Trailer advice for an idiot!?? (1 Viewer)

[EOE_overland]

Today's my bday, so I was gonna pick up the yard a little this morning while my wife went to the store. Turns out the keys to the shed were in my truck...at the store.
So I grabbed the grinder and burned off a few cutoff wheels . The vertical cuts on the front and passenger side are done. I burned up four discs with those cuts, but it only took 20mins or so. The front should be ok to cut the bottom edge with the cutoff wheel also as there is no 4" lip along the outside as there is on the sides. Next time I'm gonna fool around on the unused sections to see how best to remove the sides from the floor. It might be with a sawzall, but I hate making long metal cuts with a sawzall. You can start to see the size difference in the cuts.

I decided to cut just inside the large u-bolts on the sides. That will make the inside dimensions 4'w x 6.5'l. It gives a small enough trailer for light offroading, more space than the old 416, and the floor cuts side to side will cut just on the side of a channel support- meaning easier cut and a beefy edge leftover.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Happy Birthday Matt!! Cuts look good, keep it up

 

[Mark Harley]

Nice work! Happy Birthday.

See if you could borrow or rent a plasma cutter.
Makes quick work!

 

[EOE_overland]

I ended up with a super annoying sinus cold last night and today, so sitting outside finishing an air shock and cv axle swap on my wifes Audi was out of the question. But while finishing up picking up the yard, I was able to free my sawzall from the shed .
I only had one 8" metal blade left, so I spent abt 15mins giving it a rip. Finished removal of the front bulkhead and started the bottom cut on the passenger side. Dinged the blade tip so I stopped for today. It cuts the thin steel really quickly. I'm gonna have to open up a blade kerf hole where the angle changes on the wheel arches, but its going pretty well so far

 

[EOE_overland]

So I'm doing my best to limit any cutting to the blade kerf along the bottom edge. The vertical cuts I'm making ~1/4" over size to trim down later.
My plan was to get some thin gauge angle, maybe 3/4-1" to support the inside edges of where the sides will hit the floor. This will give me something solid to weld to on the inside and it can allow some wiggle room to make sure everything will level out after the cuts are made. For instance, if an inconsistency in the floor means that the sides will have a very small gap in an area where it meets the floor again, the angle will back it up and a bead run over the gap on the outside can fill it in well. Sound logical? Or is there a better way to stitch is back together??

 

[scrapdaddy]

Sounds like a good plan, to me. I'll be watching as you go. I've got two of the 105's, one is for the Deuce, but thinking of cutting up the other one.

Good luck with it and wear safety goggles, those cutoff wheels do come apart.

 

[EOE_overland]

First thing I bought for this project was a face shield and decent set of gloves. I share your healthy fear of high speed cutoff wheels

 

[ntsqd]

Can find angle that is made from thicker sheet/strap stock which is then bent into a 90°
I suspect that the finished product will look better using this than the typical hot rolled angle.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Can find angle that is made from thicker sheet/strap stock which is then bent into a 90°
I suspect that the finished product will look better using this than the typical hot rolled angle.

Good point!

 

[EOE_overland]

Can find angle that is made from thicker sheet/strap stock which is then bent into a 90°
I suspect that the finished product will look better using this than the typical hot rolled angle.

Oooo, that sounds like a better idea. Who sells that stuff?

 

[scrapdaddy]

I believe Home depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, etc. have metal bins with an assortment of angles, bar stock, tubing.

You might have to have someone bent some 16 gauge in a 90.

 

[The Jade Bean]

Wow this is getting good...can't wait to see how this turns out!

-Daniel Kent

 

[EOE_overland]

Wow this is getting good...can't wait to see how this turns out!

-Daniel Kent

Thanks Daniel! As my aunt always says, "there's more than one way to skin a cat." This one could end up getting pretty messy, but in the end we gonna eat us some cat!

Of course there won't be any refunds on time wasted watching the thread if the end result looks like a badly skinned cat

 

[EOE_overland]

I believe Home depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, etc. have metal bins with an assortment of angles, bar stock, tubing.

You might have to have someone bent some 16 gauge in a 90.

Ok, so ntsqd's recommendation would probably have to be sourced as a 2"w length of 16 gauge or so, then be bent by a shop? Not commercially available as described?

 

[scrapdaddy]

Check the box stores first, they may have it. I agree, it will look more like a finished, thought out improvement.

 

[ntsqd]

I have seen it at my local metal store, but since that's not your local metal store you may need to have they or someone else make it. Making it is a very simple job for a shop set up to do sheet metal fabrication. Shear a strip off a sheet and then bend it 90° in a press brake. They should be able to make at least 4 foot long pieces.

Were it me, I would ask for ASTM A366 (cold rolled sheet), commercial quality (likely do not need "Drawing" quality) in a gauge close to the thickness of the original metal of the trailer.
18ga. = .048"
16ga. = .059"
14ga. = .075"
13ga. = .090"
12ga. = .105"
11ga. = .120"
10ga. = .135"

 

[EOE_overland]

I've been on what feels like one long road trip over the past month, only home for 24hrs or less a half dozen times. So little progress on anything at home.
Had a delay of a few hrs this morning and nobody else home...so dug my sawzall out for a half hour .
Side is now off. Found it the easiest way to cut around the arch is to ease the blade thru the goop under the spot welded flange from the inside out. Cut the spot welds and the flange was saved for reattaching later. Able to see in the pics what I have planned when putting it back together- moving the sides flush to the inside of the arches. I kinda like it.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Looks like you know what you're doing. Good job!

 

[EOE_overland]

We'll see . Anyone can cut a trailer into a million pieces. Question is what it will look like in the end.
I ran out of time, but started to cut the passenger arch free. If you have one (or more) in your yard you can see what I mean- I think I'm going to move the arches in a few inches so their will be 4' between them. That will narrow the overall width 6"-8" on the outside of the arches. Will determine for sure at that point, but will probably take a few more inches off the outside of the arches too. Probably won't need all that arch width in the end(?).

 

[ntsqd]

If you're thinking to be able to put 4' wide panels (plywood, gypsum, etc.) between the arches make it a scosche more than 4' lest those panels bind and/or lock-up in there.