14 replies to this topic

[CAlessi]

I have decided to make a dolly for my LJ shell and was wondering what's a good weight rating for the wheels? I was thinking 250kg each but that might be overkill?

[Heath]

That's very much overkill.

 

If you're just working on the bare shell to do rust repairs etc. they could be more like 50-75kg each.

[CAlessi]

Really? That low? I would have thought the shell would be about 400kg. I might go with the 150kg wheels. The weight rating is maximum so better to be safe I guess.

That's very much overkill.

If you're just working on the bare shell to do rust repairs etc. they could be more like 50-75kg each.

[Bigfella237]

When I was young and silly, two of us used to lift and carry a bare LH shell so it couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred kilos max (the back is a hell of a lot heavier than the front and for some reason I always seemed to end up at the back).

 

But what I was going to suggest is to go with the overkill anyway providing it doesn't cost too much extra... one day you might want to start assembling the car while it's still on the dolly.

[CAlessi]

I think I'll go with the 150kg wheels. The ones rated for 250kg don't have a brake so maybe even 2 of each will be good.

When I was young and silly, two of us used to lift and carry a bare LH shell so it couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred kilos max (the back is a hell of a lot heavier than the front and for some reason I always seemed to end up at the back).

But what I was going to suggest is to go with the overkill anyway providing it doesn't cost too much extra... one day you might want to start assembling the car while it's still on the dolly.

[71xu1]

Make sure you buy good quality wheels. I know not a dolly but I have used rotisseries where the wheels have been changed multiple times. Buy a good set and forget about it. I put good quality wheels on the one I built, 8 cars later still perfect. From memory they were 150kg rated.

[CAlessi]

I'll go to paramount browns this weekend and have a look at what wheels they got. Pretty sure I'll go with the 150kg rated ones. I'll try get the steel today, I was thinking 50x50x3mm should be enough?

[bat 53]

1.6 mm is thick enough but use aussie tru blue

not chinese crap

Edited by bat 53, 20 September 2022 - 10:10 AM.

[WhaleOilBeefHooked]

I have had a shopping trolley bolted with Tiber framework under the front of my lj for several years now, only problem is when grass gets wet it sinks into grass & bogs which makes it hard to move, but on concrete is more than enough to hold up & move around.. pity I couldn’t leave it there as roundabouts would be a breeze…

[Heath]

Really? That low? I would have thought the shell would be about 400kg. I might go with the 150kg wheels. The weight rating is maximum so better to be safe I guess.

 

Yeah, it certainly wouldn't be 400kg. The front weighs next to nothing, and the rear weighs a bit. But if you were to cut the rear into a few pieces (guard and tub, turret, front half of floorpan, rear half of floorpan with rear valence, sills & pillars, firewall) you'd find that each section could be lifted very easily. So they can't accumulate to all that much.

 

The wheels should have a factor of safety for when a trolley three-wheels on uneven concrete etc. I would expect, but anyway, nothing wrong with having good wheels.

You asked what is overkill, and anything from a reputable brand with a recommended weight rating over 75kg is probably overkill, if you ask me. Haha

[Bigfella237]

~ only problem is when grass gets wet it sinks into grass & bogs which makes it hard to move, but on concrete is more than enough ~

Which brings up another suggestion... If you are going to be rolling over rough terrain (or loading it onto a tilt try / car trailer) at any stage then the bigger diameter wheels the better, but that may lead to packaging issues (dolly too tall) so it's a bit of a trade-off.

 

Personally, I'd stay away from anything pneumatic tyre'd though, too much maintenance, not to mention that rubber and welding sparks don't get along too well.

[WhaleOilBeefHooked]

100% correct, tell me about it.. Trolley with timber frame was bolted in place of crossmember, But I loaded it onto car trailer 2 times, once to get the underbody & boot sandblasted and second time to have spray painted in booth. First time no problems they removed from trailer with forklift & timber to protect undercarriage, but removing car off trailer on return from spray shop we nearly lost it coming down the ramps as the shopping trolley is way too narrow which don’t make for very sturdy ride once the weight is transferred.. Once I also Very Stupidly jacked the rear end up which has a diff n wheels putting full weight on the troller wheels and nearly tipped the whole thing on its side, which after many months worth of panel work would of been a crying shame.. I’m sure my leg would have reached to kick my own arse that day.. I shat myself big time, lowered it back down and walked away for 2 days… Never to be repeated…

 

Which brings up another suggestion... If you are going to be rolling over rough terrain (or loading it onto a tilt try / car trailer) at any stage then the bigger diameter wheels the better, but that may lead to packaging issues (dolly too tall) so it's a bit of a trade-off.

 

Personally, I'd stay away from anything pneumatic tyre'd though, too much maintenance, not to mention that rubber and welding sparks don't get along too well.

Edited by WhaleOilBeefHooked, 20 September 2022 - 11:59 AM.

[CAlessi]

The wheels I'm looking at are 150mm in diameter and will only be rolling on concrete, maybe some paving. Also the tow truck. They are rated at 160kg each but I think it's better to be safe than sorry. At $33 each I think it's fairly cheap. I'm only building the dolly at 400mm high and 200mm is the wheels.

Edited by CAlessi, 20 September 2022 - 01:10 PM.

[CAlessi]

i finished making the body dolly. if anyone is interested the dimensions are 1200L x 920W x 290H. The material used was 50x50x3mm. The wheels are 6x2 150mm wheels standing at 190mm high, rated at 160kg each.

Attached Files

•  Screenshot_2022-09-24-13-59-48-62_92460851df6f172a4592fca41cc2d2e6.jpg   47.6K   13 downloads

[madtoranajzedded]

Which brings up another suggestion... If you are going to be rolling over rough terrain (or loading it onto a tilt try / car trailer) at any stage then the bigger diameter wheels the better, but that may lead to packaging issues (dolly too tall) so it's a bit of a trade-off.

 

Personally, I'd stay away from anything pneumatic tyre'd though, too much maintenance, not to mention that rubber and welding sparks don't get along too well.

I changed to the big ones pretty quick for those same reasons you suggested.even with just extension leads on the concrete get stuck on those small caster wheels..  6B6E995D-675C-47D0-925B-D9FDABB9E023.jpeg   123.58K   5 downloads