ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0
- Thread starter zmotorsports
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OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yes, all of the above. He's a total gearhead like myself. Hopefully my grandson will be as well, God willing.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Who wants to see Mike build a car trailer raise their hands!!
I think you guys are giving me just a little too much credit, on two fronts.
First, I think my son came pre-programmed and not sure just how much he learned from me.
Secondly, this trailer (if I decide to build one) will be a low budget build. Nothing too high techie, techie to keep costs down.
Damn shame I don't know how to post a gif so I texted it. hahaha
rabakoe
Well-known member
Boo. Why won’t you let us live vicariously through you?
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I appreciate the text Cam. Just can't figure out why you're giving me so much ****.
Don't you believe me that this will have to be a budget build?
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Boo. Why won’t you let us live vicariously through you?
Sorry. This has to be a budget build to keep both the wife and the bank account happy.
It sure wasn't the budget I was poking fun at..........however techie is still on the plate.I appreciate the text Cam. Just can't figure out why you're giving me so much ****.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It sure wasn't the budget I was poking fun at..........however techie is still on the plate.
Yeah, I was picking up what you were putting down. I just played it off.
ntsqd
Well-known member
My grandfather was fond of telling me that I can't count my time when I'm working for myself. He was the one who also, I suspect inadvertently, taught me to look for projects and designs that teach me something new in the process of completing them. I taught myself that it isn't a project worth doing if you don't have to build at least one Special Tool to complete it.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scuderia-F1
Well-known member
Always a pleasure to catch up on this thread.
Estate looking nice Mike, all the hard work has truly paid off well.
I do indeed hope that Vyper will sort this fan dilemma and of course we all want to follow that trailerbuild.
Estate looking nice Mike, all the hard work has truly paid off well.
I do indeed hope that Vyper will sort this fan dilemma and of course we all want to follow that trailerbuild.
jbmatth
Well-known member
I'm sure you don't want to get into building trailers for everyone on this site as a side job, but if you do sign me up as the first client please. I don't even have to see what you are going to build to know it'll be perfect for what I would want. So I'm jumping in early to get at the front of the list for ZTrailerSports to open shop.
JB
I don't even have to see what you are going to build to know it'll be perfect for what I would want. So I'm jumping in early to get at the front of the list for ZTrailerSports to open shop.JB
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Thank you Anders. I greatly appreciate your continued support and following.
I did hear back from Vyper yesterday finally. Got an email stating that they are sorry the replacement fan was damaged and that they were trying to figure out what the next course of action should be or what I expect of them.
A few days ago I removed the original fan, compared it to the replacement fan I obtained last week and figured the original showed the least damage so I spend some additional time with a hammer and dolly straightening the blade to where I don't think anyone would even notice if I didn't point it out. The vibration/noise is now gone and it is running smoothly at all RPM's.
I am quite frustrated about the damaged fans but unfortunately I think I let Vyper off the hook, and relatively easy for that matter. I replied last night that there was no sense in shipping another as I have straightened the fan and it is working fine. I'm sure that was a stupid move on my part but I'm tired of dealing with the whole thing and want to move on from it. I hate having these unresolved "issues" hanging out there as they have a tendency to get in my head and mess with me so this way I can chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on.
I thought about replying and asking for a partial refund or something monetary to make up for it but then it just sounds as though I was complaining in order to get a discount and that's not me. I do think Vyper makes quality products and fully support both Veteran owned and Made in the U.S.A. so neither of those feelings have changed. Just frustrated from the experience is all.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I'm sure you don't want to get into building trailers for everyone on this site as a side job, but if you do sign me up as the first client please.
JB
Thanks JB. Not sure anything I build will be earth shattering or ingenious, but I appreciate the vote of confidence in whatever I build.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Last night I racked the Jeep to give her a good once over and then addressed two minor issues on the coach. When I was washing it after our last trip I noticed that the front end cap behind the driver's headlight seemed loose. I haven't had time to investigate but last night I crawled under it and noticed that one of the metal supports had broken between the dash bulkhead and the fiberglass front cap.
I removed the bracket which was bolted at both ends, welded the bracket back together and reinstalled. Sorry, I didn't have my phone on me as I was crawling around under the coach so I didn't get any pictures.
The second minor issue was during the last trip I noticed my oil pressure gauge's bezel/trim ring had become disbonded and shifted in the dash cutout. Seeing as how I doubt I'd find a matching gauge for a 21+ year old coach I opted to mix up a small amount of JB Weld and glue the trim ring and facia back on the gauge in the dash.
