[ihc] RE: Cradling engines

["Jim Grammer" <jgrammer@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ed Sohm [mailto:idaemes@domain.elided]
>Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 7:47 AM
>To: 'Jim Grammer'; ihc@domain.elided
>Subject: RE: [ihc] RE: ihc-digest V7 #488

>Jim, can the front legs continue on up from those front holes?  Surely
>not.  Reducing the floor space my engines took up would be great too.  I
>like your idea a lot.  You'll make them so you can move them with the
>forklift, right? I'd build to fit my pallet jack.  How about legs that
>can be added on to the bottom locating nubs so you can get it up in the
>air to work on the bottom end in the cradle too.  The free metal I have
>in the right sizes is galvanized, yuk.

>Ed

No, they can't. Imagine a 2" square tube cube, with no top bars on the front
and back, constructed such that the 4 vertical posts are open top and
bottom. 2 pieces of 2" angle are welded vertically on top of the lower front
bar, with holes drilled to match the front engine mounting holes. Short
pieces of 2" tube horizontally tie the the tops of the angle to the front
verticals, forming the lateral bracing for the front. In back, a horizontal
angle bar is positioned/drilled for 2 of the bellhousing mounting holes.

With the verticals being open, things like feet and locating stubs just plug
in, retained by bolts in cross drilled holes(like a jack stand). Feet could
be as tall as you want, within reason. Feet a couple inches tall would
suffice to get lift truck forks under the cradle, replace with stubs while
in the air and stack away. Based on experience with the axle rack I built
with 2" square tube, I think you could go 3 high with no problem. I'm more
concerned about height vs. footprint(this *is* earthquake country, as we
were recently reminded), and will stick with 2 high. The axle rack is a
double 'tree' style, with the upper arms cantilevered out from central
vertical posts. The cantilevered arms are about 30" long, and a couple have
several D44's sitting on them with no signs of distress.

I need to do a proof of concept sample for the cradle, but first Kate wants
a bunk bed for her birthday(3 weeks). I can build  one that's way cooler
than anything I've seen for sale ;)

Jim