Bertha Goes Topless

May 10, 2020

Bertha Goes Topless

Well, Bertha is now officially topless. All day yesterday we prepared for lifting the shell off the frame, and today we made it happen. First we needed a lift system and a place to do the lifting. We decided that instead of building a gantry from the ground up, we would build a "gantry" on top of our existing high cube containers. These will also serve as a protective space for the shell to sit while we repair the trailer frame, install a new floor, and outfit Bertha with a new belly pan.

Our containers are 9'6" tall and sit on concrete blocks that lift them to a total height of 10 feet. We wanted to get 12 feet of clearance for the lift so we used two 8" concrete blocks to gain another 16 inches in height. We placed our 2" x 10" x 16' cross members on these blocks.

To support our cross members, we built some simple braces out of 2 x 8" boards.

Fast and dirty but did the job nicely, and the entire system was surprisingly stable.

Plan A involved running block and tackle down from each cross member directly through Bertha's ceiling vent holes. It was a tight squeeze, but luckily I could fit through the holes to rig the blocks!

Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that our tackle was hanging too low, and we weren't going to get enough lift to drive the trailer out without hitting the wheel well covers that attach to the frame.

Our "make-do" was to add a board across the cross members that allowed us to tighten up the block and tackle. This got us about 6 inches more clearance . . .

. . . which was just enough to do the job!

Next, we built an I-bean inside the trailer to facilitate the lift,

and Scott expertly rigged it up against the ceiling.

OF NOTE: My husband is a retired certified arborist with over 25 years experience lifting heavy objects with block, tackle and rope. Two chain hoists would have been a better choice, but this was the option available, and it seemed like a good weekend to proceed. We will modify the process and integrate two chain hoists when we reinstall the shell.

A lot of pulling, adjusting, resetting, adapting and overcoming happened between the picture above and the picture below. When level front to rear, the wheel wells still wouldn't quite go under the shell, so with half the trailer pulled out, Scott lowered the rear of the shell to lift the front and make the space we needed. The door side was also heavier, so I had to push the shell out on that side while walking inside on the trailer that was driving out from under me. I did this while shouting updates to Scott through the window as he was driving away from me. Fun stuff!