Built a dolly

Greg Boston · November 18th, 2006, 10:06 PM

Yeah Josh, you have too much wheel surface scruffing against the pipe. The way to do it, as Steve suggested, is to use angle iron mounted with the V pointing down. When you attach the wheel axles to each side of the V, they will angle so that the outer tip of the wheels contact the pipe on each side.

You can buy the angle iron that has the holes already in it. Also, buy a 5/16 bolt and see if it will fit through the bearings. You want as little slop as possible on your wheels.

As for the push bar, keep the screw in flanges mounted to the dolly base. Take two short sections of pipe and screw one into each flange. Make your push handle out of a pipe one size smaller such that when you assemble it into a U-shape, each end will insert into the pipe stubs sticking up. Drill a hole completely through on each side and use a hitch pin to secure. A hitch pin is the type used to connect trailers or implements behind a riding lawn mower and they will be available at HD.

For tear down, remove hitch pins, dis-assemble u-shaped handle, then unscrew each mounting stub from pipe flange. Should take all of a couple minutes to set-up, tear down.

-gb-

Josh Bass · November 18th, 2006, 10:54 PM

I guess I could still use the same wheels, and just mount them at 45 degree angles, instead of buying skate wheels. That wouldn't be too ridiculous, cost wise. I still don't get why the same design I used worked for someone else. I've also heard of other people using inline wheels the way I did, instead of the 45-degree design.

Ken Diewert · November 19th, 2006, 01:09 AM

The design does work Josh, I took a pic from Dan Selakoviches book to show you. Sorry Dan, I know it's copyright infringement but this is a dolly emergency.

It looks like you took that pic that you posted from Matt Cherry's original?

I can't figure out why you're squeaking, but the design works.

The other pic is of the dolly I built based on Dan's EXACT instructions. The angle bracket is heavy duty, he even lists the manufacturer (Simpson - Strong Tie). Dan's design only has 4 sets of wheels. He actually calls for a thinner 'jam' nut between the wheels to use as a spacer. I couldn't find one, so I used 2 washers.

Ken Diewert · November 19th, 2006, 01:17 AM

BTW,

For anyone else who is thinking of building a dolly and hasn't yet, I HIGHLY recommend spending the $40.00 for Dan's book, even if it's just for the dolly plans. He walks you through, step by step.

I have been thinking about building a crane though. He has plans for it in there as well.

Josh Bass · November 19th, 2006, 03:09 AM

Well, that is a little different from the way I did it.

Yes, that pic I posted of the closeup of the wheels is from Matt's dolly, not mine.

Let me try it again, with the wheels closer together. As I said, I don't remember it squeaking 'til I moved 'em further apart with the extra washer on each wheel, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

If it's still a problem, I believe a 3 foot piece of the slotted angle iron is about $5, so 10 more dollars and I can try the angled wheel design, using all the same parts I have on it now.

What durometer wheel does Dan's dolly use? My wheels are 82A. I wonder if the angled design might not work if the wheels are too soft.

Greg Boston · November 19th, 2006, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Bass

Let me try it again, with the wheels closer together. As I said, I don't remember it squeaking 'til I moved 'em further apart with the extra washer on each wheel, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

That should help alleviate the issue I mentioned earlier... the fact that you have too much side wheel in contact with the dolly track. Putting the wheels closer together should help eliminate that problem.

Looking forward to some good dolly shots from you!

-gb-

Mike Teutsch · November 19th, 2006, 08:13 AM

This design will work for very light weight setups, but is inherently flawed. As pressure is applied the wheels are forced apart. If all is very tight they may not physically spread, but the rubber will be compressed, indented, and will make a larger footprint. It will scrub on the tube.

Think of it this way: Your driving you car down the road on a flat surface, the tire makes contact with the road on its face and makes no marks and little if any noise. Now run your car over to the slanted curb and start touching it. The tire will still roll, but it now is scrubbing off material on the curb, "BLACK MARKS," which will make a noise.

All of the above will happen in the dolly wheel setup that you have, but just to a much less noticeable degree. But, it will happen! The further the wheels are apart, the more this effect will occur.

For the dollies I built, remember I gave one to Bill Gardner as a DV5 prize, I used angled aluminum to mount the wheels so that they contact the rail on the normal flat surface of the wheel. With this setup there is no sidewall scrubbing. They can ride on tubing or even on angled rails, with no scrubbing.

Perhaps in a week or so, very busy right now, I could post pictures and drawings for all of you. This design is ultra simple and will support far more weight than what you are using. I could sit on mine and use it, and I weight 230 lbs. Ya, I need to loose a few pounds, well maybe a little more.

I will post it as soon as possible. May also be selling some soon, I hope, as I bought materials to build about a hundred of them. 480 wheels for example! But I will post plans for all anyway.

Good Luck----Mike

Josh Bass · November 19th, 2006, 04:22 PM

Yeah, you might be right. However, it might be that I just have squeaky rubber tires.

As I said, I took the middle pairs of tires off, and I was playing around with them, running them along the pvc pipe, while detached from the dolly (each pair of wheels still held together by the axel and nuts), and they're STILL squeaking! Even with nothing but the pressure of my hand on them, they still squeak! I think I got the wrong tires. And the wrong design. So, when I feel like spending another $130, I'll get the slotted angle iron and some skateboard wheels. HARD ones. Soft wheels seem to suck.

The dolly does run fine on boards and stuff, so it ain't totally useless crap.

Charles Papert · November 19th, 2006, 06:06 PM

Hey Josh, how did that documentary on the artist and his family turn out?

