Can this frame be repaired?

[BG97]

Trailer frame is 2x8 tubing, the bottom 4-5” is rusted on the inside, as is a lot of the bottom and back 8 feet of the outside.

We are thinking of welding 6” plate along the inside and outside (only welding the top as there isn’t much left on the lower half.)
Then we’ll slide some c-channel up from underneath and weld that to the new steel along the frame.

Will this work? Would haul around 8000lbs.

 

[rsanter]

How about using angle iron?

 

[john.k]

went to a horrible accident with a horse float once ...floor was rusted at the edges ,and horses front legs went through the gap ,and were ground off by contact with the road ........other drivers were trying to stop the woman ,and she wouldnt stop ,

 

[Sweetcorn]

I honestly intend no offense, but if you have to ask, I'm going to say the answer is no.

Three pics to strangers on the internet isn't going to help with the judgment calls you will need to make while attempting to make this not only safe for what you are hauling, but for the people you share the road with.

 

[LopezBart]

Obviously, horse piss is corrosive as hell. Making this safe again is going to mean replacing all the corroded stuff. Is it worthwhile? I have a friend who is working on repairing his new boat that he just built after the trailer he had came apart at 25 mph. Horses are harder to repair than boats.

Generally, I'm hesitant to repair stuff by welding more things on top; it hides problems and further corrosion is hard to spot.

 

[CoogarXR]

went to a horrible accident with a horse float once ...floor was rusted at the edges ,and horses front legs went through the gap ,and were ground off by contact with the road ........other drivers were trying to stop the woman ,and she wouldnt stop ,

Having one of my steel camper leveling legs drop down on the highway and grind itself off, I can only imagine this poor horse. Ugh. I could have went my life without that mental picture. But sharing things like this are necessary to get people to think sometimes.

 

[pamike]

A reputable welder could get this fixed up. I wouldn't be scared of that if you do a quality job with someone who knows what they are doing. Also a good solid new floor helps spread the load out across the frame.

 

[whateg01]

I used to think tube frames were better because they are more rigid but they all die slowly from the inside and often fail at the worst time.

What shape are the crossmembers in? How do you know? That a lot of effort to put into it to have the whole floor fold in half a year later.

 

[mike93lx]

Pretty much anything is repairable. Time, money and skill just need to be properly applied.

I agree, if you have to ask, I bet you have no business welding on a trailer frame.

Take it to a welding shop and be prepared to spend a good chunk of money or replace it. But do not try to advise them on the repair process.

 

[readhead]

After fixing a couple like yours I said no more. I didn't want to test my liability insurance.

 

[Oggy]

Horses are a pretty high point load compared to plywood or dirt, the value is also quite different…

 

[readhead]

Early on when I had my fab shop I would take whatever came along. I repaired two trailers pretty similar to the OP's. I would only do the work for T&M because of what I couldn't see. By the time I was done they were pretty close to buying a new or slightly used trailer. They weren't happy but they weren't mad. That is when I decided not to be in the horse trailer repair business. Don't get me started on aluminum trailer repair.

 

[Wrench97]

Early on when I had my fab shop I would take whatever came along. I repaired two trailers pretty similar to the OP's. I would only do the work for T&M because of what I couldn't see. By the time I was done they were pretty close to buying a new or slightly used trailer. They weren't happy but they weren't mad. That is when I decided not to be in the horse trailer repair business. Don't get me started on aluminum trailer repair.

Yea I was going to say 3/4 the price of a new trailer, Steel and Time are not cheap.