Replace ramp on aluminum horse trailer

[racerboy]

Hi everyone. The ramp on our horse trailer has slowly been coming apart.
The manufacturer of this trailer no longer exists so I need to install a ramp from another mfr. The issue I have is that the hinge for the ramp runs along the bottom of the ramp with s long (60”) pin, similar to the way you hang a regular door, except the ends on both sides are welded shut. Any recommendations on how to get this hinge ‘pin’ out. Can I use a torch to ‘melt’ the ends off? I’ll try to get better pics today but I circled the closed-off ends:






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Evilunclegrimace]

Aluminum is fairly soft, try using a cut off wheel and cut just enough off the end of the tube

 

[racerboy]

Wow. Thanks for the super-fast reply. I never considered cutting it. When I get over to the farm later I’ll give that a try.

Any idea why they would weld it shut like that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[crugg65]

Pneumatic style 3” cutoff wheel like evil uncle stated is probably the biggest one you can get in there. 4 1/2” grinder might be too big. They seal the ends off to keep the pin from sliding out during travel. And yes even short distance travel will eject that pin with no caps/restraints!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

So I was all set to cut into the weld over the weekend, but I hesitated b/c I wasn’t so sure I was going to be able to find a replacement ramp for this trailer. I thought it would be pretty standard (~ 77” wide and 50” long) but every search I did for a horse trailer ramp came up empty. Ugh.

I wonder if I get this one off of the trailer, maybe take it to a trailer place to see if they can make something up. I have a feeling this is going to be expensive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mrjaw14]

This happened to my FIL. I think you'll need to re-use the existing door and have it repaired.

option 1: Take it to a fab shop that can weld aluminum and have it repaired/re-welded.
option 2: get a whole new hinge welded on

Which option you choose may be based on the shop you take it to. I'd look for a trailer shop that has a repair facility as they'd be more familiar with the parts required. If they can weld aluminum they may be able to fix the damage to the ramp as well. I'd have that fixed, or at minimum patched to shore it up and stop it from spreading. Did that crack in the ramp come before or after the broken hinge?

 

[racerboy]

I think what happened is that the kids kept opening the trailer and just dropping the ramp down. It had a broken spring on the same side that the ramp cracked, so am not sure if that was a contributing factor.

We don’t actually use the trailer to move horses, but we do use it to get hay and it also serves as our hay ‘shed’. So that ramp gets opened 2X a day, every day. So ea. day it’s getting dropped to the ground. It’s a heavy door and now that the hinge/ramp is broken on the left side, I can’t blame the kids for not being able to ease it to the ground.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bradleykd]

If this project approaches the $1000 mark, I'd buy an AHP TIG welder and a bottle of argon and learn to weld aluminum. This would be the perfect project to learn on. No real strict deadline and no real fear of safety....

 

[Bretny]

You can you a cut off wheel to cut aluminum and it is prob the cheapest method but make sure you get a cut off wheel for aluminum. There not the same as steel, the aluminum will just get stuck on the cutoff wheels for steel.

I to would reuse the ramp. You could also just bolt on heavy gate hinges but this still involves cutting off the old hinge.

 

[racerboy]

I thought I would follow the suggestions here and learn how to weld this myself. I understand that requires investing in a TIG welder so my first question is: which one is good buy for a beginner?

My other questions have to do with taking the door apart. Here’s where I am at:
1. Removed the rubber mat that was stapled to the floor when ramp was down.
2. Under this was 5/8 plywood that had some king of hard plastic laminate. The wood is sandwiched between these sheets which are glued to it.
3. I drilled out the rivets that bolt the outer frame to the wood.
4. Using a sawz-all I tried cutting out the wood. This is a very long and laborious process. The wood sits in the aluminum channels. I thought once I popped the rivets out, the aluminum frame would just come off but I believe the channels are welded together.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

I was thing about this last night and wonder if I am attacking this from the wrong side. Should I just remove the door now, lay it down on the ‘wood’ side and then remove the thin aluminum skin ? I m kind of confused that even once I get all the wood out, how would I put a new piece in there ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

Here’s another picture of where I’m at at this point.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Riggerson]

It looks like you're going to be replacing a fair bit of material rebuilding that door. It's hard to see the thickness of the material but I would probably want at least 200 amps. If you tell us the thickness we could give a better recommendation.

