My goal is to build something I can store it on and move it around by hand on pavement or grass and not be stopped by every little rock or a crack in the driveway. I figured if I was using anything bigger than a set of wheels mounted to the welder I might as well make it towable.

Plan #1 I bought a used harbor freight 4'x8' utility trailer for $100 and was going to cut it down to 4'x4' using the extra steel to reinforce. Dad put the kibosh on that plan saying it was too light duty. I think it would have been ok but I'll have to find another use for that trailer.

On to plan #2. Dad bought a band file a few years back (think 6 foot tall band saw) with a heavy angle iron base on wheels. I picked that up to use as a dolly to move the welder in and out of the garage for the time being. I took the wheels off of it and flipped the frame over to raise it up a little.

Later on he suggested using this for my "not a trailer" frame. 5"x5"x1/2" angle should be good enough lol.









Friend of a friend damaged 1 axle on his dump trailer and replaced both. I can have the good one for $20 if I want it. I would cut it down to about 4' or 4"-6" to keep the width down. I assume even buying new wheels at $40 each and using the tires I am taking off my camper this will be about the cheapest axle/wheel/tire setup I will find. I think the brakes are good but not really a concern for this project. My Dad said he probably has some springs and hardware if I want them but we both agree they are not necessary. If anyone knows what common truck wheels will work on a 6x5.5 bolt pattern trailer axle feel free to chime in.




Other than that all I really need is a removable tongue, coupler, safety chains, and a jack. I have lights and wiring in a box somewhere to reuse or could use the magnetic trailer light set. I have no plans to haul this often. 90% sitting, 9% moving around by hand, and 1% towing.

 

If you aren't planning to tow it hardly ever, does it need to be towable?

You mention being able to move it around without getting hung up on terrain/rocks/etc - the only way you are going to accomplish this is to use big wheels. The larger the diameter the easier they will roll.

A lot of carts I've used for acetylene tanks and the like have large diameter steel wheels. Those wouldn't be too hard to fabricate. It sounds like you have a pretty well-equipped shop so that may be something you could do - and save a lot of money in wheels/tires. Use 3/16"x2" (thicker or wider, depending on what you want) flat stock rolled in a loop as your outer wheel. Then cut spokes out of round stock. It would take some effort to keep the parts true as you assemble. The bend in the outer wheel will also need more length than the circumference. The extra will depend on the rolling/bending technique. You won't be able to bend a true radius in the whole length of the circumference alone. There is always going to be some flat on either end because rolling metal like that you will never be able to bend a whole length of stock.

That welder alone, let alone the frame under it, looks pretty heavy. Do you have any idea on the weight?

I posted a thread here not too long ago on a trailer dolly I made. The dolly, and the boat trailer I use it with for now, are both mainly 3"x1/8" wall square tubing. Considering how steel goes, the tubing is pretty light in weight but very strong. The rigidity of the metal comes from the outer diameter. For what you are looking to do - mount the welder to a rolling frame - you may be able to get by with smaller 2"x1/8" square tubing.

The downside to the thinner wall tubing, though, is it will dent and deform with impact. My trailer is that way in a couple places (the tube under the hitch and the top of the bow stop upright where the winch is mounted). If you impact a structural run of the tubing (like in the middle of a side frame rail, as opposed to the end) that would compromise the integrity of the frame. Thicker wall tubing will resist that better, but you are adding weight to the set up. It is all a balance.

 

Welder is 600 pounds. Dolly is about 250. I thought about making a cart with big wheels like you suggested. Or buying something like that. Actually my Dad said he had some steel wheels about a foot diameter I could use them or the framework with wheels I am using now. The limitation with any of that would be no towing it down the road.


Right now I have no way to load something like this in my truck. Because of that I decided if I put any time into it I might as well make it towable (with 16" trailer tires). Need to get a truck bed crane or a gantry crane or build some gin poles. Something....

Plan is to play with this welder some more to make sure everything is working correctly and have a little fun. I need to adjust the no load idle and change the oil. From the factory it doesn't have a 240v plug in. The instruction manual shows how to add this with whatever receptical you want.

Once that is done I plan to park it at one of my relatives in a shed or covered up. I don't really have room to store it at my house. My grandma's house is the most likely place it will be used.

