Mounting the 1" Forged Tow Bar

Blue Collar Jacket: www.cotoworks.com
Patreon: / carlrogers
Instagram: / carlroge

[@azmrl]

this may seem inconsequential, but thank you so much for not adding background music.

[@sroberts605]

You filmed it very well, including the sweat-inducing bits! Must have been fantastic to get all these old pieces once again talking to each other as intended, plus to have the feel for another skill. Welding is, I feel, in your future.

[@ullmannone]

"Oh, Lord, my kingdom for a ...drill press!" You deserve it! The precision you command! It's always reassuring to me to know that you're planning & maintaining all the accuracy that's needed in the world!

[@MiguelCamba]

This might come too late for you, but here's my trick to drill straight holes. I use a bosch PBD 40 benchtop drill press. The trick most people don't know: The column can be mounted 180° off its normal position. That is, opposing the base, which essentially turns this fairly cheap drill press (I got mine for 150€ barely used) into a makeshift "magnetic" drill for wood. You just clamp the base and drill, and since it's less than 12kg, which is as light as bench drills go, it's not a hassle to move around. It just takes a minute to loose a screw and return it to its normal position. It its first gear is has enough power to use up to 60mm forstner bits if you do it gently.

[@bjorncarlsson6295]

Thank’s for this tip. I also have the PBD40, but didn’t know…

[@Lukas-sv1rp]

Yeah I also use this technique, however I'm not sure on hardwood with bigger diameter drill bits

[@MiguelCamba]

@@Lukas-sv1rp It worked well for me. I didn't try on oak anything bigger than a 35mm forstner drill bit, but I did use a 60mm one on birch ply, which is on the hard side of things, and it managed it. That's a size that it's almost impossible to drill freehand. Granted, to drill a straight hole the most important part is the beginning, so as long as you can drill 4cm or 5cm into the wood, you could then change to a manual drill and it should continue straight.

[@Andy-sj2hl]

Great tip, I had never noticed that

[@jeffreyfry981]

Are those cracks on the right side by the drawing eye significant?

[@gregorymacneil2836]

Well done! We all knew you had the blacksmith ability and perseverance! 😄 The tow bar fit fine! The only thing I might change is the hitch on the Land Rover - consider a clevis hitch so it cannot bouch off and damage the Land Rover.

[@digitalradiohacker]

Ex-Army here. The Defender only locks the centre differential, forcing equal power to front AND rear differentials on front and rear axles. As a result, the individual axle differentials still allow wheels to spin at different speeds. The effect is that your front left and rear right wheels could spin whilst the front right and rear left are stationary - or vise versa. Knock the range lever over to the left (diff lock) early to give it all chance to lock up. Put it in low range (big mechanical advantage / hard to stall). Right foot on gas (makes it go) Left foot on brake (half-shafts being fed with power and are spinning have to overcome brakes, and power is forced to stationary half-shafts) With the above, you should have MUCH reduced wheel slip. That little wagon absolutely WILL go places that modern tat could only dream of.

[@grahameroberts8109]

No traction control?

[@jeffeyman5535]

Your narration and process of work are exceptional

[@jamesc7526]

there's a good chance that eyelet on the tow bar will begin to splay out after a while. You should consider welding the eye where it meets or perhaps a bolt through the metal to hold it together. Also, the eyelet bolts work fine on gates and such where there is not a lot of weight pressure on them. That wagon is going to be very heavy when finished so a 2 part metal plate bolted through top and bottom, with a notch for the tow bar to ride in, would be much stronger to handle the weight of the wagon and give you a proper way to install a grease nipple so the pivots of the tow bar can move freely

[@JohnnyMotel99]

I agree, I'm not sure one eyelet is enough to handle the loads, particularly side loading. But then it's not designed for road use and it will only see basic moving around.

[@jamesc7526]

@@JohnnyMotel99 dragging it through a field will probably put more pressure on the eye bolts than towing on a road. There is no side to side give in that tow bar, my guess is those eyebolts will break off eventually.

[@JohnnyMotel99]

@@jamesc7526 a double U on each leg would work maybe.

[@terrancemiller8350]

You are amazing ,the creativity that comes out of your brain just excites me to no end, I know your father is as proud as a peacock at his amazing son and I couldn't be prouder myself. Be safe on your journey. I get so excited when you pop a new video, it just makes me smile from ear to ear. The progress is coming along fine and soon it will be a home to be proud of. Lots of love.❤ Afriend. 😮

[@ljd8520]

Blown away by the quality and execution of your work. Looking forward to seeing the next stage.

