For our senior project we are focusing on the field that we are both interested in, which is Agriculture. For our entire lives we have been living in Houston and living our city lives, but what we really enjoy is getting out of the city and into more rural areas. We both have connections to the field through family and friends and want to do somethings that relates to it. We came up with ideas on the basis of repairing roads and moving materials which is a timely consuming job and can be proven to be quite difficult at times. We came up with the idea of a dump trailer. In order to build this idea it takes a lot of skill from the use of welding, grinding, and painting to ensure a safe, functioning piece of equipment. Neither of us are deeply skilled in these areas, but we have parents and friends who are either trained by professionals or self taught enthusiast. We have close connections to mechanical engineers who have obtained their degrees from Texas A&M and can help us ensure we are safe and taught the correct techniques to complete these projects, as well as maintain the integrity of the equipment. We are planning to do 100% of the work, but under the watchful eye of an adult who is experienced in the field. We understand that these materials are costly, but we both know many ranchers who would be interested in funding the project to get a well built piece of equipment that will benefit them exponentially in their day to day lives, as well as save them money due to the loss of labor costs or an agricultural supply middle party.
What we are going to do first is build a frame. It would be 5 feet wide (interior width) by 10 feet long (interior dump bed length). The frame will be built out of strong steel square tubing that will be welded together along with a hitch at the front. Near the front we will be welding on a jack to lift the trailer on and off a trailer ball on a vehicle. We will then attach the axles to the frame with bolts and finish off with welds to ensure a secure connection. Then the wheels and tires will be attached to the axles, making the trailer able to stand on its own. After the base frame and axles are finished, the frame for the dumping part of the trailer will be made out of the same material of the trailer frame. We will form rod holders into the frame so that the 3-4 foot side walls made out of steel paneling will be able to drop into the trailer and be detachable. Then the hydraulic piston will be attached to the main trailer frame and the dumping frame to push up on the cargo box and be able to dump material. Then a wood bed floor will be bolted into the frame. After, the frames and wood bed will be painted over to a nice clean finish. Next a set of lights will be connected with wiring running to the front of the trailer and we will covered with conduit to keep the wires protected. Reflective tape will be put at the back of the trailer and the trailer will then be inspected for imperfections and address any issues.
For all of these materials and ideas we are going to do extensive research to make the trailer affordable and also strong, such as things like making the frame out of c-channel steel or square tubing. We will consider the material used to ensure the trailer is the best we can make it and can be approved by our local state to be used on public roads.
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