I am relocating my construction trailer, thanks to some encouragement from the local county officials. The location I would like to use has one problem, the trailer will end up pointing straight down the hill, one end at least 5 feet lower than t’other.
Any ideas on how to raise and brace the lower end so I don’t get squished during the process? I have a few, but would like a reality check. I don’t have access to a lot of heavy equipment, so don’t need any “use the crane”, etc.. Any of you old timers with black-and-blue acquired common sense please weigh in. Thanks in advance.
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I dropped a 750# tailer tongue on my finger once. Is that black and blue enough? Broke the end bone into five pieces and lost the fingernail. Scar tissue left a knob on the end like ET.
Start by making sure that it can't roll. Remember Murphy's law!
Put a couple chunks of 4x4 or 6x6 under the frame at the high end (I'm assuming this is the rear) so when it hits the ground, it won't keep sinking in. then use the front tongue jack to raise as high as you can. Place blocking in a stable pile under both sides of the front frame up to the frame. Let the pressure off the jack all the way and place blocking under the jack. Start jacking again and repeat the process until it is level. This way you need no special equiptment but it is not my prefered method.
Which is, I've got plenty of 6x6 and 8x8 cribbing and some house jacks...
How about some one with a loader on a tractor or a skid steer. Hook a chain(s) to the end that you want lifted and block in place.
Piffin,
Thanks for the input. Your ideas pretty much line up with what I had in mind. I just hope if something falls on me, it hits me on the head so I won't get hurt. It just takes the echoes awhile to die down.
Why didn't I think of that? I could've stuck my finger in my ear!Excellence is its own reward!
I'd agree with what Piffin wrote, and only add that you should prepare the surfaces where your stacks of cribbing will go. I'm assuming this is on dirt, so dig out some level pads (or angled just slightly the opposite way from the hill) so that the weight is on level undisturbed ground. If this will be left in place for a long time, you might want to start with some chunks of flat concrete, like from an old sidewalk, to keep your wood up off the ground. PT cutoffs for the bottom layer would also be a good long term idea.
-- J.S.
Thanks, John.
That's what I meant by "Place blocking in a stable pile"
But one of my faults is condensing too much information into a word or a phrase, expecting the listener to read my mind. I tend to overcompensate for that sometimes. So my wife says that if she asks what time it is, she's never sure whether I'll say, "About that time." or give a discourse on how to build a clock.
Striving for the middle ground...Excellence is its own reward!
Since I sell construction forklifts, I think that's what you need! it's amazing how much use you'll have if you buy one....
besides if I sell enough of them maybe I could hire you to do the work on my house.......