For those of you old enough to remember, I guess the title of this blog might sound a bit like the 1960s country track “King of the Road”. I’m sure any design engineers, in particular, will be relieved to hear that the topic is not music based, but instead centres on a recent Sanstec workshop challenge which allowed us to flex our Creo CAD skills again. So, enter the trailer.
So why this trailer? This particular trailer has been used within the company on various occasions for a number of different tasks and activities. Aside from some customer work, these have consisted of clearing away quite a large amount of hedge clippings and green waste from the yard area around our previous workshop site that we maintained ourselves.
To ensure a more appropriate attaching and detaching of the rear panel, for loading and unloading, we wanted to change the fixings to a quick release structure. The actual panelling was part of a lightweight plywood used to increase the load carrying volume of a single axle trailer with low galvanised drop sides. We needed to design a very simple bracket and mating plate to hold some panelling together with the aid of an installed 'Anti-Luce' pin arrangement on each side.
The technical engineering challenge was to recycle some metal scrap previously used and already available in the workshop. We needed a simple lightweight arrangement, created from cutting up some old aluminium square tube, with holes drilled through it which could then be easily attached to the plywood boards, providing a locating method for the detachable rear panel.
So, after some fiddling about and a bit of work in Creo, including quite a bit of measuring, cutting and 'fettling', a little flat plate and right angled bracket was developed and then 'made' from the aluminium tube. This was subsequently fitted to the plywood panelling.
It's all in a day's work really and very much typical of a number of engineering activities that we are constantly working on for an assortment of projects. After the installation was completed and following our recent move to a larger workshop, we've decided to put it up for sale (on e-bay) as we are no longer really using the trailer and it's equipment. Fancy being a “King of the Road?”
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