It has begun

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Thats what im going to try to do but im not sure I can talk them into doing 7 cuts for free. Or close to free. If their gonna charge more than $30 to cut it ill just bring it home. My labor is free.
 
COOL!!! got my steel today and cut. Cost $50 to cut it but that's OK. Got everything to get my welder running so Im ready to go.

  First real build pic. I got all of the marine trailer apparatus cut off and ground down. Starting to get a visual now!



Its on now!

 HA,, on a side note, I called the steel place and told them my dementions I wanted cut. The salesman told me that the guy in the shop said I needed a 4X10 to get the pieces I needed. He said the shop guy has been there for 20 years said he knows what he was talking about. Pissed me off.  I drew up a quick diagram of how to get the pieces out of a 4X8 and drove it down there and showed him. He said " I guess it would work if you laid it out like that"....  I wonder how much $$$$ that "shop guy" has screwed people out of in the past 20 years..............
 
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Good to see you moving right along, I know that gets you pumped up to see some progress! $50 isn't bad for that many feet of cut, it would have taken you several hours to get all that done with an angle grinder and no telling how many discs. 
 
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do yall think a 4X4X8 would hold the weight of a 120 tank and a FB? Im guessing around 600lbs.... I was going to put 2 4X4X8's in the ground and run one across the top of those and throw a chain hoist around it..... Otherwise I don't have a clue as to how Im going to get the FB and tank on the trailer..

 Thanks

 spooky
 
Knots are the biggest problem using a wooden beam with a point load in the middle. You would be better off using them in the A frame gantry shown on page 11 of this document.

https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/usr/module4.pdf

If you have some pipe pieces that would fit the span of the trailer rails, you could get one end up and roll it up the trailer on the rails, then when you get it in place length wise, block and jack it up to the height you need.  
 
That's a good point about the knots, I didnt think about that. The A frame gantry is a good idea but I see 3-5 people in those pictures. Couple that  A frame with just me and I see a disaster in the makin
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.... I might have to use the "rollers" like you said. Or I recon I could take the wheels and axle off the frame, hook the tank to the truck and pull it on the frame (with the roller system), then jack the frame back up and put everything back together..It should be interesting....
 
LONG DAY! Started at 9AM then got diverted by the woman until about 4pm
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<<< (sarcasm)...  After  I finally had a chance to get some work done,,,, I got my welder wired up and useable. I gotta say,, that welder is the TITS!!!! Got a few braces welded on the trailer for the "legs" of the smoker to go on to and almost got the FB finished.

  Im sure my welds can be picked to death by experienced welders, but Im pretty happy with my first time using this machine.......



Thanks for looking!

 spooky
 
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As far as getting it in the trailer, i know the CC and firebox are going to be 500 lbs +, but it shouldn't be that hard to stand it up on the firebox end. Then stand the trailer up on end next to it, weld it on and set it down. That way neither way are you trying to pick up the complete weight, dealing with swinging weight. A jack and a few 2x4's and a red bull should be all you need.
 
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Not to much to complain about in the weld that you showed us there spooky. What rod are you running? Looks like the heat is set right and your travel speed is perdy close. Practice makes perfect you know. If you really want to get dialed in on your new welder before you go any farther get some scrap of the thickness steel you are working with and weld up some laps tees and a good pad of beads. That goes a long way for dialing in a welder. Keep up the good work!
 
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This weekend I plan on cutting my CC door out and have a few questions before I do.  #1, on the 2 sides of the door,, Iv seen post where they were pre bent to fit the sides. I have also read that you can use clamps to hold them down then weld them.  I don't think that I feel comfortable trying to bend them to fit,,, And it seems that if you clamp them down and weld them they will have a little spring left and might flex the door.  I plan on doing a "blind weld" (I think that's what its called) on them so could I  tack them at the top and clamp them down but once their clamped heat them up with map gas to try to get them to hold the shape a little better? And #2,, I have read to cut the door out but leave the 4 corners until you get the strips on.  If you put the strips on,,, how do you finish cutting the corners? Am I missing something?

 Thanks

 Spooky
 
Hey MrSpooky, as for #1, most folks use 1/8" thick strapping for the flange which will have very little spring force compared to the door which is much stronger. I don't think you have to worry about it springing the door. Hitting it with the MAPP torch will require getting it red hot, which could lead to unintended consequences, especially since you would be getting the door quite hot in the process.

As for #2, I haven't a clue.

BTW, I really liked your inverted method of mounting the firebox. Makes a lot of sense.
 
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Thanks smokejumper,,,1/8" it is..  I pulled that Idea from Ribwizzard (I think).  It actually worked like a charm. I built the box on the trailer and when I was done I pulled the tank up to the end of the trailer and flipped the box on the tank. The box was a little uneven with the tank so I just let the air out of the tires until the box got perfectly level.

 Still wondering about #2
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 thanks

 Spooky  
 
On #2, I have seen several posts about cutting almost all of the tank, then mounting the hinges, and then making the final cuts so the alignment stays good. I don't remember seeing one that says put the flanges on before the final cut for the tank door was made. For the flanges, Rib made an excellent post about how he does his and a lot of the guys seem to be using the Rib method. Here's the link:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/135275/making-quick-easy-door-flanges
 
Thanks for the links, ill check those out for sure and thanks for clearing up question #2,,, that makes sense now.
spooky
 
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