RMI Prairie Step 9 - Tender Body Mount

 

As previously described, the 1/2 inch bar stock welded to the front of the body was drilled and tapped so that bolts could be used to attach it from below to the chassis. A piece of angle was added 1 foot in from the front of the tender and welded to the channel that runs around the bottom of the tender body. Nutserts were installed in the tender baseplate to attach the angle stock. The angle will also act as a divider and prevent items stored behind it from moving forward under foot in the tender sitting space. These modifications attached the front of the tender to the chassis very securely.

 

Next I needed to attach the back of the tender to the chassis. This was done as shown in the image below by welding a small bushing to the channel that runs around the bottom of the tender.

This bushing was welded in place and then a transfer punch was used to mark the chassis below for drilling. Once drilled a 1/4-20 bolt will be used to mount the body to the frame through the baseplate.

Steve Claude is shown welding the spacer into place. This was done on both sides of the tender. The spacer was made of 1/2 inch bar stock and drilled through on a lathe slightly larger then 1/4 inch.

 

The body was removed and the holes drilled for the body mounting bolts using the marks from the transfer punch. The sheet metal baseplate that sits on top of the frame which is a 3 part affair was welded together and then ground smooth. This will be painted black along with the chassis once again using a spray can as it will probably need lots of touch up over its lifetime as it gets dinged around. This is why it was not powder coated.

 

The tender was left apart so that the tanks could be put in place and the final plumbing for water, oil, air and wiring completed.