is there any hope for my trailer?

[ziggy]

my trailer is in pretty sad shape. my main concern right now is the rust on the bottom of the cross members. right where the water is supposed to leak out in the middle of them cross members i have some pretty good rust going on. my weep holes are now about the size of a half dollar. the metal is thin there at least a couple inches perhaps outside the dia. of the hole. seems to me that that is a pretty structural part right at that point. is there any fix for this. any chance that it can be made sound thru engineering and welding perhaps? <br />oh, it's a freash water 1972 trailer that has just been plain ol neglected.

 

[tommays]

Re: is there any hope for my trailer?

what kind of tools do you have or can borrow ?<br /><br /> if you have to pay somebody it going to add up VS a DIY job<br /><br />you can allways box it in with some 1/8 plates cut to fit the shape of the cross member you just need to be sure were the good metal starts<br /><br />or if your luckey and have friends like mine you just bend up a new one out of pipe or channel<br /><br />tommays

 

[craze1cars]

Re: is there any hope for my trailer?

It's just mild steel, so it's easy to weld and restore 100% structural strength. You cut out ALL the steel as far back as necessary to get to 100% good steel, and then figure out how much steel you need to buy to cut patches and weld the holes shut. Grind, prime, paint, drill drain holes where needed, and done!<br /><br />Then again, this all takes time, money and effort. If you're a welder yourself, or you have a REALLY good friend who will weld for you then no problem...raw steel is dirt cheap and you'll get out of this with about $25 in materials, including the paint. But since you're asking this question I have to assume you're not a welder...so if you're paying someone else for their time to weld it up, then you may quickly exceed the value of the trailer and might be better off finding a good used or new trailer since they're not all that expensive.<br /><br />It's well worth taking it to a welder for an estimate.

 

[ziggy]

Re: is there any hope for my trailer?

thanks guys, that's inspireing that ya think it can be reinforced. nope good inferance craze1cars,i have no welding tools, and no one i can borrow from either, . i got a few tools, but not any welding type tools. i just ground most of the surface rust off of it and exteneded the heck out of it. yep, left a little rust for the extend to work on. the only real bad places is at the bottom of them 2 cross members. think i will make a appointment to see a welder. hope i don't exceed the worth of the trailer. bet that will be hard to do as my whole rig aint worth too much. but i think it's gettin to be worth more. i been working a many aspects of my toy......... let's just say i didn't think i needed to work on the trailer to much with broke SS waterpocket cover screws in my upper or a welded and epoxyed and re-epoxyed manifold. now i'm goin for the trailer. . thanks for the inspireation folks.

 

[tommays]

Re: is there any hope for my trailer?

in saltwater my trailer has a contest with my boat on who can require the most upkeep <br /><br />tommays

 

[rwidman]

Re: is there any hope for my trailer?

There is a point in any piece of equipment's life where you're better off replacing than repairing. Considering the age of the trailer and the likelyhood that axles, bearings, coupler, etc. are near or past the expected service life, I would give strong consideration to replacement. If it fails, it's not just going to leave you stranded, it may cause an accident or damage your boat.

 

[ziggy]

Re: is there any hope for my trailer?

thanks for the input again folks. i did take it to a welder. got some plate steel welded along the bottom of the cross members. i feel much better now about its strength. rwidman, i understand there is a time to replace the whole thing. my whole boat needs to be replaced, let alone the trailer. but,,,, i'm a poor boat owner. so welding will have to do. at least it don't look like it will break now, and if it does. i did the best i could. gonna paint it and call the trailer good enough and better than it was.......thanks again. jim