Utility trailer frame restoration

[Mike1903]

Got a 25 year old 4x8 utility trailer… Indiana made. Overall good quality but paint is peeling off and some surface rust.

What do you recommend to use for primer and paint after sanding away the rust? The trailer will be outdoors (9 months of rain here), so, want good protection.

Thx

 

[vavet]

Take a good luck before you start. I found mine had some severe rust through and needed a lot of patching. When combined with replacement decking, it just didn’t make sense. I sold it and bought new.

 

[Wayne67vert]

use Master Series Silver. It was developed as a bridge paint. Almost indestructible.

https://shop.masterseriesct.com/product.sc?productId=8

 

[Bretny]

Take a good luck before you start. I found mine had some severe rust through and needed a lot of patching. When combined with replacement decking, it just didn’t make sense. I sold it and bought new.

Square tube frames do this. It's about the worst shape of steel you can use on a vehicle.

 

[Slednut]

Square tube frames do this. It's about the worst shape of steel you can use on a vehicle.

Totally agree, I rebuilt my snowmobile trailer and started poking it with a pick and found this. I don't have any before pictures but these are the after.
The trailer is a 1987.

 

[Mike1903]

use Master Series Silver. It was developed as a bridge paint. Almost indestructible.

https://shop.masterseriesct.com/product.sc?productId=8

Thank you.
I feel like for every field/application, there is a golden nugget…Meaning a product that works well and pros know it. For other mortals surfing the aisles of big box stores, it is mostly junk that we have to sift through.

 

[CraigStu]

before sanding that rust off get a couple bottles of naval jelly or one of the modern chemicals and brush it on. They jelly is like a jelly so it is relatively easy to spread w/ a throw away brush.

 

[Mike1903]

before sanding that rust off get a couple bottles of naval jelly or one of the modern chemicals and brush it on. They jelly is like a jelly so it is relatively easy to spread w/ a throw away brush.

You mean something like Evaporust?

 

[CGT80]

Evaporust and naval jelly are opposites and mechanical removal before using them is far better, if the rust is heavy or you have peeling paint.

Naval jelly is a jelly and is an acid. Evaporust is not an acid and it doesn't harm other substances or cause pitting to good metal, plus it is a liquid that is hard to keep wet on a large part.

If there is very rough rust or flakes of rust, paint, or dirt, do a quick clean up job with a wire brush, flap wheel, sandpaper, scraper, or whatever you have. You must remove oil and grease before using chemical rust removers. Even a pressure washer can help, depending on how bad it is. Media blasting is the best, but for smaller areas, naval jelly can work. It has to be thick enough to keep the surface wet from the jelly. The jelly is just a carrier for the acid. I use pool acid to dip my cnc plasma cut parts to remove mill scale, dross, and rust. The directions on evaporust say to use a paper towel or cloth soaked in the product to keep a wet surface.

After using the rust remover, you will need to rinse and dry the frame. There are also rust converters for lighter rust or areas you don't get all the rust removed. Good primers can encapsulate the rust and stop it if it isn't feasible to remove it. If moisture can't get to the metal then it can't rust.

The ultimate job would be to remove all the rust but it sometimes isn't practical or worth the trouble. How bad is your trailer and how good do you need the paint job to be?

 

[Mike1903]

Evaporust and naval jelly are opposites and mechanical removal before using them is far better, if the rust is heavy or you have peeling paint.

Naval jelly is a jelly and is an acid. Evaporust is not an acid and it doesn't harm other substances or cause pitting to good metal, plus it is a liquid that is hard to keep wet on a large part.

If there is very rough rust or flakes of rust, paint, or dirt, do a quick clean up job with a wire brush, flap wheel, sandpaper, scraper, or whatever you have. You must remove oil and grease before using chemical rust removers. Even a pressure washer can help, depending on how bad it is. Media blasting is the best, but for smaller areas, naval jelly can work. It has to be thick enough to keep the surface wet from the jelly. The jelly is just a carrier for the acid. I use pool acid to dip my cnc plasma cut parts to remove mill scale, dross, and rust. The directions on evaporust say to use a paper towel or cloth soaked in the product to keep a wet surface.

