Trailer Rust Question

[AndrewsArk]

I know it's hard to see but I have some rust on my trailer and would like to fix it. I would of course sand it down and clean it up, but my question it, should I take it apart or can I leave it together? It's where the tongue bolts to the rest of the trailer. I don't know the exact name of it.

Thanks!

[2rz-fte]

i think its called a bow stop.

and if you can see the rust outside then there is probably rust between the parts too. its only 2 ubolts.

[The Famous Grouse]

Is the rust on the actual tounge piece or on the main part of the trailer?

I had a trailer that was rusting badly, but just on the tounge, so I put the trailer's main beams on jack stands to support the boat and trailer and then removed just the tounge from the trailer.

This made repainting very easy, just remove the winch upright and then I could use an angle grinder to grind and sand the whole tounge on all 4 sides down to bare metal. New primer, 2 coats of spray paint, and 2 coats of clear coat, and it was done.

The shade of white didn't exactly match, but unless you knew what to look for, it didn't stick out.

Grouse

[AndrewsArk]

Is the rust on the actual tounge piece or on the main part of the trailer?

I had a trailer that was rusting badly, but just on the tounge, so I put the trailer's main beams on jack stands to support the boat and trailer and then removed just the tounge from the trailer.

This made repainting very easy, just remove the winch upright and then I could use an angle grinder to grind and sand the whole tounge on all 4 sides down to bare metal. New primer, 2 coats of spray paint, and 2 coats of clear coat, and it was done.

The shade of white didn't exactly match, but unless you knew what to look for, it didn't stick out.

Grouse

This is exactly what I am talking about. So it's as easy as using a jack/jack stand and unbolting it?

[badkins50]

Hey, why is there "4 sale" written in the widow there? Hope that was the happy day you bought it and not the sad day you listed it. Good luck on the painting.

[rwidman]

If you want to repair rusted parts, you must take them apart unless you are just painting it to sell it and that wouldn't be very honest.

You are the one looking at the trailer so you should be able to see how to take it apart. Wire brush or sand down to bare metal and use a rust preventive paint like Rustoleum.

Remember that if there's a lot of rust it could be a structural issue. You may have to replace some parts or risk losing your boat to a broken trailer.

[AndrewsArk]

Yep, that's the day I brought her home.

[The Famous Grouse]

This is exactly what I am talking about. So it's as easy as using a jack/jack stand and unbolting it?

In the case of my trailer, I needed two jack stands. Where the tounge meets the trailer and the main beams of the trailer that go back toward the wheels form a Y, I had to support each of the two legs of the Y with a seperate jack stand. I chocked the wheels and then used the tounge jack to lift the front of the trailer up high, positioned the jack stands on plywood platforms, then lowered the trailer so the front of the trailer was being supported by the jack stands rather than the tounge jack.

Whatever you do, make sure you are satisified you have enough support in the right places before you remove the tounge and don't get underneath anything that could fall and pin you.

CRITICAL: Before you unbolt the toung, you MUST remove the wire harness that runs through the tounge. Otherwise you'll tear up the harness. What I did was that I cut the wires right where they come out of the toung and fork to go down each main beam. Then I installed "bullet" connectors on each wire so I could easily put them back together.

Then I attached a length of small diameter rope to the wire harness right where I cut it and pulled it through the tounge, leaving the rope in place so I could later use it it to pull the wire back through the toung. I'm a neatness freak and that semed the easiest way to make sure the harness, wires, and plug didn't get full of paint.

Then I took the winch upright off and then CAREFULLY unbolted and removed the tounge, being very careful to never get into a position directly underneath the boat or trailer where the boat could fall on top of me and pin me. I also had help from my brother in law, when it comes to working on stuff that's on jack stands I'm careful as all getout.

Grouse

[AndrewsArk]

Thanks for the tips. My wiring is pretty bad so I think I'll just redo all of that at the same time.