My wife thinks I'm crazy because I ask for chopsticks when we get Chinese take-away. However, they come in handy as hell for mixing and applying glues and putties.
After finishing up the couple small details on the coach and having the welder cables already strung out, I thought I'd weld the body mounts in the chassis of my grandson's wagon project.
I started by giving the threaded bungs and the openings a wipe with acetone.
The threaded bungs pressed right in and stood at the proper height. Almost like they were machined for the correct depth of the tubing.
Process was repeated with the rear threaded bungs.
Then the welding commenced.
That was about all I had time to complete last night.
Thanks for looking.
I removed the bracket which was bolted at both ends, welded the bracket back together and reinstalled. Sorry, I didn't have my phone on me as I was crawling around under the coach so I didn't get any pictures.
The second minor issue was during the last trip I noticed my oil pressure gauge's bezel/trim ring had become disbonded and shifted in the dash cutout. Seeing as how I doubt I'd find a matching gauge for a 21+ year old coach I opted to mix up a small amount of JB Weld and glue the trim ring and facia back on the gauge in the dash.
My wife thinks I'm crazy because I ask for chopsticks when we get Chinese take-away. However, they come in handy as hell for mixing and applying glues and putties.
After finishing up the couple small details on the coach and having the welder cables already strung out, I thought I'd weld the body mounts in the chassis of my grandson's wagon project.
I started by giving the threaded bungs and the openings a wipe with acetone.
The threaded bungs pressed right in and stood at the proper height. Almost like they were machined for the correct depth of the tubing.
Process was repeated with the rear threaded bungs.
Then the welding commenced.
That was about all I had time to complete last night.
Thanks for looking.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Since the 20' car trailer (presumably) has a winch, could you just store the 10' utility trailer on it to save space?
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Someone needs to send Vyper Customer Service a link to this thread.... Just saying'
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Scott, no need to go through the hassle to stack them as space is not a concern nor involved in the decision making process. I can easily store the two trailers end to end in my RV parking spot alongside the shop. I will more than likely store the car hauler to the back with the small utility trailer in front of it as I may find myself using it a bit more than the larger car hauler, plus the small utility trailer is easily rolled around by one person and rolled out of the way to gain access to the car hauler behind it.
Someone needs to send Vyper Customer Service a link to this thread.... Just saying'
Thanks Scott. I'm not sure it would do any good. I don't want them to think I'm coming here to complain as that has never been my intention. I am just sharing my honest experience and frustration. I was nothing but thrilled with the stool (still am) but the fan purchasing experience has been left wanting a bit.
signcrafter
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 9, 2012
- Messages
- 12,536
Sorry. This has to be a budget build to keep both the wife and the bank account happy.
Mike there is a difference between budget and skill. Take your grandsons wagon for example. You could have self taper screwed the tub, or drilled holes and used carriage bolts. But you made bungs and welded them in. Pretty sure when you build this trailer it will have the same skilled quality, even if it's a budget build. I mean, things like that dont cost you much but add so much to the build. Its details like that, and in everything you do, why I follow this thread. And give yourself more credit for teaching your son to be a gearhead. He is a product of his environment. You say he came pre programmed, but that just shows how good of a teacher you were when he was growing up. I mean, I've learned tons from you just by reading your posts on here, as I'm sure many others have too.Thanks JB. Not sure anything I build will be earth shattering or ingenious, but I appreciate the vote of confidence in whatever I build.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Thanks Scott. Much appreciated.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
So did I miss something? Other than the poor customer service and bent fan blades, how do you like the fan?
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
So did I miss something? Other than the poor customer service and bent fan blades, how do you like the fan?
Dan, other than the issues with the bent fan blade it has been a good fan, although technically I've only been using it for the past few days because I didn't want to run it with the damaged fan. The base is solid, well made and assembles easily and clean. I like how quiet it is overall, at least now that I spent a little more time straightening the bent fan blade. It moves a nice volume of air and I like the oscilating feature. Nothing bad to say about the overall fan or its construction/design, just in the packaging and/or shipping of the somewhat delicate components.
gearhead1960
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Mike,
I am absolutely shocked and dumfounded by what I saw in one of your earlier posts!
Given your high standards and top notch quality of work I cannot believe you don't squeeze your tubes from the bottom or use a tube dispenser for your JB Weld. I'm not sure I can continue to follow along if your standards continue to slip.....
I am absolutely shocked and dumfounded by what I saw in one of your earlier posts!
