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I don't have any photos I'm afraid. I basically used a few bought in bits and used up other bits and pieces I had lying around in the garage (my wife reckons I never throw anything away! hence double garage with no room for a car!). It evolved over 6 years, now I'm finally happy with the way it works.
Two 4" x 2" x 32" long wooden longitudinal members. Orientation; 4" sides are vertical, 2" horizontal, for maximum stiffness.
Attached at their ends to the top of a 3"x 3" x 23” long (= wide) crossmember, so as to give 9" spacing between the long pieces, which are parallel to each other. Bolted together using coachbolts and screws. This becomes the rear of the dolly.
Crossmember protrudes roughly 4" beyond the outside faces of each long piece. 4" Swivel solid PU castor wheels are fitted underneath here on each side, allowing it to be steered like a forklift truck (or boat!). As the wheels are outside the frame, this makes it very stable. Bigger wheels might have made it easier to move, but these proved OK.
Fixed wheel fitted to each of the other end of the long pieces. I used 8" rubber tyred wheels (because I had them already). This means the front and rear of the frame are roughly the same height off the ground. Up to here, it is pretty much as when I first built it.
Two vertical 13" lengths of M12 threaded bar attached to the rear of the longitudinal pieces approximately 2" ahead of the crossmember (i.e. forward of the crossmember/ wheels theoretical axle). Fixed rigidly in place with nut/washer above and below the wood. This forms the basis for the adjustable height rear support.
Two 13" lengths of 4" x 2 " timber attached vertically to the front, centre line 4" behind the axle of the front wheels. Fitted with coachbolts. Each triangulated rearwards with a 13" steel small "U" section, to provide front/ rear stability; attached directly to the side of the uprights with a screw at 7" height, attached to the top face of the longitudinal pieces via right angle brackets/ bolts. A heavy duty ( 1/4" thick steel) 2" x 2" bracket attached to the rear face of each upright, so that one face of each bracket is horizontal, facing backwards. This top face has a hole that gives clearance to a M12 thread, but needs to be slotted in the front to rear direction of the dolly; important! This forms the basis of the adjustable front support.
The things that contact/ support the outdrive are basically two 30" lengths of 1.5" x 1.5" heavy duty industrial conduit U sections, the "U" facing outwards, with foam rubber on their top surfaces. (Wood could also be used).
At the front, there is a 6" length of M12 threaded bar attached to the lower surface of each U section, about 4" from the forward end. These fit into the slotted holes in the right angle brackets, a nut and washer either side of the brackets allows the height to be adjusted/ locked in place. The hole needs to be slotted as the angle can change, depending on the rear support height and the adjustment might "bind" otherwise.
The long U sections are not attached rigidly at the rear. They rest on another horizontal steel U section, 13" in length, with the "U" upwards, which can be adjusted up and down/ locked onto the two rear support rods. I did this so the front to rear U sections can be adjusted to be as close as wanted to the sides of the outdrive, by swinging them inwards at the rear. That U section support has a bolt either side, to limit the outwards movement.
Once everything is locked in place, it is very stable. I used to clamp the outdrive in place with G clamps, I no longer bother to. The outdrive can be slid backwards and forwards quite easily on the foam rubber. One last mod; when wheeling the dolly/ outdrive about, stability of the whole frame is increased using a space tube between the front uprights. A threaded bar with a welded on wing nut passes through this tube, and screws into a T nut. This basically completes the 4th side of the box, when looking from above. This is important for me, as I have to drag the outdrive/dolly uphill to my boat, over a fairly rough tarmac drive, with changes of slope everywhere! That tube and threaded bar has to be removed to allow the dolly to be withdrawn from the drive once it's fitted to the boat.
I also fitted a tubular handle (like on a lawnmower) at the back.
( a picture would have been simpler!)
Graham
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