[@eduardomontes1276]

I love the way you work with both metal and timber, with calm, precision and also with very good taste. You could have been a good watch maker. Keep up the good work. 👍💪💪

[@frankreidy5881]

Sometimes it looks a bit scary but nonetheless you press on and overcome difficulties. When in doubt proceed with confidence! Good luck, your pleasant disposition and the kindly eagle eye of ‘senior’ will bring this project to a successful conclusion.

[@HS-qf5of]

Your woodworking and video skills are a true pleasure. Bravo!

[@Dannyp8038]

You must be extremely proud of what you have achieved so far. Looking forward to watching the rest of the build.

[@wileycoyotesr8623]

Greasing the hitch is a must to prevent rust and ease friction. Preventing rust is the more important. You edit video quite well. The work pace always keeps my interest. 👍👍👍

[@easternbrown]

Really looking forward to the video of you crossing the Pyrenees with the finished hut on the back of the Land Rover! 😄

[@nottherealjk]

Someone said it on the last vid, but getting a ball/pintle hitch combination is pretty dang necessary, especially on bumpy and off camber hills. Wouldn't want that tow bar popping off.

[@jotterson1156]

Speaking of uneven ground...how does that axle design not spring the fittings loose when going bump to bump

[@helplmchoking]

@@jotterson1156 It's designed to be moved relatively short distances at very low speeds, it's not a modern trailer for open road use

[@azmrl]

and, in the US, we need a backup chain setup.

[@azmrl]

@@helplmchoking across those Pyrenees to Spain is open, steep and winding.

[@helplmchoking]

@@azmrl Fair enough, I made my comment just before he mentioned where it would be going. It's still not designed for any kind of speed, but a backup chain and a hook with a latch on the Land Rover would be enough to stop it coming loose

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

Thank goodness you managed to find those bolts It looks great! 👏👍

[@NOLAfugee]

You could mount some stops to the axle beam to lock the tow bar from shifting sideways. Maybe wooden blocks or beefy metal L brackets.

[@ExpectMiracles55]

Oh no! One of my very favorite channels and only now this one month old video popped out. And there's another, 6 days old. Anyway, excellent video, love the camaraderie and the good advice in the comments section by folks in the trade. On to the next!

[@Yet1moreUtuber]

Looks good Carl. coming along nicely .

[@shortsweettoo]

As soon as I see your video is out... I drop everything. Why? Because your videos are so unique, creative and your work is simply gorgeous.

[@johnrothwell8504]

On uneven ground, with no suspension what is going to stop the whole body twisting. The front axle has no up and down travel? One wheel will be off the ground? Sorry if I am missing something.

[@rl3898]

Yes huge loads will be put into the chassis and the parts attached to it. A much longer bolt with a strong rubber ring,say 2" wall diameter will allow some twist and reduce the strain on the rest of the chassis etc.

[@PhilDiasPJD]

You Carl and your channel is simply astonishing. A true inspiration that anything is possible. ❤

[@christianschilling477]

All i have to say is: Thanks! Thanks for all of your Videos and sharing this stuff with us. i wish you all the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@acsed2]

Excellent video, as always with your channel, thanks a lot. I would strongly recommend you to try welding, this is a very handy skill to master. Plus, it is pretty easy these days to start doing good stuff with a welder. There are lots of good tutorials available, and the welding machines are really affordable, easy to use and efficient. A whole new world opens to you when you can create complex pieces of metal from basic stuff.

[@avivat3010]

Brilliant work and video, as always, Carl!! Your work is always perfect. You demand so much from yourself. I hope you are well. Thank you so much for sharing your projects.

[@steveb.5617]

Love your workmanship...

[@matthewpayne42]

Another awesome video from you guys. Thanks and keep them coming soon. 👍

[@pambrewer9082]

Thanks for the beautiful nature shots. I probably will never see those mountains otherwise.😊

[@lstone.09]

Awesome video. Excellent craftsmanship.

[@G_MOG_44]

I need a refresher: What is the grand vision for the farm, wagon, etc? Love your commitment.

[@juliatownsend2324]

Well done Carl filming is great. You make it look so interesting. Xx

[@robertmitchell8423]

Great idea with the length of broom handle, I cant wait to see you sweep up later and complain the handles too short!!

[@terencemerritt]

Loving these frequent uploads. Great work too Carl!

[@Sarah-cq1vb]

I don’t remember did you say anything about the lack of a suspension? I can’t help but think that with no rubber on those wagon wheels and no suspension that the wagon will break pretty quickly once you try to tow it anywhere. Not that it will break in half or anything but the living space on top will likely become cracked and weakened fairly quickly and structurally unsound. Unless you plan to pull it at a snails pace only.

