Floor/Frame repair with trailer in tact?

Hi Friends,

I patterned my method for raising the body much like Rin tin does in this thread on page 2. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/4148/1965-aloha-project?page=2

Here is what my Westerner looked like raised up and on sawhorses.
 

Here is how we did it.  Go here: vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/3598/andy-57-westerner-restoration-thread?page=2 and scroll down to post #19 and then follow the pix all the way down. I pretty much show how we did it.

Your tires will have to clear the 2 x 4 that runs latteraly across, so you need to raise the body so the tires clear when you pull out the trailer.  In hindsight, I guess I could have lowered the air pressure or pulled the chassis out on the drums to lower the required height  of the body to pull out the chassis.

Additionally, here is a thread over at RYT that’s about 8 years old, but might be worth reading. www.tapatalk.com/groups/repairingyesterdaystrailers/remove-the-frame-without-tearing-down-the-body-t3357-s10.html 

You really need to be careful and safe when you do this. Take it slow and easy raising it a little at a time. There are other methods to lift it and then support it. With the method we used, once on the sawhorses, the frame sat solidly on my driveway with no issues. Getting it to that height was nerveracking. My small floor jack was small. It can be seen in one of the pictures. The uneven and rough surface of my driveway caused the jack not to roll when it lifted. The result was that the jack got stuck in one place and wanted to pull the body in one direction.  At the time, I didn't realize why this was happening. It created an almost “walking” motion for the body. I should have used a much larger floor jack that can roll as it’s jacking or lifting.

Lowering it was much easier. 

Maybe someone else will pipe up. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Rod