Posted 2009-01-14 8:45 AM (#97471) Subject: Is this safe to do? My plan on restoration....
Veteran
Posts: 100 Location: Arkansas
I am restoring an '87 WW 2 horse trailer and it has rust on the floor support/beams (not all the way through) and on the side walls (where the wall meets the floor) it is rusted through (about 1 inch up wall).This is my plan on fixing the problem.... I am going to sand it all down to bare metal, use "Klean-Strip's" rust converter (turns the rust to black primer), then use "Bondo's" Bondo-Hair to fill the holes in the rusted through metal area's that are too big to be welded back together, weld what I can back together, after this use "Dupli-Color's" undercoating/rhino-liner spray on all the re-done area's (about 24 inches up all the walls and about a foot on the floor supports/beams), next get some metal sheets and cut and weld them to the floor and walls (in an "L" shape 90 degree angle) to reinforce the walls and it will also give the urine a type of 'trench" to run out and to the back of the trailer. And these welded metal sheets will be undercoated/rhino-lined too. Then replace the tongue-n-groove wood on the side walls and put the floor boards back in.With the metal sheets I figure doing this will not only reinforce everything but with the 'trench' to run the urine to the back will keep it from getting on most of my floor's support beams and keep the walls from rusting further in the future.I am looking at trying to make it as maintenance-free as possible, I know nothing is truly maintenance-free, things will always need to be replaced here and there. Let me know what you think on my plan and chime in on your idea's - What you would do different or add? Or would I be better off getting a better trailer?
Posted 2009-01-14 9:53 AM (#97476 - in reply to #97471) Subject: RE: Is this safe to do? My plan....
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Originally written by Killrail on 2009-01-14 9:45 AM
I am restoring an '87 WW 2 horse trailer it is rusted through (about 1 inch up wall).This is my plan on fixing the problem.... I am going to use "Bondo's" Bondo-Hair to fill the holes in the rusted through metal area's that are too big to be welded back together, QUOTE]
Your repairs sound workable except filling the rusted holes with Bondo. You would end up with a stronger repair, if you were to weld in additional steel materials and then grind the areas smooth before painting.
It takes a lot of time and funds to restore a trailer. There isn't much that is made of metal, that can't be rebuilt. Only you can determine how valuable your time is worth, and whether the finished product is one worthy of your efforts.
Are there other trailers available in better shape that would be less expensive to purchase, than the cost of your restoration? Is this trailer going to suit your needs when it's finished, or will you quickly out grow it? Steel two horse trailers are available everywhere, at nominal prices. They are the bottom of the "food chain" in pricing. It's doubtful that if you are contemplating a resale, you would recoup your costs. If you add the cost of the trailer to your repairs and the value of your labours, you may find that you have much more invested than it is worth.
If you think you will outgrow the trailer, I believe that you would be better off purchasing and renovating a trailer, that has the size and potential you will eventually need. I've rebuilt three trailers now, and I wish it were one. As we upgraded with size and features, my work increased proportionately. With hindsight, I could have purchased my last trailer, rebuilt only it, and saved a considerable amount of time and money. Instead of just making do, we could have continually enjoyed the additional space and features of our last trailer.
Try to think of where you want to be in trailer ownership, over the next couple of years. If this is what will suit your needs, you seem to have a good understanding of what is necessary for its reconstruction.
Posted 2009-01-14 10:17 AM (#97481 - in reply to #97476) Subject: RE: Is this safe to do? My plan on a restoration....
