Before we get too far into this project, we want to formulate a plan with deadlines, work hours, and specific tasks to be performed on schedule. Because our shop is 45 minutes from our homes, we need to develop a plan that budgets for travel time in addition to the actual time we invest working on the trailer, and to insure that we finish the project on time.
Our schedule is tight because both of us are on the varsity football team at our high school, which requires a lot of our time. Also, the welding shop where we will be working is only available to us on the weekends, which limits us to the time we can spend working each week. We decided to come up with certain benchmarks that we would need to meet each time we worked on the trailer. These benchmarks include:
Buying all the metal
Cutting all the metal to exact measurements
Welding the trailer frame
Welding the tongue members and couple
Suspension assembly and installation
Dump Bed Hinge Assembly and installation
Fender, lights, license plates, safety chain, and jack installation
Dump bed cross and side members
Removable dump bed side panels
Dump bed floor panel
Dump bed tailgate and hinges
Tailgate latch and latch lock
Battery Box Assembly and Installation
Safety Bar Assembly and Installation
Dump Bed Installation/ Inspection
Hydraulic cylinder installation
Cleaning/ Painting
Every weekend we can go to the welding shop, the appropriate benchmark will be completed, taking us one step closer to finishing the project. This plan of action and coordinating our schedules will make it possible for us to work efficiently on completing this project. We estimate, based on our benchmarks, that the project will be completed around January or February with most of the progress completed before December or the end of the first semester.
We still have many tasks to accomplish. We have to order material, order special parts, weld the pieces together, test the welds and function of the trailer, and work diligently to insure the safety of our trailer. Even though we coordinated with each other on our plan, we are still struggling to stay connected and work together to complete this project. This is something we are really trying to improve on so that we learn how to incorporate teamwork to complete this project, as well as anything that we might encounter in our future. We could have improved on our planning by incorporating our mentor who is lending us our workplace to insure we know when we can work on the project and when we can not. He has been extremely helpful and willing to work with us but we did not make sure his schedule fit our own. This will need to be addressed to insure we have an effective plan.
Our next task is ordering raw materials so that we can get started on the project. We are also going to develop a presentation for a local boy scout troop so we can keep our promise that the trailer will be used to benefit the community. A trailer like this could have been very helpful for cleaning up people's houses as well as public places that were affected during Hurricane Harvey.
We are very excited to complete this project and we are going to learn things that will be instilled in us the rest of our lives.
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