You're probably talking $750 for an inexpensive but serviceable welder (chinese AC/DC machine). Then another ~$100 for a helmet. Probably $200 for argon. Then gloves and filler metal. After you add some accessories you'll probably be in the ~$1200 range. Plus maybe another couple hundred in materials if you replace the skin. Also I'd anticipate minimum ~50 hours of practice before you can make acceptable welds. My gut feeling is the door is so dirty it will be extremely frustrating to weld.

If you just get the door super clean and *ready* to be welded you'll save a ton of money if you take it to the shop. 90% of the work is going to be the prep work and cleaning. Just don't go overboard removing material if you're going to pass it to a shop. I'd focus on clean, clean, clean.

That door was definitely build around the wood. You're going to need to disassemble. I'd start with cutting all the rivets out.

 

[sqznby]

Wow, that door is in rough shape.
I think I would've removed the door before doing anything. Getting it on a flat surface where you can see everything (top & bottom) would be helpful, maybe a few saw horses.
You could grind the weld out from each end of the hinge pin and try to break it free but, I can see that posing to be a problem. With my experience no hinge pin comes out as easy as it goes in, especially a 60" long aluminum one that has been abused. Unless you are planning on buying a new pin/rod, I'd just cut it out.
You could've used a skill saw by setting the blade to the thickness of the plywood and ripping out sections.
You can also get a Mig welder with a spool gun to weld this up. You don't need a Tig welder to do this. The majority of trailer builders mig most if not all there trailers togethers anyway.

I agree about taking it to a shop after you prep it. Save you a bunch of heartache in the end.

 

[racerboy]

The fella we buy hay from has a brother that is a welder. He told me he could weld it but he also suggested I take the wood out before I bring it to him.

I don’t own a skill saw but it sounds like that might be a good buy to finish with the rest of the wood. Is this something I can get at Home Depot or Lowe’s? What does it look like? Sorry for dumb question. I know nothing about working with wood.

I am not sure how to cut that pin? I have the welded caps almost removed and what I was going to do was take an air chisel with a pointed end to drive it out.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

That pin is more like 78” long. Sorry if I gave incorrect measurements earlier on thread. I think the door is 78” wide and 52” tall


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

I guess I was under the impression that they welded up the aluminum frame and then put the wood in there but I don’t see how that’s possible. Maybe they weld up three sides slide the wooden and then put the aluminum sheet that you see from the back on it? If that’s the case then I have to somehow get one side of the frame off?

I’m not sure I’m saying this right


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

The frame is made up of this c-channel (I think that’s what is called).


The laminated plywood sits in this channel and is one piece, so there has to be a way to slide it in.

The back of the door is just a thin aluminum skin. It has two braces in the middle that are welded at the top and bottom of the frame. The braces are drilled and there were 8 bolts that went through the brace, the aluminum skin, into the door. There had to be some kind of insert in the wood for these bolts.
Here’s the door from the outside:



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

You can see where the bolts when through


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sqznby]

Good call. Sounds like a plan.

Don't be so hard on yourself haha, its all good. Yes Lowes or HD carries them.
https://www.google.com/search?sourc...hUKEwjut9P09qrlAhUI2FkKHebICzYQ4dUDCAc&uact=5

Its funny you bring that up. I was thinking that's a narrow trailer haha. 70+" sounds more like it.

I cant see the door enough to get an idea of how it was put together. I'd discuss this with the welder, he may have a suggestion or two to get it back together. He could probably cut one side to get the plywood back in and stitch it up.

 

[sqznby]

Yes, you are correct, it is channel.
Does the thin sheet of aluminum slide into the channel as well? Looks like it.

 

[racerboy]

So the pin came out pretty easily. I put the door up on some 55-gal drums. I’m going to go to Lowe’s to get one of those saws.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

Here’s the pin and one of the hinges that broke off the door.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

So I have one of those circular saws. Do they all adjust. I think mines a craftsman. It may be older


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sqznby]

Nice man, cant believe the pin came out so easy.

It should be adjustable. It would have a lever on the back side that would raise or lower the base/shoe. Do this when its unplugged

 

[racerboy]

So I learned something new everyday I come here. I had no idea about raising and lowering the saw blade like that.



Does that locking pin go all the way down? I couldn’t seem to get it past that spot (it’s really tight)

Also, does this look like the right depth to set it at?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sqznby]

Technically it doesn't move the blade but the shoe/guard.

