New aluminum trailer project

[Drkuhar]

Well I decided I needed to find a trailer to haul my deere 1023 and attachments and wanted an aluminum trailer. I found one being sold through an estate sale that needed work and was close. I normally think purchases through but jumped the gun on this and it needs more work than I counted on.. was told it needed tires and suspension equilizers and a couple of broken boards.

The bolt on fenders had cracked welds all over from bouncing around with the suspension messed up, the the brakes where shot.. I so far have replaced the equilizers and shackles using a wet kit that can be greased. I repacked the bearings and reset the bearing nuts. Removed the damaged brake parts for now(magnets were broke off and bouncing around in 3 wheels and shoes were contaminated with grease on 2 and liners were off the shoes on 2)..
To fix the fenders I am thinking of getting stainless bolts and bolting the backing plate to the curved fender top and putting thread zerts in the frame to bolt the fenders to..

I have found some cracks in the frame area where he had a winch mounted. I am going to get it to a shop to get welded up. I can build anything out of steel but don't have the aluminum spool gun or argon for my welder. At what price point would you say say enough is enough and try to cut your losses. I'm probably upside down in this thing. It's a 2016 10k gvwr trailer with alum ramps

 

[dcg9381]

At what price point would you say say enough is enough and try to cut your losses.

I wouldn't. I'd buy the equipment to weld aluminum... If I was lazy (and I am) I might take it to a buddy with a TIG.




That's pretty shot, but that stuff is easy to replace and needs to be gone through anyway. Honestly, I've seen that type of bushing wear out of trailers that are 2 years old and used "not much". First thing I do on new trailers is throw that **** away and go to "wet" bolt kits and brass bushings and heavy duty shackles. I've been known to completely start over with new axles if the brakes are shot and everything is rusted.

Trailer will last you "forever" once you get it sorted. That's a $10k (new) trailer around here...

 

[Drkuhar]

I wouldn't. I'd buy the equipment to weld aluminum... If I was lazy (and I am) I might take it to a buddy with a TIG.




That's pretty shot, but that stuff is easy to replace and needs to be gone through anyway. Honestly, I've seen that type of bushing wear out of trailers that are 2 years old and used "not much". First thing I do on new trailers is throw that **** away and go to "wet" bolt kits and brass bushings and heavy duty shackles. I've been known to completely start over with new axles if the brakes are shot and everything is rusted.

Trailer will last you "forever" once you get it sorted. That's a $10k (new) trailer around here...

I don't mind doing the work. Just worried I was getting upside down in this. But if your price is right I got a ways to go

 

[jhelrey]

Doesn't seem like much at this point... Mainly labor.

 

[bugnut]

used market here is $7k or so, except the welding, looks like mostly bolt on items, parts and labor. Good luck!

 

[Sweetcorn]

Stressed aluminum micro fractures and many/most times you will find that even if you do everything right, you will be chasing cracks forever.

Others will disagree but it is what it is.

 

[jack stand]

^^^ this.
I don't think that by just replacing a steel designed trailer with aluminum components is successful in the long term unfortunately.

 

[racecougar]

It doesn't sound like there is much work left to complete (brakes, fender mounting, and weld up the cracks). Whether you're going to keep it or sell it, I'd at least finish up the work.

And I agree with dcg9381, I'd use it as a reason to buy a spool gun and Argon at minimum (my inclination would be TIG).

 

[dcg9381]

Stressed aluminum micro fractures and many/most times you will find that even if you do everything right, you will be chasing cracks forever.
Others will disagree but it is what it is.

Not disagreeing or agreeing, but ATC makes aluminum RVS, A few of them have had bad welds at stress points and the seem to be fixed just fine (maybe a little reinforcement). As this is at the winch mount (a stressed component not related to trailer load) - I'd weld it up, maybe reinforce it and run it.

Wheel wells get the **** beat out of them... as mentioned this thing barely had any suspension.

Now if it had little cracks all over the frame structure, I'd feel differently.

This is an IL trailer, aluminum has a real advantage there long term.

 

[DaveAndStuff]

Be sure to drill the end(s) of the cracks before welding.

 

[denis4x4]

I have an aluminum tilt trailer that's about 10 years old that I bought new. Fender cracks have been been welded several times. I'm looking at replacing them with steel fenders from Tractor Supply.

 

[Drkuhar]

I am going to finish it. I have really been weighing options and I am going to have someone else weld the cracks in the frame vs buying a spool gun and the tank of argon. Cost balance just wasn't there.

I'm going to use stainless hardware and bolt the fenders on, and bolt on some extra reinforcement brackets. The fenders weren't factory or correct. I think bolting aluminum is best for me . Brakes will wait a bit to make sure I don't find anything else major. Just getting in my head about what I'm spending.

Being in Illinois it will be better than every rusted out trailer I kept finding and since I don't have inside storage for it won't rust away which was my concern. I would love to change out all the flooring but will probably only change the two boards that are broken.

Seeing the new wheels on it last night started changing my perception and gave me a better outlook. They are 10 ply actual trailer tires that I found on marketplace that were brand new with dexter stickers on them

 

[Drkuhar]

I did find out that when done this trailer will have an easy life with me compared to the guy that had it. The kid told me his dad went all over the US picking up wrecked cars for insurance companies with this thing. So it had a lot of use