The ‘RAITH Party Cart….

[Rick W]

A/k/a ‘Raith Party Cart, Rick’s Road ‘Raith, Road ‘Raith Kasket Kitchen, etc.

I know, I know, it’s spelled “wraith.” I’m dropping the W so it will fit in with the whole Rick’s and Ranger everything theme..

Like everybody here (don’t deny it) I always wanted a trailer made out of a casket, just ‘cuz it’s crazy and cool. The original thoughts were just spare room for luggage, tools or a cooler or who knows what. I actually bought a $200 fiberglass casket about 20 years ago, but before I could do anything with it, a guy down the road had to have it much more than I needed it, so I took the profit.

Then I got into Rangers and met you guys.

I like fabbing stuff, and in my retirement, I have the time and I have the funds, although I always do everything super cheap. My vision expanded to making a Casket Trailer that was half cooler and half storage box. After putting together The Road Ranger, I was inspired to make this trailer with a double axle and matching Ranger wheels. Like, always, with the vision only in my head, I added some things to my six or seven time a day craigslist/marketplace sweep. This “shopping” expanded the scope, and has helped me zero in on the design.

THE DESIGN: the concept expanded to having the casket as a cooler and a storage locker, but also adding a gas grill, so you have everything you need to cook out and have a party. The Missing Linc is the obvious tow choice, so the decorative design will follow that.

Since all of this junk is more for show than it is for functionality, I also had the thought of being able to carry the ‘Raith on top of The Road Ranger. For size, before I had the idea of adding the gas grille, the whole thing would’ve fit on the main deck of the step trailer. Even with the grille it would have fit there. Then I lucked up on a little barber chair. With the expanded design, the tongue of the ‘Raith will actually extend over the upper deck of the step trailer. It was the last critical design item.

Here’s The Road Ranger trailer plus or minus:

Here’s how I envision the ‘Raith sitting on top of it:

Both trailers are sitting on 185/65/14 tires and 2,000# axles, 1,250# springs. The step trailer deck is raised up about seven or 8 inches above the spring mounts. I don’t want to do that on the ‘Raith, I want it as low as possible for easy access.

The bottom of the ‘Raith frame would be 15 inches off the ground if I don’t modify the spring hangers or frame. Coincidentally the upper deck of the step trailer is 15 inches higher than the main deck. I’m planning on adding 2 inches to the ride height to allow for motion with the ‘Raith bouncing around on top of the step trailer.

ALL THE BASIC MATERIALS: here’s what I have accumulated so far.

A mechanical contractor who used to work for me does a lot with Aluminum projects. He replaced the 20 foot diameter satellite dishes on top of the Cox broadcasting building here in Atlanta. Part of the frame were 4” x 6” x 22’ long aluminum channel beams, basically two 4” x 1 1/2” channels back to back with a 3” spacers. I got the four of them for a couple hundred bucks. I plan to slice the channels free and use them for the frame, and use the pieces in the middle for brackets or whatever..

I plan on cutting some 4 inch long pieces of the channel, and then splitting them down the middle to make them like an angle iron. I will drill and tap them, and they will be the brackets that hold the length and transverse pieces of channel together. Might sound silly, but I’ll also bond them with gorilla glue. I also have a good assortment of other aluminum angle, smaller channel, tubing, etc. to make the little parts. I bought a bunch of stainless steel bolts at retail, it almost killed me.

I had already accumulated several spare axles and a bunch of springs. I’m going to tandem two 2000 pound axles on 1250 pound springs. I’ll bolt steel hangers that I bought right through the aluminum flange. I’ll probably custom fab the hangers to get that two inches of ride height.

I have also scavenged a whole bunch of 14” bullet hole wheels and also five 14 inch steelies that I have already painted to match The Missing Linc. I’ll use the steelies when I pull it with The Missing Linc, and I’ll use the bullet holes when I pull it with The Road Ranger or Big Red (F250). Think about it, this is going to be a cool contraption, and I am that anal that I would change the wheels. Think of the kind of parties this thing will be in the middle of….

I’m sure everybody knows the best time to buy a used casket is in the weeks right after Halloween, so I went hunting. I lucked out big time.

A bottling company up in South Carolina bought a top-of-the-line casket 15 years ago, took it to a professional commercial kitchen fabricator, gutted it, and installed an insulated galvanized tub with a drain. They even insulated the lid. They spent something like 12 or $13,000 on this thing. The very well-known parent company based in Atlanta got wind of it this year, and didn’t say no, they said hell no get rid of it. I picked it up for $350.

Before I was convinced on adding the gas grill, while I was still conceptualizing and shopping craigslist, I ran up on a $2500 Jenn Air gas grill for $80. It is the Rolls-Royce of gas grills, and one of the older ones that’s built like a brick outhouse, not the new flimsy ones. I have to get a new grill and a couple burners, otherwise it’s ready to go. It also came with several propane tanks, two of them still with propane.

A light touch with a Brillo pad, and this thing will shine like new!

I also have a fetish for diamond plate, and it’s one of the things I’m always scanning for on craigslist. Over the last few years, I picked up four or five pick up truck bed boxes, and I picked up a trailer tongue box. I cut up the boxes for the diamond plate. I have one now with a full lid that I will remove and split down the center and make the fenders over the dual axle tires. I’m hoping to put the tongue box in the tongue of this trailer, but I think I will have to section it vertically.

When you do socially important projects like this, sometimes the Lord is just looking out for you. When I was scanning Craigslist, I found a FREE little BARBER CHAIR. It’s like brand new except the vinyl is split. I had been racking my brain how I was going to complete such an important project without the appropriate size barber chair.

I’m planning on modifying the arms with drink holders, some kind of diamond tuck and flames upholstery, and a control panel for the various electronics that will be included in the project. That’s still a little fuzzy in my head.

THE PLAN: I’m just finishing up on some improvements I made to The Road Ranger and trailer. I needed a piece of the 4 inch channel for that, so I started working with those beams. All the aluminum can be worked with woodworking tools if you’re careful, and I already learned a lot just cutting out a 5 foot piece.

The channels for the frame will sit with the open side out. That is so when I put my marker lights and whatever in that channel, it won’t get knocked off by accident. That also leaves me the flat surface on the inside side to bolt to the crossmembers. I plan on using the four-inch channel for them as well.

I’m going to start with the main rails several feet longer than I need. I’ll use my drops to make the angle brackets. I’m going to start from the rear, and the first crossmember will also have the open side facing backwards for protected tail lights. There will be a crossmember at each of the spring mounting points.

Instead of sitting the gas grill on top of the deck, it will extend down below the deck. I don’t want it rising up too far over the casket. I may section the vertical part that holds the propane bottles. So there will be an aluminum crosspiece in the front and in the back of the gas grill to hold it firmly in place, and conceal the propane bottles.

The barber chair will be sitting approximately where the main rails taper in to form the tongue. My plan is to notch the 4 inch channels down to the web, a notch about an inch wide. I will install a crossmember right at the beginning of that notch. I also have a bunch of three-quarter inch threaded rods in the shed of miracles. I’m going to temporarily or permanently put one in across the main frame, to hold the sides square while I bend in the two pieces for the tongue, with the bend being at the notch. If I can’t bend them by hand, I will use the same threaded rod at a couple points in front of the angle spot, and just crank them together.

My plan is to bend those two pieces in where the angle exactly matches the angles of the tongue box I have. I have a very heavy piece of folded steel that I will bolt to the ends of the channel that will hold the lunette riser and the lunette ring.

There are a lot of smaller details like the tongue jack that I haven’t figured out yet, that will make sense when I get there. I do plan on installing a removable or fold up little tiny axle to hold a couple of small bicycle tires, for the purpose of pulling the ‘Raith up onto the step trailer.

On the tail, I plan to make a short extension to hold the spare tire like a continental kit on an old Lincoln.

I already cut a few pieces of the aluminum while I was working on the step trailer. I also started to disassemble the casket. I have to take the tank out to access how ever the handles are attached. Then I’ll paint the box, I may or may not paint the handles, and then reassemble it. I plan on installing two watertight baffles in the tank so I can use 1/3, 2/3, or the whole thing to hold ice and drinks.

I also need to flip it over before I paint it, to make sure the bottom is sealed up and sound.

 

[Rick W]

Afterthought, but empty, it should probably weigh less than 1000 pounds. But if you put 10 inches of water in that casket, that adds another thousand pounds. I say 10 inches, just as an approximation if it was full of ice and beer.

 

[RobbieD]

This is going to be interestig.

Just a thought (or two).

For a lot of us wayward children, a combination casket and grille may be most appropriate (and perhaps more time efficient in the shortening of the after journey?).

And . . . I don't know why, but that barber chair is begging for a fishing pole holder. Just for the hell of it?

Can't wait to see the progress; Happy Hacking!

 

[Rick W]

Funny, you should mention “children.“ I actually found a child casket, which would’ve been the perfect size for a beer cooler to keep the trailer on the main deck of the step trailer. But I thought that was too weird…

 

[Rick W]

I pulled the tub drain out as the first part of disassembling the casket. Still have work to do on The Road Ranger, so I just cleaned it up and got some you know what on it so it’ll be ready to put back in later.

 

[sgtsandman]

Rust-O-Leum?

 

[Rick W]

Of course!

It’s a brass/bronze valve, but the nipple and the bushing were galvanized and had some surface rust on them. I was thinking of replacing them with brass or bronze, but with a little prevention, this thing’s gonna last longer than I do. When I put it back together, I’m going to squirt in some crazy foam all around it.

 

[Rick W]

On my aluminum beams. Very hard with the circular saw to get smooth and straight cuts. I started with the one that was bent for the 5’ piece I needed for the step trailer, but there was a lot of grinding, which is a mess with the Aluminum

I have to play musical cars in the driveway (I’ve had two of my Lincoln’s blocked in since before Christmas), and I still have most of that one aluminum beam on the sawhorses. I need more or less six cross pieces and the two main runners for the ‘Raith, and then a smaller version for the converter dolly. Been scratching my head on it at all, but I came up with this.

For the cross pieces, if I chop them up on the sawhorses with the circular saw, and I just leave them an inch long, then I can take them to my chop saw and trim them down perfectly square and exact matching lengths. That’s easy enough because we’re talking about 4 foot long pieces. There should be enough left over from the drops to make most if not all of my corner brackets (4” long, split in 2).

On the two main runners (15-16ft), I had a similar idea. If I cut the spacers a quarter inch off the channel, and I cut the two channels a foot too long, I should end up with a piece that would be manageable to run over my table saw (if I get a lot of junk out of the way). Using the guide on the saw, I could shave the remaining parts of the spacers fairly precisely, and have minimal finishing work to clean them up.

The sawhorses inspired me. Out of a few 2x4s, I could fashion a feed rail in and a feed rail out, so I could control the shaving process pretty closely. It should be a piece of cake if I get a volunteer to help me feed them through.

Once I get my two channels, I’m going to bolt them together in three places, and then drill all the holes for all the brackets and such through both of them at the same time. That should line up everything, and I end up with an easy erector set. Since the aluminum is so soft, I plan on doing all the holes a little bit too small, making a similar production line on my corner brackets, and then I can clamp pieces in place and do a final drill through to end up with precision, bolt holes. Half will be nuts and bolts, and half will be a hole in one piece and threading the other piece. At least that’s my thoughts right now.

I couldn’t see moving all the stuff off the sawhorses and driveway, and then putting it all back in a couple weeks, so I’m going to break my schedule and chop the short pieces in the next day or so.

 

[Rick W]

Afterthought on slicing the 14 footers, I don’t have to cut them the whole 14 foot lengths, I only have to clean them up in the five or six places there is a spacer between the two channels. Hardest part is going to be cleaning off my table, side table to get out it.

 

[Rick W]

I did the math on the ‘Raith frame so I can cut up the aluminum on the sawhorses now instead of moving it all around a couple more times.

The plan for the ‘Raith is to have the deck on the frame right on top of the spring mounts, so the tires and the fenders over the tires will be higher than the main deck. Think of a harbor freight trailer or maybe a boat trailer.

For no rational reason, I plan on carrying the ‘Raith on top of the step trailer for shows and such. The frame rails on the step trailer are 50-1/2” center to center. If I make that the center to center of the ‘Raith tires, that would make the deck 40” wide.

The casket is 29 inches wide, so that leaves me 5-1/2” between the casket and the inner fender on both sides. The tires are 7.3 inches wide. That lets me have a little bit of lay down storage for some tent poles or something like that, but it’s still close enough that someone could reach over standing on the ground and grab a beer out of the casket, or I could squeeze down the deck for anything I couldn’t reach from the ground. The double axle fender will leave about 2 feet of the front of the casket without anything next to it on the sides.

I’m probably going to mock it up with some cardboard before I start cutting aluminum, but that makes my cross pieces 37 inches wide. If I widen the free deck to nine or 10 inches on each side, I don’t think it affects any safety since the tires would still be over the frame of the step trailer, they’d just be riding on the inside instead of down the center. The deck should hold them in any case, all this is me being anal…

 

[Rick W]

Today was a day of cleaning up after other tasks, and getting ready for the next batch.

Like I said, I had the thought to cut up my aluminum beam instead of moving it back and forth. Who can tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

Okay, pictures.

Quality has gone down the tubes. I bought that old blade about 15 years ago, and I just checked it about 10 years ago, and look, trouble already!!! Look at the chunk out of it!!!! So I got the harbor freight version and tried it.

The harbor freight blade was about 2/3 the width of the old blade, and had more teeth, which actually helped: less material to cut. And it had the interrupter slices at 90°, to blow out built up material But the teeth were about the same width as the blade. The old blade had much wider teeth.

@alwaysFlOoReD ‘s WD-40 suggestion worked perfect. Definitely cut better than the old blade. Without the WD-40, the new blade quickly seized up on the sides, and gummed up the teeth so it didn’t want to dig/cut. Twice I had to wedge it out with a crowbar, but then it worked when I used to WD-40 on every cut.

Something interesting was that it definitely took more energy, heated up the saw, slowed me down, however you want to say it, when I was cutting through a weld instead of just cutting through a piece of aluminum. Part of me wants to say it’s just because the weld was thicker material, but it seemed like it was harder. Inquiring minds would like to know if anybody has any info on this.

Anywho, I cut the channels apart, and then I cut them into 50 inch sections (cross pieces for the ‘Raith). 50 inches is wider than the widest I can imagine, and I can cut them to precise length on the chopsaw and end up with the precise cut.

The new blade didn’t cut perfect, but it did a much better job. All the flat/cut surfaces are facing inwards, but I’ll still clean them up. The 50 inch pieces are much more manageable than the 22 foot pieces. I plan to set up my tablesaw with a guide that’s just a hair wider than the 1-1/2” channel depth, and shave off the ugly parts remaining from the spacers. Even though it faces internally, I’m still thinking of grinding it, or doing something to get a more consistent surface, but that may be a dream.

For the first time in months, I moved the sawhorses aside, picked up all the drop pieces, welding leads, and extension cords on that side of my driveway, and blew all the shavings off the bricks. Tomorrow I will pull out the Town Cart and finish it.

Baby steps…

 

[RobbieD]

Who can tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

Your shoe is untied?

 

[Rick W]

Your shoe is untied?

Damn. Nothing slips by! I have work shoes I use when I’m working, but when I’m just running in and out, I have some medium height things that I can just slip on and off. Bed legs from my injury a few years ago, hard to bend over and tie them every time.

 

[RobbieD]

It's OK. A lot us here refuse to wear high heels when we work on our trucks. To hell with the Fashion Police!

 

[sgtsandman]

Today was a day of cleaning up after other tasks, and getting ready for the next batch.

Like I said, I had the thought to cut up my aluminum beam instead of moving it back and forth. Who can tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

View attachment 107611View attachment 107612

Okay, pictures.

Quality has gone down the tubes. I bought that old blade about 15 years ago, and I just checked it about 10 years ago, and look, trouble already!!! Look at the chunk out of it!!!! So I got the harbor freight version and tried it.

The harbor freight blade was about 2/3 the width of the old blade, and had more teeth, which actually helped: less material to cut. And it had the interrupter slices at 90°, to blow out built up material But the teeth were about the same width as the blade. The old blade had much wider teeth.

@alwaysFlOoReD ‘s WD-40 suggestion worked perfect. Definitely cut better than the old blade. Without the WD-40, the new blade quickly seized up on the sides, and gummed up the teeth so it didn’t want to dig/cut. Twice I had to wedge it out with a crowbar, but then it worked when I used to WD-40 on every cut.

Something interesting was that it definitely took more energy, heated up the saw, slowed me down, however you want to say it, when I was cutting through a weld instead of just cutting through a piece of aluminum. Part of me wants to say it’s just because the weld was thicker material, but it seemed like it was harder. Inquiring minds would like to know if anybody has any info on this.

Anywho, I cut the channels apart, and then I cut them into 50 inch sections (cross pieces for the ‘Raith). 50 inches is wider than the widest I can imagine, and I can cut them to precise length on the chopsaw and end up with the precise cut.

The new blade didn’t cut perfect, but it did a much better job. All the flat/cut surfaces are facing inwards, but I’ll still clean them up. The 50 inch pieces are much more manageable than the 22 foot pieces. I plan to set up my tablesaw with a guide that’s just a hair wider than the 1-1/2” channel depth, and shave off the ugly parts remaining from the spacers. Even though it faces internally, I’m still thinking of grinding it, or doing something to get a more consistent surface, but that may be a dream.

For the first time in months, I moved the sawhorses aside, picked up all the drop pieces, welding leads, and extension cords on that side of my driveway, and blew all the shavings off the bricks. Tomorrow I will pull out the Town Cart and finish it.

Baby steps…

Though slower and more labor intensive, using flat files from coarse to fine might be less frustrating in the long run and they won't clog like saw blades and sanding discs will because of the way slower speed. A file card will clean out any aluminum that does stick in the file teeth