# Trailer rust (END OF THREAD - TERMINAL RUST)



## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

For my new SM 1444 I'm refurbishing an old trailer - need it to last a couple years until I can get a new one. Trailer frame has some rust on it, and there are a few places I can't get to with the grinder. Any suggestions on how to treat the rust?


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Rustoleum

https://www.ncptt.nps.gov/blog/comparative-study-of-commercially-available-rust-converters/


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

DuckNut said:


> Rustoleum
> 
> https://www.ncptt.nps.gov/blog/comparative-study-of-commercially-available-rust-converters/


Thanks, man! I'll pick up a can tomorrow!


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Seem like everyone bashes them but they still test ahead of the rest.


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## albuilt51 (Sep 30, 2016)

I used some stuff on my old van called Corroseal, that you apply to the rust and it actually changes the chemical composition of iron oxide (rust) to a stable substance called magnetite. Corroseal also acts as a high quality latex primer & sealer which can then be painted with any oil or latex paints. Since then I've found all sorts of uses for it; from anchors to swing sets, garden tools, trailers, trailer hitches, machinery, car rims, motorcycle parts, etc...


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

albuilt51 said:


> I used some stuff on my old van called Corroseal, that you apply to the rust and it actually changes the chemical composition of iron oxide (rust) to a stable substance called magnetite. Corroseal also acts as a high quality latex primer & sealer which can then be painted with any oil or latex paints. Since then I've found all sorts of uses for it; from anchors to swing sets, garden tools, trailers, trailer hitches, machinery, car rims, motorcycle parts, etc...


That product was part of the test for which the Rustoleum product tested highest. They use different materials as their base (Corroseal uses gallic acid and Rustoleum uses tannic acid, neither of which I would recognize even if they were squirted directly into my eyes), but all of the products were rust converters rather than removers. I bought the Rustoleum product and will be applying it this weekend.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Before you "treat the rust" you might want to do a quick survey of all of your trailer frame (I'd be concerned about places with rust where you can't see it...). Use a small metal hammer and tap the frame and just listen to how it sounds. Good channel will ring when you tap it -badly rusted areas will just sound dead when you tap them with a hammer... Hope this helps and post up your results.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

lemaymiami said:


> Before you "treat the rust" you might want to do a quick survey of all of your trailer frame (I'd be concerned about places with rust where you can't see it...). Use a small metal hammer and tap the frame and just listen to how it sounds. Good channel will ring when you tap it -badly rusted areas will just sound dead when you tap them with a hammer... Hope this helps and post up your results.


I ground off all of the rusty areas I could reach, and it appears to have all been surface rust. I took a wire brush to the area I could grind, and it too is sound. 

Unfortunately, in the first sentence of the Rustoleum product it says not to use it on galvanized metal. But being a rebel, I'm going to use it anyway.


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

Lol at not using it on galvanized

I use the rustoleum rust preventitive primer (brown color) on just about anything metal before I paint it.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

Battfisher said:


> I ground off all of the rusty areas I could reach, and it appears to have all been surface rust. I took a wire brush to the area I could grind, and it too is sound.
> 
> Unfortunately, in the first sentence of the Rustoleum product it says not to use it on galvanized metal. But being a rebel, I'm going to use it anyway.


This spot looks a bit questionable....


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Just a wire inspection access point.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

DuckNut said:


> Just a wire inspection access point.


I'm thinking I hit it with primer and buff it out. 

I'm actually going to see if one of the welders on one of my project sites can weld plates on the sides. The top and bottom are surprisingly solid. I took the hammer to the rest of the trailer, and that is the only spot that had any appreciable deterioration.


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

Welding glavanized is frowned upon


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

fjmaverick said:


> Welding glavanized is frowned upon


Yeah, I know. These are the big commercial guys so I'm hoping they'll either have the ability or tell me it can't be done. But I put a WTB add in here for a trailer and shopping for a deal on a new one.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Make sure you post when you put that thing on the road so we're all warned 

Looks terminal to me - doubt a welder would try to fix and then be liable for the work? New Trailers ain't cheap but peace of mind is worth it.

