar. Refer to Crossbar Ass'y Drawing.

7. Now, bolt the Crossbar Assembly to the Base Frame Bars. Bolt
on a caster at each corner, leaving about 4.25" clear at the ends
of the Base Frame Bars. You are now ready to fabricate the
vertical posts.


C. FABRICATION OF FRONT AND REAR POSTS (Refer to drawing "Post
Fabrication Details")

1. With the Base Frame bolted together and supported by 4
casters, place a Bottom Support at each end of the Base Frame.
If there is clearance between the Bottom Support and the Base
Frame Bar, add a suitable sheet metal shim on both sides. It
is important that the Bottom Support sits snugly and squarely
on the Base Frame Bar.

2. Attach the Front Cradle Supports to the cradle sleeves with
a 12mm bolt. Attach the Rear Offset Supports to the cradle
using a 3/8" bolt and nut

3. Place the front and rear posts in position on the Bottom
Support at each corner. Bolt a pair of Reinforcing Channels
around each post. If this action does not securely clamp the
post to the Bottom Support, then you have likely omitted or
forgotten to shim up any clearance between the Bottom Support
and the Base Frame Bar. When all 4 posts have been clamped
to their Bottom Supports, your structure is ready for a test
fitting of the cradle.

4. Before lifting the cradle onto the posts, make sure the
Front Cradle Supports and Rear Offset Supports are bolted to
their positions on the cradle. You can now lift up the cradle
and position it on top of the posts. Because the bottom is
clamped, and top supports are bolted to the cradle, the cradle
will sit quite stably on the posts.

5. With the cradle resting on the posts, you can tap the Bottom
Supports with a nylon hammer to move them into the perfect
position. If necessary, loosen the tension on the Reinforcing
Channel bolts. All posts must be vertical. Rear posts should
be aligned so that they are flush with the outside surface of
the Rear Offset Support. Front posts should be centered under
the Front Cradle Supports.

6. When everything is square and aligned, tack weld the posts
to the top & bottom supports. When all posts are tack welded,
identify each one with a metal stamp, or drill small match marks.
After final welding, each post will be returned to the same
position, to locate and drill the Bottom Support holes.

7. Remove the 12mm bolts at the front cradle sleeves, and the
bolts holding the Rear Offset Supports. Then, lift the cradle
off and set it aside. Now remove the bolts holding the
Reinforcing Channels to the posts. The posts are now ready
for final welding.

8. Take care when welding the Bottom Supports to the Posts. You
don't want to get any weld or weld splatter where the Reinforcing
Channels will be bolted on again. You can weld all around, but
just make sure the weld will not interfere with the future clamped
joint. At the top of the posts, there is no interference
situation, and you can weld thoroughly all around.

9. When the posts are fully welded, you are ready for the final
assembly.


D. FINAL ASSEMBLY

1. Place the Posts at their original location when they were tack
welded. Don't forget to install the shims, if they are needed.

2. Bolt on the Reinforcing Channels, just fairly snug for now. You
will need to be able to move the posts along the Base Frame Bar.

3. Lift the cradle up and place it in position. Align the Front
Posts and install the 12mm front cradle bolts. The cradle will
now pivot around the front cradle sleeves.

4. Now have a look at the rear cradle mounting situation. It is
quite likely that the rear holes will not line up 100%, and that
one of the posts may be taking all the weight. This can easily
be corrected.

5. Align the Rear Posts so they are square and vertical. It may
be necessary to enlarge the hole in the Rear Offset Support, or
use a smaller bolt. If one post is shorter than the other, add
a suitable washer between the top of the Rear Offset Support and
the bottom of the cradle. When this has been done, tighten the
bolts that hold the Rear Offset Support to the cradle.

6. Now, with the cradle bolted to the top of the structure, we
can perform the final critical operation. We are going to locate
the hole center and make a size-on-size hole to enable clamping
the Bottom Supports to the Base Frame Bars. The reason we have
left this to the last, is the basis of the very rigid and strong
bolted connection that we need at the bottom of the posts. We
want the full 4" of the Bottom Supports to be resting on the Base
Frame Bars before we locate and drill the hole through the Bottom
Support and Base Frame.

7. Now tighten the 3/8" bolts that hold the Reinforcing Channels
to the Posts. This will clamp and hold the posts in position.

8. Now we want to use the 3/16" pilot holes in the bottom of the
Reinforcing Channel to act as a drill guide. It will be convenient
to place the structure on 4 axle stands to provide easier access
to the lower corners. You will need an assistant to help lift
the structure + cradle up onto the axle stands. First, use a 3/16"
drill bit to drill through the Bottom Support and Base Frame Bar,
FROM EACH SIDE.

9. Now you have a choice. You can either drill the 1/2" holes
in place, using a 1/2" hand drill, or disassembly the structure
and open the holes up to 1/2" on a drill press. Since we have
provided an accurate 3/16" pilot hole, either method will work.

10. Once the 1/2" holes have been drilled install the 4" long
bolts (3.5" is long enough, but my supplier did not stock this
length) and torque up VERY TIGHTLY. Also check that the 3/8"
bolts through the Reinforcing Channel are also torqued up tightly.
You will now have a very rigid and strong connection at the base
of the posts. This is important, not because of the weight of
the cradle/engine/transaxle, but in case you run one of the
casters into an obstruction while wheeling the dolly around.

11. The structure is now complete. You may want to disassemble
and paint all components, or provide some rust protection.


SOME FINAL COMMENTS

From a safety standpoint, it is important that the cradle is
bolted firmly to the top of the posts. This adds a great deal
of strength to the structure, since any lateral forces, such
as running one caster into a hole, will be transmitted to all
posts. The cradle is reinforcing the structure. The limiting
strength of this design is the impact force of the caster hitting
an obstruction, when you are wheeling the dolly along. So, use
care and common sense when manhandling the structure over uneven
ground.

Finally, feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
This is not necessarily the only or best way to build a cradle
dolly, but I have described this design in a lot of detail, so
that just about anybody with basic hand tools and a buddy who
can weld, should be able to build it.

[Shadow]

Hmmmm Some how I missed this post. But I found it of Fiero1Fans new site. Thanks man!

So here's how it came down.
$35 in Locking Casters at Northern Tool.
$35 in bolts washers and nuts at Lowes
$130 in Metal at a local metal shop.
$16 in abrasive blades
$20 in Welding wire

2 really long and hard days worth of work
1 flash burned face. Dang white shirt reflects UV into hood. One lesson learned.
And I end up with a really nice tool for my engine swapS.

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