[@chriscron5253]

Impressive work! Especially for someone with no blacksmithing experience. And the video was well made and informative. 👏👏👏

[@susanhester331]

I’m enjoying this build. Beautifully done. Still need your project workbook when you are ready to release. I still need to measure myself to see if the coat will fit me. Good job!

[@williamlewis8741]

many thanks Carl for this vidéo. it's always a pleasure to learn and appreciate your effort. have a great holiday back in the UK cheers

[@Jamesaa842]

carl! we need a part 2 to refurbishing your moped!

[@diamondperidot]

Nice. I have enjoyed watching this build..

[@SythKohore]

11:53 Not sure if you took this into account or not, but as you were driving around with it, I noticed that when the rear and front wheels were on different inclination it looked off. kinda like the whole thing bowing (example: rear left going up and front right going up) you could have a twisting stress on the structure and I am kinda concerned if that could cause issue in the future for anything built on top?

[@aserta]

If you have a hole like that, just take some cheap epoxy (the type that just becomes plastic at the end of the run, nothing hard) pour it in the hole, and then drill the hole again with the larger bit. You'd be done within a few hours (a day) once all the materials are in your pocket, with super clean results. You wouldn't even know after, that you had to drill through epoxy to make the cut.

[@johnschutt9187]

Wonderful work. It seems to me that the i bolt is pretty small compared to what it is pulling. It seems to me that friction would wear it out quickly. I'd sure want an extra strap of steel on each side in case of breakage. Hope that this helps.

[@johnshand9906]

Always amazed at your videos! Ant wait until the next one and the progress of your project.

[@captainover-tighten6729]

Great video. You might want to replace the eyebolt nuts with castle nuts that would ensure they don't come off in a field, at nite, in the rain, at 40 below 😂

[@iainbrown4945]

Another high quality vid of a high quality process to create

[@greggcoulter6008]

Success!! Very well done. Lots of hard work and learning new skills on the fly to bring your idea to fruition has paid off. Not complete yet but definitely a big step forward and one that was rewarding. Great job! Looking forward to your next video. Safe travels

[@catgynt9148]

Looking forward to future episode where you attach safety chains for added towing connection. Wishing you and your family a blessed week. Peace brother

[@tonywhitley6929]

Spectacular film work and excellent problem solving. I was honestly surprised at the amount of movement you were able to create simply by pulling on the tow arms. Perhaps they are longer than they appear on my little youtube screen. Your workmanship is beyond my skill set and your design appears very well researched, but the racking of the frame as you exited the shop at 11:53 has me stressed out for the future of a rigid hut. I remain eager to see how your build turns out.

[@jaymanishere]

Looks great. Can't wait to see the next steps in the build. For any kind of towing your going to need a single hook instead of the standard hitch.

[@Larry-325]

Carl awesome job! Looks great. I am enjoying the project! 👍👍

[@billholmes6639]

When I was your age I was a fully time served tradesmen however, I could no way come anywhere near your skill level - kudos!!

[@billiejeansmith-yh2fc]

Another awesome video Carl. Thank you! It will be a long 4 weeks😢

[@michellecosby126]

I really like your problem solving skills! Something goes wrong, but you think about it and try other things!

[@chrismoose64]

Nah then. Put wood in t'hole 😂 I'm currently just over the Pyrenees myself. Stunning part of the world. Great vid as ever, Carl. Looking forward to seeing it all come together 💪

[@michaelcima5772]

Spectacular job! It’s beautiful

[@RichardHeadGaming]

Pintle hitchs typically have a half loop cover on the vehicle side to cage the hitch loop so it does not come off the vehicle at a random point going down hill etc.

[@dougieranger]

Love these films Carl and evidently I’m not alone. 27K views in 4 hours, impressive. 👏🏼

[@dewexdewex]

How will you deal with twisting of your wooden chassis along the long axis and its impact on the structure on top? Be careful that torsion does not destroy the building frame and skin the first time you attempt to move it on some uneven ground. If you think this may be an issue, consider some form of suspension/isolation between the superstructure and the chassis. It can be on four car suspension springs concealed by the bottom edge of the galvanised corrugated skin as a skirt.

[@user-jn1ci9yz7d]

You may want to consider adding a bar across the splayed section to prevent twisting or bending when in use, if one wheel gets in a hole when turning it may result in damage to all your hard won efforts.

[@nigelbullock9039]

Brilliant video of so many skills on show.