Josh Bass · November 19th, 2006, 10:05 PM

I shall email you privately about that. It's not fit for public discussion.

November 18th, 2006, 10:54 PM	#47
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	I guess I could still use the same wheels, and just mount them at 45 degree angles, instead of buying skate wheels. That wouldn't be too ridiculous, cost wise. I still don't get why the same design I used worked for someone else. I've also heard of other people using inline wheels the way I did, instead of the 45-degree design. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

November 19th, 2006, 01:09 AM	#48
Ken Diewert Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 1,200	Josh, hang in there The design does work Josh, I took a pic from Dan Selakoviches book to show you. Sorry Dan, I know it's copyright infringement but this is a dolly emergency. It looks like you took that pic that you posted from Matt Cherry's original? I can't figure out why you're squeaking, but the design works. The other pic is of the dolly I built based on Dan's EXACT instructions. The angle bracket is heavy duty, he even lists the manufacturer (Simpson - Strong Tie). Dan's design only has 4 sets of wheels. He actually calls for a thinner 'jam' nut between the wheels to use as a spacer. I couldn't find one, so I used 2 washers. Attached Thumbnails __________________ C100, 5DMk2, FCPX

November 19th, 2006, 01:17 AM	#49
Ken Diewert Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vancouver Island, Canada Posts: 1,200	BTW, For anyone else who is thinking of building a dolly and hasn't yet, I HIGHLY recommend spending the $40.00 for Dan's book, even if it's just for the dolly plans. He walks you through, step by step. I have been thinking about building a crane though. He has plans for it in there as well. __________________ C100, 5DMk2, FCPX

November 19th, 2006, 03:09 AM	#50
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Well, that is a little different from the way I did it. Yes, that pic I posted of the closeup of the wheels is from Matt's dolly, not mine. Let me try it again, with the wheels closer together. As I said, I don't remember it squeaking 'til I moved 'em further apart with the extra washer on each wheel, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. If it's still a problem, I believe a 3 foot piece of the slotted angle iron is about $5, so 10 more dollars and I can try the angled wheel design, using all the same parts I have on it now. What durometer wheel does Dan's dolly use? My wheels are 82A. I wonder if the angled design might not work if the wheels are too soft. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

November 19th, 2006, 08:13 AM	#52
Mike Teutsch Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 2,614	This design will work for very light weight setups, but is inherently flawed. As pressure is applied the wheels are forced apart. If all is very tight they may not physically spread, but the rubber will be compressed, indented, and will make a larger footprint. It will scrub on the tube. Think of it this way: Your driving you car down the road on a flat surface, the tire makes contact with the road on its face and makes no marks and little if any noise. Now run your car over to the slanted curb and start touching it. The tire will still roll, but it now is scrubbing off material on the curb, "BLACK MARKS," which will make a noise. All of the above will happen in the dolly wheel setup that you have, but just to a much less noticeable degree. But, it will happen! The further the wheels are apart, the more this effect will occur. For the dollies I built, remember I gave one to Bill Gardner as a DV5 prize, I used angled aluminum to mount the wheels so that they contact the rail on the normal flat surface of the wheel. With this setup there is no sidewall scrubbing. They can ride on tubing or even on angled rails, with no scrubbing. Perhaps in a week or so, very busy right now, I could post pictures and drawings for all of you. This design is ultra simple and will support far more weight than what you are using. I could sit on mine and use it, and I weight 230 lbs. Ya, I need to loose a few pounds, well maybe a little more. I will post it as soon as possible. May also be selling some soon, I hope, as I bought materials to build about a hundred of them. 480 wheels for example! But I will post plans for all anyway. Good Luck----Mike __________________ Chapter one, line one. The BH.

November 18th, 2006, 10:06 PM	#46
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Yeah Josh, you have too much wheel surface scruffing against the pipe. The way to do it, as Steve suggested, is to use angle iron mounted with the V pointing down. When you attach the wheel axles to each side of the V, they will angle so that the outer tip of the wheels contact the pipe on each side. You can buy the angle iron that has the holes already in it. Also, buy a 5/16 bolt and see if it will fit through the bearings. You want as little slop as possible on your wheels. As for the push bar, keep the screw in flanges mounted to the dolly base. Take two short sections of pipe and screw one into each flange. Make your push handle out of a pipe one size smaller such that when you assemble it into a U-shape, each end will insert into the pipe stubs sticking up. Drill a hole completely through on each side and use a hitch pin to secure. A hitch pin is the type used to connect trailers or implements behind a riding lawn mower and they will be available at HD. For tear down, remove hitch pins, dis-assemble u-shaped handle, then unscrew each mounting stub from pipe flange. Should take all of a couple minutes to set-up, tear down. -gb-

November 19th, 2006, 04:22 PM	#53
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Yeah, you might be right. However, it might be that I just have squeaky rubber tires. As I said, I took the middle pairs of tires off, and I was playing around with them, running them along the pvc pipe, while detached from the dolly (each pair of wheels still held together by the axel and nuts), and they're STILL squeaking! Even with nothing but the pressure of my hand on them, they still squeak! I think I got the wrong tires. And the wrong design. So, when I feel like spending another $130, I'll get the slotted angle iron and some skateboard wheels. HARD ones. Soft wheels seem to suck. The dolly does run fine on boards and stuff, so it ain't totally useless crap. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

November 19th, 2006, 06:06 PM	#54
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Hey Josh, how did that documentary on the artist and his family turn out? __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

November 19th, 2006, 10:05 PM	#55
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	I shall email you privately about that. It's not fit for public discussion. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB