Return and drive wheels

With the return wheels ready to go, the next step was to get them installed.  Carrying a 50lb wheel up a fairly steep hill is not exactly a walk in the park.  We used an aluminum ladder to get the wheels up onto the 4x4 brackets.  Given the amount of weight as well as the reach to get the wheel box out onto the end (so it can slide onto the 4x4) I actually ended up dropping the wheel on the first attempt.  The wheel bent a bit.. Luckily it still worked and wasnt severely damaged.  Phew..

After realizing that this wasnt going to work - I ran back to the house to get a rope and pulley.  The rope and pulley turned out to be a smart idea.  The wheels went on fairly quickly as one person could hold the weight while the other guided the wheel into place.

We were able to get all but one of the return wheels up.  We still need to make one more return wheel for the top bracket.

Jay, Bill and I also worked on getting the truck adjusted and lifted up onto a crib.

Kricket and Galen walked over to see the progress!

We also attached a modified double rim that Bill had welded together for the drive wheel.  For the opposite non-drive side of the truck, Bill also welded a stop bar onto a rim so it would hit the truck frame and lock itself into place.  Here is a short video showing the drive wheel.

http://youtu.be/TALiEHcb9kc