[@grahameroberts8109]

You’re becoming a gypsy Carl. Great skills being put to use. Those beams are heavy and made you work hard I know. I hope you will fashion up safety chains as used on trailers in case the ring coupling jumps up while negotiating some rough traverse. Cheers from Oz. 👍🏻🙏🦘

[@lindaarmstrongjackman9788]

Great work. 👍👍😊

[@bigtsperspective5831]

As a fan of wagons… this is an excellent build 😎

[@MrPhotodoc]

May I suggest a remote mic system for speaking while away from the camera? Otherwise fantastic film work and relentless pursuit of perfection in the jobs you do.

[@brianelliot2719]

Thanks Carl!

[@nickking7580]

Brilliant! Looking forward as always, to your next episode. 🫡

[@hastingshastings72]

Thank you!!

[@Olliewilkinson]

In Yorkshire it’s “put wood in’t hole” meaning shut the door or be quite 😅 great video

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

5:00 For free drilling, correctly mount a bubble level on top of your drill so you will always be perpendicular to the ground.

[@AurelienGKazzin]

just wanted you to know that i'm using your laser trick everytime i'm on a construction site and i have to drill a perfectly straight hole ! thank you Carl !

[@karengreybill2860]

I look for your videos every week and gave a silent thumbs up when you trundled the chassis out of the workshop. Not sure I can wait another 4 weeks....

[@Barnagh1]

You’re doing a great job. The approach I might have taken to enlarging the hole would have been to position your circular hole template as you did, but run around inside it with a router and a top-bearing pattern-makers’ cutter. You’d get a nice clean hole that way. You could lock the big nut by drilling a small hole 50:50 between the nut and the stud, and threading a grub screw vertically into that hole, with locking compound. Oh, btw, Mercedes g-wagens have differential locks that work, every time!

[@jglerum6472]

Well done Carl,

[@mrclaus859]

Thanks Carl

[@RoyBlumenthal]

Superb work!

[@ronanmc2112]

Great video as always! There’s loads of videos on how to reverse a dolly trailer on here. Once you understand the principle of it, it’s a doddle.

[@Mr2at]

The full term is "Put bloody wood int hole". 😆Great vid .

[@johnnorwood3366]

Very nice work.

[@antwit]

I knew that new roof you put in would eventually come in handy!

[@howardsportugal]

Not sure if you've already drilled a grease point into the axle, but might be a bonus long term! All the best from rural Portugal @HowardsPortugal Cheers et bien fait! Steve

[@kearneyfamilylondon68]

Maybe use a washer with the B-pins, between the pins and the eyelets? Enjoying your progress and the things I am learning from your travails.

[@fatroberto3012]

I would definitely change the hitch on the Landrover to the ball and pin type. They are only about £50 new. I've not watched the first video so I assume you have checked the legality of this trailer in France. It wouldn't be allowed on a UK road, firstly for not having its own brakes (assuming it will be over 750kg) and secondly because we aren't allowed to build our own any more. Love it, my kind of engineering!

[@mayhemmayo]

THANK YOU. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

[@LiRaye]

that's brilliant idea! smart

[@certifiedniceguy]

lol @7:01 - man with thumb wrapped in packing tape opens blister pack with a chisel. So relatable :) Excellent work overall, thanks for the great videos.

[@michaelplays2449]

Very enjoyable video !!! thank you

[@javiergbianchi]

awsome work!

[@jeffwood8109]

Definitely look into a pintel hook. Nice work.

[@Aphxphotog]

love this channel

[@paultomlinson528]

Looking really good we'll done mate it's been hard work for youn

[@465maltbie]

You should use a pintle hook instead of the ball hitch, much safer towing on rough ground. Thanks for sharing. Charles

[@jeremys.8607]

well done!

[@arnhemseptember2009]

Well done!

[@user-rr1bm9gl1c]

Lovin your work

[@Devnician]

If you need more specialty hardware manufactured, let me know. I live in Belgium and I do ship to France :) Great work!

[@myrudram]

Your Dad's a smart guy.

[@paulbadger6336]

Well done 👍

[@daddyphatsax304]

I thought things were about to really go sideways until you introduced the dowel idea. Quite a clever trick...my dad has a creative mechanical brain twice as good as mine as well and it annoys me to no end. I can certainly diagnose and execute way better than him....but coming up with solutions/problem solving....he just never ceases to amaze. I don't know how he and my grandfather are both so gifted in that area and i am not. If I had to guess it is because they both started working in mechanical fields much earlier than I. I was more into tech when i was in my teens/early twenties.

[@daddyphatsax304]

This build has been amazing to follow. Can't wait to see the end result. Great work so far and thanks for sharing!