 

If you are in to equipment and moving much else around with your truck you may find a deck trailer or landscaping style trailer more versatile than the generator as the sole "trailer", of course that is if you don't already have one. Then pull the welder up on to it when you need to, or leave it on the trailer if you need everything mobile all the time or quickly if you do need it.

As far as your hoist idea - I have a few variations for lighter loads. Do a search under my username. There was a thread here a couple years back on one I made out of wood for a truck cap lift. I went through a couple winch types - a come-along at first then a 1200lb or so "brake" style cable winch (like what is on a boat trailer, but has a brake that you can loosen up turning the crank the opposite way to release the load). I eventually went to a 4500lb superwinch terra ATV winch with wireless control. I've come to rely on that winch for a bazillion purposes - so much so I should probably get a spare. When I am in a situation to use it I can't afford it breaking or quitting on me because I'm usually a one-man-band doing something.

I have 4 blocks (pulleys), the 11k rated ATV ****** blocks Superwinch makes, and between those, tree saver straps, shackles, chains, and the winch I can move just about anything. A couple examples of applications:
- Pulling a boat out of the water on to a rocky shore and flipping it. I use a 2 wheel dolly strapped under the boat when it is in the water, straight line pull from the bow to get it on shore, then I re-rig the line with 2 blocks to get a high directional pull down from 15ft+ in a tree (1 block at the base, 1 block 15+ft up) to assist in rotating the boat upside down for storage.
- Hoisting heavy truck parts, aligning suspension parts, etc.
- Hoisting generators, outboard motors, and fuel tanks with a ladder as the hoist support. Crazy hoist, but it actually works very well and I can't tell you how much my back thanks it.

Here are a couple pictures for some ideas (and the disclaimer - be careful however you do something. I'm not advocating for any particular method, rather simply showing ways I've overcome my own challenges with moving things. There are a lot of differences in equipment).

The ladders set up for the steering gearbox work on the truck are the same method I have used for getting things in and out of the truck bed (inside the cap - lift it up and back the truck up, or pull away, then set down). I wouldn't use that method for much more than a couple hundred lbs, but then again I am not hauling things that could use that type of hoisting that are much heavier. If I ever do the method will have to change accordingly.

I use a 2:1 or higher ratio with the blocks for precision (where possible - dragging the winch line through the engine compartment won't work with a block and 2 lines). The higher the ratio the slower/shorter the pull. So if you have anything that needs lined up, or carefully applied pressure, you can do it with more finesse than 1:1 - straight off the winch drum - whether you have the power in the winch or not to move what you are moving.


There is a 2x4 on the rungs of the silver ladder that the blue ladder is resting on. There are straps to stabilize (green - not sure how easy they are to see) to keep the ladders from sliding.



New steering gearbox going up in to place.



The hoist line hangs all the way over the roof to clear the far side of the truck. Heaviest piece is the outboard motor (white thing on the front of the pallet) at close to 200lbs. The ladder flexed, but it does when I climb it using it for its intended purpose so not much different. Yellow strap goes to the wheel to lock the ladder in place.


Pulling the motor was a real PITA with the boat moving (its floating...) and the ladder was in the way trying to land the motor on the dock. But that beat wrenching my back again lifting it myself.

As for 220v on that welder/generator - get an appropriate plug for it. The best idea would be to get the OEM kit/option/attachment for it. If that isn't feasible - the alternator should have 2 hot taps and a neutral. 110v is one hot and neutral. So if you have 2 separate 110v plugs tieing both hots (bypassing neutral) of the 2 circuits would give you 220v. You can check them with a multimeter. If the 2 hots read 0v they are the same circuit, if they are 220v... well you get the idea.

A lot of people wire up NMEA 5-15 plugs (your usual household 110v plug) as 220 because they are ubiquitous. This is a very bad idea as 110v and 220v plugs would be interchangeable. Use at least a NMEA 6-15. The difference is both blades are horizontal instead of vertical (note a NMEA 5-20r [jack side] has a vertical blade and a combination vertical/horizontal - this is NOT the same. A NMEA 6-15 has both blades horizontal so as to not be compatible with the 110v counterparts - both the 5-15 and 5-20).

