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Ballast Bumper and Hitch Mounting
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| Obligatory Palette Picture |
This is the most major of the sub-contracted projects. This is almost the most needed project from both a functionality
standpoint and a sfety standpoint. Functionality: Without the hitch, no trailer, pretty major. Safety: The ballast bumper
is required to make safe use of the engine brake while bobtailing.
Trailer Saver Mounting
The TrailerSaver hitch is mounted to a solid 3/4" plate that has been welded into the back end of the frame.
The height of the trailer pin, requires that the hitch be set 5" down into the rails. This forces the hitch a little
further back (48") that I had planned. If the hitch is moved any firther forward, then the air lines for the suspension, the
check valves, and the main frame support member all have to be relocated. The first step is to cut away the frame sections
that are in the way, and build out the rails to fully support the hitch.
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| Right Side Support Box |
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| Left Side Box |
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| Cross Member Prepped |
Once the cutting was completed, the 3/4" steel mounting plate for the TrailerSaver hitch was tacked in. This leaves
a pin height of 45 1/2", the pin height (measured to the plate that rests on the hitch head) specified by SpaceCraft Mfg.
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| Hitch on Tacked Plate |
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| Plate Tacked and Clamped |
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| Tacking the Right Side |
After tacking the plate in place and making sure one last time that the hitch is at the correct height, the plate is
welded in place. The plate supports are four 6" x 3" x 3/8" Angle iron sections 8" inches long. The plate itself weight
about 250 lbs. The holes for the TrailerSaver are visible in the first picture in this set.
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| Plate Welded In Place |
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| Left Side Plate Supports |
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| Right Side Plate Supports |
The next step here is to add the ballast bumper. This bumper will add weight and house all of the tail lights of the
Motorhome. The templates are all made out of 3/8" plywood to best approximate the 3/8" steel plate that will be used for the
bumper. The welder says he really likes angles, so he's going to love the light boxes. They get set at a 45 degree angle into
the sides of the bumper. In the 2nd picture, the light box is in it's angular orientation. It will sit in the side panel 6"
down from the top edge.
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| Light Box Assembly |
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| Template Corner |
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| Rear Template View |
The bumper is made it three parts. The left and right light box assemblies, and the center light assembly. The left and
right light box assemblies are fabricated first.
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| Light Box Assembly In Metal |
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| Light Box Up Close |
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| Light Box and Corner |
Once the light boxes are fully assembled, they are attached to the truck. A mounting plate is attached to the truck and
one is attached to the light box assembly. By tapering the two panels, thay can be fine tuned for fit.
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| Attach the Support |
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| Test Fit the Metal |
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| Fine Tuning the Fit |
After tuning, the unit is attached to the truck. Then the process is repeated for the right side. After the right side
is attached, then the center and lower panel can be attached.
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| Tacking the Left Side |
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| Right Mount Plate |
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| Right Side |
The final form of the ballast bumper emerges as soon as the two rear panels are tacked in. A final welding fill and buffing
complete the welder's job. Then it's on to paint. Step 1, is to prime, fill, and wet sand.
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| All Tacked |
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| Primed, Wet Sand |
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| Right Side Primed |
After wet sanding, it's on to final paint. We chose a glossy black. It just seemed like the right color at the time.
We couldn't find a paint bay to take the whole thing, so the next best thing, lost of painters tape and sheet plastic.
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| Swallowed By Paint Bay |
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| In the Paint Bay |
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| Painting The SIde |
After paint, it's time to reconnect the lights. The bumper was designed to use the basic 4" round truck lights. This
will allow for a future chane out to brighter LED's. Remeber the starting point? Commercial hitch and raw frame rails. The
hitch needs to wait for a few days for the paint to harden before it is mounted.
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| Finally, Complete |
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| The Light Box, Done |
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| Remember This? |
The final form of the ballast bumper emerges as soon as the two rear panels are tacked in. A final welding fill and buffing
complete the welder's job. Next up was the painter. The painter did a body fill for any of the rough spots left by the welder,
then a full wet sanding.
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| All DONE !!! |
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