Restoring a trailer

M

matt gerry

New Member
The sunfish I am trying to restore came with an old wornout trailer that can still be used with a little restoration. The trailer has rust all over it and has some parts that need to be replaced. What is the best product or method to remove the rust? Also, what is a good website that has replacement parts for trailers. Thanks.
 
Matt,

A product called "Navel Jelly" (try a paint store) is suppose to convert rust into surface that can be painted. Remove any loose rust with a wire brush and get any holes, weak spots, bad welds repaired. For parts, you may try your local marine dealer or a farm and home store.

These 2 sites may be of interest: http://grotr4.tripod.com/trailers/ - general trailer/trailering tips

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bob5.htm - instructions for repacking wheel bearings
 
If you wire brush most of the rust off you can use Rustoleum rusty metal primer then a regular Rustoleum paint to restore the trailer.
If it's not a homemade trailer you can try getting parts from the manufacturer's site (if they have one). Otherwise, most marine supply stores carry trailer parts (e.g. West Marine).

Fred P.
 
Matt,

Before you do any restoration, I think you should give some thought to the condition of the bearings & races. I removed a frozen race this past summer and it's a job I hope I never have to repeat. I've owned several trailers and the bearings are always at the heart of any restoration. Also, how are the wheels/tires? replacing all these items can approach the cost of a new trailer.

Al Courtines
 
Yes, naval jelly is the stuff. It eats rust for breakfast. Wire brush the loose stuff first. Wear some gloves, etc. so you don't get the stuff on your skin. Also, put a bag over the wheels or other plastic/rubber parts so when you hose it down, it will not get naval jelly (albeit diluted) on the rubber or in the bearing seals. The directions on the bottle are easy to follow. I used a cheap paintbrush for an aplicator. I just used it on a trailer for my fish in December and it worked well. I followed up with a generous application of rustoleum rusty metal primer and then rustoleum paint. You may want to look at replacing the bearings especially if they have been sitting for a long time. I replaced the entire hub assemblies on mine. When I got the trailer there was no hub on one side and the spindle was sitting on the ground. The hubs came complete with bearings for about $25-30/side (I think from etrailerparts.com).

Now I am making a rack so I can carry 2 fish.

Good luck with yours.

Tim
 
We use one of the "rust converter" products. It doesn't actually remove the rust but converts it to an iron phosphate surface. Just wire brush the loose rust off and apply. It's also a very good primer surface for paint.
Definitely inspect and regrease the bearings.
And now on to the tires.
RV/trailer tires fail 95% of the time for two reasons, underinflation and dry rot.
Take a really close look at the tire sidewalls. If you see fine cracking known as spider webbing that means the tires are dry rotted and need to be replaced. The tire industry say the useful life on small trailer tires is 7 years maximum. But we've seen tires that have sat in the sun start failing in as little as two years. The more the trailer sits the shorter the life of the tires.
 
Thanks for all of the information. How much naval jelly do ya'll think would be needed for the trailer? The trailer is roughly 13' long.
 
One or two bottles should do it. The bottles are about 8-12 oz. and you can spread the stuff around pretty well with a paint brush.
 
If the rust isn't too bad, try regular coca-cola. "Coke" works best and is pretty cheap. Just pour it on and watch it eat the rust. Kind of makes you wonder what it does to your stomach.....for the tough stuff go with naval jelly.

Scott
 
On one really bad trailer restoration I worked on once, I took off the wood bunks and had the metal frame sandblasted right down to bare metal (cost about $60) and then used Rustoleum primer and finish paint. The job has lasted about 10 years with very little new rust and was a lot less work than using the rust removers, wire brush etc.
It helps to have a friend who does sandblasting on the cheap. If you do not have such a friend, try to cultivate one.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
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