You got it.

Try it in a small area to test it. You don't want it too deep or you'll score the sheet and possibly go through it. Going just shy of the thickness would leave very little to break free and still easily removeable.

 

[racerboy]

You guys are awesome. What took me 4 hr to do yesterday and broke my back I basically just did in 40 min.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

I still have to get the corners out but I’m way ahead of where I was yesterday!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sqznby]

Hahaha, that's great man, nice job.

Keep us posted

 

[racerboy]

This is where I left off for today. I should be able to finish getting the wood out tomorrow after work.



Couple of questions:
The bottom ‘channel’ is the one that is broken and needs repair. It’s also the one that has the hinges on it for the pin. Instead of repairing it, wouldn’t it make more sense to jet replace it, or would having to move all the hinges make it not worthy the effort.

The laminated wood I removed. Is that made specifically for trailers or can I get that at HD/Lowe’s?

Where would I get the aluminum skin that covers the laminated wood?

Thanks



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

Yes, you are correct, it is channel.
Does the thin sheet of aluminum slide into the channel as well? Looks like it.

Yeah. It looks like the wood would slide on, then the thin sheet of aluminum.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sqznby]

This is where I left off for today. I should be able to finish getting the wood out tomorrow after work.



Couple of questions:
The bottom ‘channel’ is the one that is broken and needs repair. It’s also the one that has the hinges on it for the pin. Instead of repairing it, wouldn’t it make more sense to jet replace it, or would having to move all the hinges make it not worthy the effort.

The laminated wood I removed. Is that made specifically for trailers or can I get that at HD/Lowe’s?

Where would I get the aluminum skin that covers the laminated wood?

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd probably replace it but, I cant really see how bad things are. I'd definitely go over it with the welder/fab guy to see what your best option is. Working with dirty, broken, thin, warn aluminum is not fun.

Good question, I'm not familiar with laminated wood. If you have a lumber yard close by, may be worth a trip and talk with an employee to see if maybe he could point you in the right direction. Or contact a trailer company and what they can offer.

Any metal supply facility should be able to provide you with what you're looking for. Do you know what the outside dimensions are?

 

[racerboy]

While I’m going to have the other guy do the welding repair, I do already have a Miller MIG welder but did not know that you could use that for aluminum.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

Ok. Thanks. I saved a couple of chunks of the wood I cut out. I’ll take that with me to a lumber yard and ask them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[racerboy]

I think the outside dimensions were 78 wide and 53 tall. I’ll remeasure tomorrow and do a Google search for a place that sells aluminum sheets


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sqznby]

While I’m going to have the other guy do the welding repair, I do already have a Miller MIG welder but did not know that you could use that for aluminum.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You would need a spool gun but, I'd need to know what model welder it is.
While you're Googling for aluminum sheet, Google your welder and see what spool gun is compatible with your machine.

Ok. Thanks. I saved a couple of chunks of the wood I cut out. I’ll take that with me to a lumber yard and ask them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good idea.

I think the outside dimensions were 78 wide and 53 tall. I’ll remeasure tomorrow and do a Google search for a place that sells aluminum sheets

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you cant find one big enough, you could always get them cut to fit inside the bracing and tack them together.

Good luck on your searches and keep us updated on your findings.

Have a good night

 

[Monza Harry]

For your sheet aluminum I would also try a place that does trailer repair [what most call "Semi-Trailers"] they get crunched all of the time from inside and out, they will have the heavier gauge stuff, home owner/contractor trailers are usually much lighter gauge. to prevent the door dropping you could add an old spring from a roll up door with cables to lighten the load/landing [but the rear frame has to be "up to it"]. Harry

 

[racerboy]

So the guy who was going to weld the trailer is now expressing concern that if he tries to weld it with the wood in there, that the wood will burn. He wants to just put some kind of metal mesh or something and reuse the existing aluminum sheet. The problem with that idea is that we could never use the trailer to move horses.

I think he thought all he was going to have to do was weld back in the part of the frame that broke off. I really want to do this the right way.

I told him that I think the laminate or pvc that covers the wood would protect it. Whoever built this trailer in the first place clearly welded the frame around the wood w/o burning it, right?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Zippercat]

A smaller circular saw like this might be a good choice:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QM2XGBR/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Lot less expensive, easier to handle. Now if you’re going to need a full sized circular saw for other, bigger projects then go that route, of course.