Fifty-Five Gallon Drum Dolly

From Arc Welded Projects, Volume III
The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation

If you have ever considered building a fifty-five gallon drum dolly, here is a simple set of plans developed by a competitor in one of the past James F. Lincoln Arc Welding Foundation School/Shop Award programs. So, gather up your materials, practice your welding skills and jump in!

Bill of Materials

Part No.	Part Name	Material	Qty.
1	Rolled Circle	Flat steel 2" x 1/4" x 76"	1
2	Vertical diameter	Flat steel 2" x 1/4" x 24"	1
3	Horizontal diameter	Flat steel 2" x 1/4" x 11"	2
4	Caster Supports	Steel pipe 1" dia. x 3" long	4
5	Caster Support Covers	Steel rod 1" dia. x 1/8" thick	4
6	Colson casters	Self-locking wheels 3-1/2" dia.	4

This design project when completed will support a fifty-five gallon metal drum, in a vertical position on four equally spaced casters, which will make the drum mobile, thus, making it easy to move when it is full of waste engine oil.

The first step in the assembly of the drum dolly is to take a length of 2" wide by 1/4" thick, by 76" long flat steel and mechanically roll it into a 24" diameter circle. Then, where the ends meet, tack them together leaving a 1/8 gap, then make a full penetration butt weld, thus, making the circle complete.

Position circle on flat table with the 1/4" side down.

Next, lift up circle slightly and slide 2" by 1/4 by 24" flat steel under circle, so that the circle supported at top and bottom of its diameter. This flat steel should have the 2" side flat down on the table, thus raising the circle 1/4".

Next, slide 2" wide by 1/4 by 11" length of flat steel from left to right to form half of the circle's horizontal diameter, (allow 1/8" gap at center for weld).

Then, slide 2" by 1/4 by 11" length of flat steel from right to left to form the other half of the horizontal diameter (allow 1/8 gap at center for weld).

Use a small square and rule to equally space the vertical and horizontal diameter now created by the flat steel supports.

Weld the vertical 2" by 1/4 by 24" length of flat steel at both ends of the circle. Then, weld the horizontal pieces of flat steel into position.

Position the caster supports at the ends where the horizontal and vertical supports meet the outside of the circle. These pieces of pipe must be in a vertical position. Weld both sides of pipe at all four stations around circle.

Cut four slices off a solid 1" diameter steel rod 1/8" wide and weld each on top of the four 3" pieces of pipe. These act as cosmetic covers for the wheel assembly, and are called caster support covers.

Remove slag, grind and paint, insert Colson casters into 1" diameter pipe from the bottom. Casters are self-locking and will tighten into the 1" diameter. The design project is now completed.

This project has been published to show how individuals used their ingenuity for their own needs, convenience and enjoyment. Only limited details are available and the projects have NOT been engineered by the Lincoln Electric Company. Therefore, when you use the ideas for projects of your own, you must develop your own details and plans and the safety and performance of your work is your responsibility.

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