Home made wheel dollies

[fred d]

Thinking of making a set of dollies to move around a 5k lb truck

Would 1/4 thick 12x18 steel flat plate with 4 casters do the trick?
I understand the casters are the important issue here, but would the 1/4 flat plate hold up with out bending in the middle with roughly 1250# on it?

Want to add 2" square tubing on each end to keep the vehicle from rolling off the Dollie. Plus I want to be able to put a jack stand on the Dollie to set under the frame/axle instead of always sitting on the tires on the dollies

Will post a pic of my idea tonight when I get home

All ideas and concerns welcome

 

[Strouty]

1/4" plate should be fine, the way they bend them doesn't really add any strength, it is to keep the wheel on there.

As for the jack stand, make sure it is bolted to the dolly, otherwise things could get ugly. Picture the vehicle being pushed one way, the dolly wheels locking up and the stand tipping over. I know it is not that likely, but for the effort, it is worth the safety it allows.

 

[stratman977]

The generally design devices like that with at least a 5 to 1 factor of safety. The problem is that your load is only 1250lb just sitting there but when you move it around or set it down a little hard you get more loading than just the plain old weight.

A 1/4 inch plate of that size is good for about 2000 to 2500lb before it yields. I would say its a little on the weak side. Maybe add a piece of angle across the edges for a stiffener. If you notice the cheap stamped steel ones have a vertical edge that stiffens them up.

Also if you look at the harbor freight ones they are fairly short. If you notice also that they have that round bar between the wheels that keeps the V-section from caving in on itself. The bend they have in them actually weakens the structure.

 

[joe_padavano]

Instead of a flat plate, fabricate a rectangle using angle iron or tubing. The added depth of the angle or tube will significantly increase the stiffness (the plate will be a trampoline) and the tire will sit in the center of the rectangle, so it won't roll off the dolly.

Of course, none of my project cars have tires that seem to hold air for more than a few minutes, so maybe this isn't a problem...

 

[fred d]

As for the jack stand, make sure it is bolted to the dolly, otherwise things could get ugly. Picture the vehicle being pushed one way, the dolly wheels locking up and the stand tipping over. I know it is not that likely, but for the effort, it is worth the safety it allows.

Already planning a clamping device to be bolted to plate to hold jack stand in place

 

[Strouty]

Already planning a clamping device to be bolted to plate to hold jack stand in place

Good, didn't want to read about you in one of the accident threads or anything.

As for the others opinions, don't worry about any bracing. Here is a link to the place that I bought mine from, there are very stout and I have had 9000 pounds on them. They do not make for easy turning of the vehicle, but I have yet to find a set that does. These are the best bang for the buck that I have found. You may even just buy them, they probably cost almost what you will pay for materials. They usually have coupon codes to get a discount as well.

Merrick Auto Dolly

I have the 10K rated ones.

 

[91bronc300]

Already planning a clamping device to be bolted to plate to hold jack stand in place

My uneducated opinion is that that is still a bad idea. Raising the point of contact with the load a foot or more off the dolly without making the wheelbase of the dolly any larger is going to make it too tip-happy when you try and move the vehicle. Even if the stand was welded to the dolly.

 

[Rookie2]

nope , jackstand not a good idea. I bought two sets of those China syndrome wheel dollies, every caster wheel pulled thru their pivot and i had to weld every caster back on. So .... buy big *** casters for a big *** truck.

 

[rsanter]

Sorry. I don't like that design
If it was me I would use the 2x2 tube on the ends like you suggest.
I would use two 2x2 tubes that will go across under the tires so the outer edge of the tubes are the width of the tires.
If you want you can add a little steel in the middle of the two tubes by using 16g or 14g strip stock.
This will be stronger, cheaper, and easier to build

Bob

 

[astroracer]

Just wondering why you don't buy a set already made... You aren't going to save any money by building them yourself, especially if you have to buy castors.
I have been using Harbor Freight dollies for years. No issues at all. I just put the '94 Formula on a set last weekend and rolled it into the corner by myself. I spent less then 90 bucks for the set the of four.
Just curious about your motives...
As far as setting the jackstands ON the dollies. I wouldn't. Use the dollies to position the car then set it on the stands on the floor.
Mark

 

[stratman977]

If you would cut down the length of the dolly to 12 inch instead of 18 inch you get closer to4500lb capacity instead of 2500 lb for regular 1/4" steel plate.

A second thing to mention is that the flat plate as you propose applies the weight of the vehicle to the plate at the dead center of the plate which will cause the plate to bend. Those dollies in strouty's link if you notice the contact points where the tire actually touches the dolly are pretty close to the casters. This is much better as it will bend the 1/4 inch plate much less.

On your flat plate design if you put the 2x2 square in the right spot you might be able to obtain the same effect.

Take this free engineering advice for what it is, free.

 

[fred d]

Just wondering why you don't buy a set already made... You aren't going to save any money by building them yourself, especially if you have to buy castors.
I have been using Harbor Freight dollies for years. No issues at all. I just put the '94 Formula on a set last weekend and rolled it into the corner by myself. I spent less then 90 bucks for the set the of four.
Just curious about your motives...
As far as setting the jackstands ON the dollies. I wouldn't. Use the dollies to position the car then set it on the stands on the floor.
Mark

1st
If I buy the ones from HF, I will still need to replace the casters with some of decent quality so why spend the money on them.

2nd
Though i may need to change my design some,
I will build them to use with jack stands. Can't do that with the HF ones