Posted 2010-12-05 8:47 AM (#127794) Subject: Gussets
Member
Posts: 10
I have a trailer I'm going to do some fabricating on. I am wanting to remove the rear side gussets off the trailer. Will this weaken the trailer or will it not have an effect on it?
Posted 2010-12-05 9:27 AM (#127795 - in reply to #127794) Subject: RE: Gussets
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Theoritically, every trailer has been designed by a structural engineer. Those that haven't, have been designed by students of the school of hard knocks; IE, if something breaks, build it stronger.
The weakest part of a box is the open end. It has little support to prevent the sides of the box from collapsing laterally into a parallelogram. If you add the substantial weight of the rear trailer doors to the sides of the box, you increase the likely hood of instability every time they are opened or closed..
If the gussets you have described, are located at the rear, top corners of the wall and the door bulkhead, they are there for a purpose and are very necessary. Without them, the tops of the rear walls will shift, the doors won't fit and seal, and the whole of the trailer will flex even more on uneven roads. If you were to inspect the construction of various brands of trailers, you will notice the better built trailers have larger gussets at every junction of wall to bulkhead joints. They will be continuously welded to both surfaces, adding a great deal of strength and rigidity.
Posted 2010-12-08 1:39 PM (#127888 - in reply to #127794) Subject: RE: Gussets
Member
Posts: 10
These gussets are triangular with tail lights mounted in the middle and are located at the bottom. I have noticed that some trailers do not have these types of gussets, so how do they stabilize and strenthen the rear of the trailer?
Posted 2010-12-08 1:59 PM (#127889 - in reply to #127794) Subject: RE: Gussets
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
Some will use internal gussets to stabilize the rear end of the trailer. Others will use the tail light bracket as a gusset to stiffen the rear end. Just a difference in manufacturing methods.
Posted 2010-12-08 3:48 PM (#127897 - in reply to #127888) Subject: RE: Gussets
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Their triangular shapes strengthen the frame to wall joints on the bottom, and offer vertical support to the walls. The open bulkhead area in the back of trailers, is the weakest part of a trailer, and needs the most amount of additional support.
Posted 2010-12-09 1:24 PM (#127923 - in reply to #127794) Subject: RE: Gussets
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
Most of the internal gussets that I have seen are incorporated into the actual rear frame assembly. They aren't just a piece that is added on top of everything else, after the rest of it is completed. While I am sure it could be done, I am certain that it would be a major undertaking that will not give you the same strength as the original trailer. I am not saying that it wouldn't be sufficient, just not as good. In my opinion, no, but it is your trailer, and you can alter it as you see fit.
Gussets