After using the rust remover, you will need to rinse and dry the frame. There are also rust converters for lighter rust or areas you don't get all the rust removed. Good primers can encapsulate the rust and stop it if it isn't feasible to remove it. If moisture can't get to the metal then it can't rust.

The ultimate job would be to remove all the rust but it sometimes isn't practical or worth the trouble. How bad is your trailer and how good do you need the paint job to be?

Thank you for a detailed response.
The frame is actually in pretty good condition with surface rust and paint peeling in places. Previous owner kept it in the garage during winters but i need to keep it outside, mostly in rain (9 months of the year).
So, want to clean it up really good and then put good protection to prevent rust.

 

[CGT80]

Is that rust on the front of the fender? If not, it doesn't look bad on the top side. An orbital sander and 120-180 grit sand paper might clean it up. If that is bubbled rust, then it needs more attention and I would sand or wire brush and then use naval jelly for the deep rust. Maybe use a converter then primer and paint if using conventional product. I was a painter for many years and the oil based paints don't seem as good as they were in the past. I used por 15 on the engine bay of my 79 C20 truck and regretted it. It was **** for a truck with a little surface rust on the frame and front end and I degreased all of it very well and prepped the sheet metal very well. The next time I pulled the engine, I used two stage auto paint.

I have not used direct to metal paint but have heard some good results from others. I love zinsser primer and would use something like their cover stain oil based primer on that trailer with rustoleum over the top, unless you find something better. Plan on scuff sanding the paint and doing another coat of color over it every year or so depending on how it holds up. A 4" or 6" wide by 1/4" nap mini roller would be an easy way to paint it, but spraying is great if you are setup for it. I used a brush and that size roller to do the framework on my toyhauler trailer and rattle canned the frame rails and brackets under it. Where I live, we would just about give our left nuts for some rain, so the weather is far different from your area. The sun damages the paint faster than moisture so it takes a long time to get heavy rust as long as the water runs off and dries quickly after it rains.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I still like POR15 but it has no UV protection. The surface needs to be clean (grease/oil free) before applying.

If you can remove the decking and flip the trailer over to work on it.


While you're at it, might as well rewire if needed and use LED lights.

 

[robin1731]

Evaporust and naval jelly are opposites and mechanical removal before using them is far better, if the rust is heavy or you have peeling paint.

Naval jelly is a jelly and is an acid. Evaporust is not an acid and it doesn't harm other substances or cause pitting to good metal, plus it is a liquid that is hard to keep wet on a large part.

If there is very rough rust or flakes of rust, paint, or dirt, do a quick clean up job with a wire brush, flap wheel, sandpaper, scraper, or whatever you have. You must remove oil and grease before using chemical rust removers. Even a pressure washer can help, depending on how bad it is. Media blasting is the best, but for smaller areas, naval jelly can work. It has to be thick enough to keep the surface wet from the jelly. The jelly is just a carrier for the acid. I use pool acid to dip my cnc plasma cut parts to remove mill scale, dross, and rust. The directions on evaporust say to use a paper towel or cloth soaked in the product to keep a wet surface.

After using the rust remover, you will need to rinse and dry the frame. There are also rust converters for lighter rust or areas you don't get all the rust removed. Good primers can encapsulate the rust and stop it if it isn't feasible to remove it. If moisture can't get to the metal then it can't rust.

The ultimate job would be to remove all the rust but it sometimes isn't practical or worth the trouble. How bad is your trailer and how good do you need the paint job to be?

There is an Evaporust jel. I haven't used it but it is sold at my local Oreilly's.

 

[Wayne67vert]

use Master Series Silver. It was developed as a bridge paint. Almost indestructible.

https://shop.masterseriesct.com/product.sc?productId=8

Here is more info on Master Coat and how it is used. https://nomorerust.com/store/rust-stop-paints/8-mastercoat-pemanent-rust-sealer.html

 

[Mike1903]

Thx all! Appreciate a lot of good info… will be tackling this in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Slednut]

I still like POR15 but it has no UV protection. The surface needs to be clean (grease/oil free) before applying.