Given your high standards and top notch quality of work I cannot believe you don't squeeze your tubes from the bottom or use a tube dispenser for your JB Weld. I'm not sure I can continue to follow along if your standards continue to slip.....
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Mike,
I am absolutely shocked and dumfounded by what I saw in one of your earlier posts!
Given your high standards and top notch quality of work I cannot believe you don't squeeze your tubes from the bottom or use a tube dispenser for your JB Weld. I'm not sure I can continue to follow along if your standards continue to slip.....
I'm sorry Mark, I should have done a better jobs of prepping for those pictures. I generally squeeze the tubes from the bottom, just ask the wife about how bad her toothpaste habits bug me.
However, in my defense those tubes of JB Weld have not been used for quite some time and rather than open the new ones I grabbed the already opened ones and had been kneading the tubes for a few minutes to ensure consistency therefore the tubes appear the way they do. I'll to a better job of staging my photos in the future.
That being said, "WOW", tough crowd....
jackson1701
Well-known member
Hi Mike, A budget trailer build would be awesome, It's a great way to show that you can make a great trailer, that's practical, simple, and most important built with QUALITY and PRIDE! Adding a few custom components to make it work for you and showing that you don't need to break the bank in doing so is what's it's all about. No Pressure,,,,,,, Steve
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Thanks Steve. I appreciate the feedback. It will be a little while before I get to the trailer project as I am still doing a pro's and con's list of a few various ideas to include weight, component selection, design, maintenance and of course, cost.
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
I have a great idea/suggestion! How about I patch up my GMC from the rat damage and then drive it to your place towing my Diamond C flatbed trailer behind it, with my Jeep on the trailer. Then I can leave both the trailer and GMC, my wife and I go explore all the cool Jeeping places you’ve been to in your part of Utah, while you get any measurements you need of the trailer for your build. Then in your spare time my GMC can finally get some Spa Time @ ZMotorSports! Deal?! Let me know when to show up cuz I know this is a Win-Win for both of us!
Scuderia-F1
Well-known member
In my opinion you took the right decision. However this is frustrating I think you did the right thing. I’m sure that Vyper will look over the process so it won’t continue happening.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Not much going on the past couple of nights as I've had to work late and we've been fortunate to receive some much needed rain to help the lawn, but it's prevented me from mowing it.
Last night I did make a little progress on the front axle on my grandson's wagon project though.
With the rear axle finished up it was time to turn my attention to the front axle. I've put this off long enough waffling on design options so I finally pulled the trigger and made a decision. Bent up a piece of .875" diameter 4130 chromoly in small increments until I landed on what I thought looked good, about 12-degrees.
That should look good with the small "C's" that I bent up.
Matching the other side.
Then moved to the mill to prepare for the inclination angle. Using a transfer punch as a guide to determine the angle after playing with the tire placement and taking the diameter into account. I think 5-degrees with net me about what I'm after to keep the pivot point directly in the middle of the tire to eliminate scrubbing.
About that time some friends of ours pulled into the neighborhood so I helped them get settled into the back yard and plugged in. They were traveling through the area and asked to stop for the night and we were happy to have them.
Thanks for looking.
Last night I did make a little progress on the front axle on my grandson's wagon project though.
With the rear axle finished up it was time to turn my attention to the front axle. I've put this off long enough waffling on design options so I finally pulled the trigger and made a decision. Bent up a piece of .875" diameter 4130 chromoly in small increments until I landed on what I thought looked good, about 12-degrees.
That should look good with the small "C's" that I bent up.
Matching the other side.
Then moved to the mill to prepare for the inclination angle. Using a transfer punch as a guide to determine the angle after playing with the tire placement and taking the diameter into account. I think 5-degrees with net me about what I'm after to keep the pivot point directly in the middle of the tire to eliminate scrubbing.
About that time some friends of ours pulled into the neighborhood so I helped them get settled into the back yard and plugged in. They were traveling through the area and asked to stop for the night and we were happy to have them.
Thanks for looking.
OP
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
So on the Vyper fan front, I just received an email from Chris @ Vyper and he informed me that they would be refunding me a small amount for my troubles.
I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit embarassed at how this all went down. I am not one of those kinds of people who complain just to get something at a reduced cost or refund. I was simply stating how frustrated I was after having such an awesome experience with my stool purchase about 6 months ago.
I am grateful they are trying to make it right and the fan is working perfectly now that I've spent a little time making the fan blade as perfect as I could, but I wasn't expecting nor demanding any kind of refund.
