Hi all, I currently have a 120# legend round horn in my truck. The truck is a super duty and it's a little tough on me to be dragging that thing in and out as it's little high. Plus the thing is just plain heavy. I'm trying to figure out if I should ditch the anvil (which I like) and buy a future. Or keep the anvil and get one of those Kodiak/Georgia swing outs for the bumper. Pluses or minuses on either would be great. Thanks a bunch.
I've been debating the same thing. Those dang swing outs are pricey. That's why I haven't bought one yet. I've also seen some pictures of anvils that slide out. They look pretty nice as well and you can keep them dry.
I would buy a little lighter anvil, and get a stall jack for the minimal stuff, like the occasional lost shoe. Problems with swing outs are when your on uneven ground. Always too high or too low. You learn to deal with it, but its a disadvantage in that respect.
Have a slideout built by Rob Renerie. Heavy duty and all but like Cody said to high or to low. Bought a stand, took a little getting used to but will not be going back. Have an Eki XL anvil on it with 42 kgs.
Thank you folks, I will put some more thought into it. That Eki XL is pretty neat. Looks like the future anvils we sell here. I think the futures go for around $750 though.
I think that as many back injuries in our job is lifting the anvil in and out of the truck, swinging it round our body and landing it on the anvil stand. I usually have an apprentice to get out and put the kit away!
Your forge needs to be away from the inside of the back of your rig..do you have a topper/cap or open truck? I don't like a forge inside the cap with a bottle in there and all side doors would be open to vent...Lots of rigs and ideas out there, build and work out of what you are comfortable with...find good flat spots to work and actually demand to only work in a safe area...shade trees shoeing is nice on flat grass but a lot of them have them tied and the roots of the trees are there to mess ya up..
Seems pretty obvious, but I had not even considered a 100# anvil. I will check them out too. Thanks! I have a regular long bed with a topper. The forge is on a swing out currently and the gas is a good 9' away while operating. On the side I do drug testing at horse shows. Today I was at a show and stopped by to chat with the farrier. He had a future 5 and I just wanted to see what it looked like in person. The face on it was really small. His anvil setup was close to genius though. With the small anvil (I think they weigh 68#) the weight of the anvil in swing/set up mode was about 20#. The same thing could be created for my truck. Just a little different geometry. He said he got the idea from an italian company. Their design sounded much more cumbersome though. He said the most important part was 2 points of contact. Here he has the rubber feet. On the leg that extends down the trailer body, there is another point of contact.