If you can remove the decking and flip the trailer over to work on it.


While you're at it, might as well rewire if needed and use LED lights.

Totally agree, I like POR15 because it's an epoxy, it takes moisture to dry. If I'm going to use a rattle can and it's going to be black I paint over the POR15 while it's tacky. This way I get a chemical bond rather than a physical one.

 

[PassnThru]

Speaking of trailer rust - I've had a 10 foot single axle utility trailer for about 14 years. I bought it new.
A few years ago I needed to replace the decking on it so after I pulled off the old 2X lumber I decided to repaint all those areas the decking would cover. There was no visible rust but this was the best time to do it and avoid any problems for the next 10+ years.
I decided after pressure washing it to hit it with the angle grinder with a flap disk to rough up the old paint and give me a good surface for the new paint. Again - no visible rust at this point. As I went to grinding, that's when I found all sorts of rust. It was all living under the paint. Apparently, when the trailer was built the steel had already started rusting. And they just painted over it. Sure - it was sealed under the paint so it wasn't really hurting anything - most likely just some surface/flash rust so I didn't take everything down to bare metal and start all over again. But I did back up and buy some primer and use that first followed by two top coats.
It just surprised me that anyone would paint something that was already rusted. Maybe it's a common thing but I was definitely surprised.

 

[Wayne67vert]

.

 

[Mike1903]

Finally got to it and tackled all the main rust spots with a grinder and a wire brush. There are few spots where I can get with the grinder or sander, so, going to use chemical to remove what I can. Then, prep, prime and paint to outlive me

 

[Mike1903]

Here is more info on Master Coat and how it is used. https://nomorerust.com/store/rust-stop-paints/8-mastercoat-pemanent-rust-sealer.html

What is the difference between MasterSeries and MasterCoat? They look like two different companies…

 

[Wayne67vert]

What is the difference between MasterSeries and MasterCoat? They look like two different companies…

Master Series makes the Mastercoat paints.

 

[rayra]

I'd gear up and hit it all with a wire wheel first, than naval jelly. Self-etching metal primer then an epoxy coat. And you've either got to make sure that box tubing is draining properly or is sealed completely.
And while it is stripped is the best time for some welding touchups or gusseting / reinforcements. Or just modifications in general

 

[Mike1903]

I'd gear up and hit it all with a wire wheel first, than naval jelly. Self-etching metal primer then an epoxy coat. And you've either got to make sure that box tubing is draining properly or is sealed completely.
And while it is stripped is the best time for some welding touchups or gusseting / reinforcements. Or just modifications in general

Thx.
Do you suggest taking off all the paint or just where there is rust and peeling paint?

Any recommendations for primer and paint?

 

[rayra]

I'd say it depends what you find as you are removing the loose paint and rust. As you get into the seemingly solid pain if you are finding a layer of rust are start getting it to flake off as you move into it, I'd take it all off.

But it's a trailer, not a show car, so your level of prep and labor investment is an individual choice. Naval jelly and stuff like Jasco's gelled paint stripper will really take it off (and burn like hell where you splash it on your skin). In my experience it's a bigger mess and more labor but a much better result.

As for paint, no specific brand recommendation. Just paint it out of the weather / sun, if you can. Do recommend an epoxy.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I took a different approach, I just did a quick redo of an 80's 5 x 8 utility trailer, had some rust through on the bottom section of the 2 x 2 tube cross members. Was going to replace them but it's mainly used for garbage runs to the transfer station, quick wire wheeling, some rustoleum rust reformer & good to go. I did rewire with new lights bearings & wheels, just not worth putting the time & effort into it making it like new, can buy a new one for 1200$. If a member fails I'll replace it but no matter what it's still an old trailer that at some point will get replaced. If you are real serious & want to put the time in than sand blasting to remove the rusty metal really is the most effective, followed by primer & top coat.