I just wanted to share the details in full transparency that I still think Vyper is a great company and builds quality products and they seem to be very good at wanting to satisfy their customers.
Thanks.
I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit embarassed at how this all went down. I am not one of those kinds of people who complain just to get something at a reduced cost or refund. I was simply stating how frustrated I was after having such an awesome experience with my stool purchase about 6 months ago.
I am grateful they are trying to make it right and the fan is working perfectly now that I've spent a little time making the fan blade as perfect as I could, but I wasn't expecting nor demanding any kind of refund.
I just wanted to share the details in full transparency that I still think Vyper is a great company and builds quality products and they seem to be very good at wanting to satisfy their customers.
Thanks.
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
But did he send you a shirt? I’m wearing mine while I’m typing this, it’s sweet!
bigdave_185
Well-known member
When is the trailer build gonna start now? I’ll gladly come swing steel for ya and or make SA comments as ya go. Help appease the peanut gallery
Scuderia-F1
Well-known member
That makes them a top shelf outfit in my book. You did the right thing and they’re answering by doing the right thing.
A top shelf outfit ain’t measured about their great products but how they handle the lemons in the cases there is one.
Reading this makes me absolutely comfortable going through the process of having their products shipped overseas to me here in Sweden. No matter the additional costs that’ll come with it. Thanks for keeping us posted Mike.
Kiwi Canuck
Well-known member
Hello Mike, you may already know what I'm about to discuss but just in case you don't know here it is.
I knew nothing about trailers 6 months ago but I just went through a trailer education as I've ordered a boat and needed to order a tandem axle trailer.
The dealer offers a trailer with the boat but it was a budget galvanized steel trailer and I wanted something a little nicer.
I remembered you used a torsion axle on your previous build so I wanted a tandem torsion axle trailer, also wanted it built from Aluminum and electric over hydraulic disc brakes.
Well after I ordered it, I discovered a few videos discussing torsion axles versus spring axles on multi axle trailers, the spring axle trailers that are linked do a better job of distributing the load whereas torsion axles that are not linked and when travelling over a speed bump or driveway all the load could be on one axle only, just wanted to put that out there before you order your parts.
This is the video that had me doubting my choice of going with the torsion axles.
Here is a system that links torsion axles trailers that looks fairly simple to build.
I knew nothing about trailers 6 months ago but I just went through a trailer education as I've ordered a boat and needed to order a tandem axle trailer.
The dealer offers a trailer with the boat but it was a budget galvanized steel trailer and I wanted something a little nicer.
I remembered you used a torsion axle on your previous build so I wanted a tandem torsion axle trailer, also wanted it built from Aluminum and electric over hydraulic disc brakes.
Well after I ordered it, I discovered a few videos discussing torsion axles versus spring axles on multi axle trailers, the spring axle trailers that are linked do a better job of distributing the load whereas torsion axles that are not linked and when travelling over a speed bump or driveway all the load could be on one axle only, just wanted to put that out there before you order your parts.
This is the video that had me doubting my choice of going with the torsion axles.
Here is a system that links torsion axles trailers that looks fairly simple to build.
Last edited:
ntsqd
Well-known member
Dexter has very specific wording on their page about not using most of the Torflex axles in a triple configuration. I assume that there are/is Torflex's that can be used in a triple, but I've never had cause to chase it down.
I'm very much liking that walking beam + torsion axles idea - it is how I would build a double torsion axled trailer, but for my own use I'm determined to go with a single axle. It can be done. A friend has done it and has racked up enough miles with different vehicles on it to prove to me that it works.
I'm very much liking that walking beam + torsion axles idea - it is how I would build a double torsion axled trailer, but for my own use I'm determined to go with a single axle. It can be done. A friend has done it and has racked up enough miles with different vehicles on it to prove to me that it works.
plain2car
Well-known member
whatcha ya talkin' 'bout... just take a college loan out... and....violla!! .... it's like free money!Sorry. This has to be a budget build to keep both the wife and the bank account happy.
I do understand though...
my truck budget has the same "guidelines" Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I, and I'm certain others, are very much looking forward to the trailer build!
Somehow, for me, Once in a lifetime bubbled up. 31 years here. Team effort for sure. Difficult at times. Worth every ounce of energy put in.Thank you John, I very much appreciate the comments about our property. It has been a 6 year endeavor now and is finally in "maintain" mode which I much prefer over the build mode, at least when it comes to yards.