Good luck...hope it works out.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

Net 30 said:


> Make sure you post when you put that thing on the road so we're all warned
> 
> Looks terminal to me - doubt a welder would try to fix and then be liable for the work? New Trailers ain't cheap but peace of mind is worth it.
> 
> Good luck...hope it works out.


Yep - just talked to one of my field guys. He said to do it right would be pricey, and I'd still need new hubs and leaf springs. Fortunately I've disassembled it enough that I can put it in the back of my truck and take it to the dump.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Hope it works out for you. My trailer is an EZ Loader - and it came with a complete parts schematic. Whenever something rusts through I'm able to un-bolt that part, get the correct replacement part and bolt it right on.... Since I'm on the road towing more than 20,000 per year (and did another 200 miles today, round trip down to Flamingo for a charter...) I've had to learn more than I ever wanted about trailers - but I still prefer galvanized steel for it's strength.....


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

fjmaverick said:


> Welding glavanized is frowned upon


As long as you have a respirator back pack and newer filters, it ok. 

You can cold galvanize after it's all done.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Buy a $400 Harbor Freight boat trailer to get on the water. They are nothing special and those little wheels will likely burn up bearings on long trips, but they'll do for local hauling a 1444 until you can get what you really want. Rinse it religiously after saltwater launches. I'll bet you can turn around and sell it in 2-3 years for $300 and get rid of it within a week.

http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lbs-capacity-boat-trailer-62668.html

Nate


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

WhiteDog70810 said:


> Buy a $400 Harbor Freight boat trailer to get on the water. They are nothing special and those little wheels will likely burn up bearings on long trips, but they'll do for local hauling a 1444 until you can get what you really want. Rinse it religiously after saltwater launches. I'll bet you can turn around and sell it in 2-3 years for $300 and get rid of it within a week.
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lbs-capacity-boat-trailer-62668.html
> 
> Nate


Those bunks are only mounted on 1 pivot point?


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Yup. I never claimed it was over-engineered.

Nate


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## albuilt51 (Sep 30, 2016)

Be cautious about the HF trailers as they often use off-sized spindles, bearings and races. You may be up the proverbial creek trying to find replacements (locally) on a weekend while your trailer sits on the side of the road. In addition, their tire and wheel combos are usually marked for maximum speeds of 55mph. The paint jobs can age/fade/rust very quickly as well. All things considered, they can still be adequate trailers if you understand their limitations.

My best galvanized trailers came with a boat/motor/trailer combo that I parted out, ending up with little or no money in the trailer after selling off everything else.

The trailer with the rust issue would sell in a minute on Craig's List, even with the rust. Somebody will buy it and fix it themselves, or use the frame as a pattern to build a new one.


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## Battfisher (Jan 18, 2016)

WhiteDog70810 said:


> Buy a $400 Harbor Freight boat trailer to get on the water. They are nothing special and those little wheels will likely burn up bearings on long trips, but they'll do for local hauling a 1444 until you can get what you really want. Rinse it religiously after saltwater launches. I'll bet you can turn around and sell it in 2-3 years for $300 and get rid of it within a week.
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lbs-capacity-boat-trailer-62668.html
> 
> Nate


Thanks - I actually had considered that (it popped up during my google search for trailers), but for another $300 I can get a new galvanized boat trailer rated for 1000#. I'm looking into a semi-local company (B&G Trailers out of Deland) that sells both new and refurbished trailers. They're closed on Mondays but I'll post whatever info I get from them.


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

^^^If the extra $300 is acceptable, this is definitely a better answer.^^^

I know the HF trailer is a POS, but if you were in a bind, it is better than many of the CL money pits. While I want to be surprised that HF would use odd-ball parts, I'm not. You are supposed to just buy another disposable trailer once you burn up the first set of bearings.

Nate


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

TA Mahoney in Tampa sold me a new galvanized continental with a 1600lb capacity for $1170 out the door. Combine that with selling the old rusted out EZ Loader for $350 and I was only out about 800 bucks. The stock lights are crap and the bunks needed some adjustment, but all in all I thought I got a decent deal. I've already put three or four trips on it with no problems.


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