Most portable generators that have 220v use a NMEA L14-30 plug. It is a 4 pin plug that allows you to get both 110v and 220v (depending on which pins you use). It is rated to 30 amps and is the sole 220v plug on generators up to around 8000w. Above that and you start getting in to the 14-50 and 14-60 plugs (higher amperage sorta like an electric dryer or range/oven, but 4 pin).

 

Good points and it is making me think. Ill try replying in green.




After thinking about all of that I am probably going to cut the Harbor freight axle down to just wider than the welder and attach it to the welder frame near the engine (heavy) end. For the other end I will use 2 pneumatic swivel casters as large as practical. Also add a handle to pull/push it with. This might be the best way as it is still as light as possible but should roll well enough. I could load it on a trailer with ramps or lift it into the truck.

The rest of the harbor freight trailer frame would be disassembled and used for some future projects. The overkill angle iron base would be stuck under a workbench to make it mobile. I want to add wheels to that one anyways since it is between my lathe and motorcycle hoists. I could push it up to the lathe to have more space around the hoists and pull it out when using the lathe.

 

Sounds like a plan.

Is the axle the one you posted the picture of? Or is that the good axle of the pair from your buddy? It looks like a pretty big axle...

If I was reading the manual details correctly it sounds like you can connect auxiliary power to that also - as in bypass the generator and hook to commercial power? That would be a good deal. I never thought about that. I've been wanting to get a better welder and one aspect I could really use is the ability to run off a generator. If I got a combo welder/generator there may be more options there. We'll see.

My real problem is even with my small 110v welder I run in to supply voltage issues in places. If I could make my own electricity (enough of it - neither generator I have at the moment is powerful enough) that would solve supply issues and give the ability to weld in the field.

Depending on where you get the axle placed (weight balance) you may be able to get by with 1 castor in the front. Or, instead of a castor, use a rigid mount and have the wheel swivel with the handle. That may be easier to maneuver in the shop actually if you need to squeeze it in a narrow space. The castor(s) will rotate going from forward to backward, and vice versa. That may swing the welder in to stuff if it is tight. The fixed wheel(s) would let you keep lined up with the handle/tongue.

If you make the handle like a wagon handle with a hinge where it can move up and down you could make a handle and hitch for it then have a way to roll it around behind a tractor or ATV if you need it. Here is a cart that has a convertible hitch for an idea. It has a pin hitch. If you need a ball coupler that may be harder to set up. It shouldn't be any issue to fabricate, just more work.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...0586_200660586

OK on the registrations and multiple trailers. Without saying much, I lived in IL for a while. That was a PITA - that and safety inspections every 6 months as my truck is over 8k - class D. So I can relate and know where you're coming from.

 

The axle from this trailer is what I plan to use now.





You might be able to see 2 holes at the bottom of the welder left of the green strap and below the starter wires.



Assuming these 2 holes are on the other side of the frame I will make brackets to bolt here and attach the axle.I am thinking this will get the balance right to carry most of the weight on the main 2 wheels. I thought about no casters and just some feet at the control panel end but that will depend on the balance. As a plus that would keep it from rolling around when not wanted, but may not move as nice as I want.

I plan to buy a couple casters and make the main axle the correct height so it sits level if I use the casters. If I decide not to use them I will make some feet the correct height.

 

At your estimated 600lbs for the unit, though, I think that might be too much weight for just the 2 trailer wheels and feet in the front. Even if you get the balance right to where you can rock the welder on the axle by hand that is a lot of weight to be rolling around. Going back to the acetylene tanks - those set ups are in the 3-400lb range and are heavy to roll on the big 2 wheel carts. If it were my shop, I'd have at least 3 wheels. I can see the point about the stability on 3, though, so fair enough. The acetylene carts are top-heavy (think a big hand truck with an appliance, just more compact) so that may be a lot of the weight issue I recall. Something lower to the ground may not be as bad? Maybe try it on feet first and see how it goes. Then add your castors if you need to.

There are castors you can get with brakes, also. Or, just chock the wheels to keep it in place.

 

Ended up with a cart at an auction yesterday so I guess this project is cancelled. Put blocks under it in case a tire goes flat. I am going to bolt it down after I move it forward a little bit. I jacked up the angle iron stand it was on and stuck 4x4's under it until it was taller than the new cart. Used a come a long to drag it on.