Cab roller

backwoods · Post by **backwoods** » Tue Dec 27, 2011 2:24 pm

I am ready to pull my cab off the frame of my 69 and want to get it to the body shop. Does anyone have pics and/or measurements of a stand they made for their cab? I was wanting to construct some sort of stand that I can roll the cab around on in the garage and onto the trailer. I just figured someone here may have already constructed such a deal. Any help would be appreciated.

OldDodges · Post by **OldDodges** » Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:37 pm

We had our metal fab guy build this for us awhile back when we started on this truck. Basically just a square tube frame with round tubing and flat stock to mount the wheels to. Round tubing with flat metal plates on top where the bolts go through the cab. Recommend if doing like this add a piece of angle coming off the roller leg at say a 45 to the square frame tubing for extra support. We are going to have him modify it for the Bighorn cab and hood but it's worked good so far. Made it easy to roll off and on the trailer, we had the entire cab and front end blasted and painted while sitting on this frame. We did put some rubber cab bushings between the cab and the metal plate on top of the tube, this way anything that was exposed after putting back on the truck frame would have paint on it.

robertob · Post by **robertob** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:27 am

The guys who are painting mine used a couple of furniture dollys with 2x4s nailed across them. Works perfect!

Lowdown · Post by **Lowdown** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:56 pm

I made this table for several reasons including this exact purpose. It's made to fit my CC so it's 8' long and is as wide as the Dodge truck frame; 38" if I remember correctly.
Because I planned on it being more than just a cab cart, mine is different than the one pictured above and most of the others you'll see. I also use four 18" pieces that bolt to the table, 1 @ each corner, that
simulate the body mounts off the frame. The same thing can be accomplished with a piece of 2x4, cut to width (inside to inside under the body mounts).

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:08 am

while we're on the subject...

does anyone know how much a regular cab, without doors, weighs?

the reason i'm asking is that i need to move the cab a couple hundred feet cross country so to speak in order to paint it and would like to know ahead of time if my tractor will lift it.

btw, this is the table i'm going to use for my cab work.

PwrWgnDrvr · Post by **PwrWgnDrvr** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:22 am

tinbasher wrote:while we're on the subject...

does anyone know how much a regular cab, without doors, weighs?

Almost exactly 300#. No doors, no dash, no tank, no glass, no nothing - totally stripped. Weighed on a 1000# balance beam scale.
2 guys can pick up, one each side, but much easier with 3. 1 in the center below the back window, 1 each front corner.

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:35 am

Almost exactly 300#. No doors, no dash, no tank, no glass, no nothing - totally stripped. Weighed on a 1000# balance beam scale.
2 guys can pick up, one each side, but much easier with 3. 1 in the center below the back window, 1 each front corner.

good news, thanks.

Lowdown · Post by **Lowdown** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:35 am

6 of us on my CC made it easy and I sure wouldn't want to do it with any less. A 7th man lined it up to drop on the table.

soopernaut · Post by **soopernaut** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:54 am

tinbasher wrote: would like to know ahead of time if my tractor will lift it.

Any decent tractor should have no problem lifting a truck cab.

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:33 am

Any decent tractor should have no problem lifting a truck cab.

so... any truck should be good to haul the biggest trailer around?

my tractor/backhoe is just a little guy, 600lbs at the bucket pin... subtract 100lbs or so for the forks and the jib ( i have a shorter jib but it's still heavy), and then the leverage loss from the distance forward of the pin, and this gantry is about all that it will lift at that distance. i could turn up the relief on the valving, but that would probably just end up flipping the tractor over... the reliefs are set where they are for a reason. btw, the gantry is a lot heavier than it looks.

using the shorter jib, it should work... barely.

