x² + y² = z²

[Ptomaine]

When I built the frame I made sure I was squared up before I tightended down the bolts ( it spent a night with a ratchet strap holding it place). The floor had right angles, and I knew the sides were identical ( I not only clamped them together, I stapled them together before I cut them), so I was going off my head trying to figure out how I could be so far out of square when I went to put the panels on the roof/front of my Weekender.
I was ready to unscrew one of the sides and move it forward about a half an inch even though I knew it made no sense, and it would a real pain in the arse when I remembered I was working in three dimensions. The trailer was racked (it wasn't flat). I broke out my floor jack and jacked up the back corner of the side I thought I had was going to have to move forward, and Viola!!!!! everthing started to square up.


I just wanted to let any other newbies know that Harbor Freight trailer might be square length x width, but it might not be flat.
I am working tomorrow ( Happy 4th of July), but I am hoping to pull my "Gnome Home" out of the garage to start sanding and get a few pictures to post on this site.

edited to say even thought there is a frame forum, I thought it belonged in the tips forum. If the moderators don't agree, please move it.

[Leon]

That is a very important point. I have been doing some frame work on a couple cars and have been setting eveything level within a tenth of a degree to do modifications, and found one chassis was square but warped when it came off the car. The car is a little stiffer, but it helps to have everything right to start with. I found I can work off the floor in the back of my shop because the floor there is quite flat, but toward the front it isn't. So in some cases you can't even rely on your floor.

[toypusher]

When I did my build on a HF frame, I used jackstands and a level to make sure that it was level both front to back and side to side before putting the deck on and bolting it down. If it needs, just use some shims to make everthing as level as possible and all should work out fine.

[Steve_Cox]

Ptomaine,

Good post

Not too much has been mentioned about keeping the frame in level. Now all we need are the pics.