Super Mule Trailer and Dolly

[Muleskinner]

Was looking on the Wit-Log site the other night at their new Load balancing three axle trailer and an idea struck me, or was it my wife smacking me up long side of the head to get my attention!!! No matter, the idea was to take and build the trailer unit and add a two wheel dolly of my own design ahead of it so it could be coupled onto a short logger unit. The short logger I have in mind is in fact the Moebius International Lonestar which I have been trying to figure out what to do with. Loghauler70 brought me a day cab conversion for it so it will become a future project of converting to a short logger rig.

Back to the trailer. It is all scratch built using the dimension from Wit-log to an extent. That is I substituted some of my cast Log trailer components when I could. Wit-Log didn't have a two wheeled Dolly in their inventory to go by so I designed and built my own, here again using Evergreen Plastic and my own cast trailer parts. Since I had ran out of axles, I made two from plastic tubing and yet have to add the brakes to the front dolly. Also the coupler has to yet be built for it.

The design of the trailer is so it can be combined with as I mentioned a short logger truck, or the rear trailer and tag dolly could be used in conjunction with a long logger. It was a trip building the unit and I think when it finally gets combined with the Lonestaq in the future it will make for an interesting unit.











Any comments welcome.

[slurrydog]

WOW looks great so far. Cannot wait for you to finish this one, should look really good with the lonestar.
Dave

[Ryan Rønning]

That is too cool William!

[calscustoms]

That'll look great behind the lonestar daycab !!!

[tufftin]

What a super build. Guess I'm going to have to try scratch building but not before I finish half a dozen projects on the desk.
Mike

[gator]

I think you missed your calling. You should have been one of the people designing the modifications the loggers used!!!
Awesome work!

Be Well
Gator

[ap40rocktruck]

William,
interesting, i will take it that this is yet another west cost set up. Nice fabrication job, would look the part behind any modern day tractor.

ap40

[Muleskinner]

Thanks guys for the comments and yes this is a West Coast design for stepped up production and better load to road distribution. Unless the Logging roads were a little less curved and more straight though the idea wouldn't work to well. But as far as redistribution of Mill to Chip Terminal this would be an Ideal setup, for transferring logs.

I've always been fascinated with the Super Mule concept as the mule train was one of the logging rigs which never received much attention as far as production goes. They were mainly left on the back lot while the Long Loggers got all the attention. But with the upsurge of the chip industry, they are making a show more and more in the industry and competing with the Long Logger for a lot of their jobs. Not bad for a truck which was designed to bring out mainly tail Butts and salvage after the long loggers had brought out the longer logs. For anyone interested in this type of trailer setup I am attaching a set of walk arounds which came off of the Wit-Log site.

















Below is tyhe older model which Wit-Log produced and then improved on with this model.



This photo shows the only wheeled Dolly in their inventory which I redesigned for the model. Their dolly was designed so the Bull Pecker had to be removed from the main trailer and then the reach was slid onto and locked to the small tubular unit at the rea of the dolly. This is where I made my modifacation by adding a pintal instead for ease of coupling. I also added a second axle. I also done away with the turn table platform for the forks and made mine a rigid frame model, with the forks turning on a center carrier the same as the bunks on the main trailer. The way I designed this I was hoping that it would eliminate a lot of side walking by the trailer when turning and better main following behind the truck.



Since Wit-Log is only about 52 miles from where I live, I am thinking of taking this model when it is finished over and show it to the production managment.

William

[Ryan Rønning]

You should do that.

[tufftin]

Gene Whitaker will aboslutely love it. Neat guy and very knowedgeable.
Mike

[gator]

Any bets that they will want to buy it ? Or have you make them one?


Gator

[Joris Scholte]

That looks like a great project! I think you should take it over to that company when it's done, they'll love it!

[swamp rat]

great job....

[plowking]

Call this a question with the answer in it, but does Gene Whitaker own Wit-Log trailers?? I was at both places a few years back and always wondered that. Great work on the trailer!

[Muleskinner]

Yes, Gene owns Wit-Log and Whitiker Logging. The shops are almost right together. Hence the name Wit-Log shortened down version of Whitiker Logging.