Thanks GregOriginally Posted by Greg P
Not sure what you would pay for a custom trailer these days but the cost with galvanising will be $11,000 which is still a fair amount of dollars. Will be towing fair distances at times and went all out with stainless brakes and heavy duty running gear so I can register as 4 ton capacity. I made a mistake of the weight of the steel in the pervious post, Steel used will be 700kg so it should come in at about 1200kg.
I made a largish 2.9t trailer over 12months ago. Pretty sure my axles are galvanised and have never heard of a reduced axle rating due to galvanising an axle before. Have heard people talk about springs but never actually seen it. Pretty sure the rocker roller springs are dacromat and after 12months of full submersion and look like brand new still and couldn't be happier with the alko product. Packing with grease is not advisable as leaf springs work on friction so thus reducing this changes load carrying capacity. Especially if you are close to weight rating. My advise is buy from reputable dealer and you will have no problems. Like alko. I recently also built a small trailer for my tinnies( multiuse takes the 12 and 15ft) and bought the parts the cheapest place I could( eBay sunrise imports) They said they were galvanised/dacromat finish and I can guarantee that they were not made in australia. And this definately shows in the finish quality and longevity. And looks more like silver paint than dacromat finish on alko products
Question
Once I get the trailer back from the galvaniser I want to add some more protection to the internals of the RHS sections.
After some recommendations on what to use from those who have done this.
I will be installing a wash down system in the main rails also to give a good flush with fresh water. Not sure if rust proofing will be any benefit in the main rails if I will be flushing all tho I may be out 2 or 3 days at a time so the salt will dry inside before flushing. I am seriously looking at installing a water tank and pump in the tow vehicle in time so I can run some water through at the ramp but that will be sometime down the track.
There are section that I wont be able to flush such as cross members bracing the draw bar section which I will want to protect internally.
Any advice
Well the rain certainly didn't help getting the boat on the trailer this trip. Anyway I got it on with some exciting moments with the jacks giving way due to the ground being completely saturated. Having the boat on a slope didn't help either. (got the wife's Pajero bogged in the yard which was fun with 3-4ton of weight attached).I made final adjustments on rollers and guards and ended up with 120mm of clearance from the top of tyres to guard. Would have liked a little more but the boat is just about fully fuelled and loaded except for ice. I think I will need to move the axles back another 100-150mm when I put it on for the last time. Next trip home is pull the boat off and strip down the trailer and off to hot dipping. I will be glad to see the end and I think most of you also. Thanks for all the advice and ideas I have received from all of you. I will post final photos once the trailer is fully completed and registered. Registering I am sure will be a complete PITA.
Wow hell of a job great work you should be proud of the job you've done it looks great ....Matt
A bad days fishing has got to be better than any day at work......
Some photos of the trailer heading off to the galvaniser and returning. Galvanising was done by IGC at Pinkenba and cost $1000 plus $500 to transport and return. They did a good job and were very helpful. I have a few minor repairs to do but no fault of the galvaniser as I did weld with stick as I didn't have a mig welder. Easy fix and other than that its all good. It's nice and shinny at present but will be turning a dirty gold colour once I coat with Tectyl 506 inside and out. Picked up 4L for $50 at repco and I think I will need another 4 to really do the job correctly. I am mixing part fish oil in with it to make it flow better and covers all the hard to get to places. Thinking of leaving it a couple of weeks before I do just to let the gal settle. Someone may be able to tell me but I think that the Tectly will probably stay tacky for ever after spraying the axles 3 days ago it still tacky.
I got the axles sandblasted and have painted them and also the springs. Soaking the springs in fish oil and then will rust proof also. Anyway I will be covered in rust proofing next time home which will be something to look forward too.
I only have wiring and a few other bits to purchase now. I will do a itemised list of parts and where I purchased for anyone that is thinking of building a trailer once I have completed. I should have kept a record of the hours it has taken also. You certainly need to have spare time on your hands if you are doing the owner/builder. I am pretty sure the wife could tell me how long I've spent on it as all of her projects were put on hold and now her list is bigger. I don't think I will ever finish her list.
Tectyl does go pretty hard after a while but I like put mine on in a couple of goes as if its too thick it takes forever to cure properly. IMO anyway...Just noticed that i had a few runs where I got excited and put too much on and in parts where it has run where still tacky and the build up broked off after a while whereas the areas that were even and a bit thinner were harder and seemed to for an even layer...bloody good stuff though...excellent build and write up as well...
I understand what you are saying. I got a little heavy with it on the axles and have a few runs. Your idea of may-be 2 thinner coats makes sense. Did you leave a certain time before the second coat?
Not sure mate just a theory but I would go at least a couple of days...so hard when all you want to do is get out there hate seeing the boat on the lawn!!! I've just replaced axles springs and hubs and I'll do my coating over a week on the new gal before the salt goes near it.
Hi Brett Have a look at XTROLL rust conqueror good stuff spray it on first inside rails & outside let it dry then use Tectyl
Cheers COL
Awesome write up and awesome trailer. Well done really nice job. Dont want to build another frame do you?
Can you send me some photos of what you have at present. If the running gear etc is still good it is not much work to make a frame. Its really the easiest part of the fabrication. Section sizes will also help and a mud map with some measurements will be good and I can tell you what the steel cost will be also. Depending on what style of trailer frame you want it really is only about 3 days to knock up ready for galvanising.
Great work so far Brett. I've read this thread a few times now trying to get the motivation to rebuild the frame on my trailer. Should be a fairly simple job I hope as the running gear is all fairly new.
When I put new rocker springs in mine last year I dismantled the spring pack and coated everything in Tectyl before reassembling and fitting. So far so good the Galv still looks like new under the gold tinge and I can't say I've noticed any sagging or wear due to reduced friction.
And I'll second your idea of coating the galv frame work with Tectyl too. My last trailer (dunbier) turned gold the day I picked it up and it still looked new under the Tectyl after 3 years of NQ abuse. Re-coated it after about 18 months as it started to thin slightly in a few spots.
Now back to shopping for a new Welder [emoji48]
Marchy.
Hi Brett,
Here are some photos of the trailer. Main rails are 150mm x 50mm, chassis under is 100mm x 50mm and the top closest to the wheels is 100 x 75mm. It has a keel roller just like yours. At the front the lower bit that is rusted doesn't appear to be structural so was thinking this could be patched. The main rails aren't to bad except the last meter. I don't know whether this could be cut butt welded new section in and then cleated, Would be cheaper but don't know about strength. I was also thinking of going C section for under carriage with cleats where the rails intersect as to allow washing. The current set up you cant get in to wash the undercarriage and hence why it rusted from inside out. Really bad design.
goona I can't open the photos.
Hi Brett,
Here are some photos of the trailer. Main rails are 150mm x 50mm, chassis under is 100mm x 50mm and the top closest to the wheels is 100 x 75mm. It has a keel roller just like yours. At the front the lower bit that is rusted doesn't appear to be structural so was thinking this could be patched. The main rails aren't to bad except the last meter. I don't know whether this could be cut butt welded new section in and then cleated, Would be cheaper but don't know about strength. I was also thinking of going C section for under carriage with cleats where the rails intersect as to allow washing. The current set up you cant get in to wash the undercarriage and hence why it rusted from inside out. Really bad design.
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