6 of us on my CC made it easy and I sure wouldn't want to do it with any less

i don't think there is a chance that my machine would lift a crew cab... fortunately, that's not the only mule on the claim

: poly and 312 (i think) ford on the hook

: 42 chev hood coming out of the bush

PwrWgnDrvr · Post by **PwrWgnDrvr** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:57 am

tinbasher wrote:
Any decent tractor should have no problem lifting a truck cab.
so... any truck should be good to haul the biggest trailer around?

...any decent truck should be good to haul the biggest trailer around....

soopernaut · Post by **soopernaut** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 10:08 am

PwrWgnDrvr wrote:
tinbasher wrote:
Any decent tractor should have no problem lifting a truck cab.
so... any truck should be good to haul the biggest trailer around?
...any decent truck should be good to haul the biggest trailer around....

Yeah, I guess decent is the keyword. No offense, if your tractor can't lift it.

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:17 pm

Yeah, I guess decent is the keyword. No offense, if your tractor can't lift it.

no offense taken

the thing is i can't really use the truck because it has next to no brakes and both motor mounts are tore loose. trying to hang a cab off the boom and then back gently up that little hill into the shed/spray booth would be next to impossible without bashing the hell out of the cab/hitting the building etc... you know, 'murphy's law'..

i guess, if the tractor doesn't lift it i'll just have to figure something else out...

Post by **Hobcobble** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:24 pm

Buy a case of beer..... A couple of friends might show up....

John

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:27 pm

Buy a case of beer..... A couple of friends might show up....

beer does seem to get a lot of things done...

too bad i quit drinking... and if i'm not drinking, neither is anybody else.

i'll figure something out.

PwrWgnDrvr · Post by **PwrWgnDrvr** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:34 pm

Why not set it on the roller table outside, then roll it into the building?

Note to all: use of highly subjective terms like "decent" are totally useless to precisely describe a part, method, situation, etc. In addition to the example in this topic, there is a recent topic regarding a 68 hood, which was described as "decent, rust free". "Rust free" is precise, but exactly what the hell is "decent"?

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:59 pm

Why not set it on the roller table outside, then roll it into the building?

getting it in and out of the shed isn't really the issue, it's getting it from where the truck is sitting (which is where all the metal/body work will be done), over to the shed and back, without damaging it.

if the tractor will pick it, then everything will be fine, but with totally busted motor mounts and a mechanical clutch linkage on the truck, trying to start on even the slightest grade makes for some wild west action on whatever is hanging off the hook. i buckled the truck frame pulling fenceposts last spring so i'm not going too put any more money into it. the deck will eventually end up on something else, maybe even the 63 frame, but that project would be down the road.

once i get my shop built, this sort of problem will be history. i'm sure that table will wheel around the shop just nice with a cab on it.

soopernaut · Post by **soopernaut** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:10 pm

PwrWgnDrvr wrote: Note to all: use of highly subjective terms like "decent" are totally useless to precisely describe a part, method, situation, etc. In addition to the example in this topic, there is a recent topic regarding a 68 hood, which was described as "decent, rust free". "Rust free" is precise, but exactly what the hell is "decent"?

The word "decent" must serve a purpose, otherwise it wouldn't exist. Decent means adequate in this case. If the tractor is not adequate, it would not work for the task at hand.

mopardwh · Post by **mopardwh** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:48 pm

Tinbasher, if it won't lift it you could probably set it on an old car hood or something and pull it.

tinbasher · Post by **tinbasher** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 10:57 am

"Rust free" is precise, but exactly what the hell is "decent"?

btw, there is an old sexual connotation joke about that...

punch line about something being 'indecent'.

Tinbasher, if it won't lift it you could probably set it on an old car hood or something and pull it.

i'm trying to save my old car hoods... except for the 42 chev of course, but all that's left of it is the chrome and the latch. (for sale btw)

btw, for the o/p, the dimensions of this table are 8' long, 36" wide and the 3 work platform heights are 10", 20", and 30" off the ground.

: the one arrow shows where the cab should lean on its back, the other three are for removable plywood floor. the real test will probably come in the next couple of weeks.

Sweptline.ORG

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