 

[jollygreengiant]

I took a different approach, I just did a quick redo of an 80's 5 x 8 utility trailer, had some rust through on the bottom section of the 2 x 2 tube cross members. Was going to replace them but it's mainly used for garbage runs to the transfer station, quick wire wheeling, some rustoleum rust reformer & good to go. I did rewire with new lights bearings & wheels, just not worth putting the time & effort into it making it like new, can buy a new one for 1200$. If a member fails I'll replace it but no matter what it's still an old trailer that at some point will get replaced. If you are real serious & want to put the time in than sand blasting to remove the rusty metal really is the most effective, followed by primer & top coat.

I'm in the process of rebuilding a 4x8 trailer and my thoughts agree with this post pretty well. At the end of the day it's a work trailer, not a showpiece. I could have went all out and bondo'ed the rock chips in the fenders, used gravelguard on the underside of the fenders, and sandblasted the entire thing. But I don't have the time or $$ for all that, so I went over the whole thing with a flapwheel on a grinder and it's getting painted with tremclad rust paint. In hindsight having it sandblasted would have saved a lot of time, but then it would be more $$. I did have the tire rims sandblasted as that is really the only way to get them cleaned up.

As others have mentioned, now is the time to do any upgrades or modifications. Mine is going to get a spare tire carrier added and I'm going to re-wire with all LED lights. I also replaced the bushings in the suspension while it was apart.

 

[Outlander]

I went with - if I want to keep this old thing it will require frequent overhauls.

From 2019:









Snowmobile trailer from the 80's lives on to see another day.

 

[Mike1903]

I'm in the process of rebuilding a 4x8 trailer and my thoughts agree with this post pretty well. At the end of the day it's a work trailer, not a showpiece. I could have went all out and bondo'ed the rock chips in the fenders, used gravelguard on the underside of the fenders, and sandblasted the entire thing. But I don't have the time or $$ for all that, so I went over the whole thing with a flapwheel on a grinder and it's getting painted with tremclad rust paint. In hindsight having it sandblasted would have saved a lot of time, but then it would be more $$. I did have the tire rims sandblasted as that is really the only way to get them cleaned up.

As others have mentioned, now is the time to do any upgrades or modifications. Mine is going to get a spare tire carrier added and I'm going to re-wire with all LED lights. I also replaced the bushings in the suspension while it was apart.

Ah good old Tremclad! Only available to our northern neighbors…

I hate Rust-oleum website… with so many acquired brands and product lines, it is hard to tell differences between them.

 

[metalmagpie]

Needle gun aka pneumatic scaler. Goes into corners, paint and rust just fly off. That's what they use on Navy ships where they are familiar with rust.

 

[CN Spots]

Yours isn't in bad shape at all. I'd probably just hit the bare spots with Rustoleum primer and paint. But I'm in the south and we don't have to deal with salt.

As far as keeping it outside, get one of those silver tarps and toss over it when not in use. Sit something on the trailer to lift the tarp up so water runs off. Make sure the tires are covered too. I don't have any proof that it does any good but I've anyway tried to keep trailer tires from contacting the soil during long storage times. Pavers worked well for this.

 

[nadogail]

Have you considered sand blasting and powder coating?

 

[Mike1903]

Have you considered sand blasting and powder coating?

I am actually not sure what kind of equipment I would need and $$ associated with it.

So, leaned towards elbow grease.

 

[Mike1903]

Yours isn't in bad shape at all. I'd probably just hit the bare spots with Rustoleum primer and paint. But I'm in the south and we don't have to deal with salt.

As far as keeping it outside, get one of those silver tarps and toss over it when not in use. Sit something on the trailer to lift the tarp up so water runs off. Make sure the tires are covered too. I don't have any proof that it does any good but I've anyway tried to keep trailer tires from contacting the soil during long storage times. Pavers worked well for this.

Thx!
I am building the sides of the trailer so that they can easily come off and can be put flat on the floor. This way I can use the tarp to cover it and tie it down tight.

Good suggestions on the wheels! Thx