Veteran
Posts: 100 Location: Arkansas
Thanks...good advice! This is my first restoration, so I was hoping my plan on this would work. I have thought about that (the whole-thing about what I could foresee in the future of needing as far as a trailer). I only have 1 riding horse (plus 3 mini horses, which don't go anywhere really). My boyfriend MIGHT get a horse in the future. And sometimes I MIGHT haul 1 of my mom's horses along with my horse in my trailer (but probably not, she has her own 3 horse slant trailer). My ONLY fear is the size of my horse in relation to what the trailer can haul...it's GAWR is 3500 and the GVWR is 5908...my horse is a Haflinger (might be crossed with a Percheron) he is 14.3hh but is pretty big in weight, not really sure of exact weight (used estimator weight tape on him and he maxed it out, the highest weight it goes to is 1371 lbs.) and he had a foot or two left that it didn't reach. My guess is he weighs about 1500 lbs. So I probably shouldn't haul too big of a horse with him in that trailer, which I only foresee him as the only one riding in it for quite awhile. And it is pulled by a 1/2 ton '96 Chevy Silverado.The only thing that I wish I had that this trailer doesn't is the torsion axles.I have already called around a got prices (and also know how many sheets I will need of the metal)...it will cost a little under $200 for all the metal I will need, I plan on doing the welding and re-riveting myself, I will only need to replace the tongue-n-groove that I ripped out on the bottom (to get to the metal wall. And when (and if) I paint the trailer, I found someone that will do it for $399. I only paid (out of my pocket) $375 for this trailer.I had a trailer before this that we paid $350 for (my mom and I went in on it in halves =$175 each), I kept it for awhile (but realized I needed a different trailer for my needs) sold it for $600. Found this current trailer for $800. So $800 - $600 = $200 + $175 = $375 If I add in my mom's half (what she paid for on the first trailer) that =$450...either way ($375 or $450 out-of-pocket for this current trailer) not too bad really. I figure I can get everything done to it (restore,new tires and paint)for around $1000.
Posted 2009-01-14 11:35 AM (#97488 - in reply to #97481) Subject: RE: Is this safe to do? My plan on a restoration....
Regular
Posts: 64 Location: Oklahoma City
Word of advice - On that age trailer, inspect and make sure there are no tears, cracks or deterioration in the mainframe of the trailer. If it is compromised the rest is not worth doing.
Posted 2009-01-14 12:36 PM (#97495 - in reply to #97490) Subject: RE: Is this safe to do? My plan on a restoration....
Regular
Posts: 64 Location: Oklahoma City
There is an angle iron frame around the bottom of the trailer. The crossbraces are tied to it and the sidewall studs are tied to it. The tongue is also ties to it. If the floor is out of the trailer you can visually inspect the frame as well as crossbraces to make sure they are all ok.
Posted 2009-01-14 12:53 PM (#97497 - in reply to #97471) Subject: RE: Is this safe to do? My plan on restoration....
Regular
Posts: 97 Location: Newport News, VA
I bought a trailer off eBay last year (NOT as described) and have had to do quite a bit of restoration to it and wish I had just sprung for the new trailer. It had to have new floors (I did myself), I put in mats and new wall padding, plus some rust clean up and painting on the inside, some new diamond plate pieces, new tires, new brakes, and had some electrical work done, although the stinking lights are still temperamental, I just need to replace them all. I paid a bit more (TOO much!) for the trailer, but have sunk a pile of money into it since then. I did everything except the tires, brakes, and electrical myself and the guy who did that work was pretty reasonable. The brakes were not a lot more than what I could have bought the parts for. There's a lot I like about the trailer, although my horse could use a slightly larger one. It SEEMED big enough until I got the monster in it! But, I had priced a brand new Adams 2 horse stock type, in extra tall and extra wide for less than $4K, at the time. I should have just gotten that one!
Posted 2009-01-14 1:22 PM (#97498 - in reply to #97471) Subject: RE: Is this safe to do? My plan on restoration....
Veteran
Posts: 100 Location: Arkansas
Since I bought (out-of-pocket) the trailer for $375 and sink (lets say) $1200 into restore (5 new ST tires, paint, restore parts, wiring, etc.) then I would have $1575 invested into it. I don't think that's bad and still alot cheaper than a new one. Though I have found quite a few newer (1998-2001) trailers in the $2500 to $3000 range, they go very quickly and most of what I find are NOT in my area (so have to add gas $ for trip).I like my trailer (though I would love to have a newer one, if I could find one that had everything I wanted). My trailer must have been a top of the line for '87 cause it has the plastic-type floor boards (instead of wood), double tack doors with nice padded slide-out saddle racks, tons of bridle hooks, 2 pop-up roof vents, 1 good size escape door and has the usual blanket racks and grooming trays.I love the older 2H BP SUNDOWNERs (late 80's to mid 90's) and the (late 90's to early 00's)CM Trail Magic trailers because most of these have all of the features (I guess standard) that mine has. If I could find one close that a dealer or someone had that would be willing to take mine in on trade...I would do it!
Is this safe to do? My plan on restoration....
