old trailer i got in a trade deal

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i traded a table saw and a cheap miter saw (replaced with bigger and better before i traded) that was given to me. basically this was free. didnt buy the saws. anyways the tires are dry rotted and theback is really kinda poorly braced, if i floor it with 2x8 or w/e i will have to add braces running across the witch of the trailer. it was an old camper and was stripped before i got it. i want to build a lawn mower trailer, SO should i save the axle and scrap the rest? i buy and rebuild trailers and sell em for a livin, also do tractors, mowers, implements, and woodwork sp is it worth fixing and floorin or just keep the axle and scrap the rest? Attached ImagesZach WareOwnerMid-GA Outdoor & Equipment ServiceByron GA478-960-2014
Reply:ummm...... I don't want to be an a$$, but that is probably worth more in scrap than anything.
Reply:what has that poor trailer been thru? Iraq? so many bent cross members. The a frame might still be ok and the axle? the rest looks like project materials( when you need a little piece of this or that to make something that isn't worth buying a lot of something).Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:Looks like the frame for one of the old tent trailers that someone has already tried to do something with. The original frame would have been all C purlin and cold rolled channel. Some rather odd looking adders there. Last one I messed with had so many scary welds I ended up virtually grinding out and rewelding every one plus the re-inforcement, equaled a lot more effort than I'll put into one again. The original welds looked good till you hit them with a wire wheel and knocked all the slag out. I ended up wrapping the whole perimeter with 2" angle just to tie it all together. Purely personal opinion here, but if that one was offered to me for free, I would have walked off and left it. Before you can re-build or fix up for re-use you have to have some foundation material. I just don't see it there."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:got it mainly for the 4  2'x8' pieces of expanded metal. traded with the guy that stays across the streed from me. may end up takin off the axle and scrapin the rest. its not home made.Zach WareOwnerMid-GA Outdoor & Equipment ServiceByron GA478-960-2014
Reply:That thing looks beat to ****, and worth every penny IMHO...Personally, I think I might try to fix it up if the frame is made of fairly heavy steel, but if its like 10 gauge or something, I vote scrap it. Scraps high, and if the axles good and you lose the rest, you could use the scrap money to cover some of the new steel it would take to build your own trailer and then youd be set.If you just want to move lawnmowers on it, or do anything else where it doesnt have to be pretty, it might not be that bad, as long as the rust isnt serious and the welds look okay... Good luck [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:I'd say do a good once over on that axle and use the rest for scrap. you've got to consider how much your time is worth, and how much time it's going to cost to get that frame into decent shape. You'd probably be better off building a frame from scratch IMHO.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Looks like a good start on a lawnmower/4 wheeler trailer to me. I can't tell from the pics,but was it burned ??? If so ignore everything below!About 8- 10 ft. long ? All the framework in front of the axle appears to be straight and solid and it may be camera angle that's distorting the rear crossmember. Notice the frame member from the tongue almost back to the axle ..then the smaller brace from there back. The very last crossmember is the bumper NOT a frame member.Those camper trailers aren't usually structured for a flatbed configuration and some aren't very heavy material... there's no way to determine those points from 2 pics though..With the cost of new steel... I'd add whatever structural strength it needs as well as side rails for more structural strength... deck it and use it..  With that single axle it'll be real difficult for anyone to overload it to the point of failure without it being very obvious they are doing so....  I thought that's why we all bought welders ...to fix things ? Last edited by mudbugone; 08-10-2011 at 03:41 AM.
Reply:Looks like scrap to me.  All of it.... Originally Posted by midGAoutdoor i buy and rebuild trailers and sell em for a livin
Reply:Originally Posted by midGAoutdoor i buy and rebuild trailers and sell em for a livin,...
Reply:What DSW said x2.By mudbugone;I thought that's why we all bought welders ...to fix things ?
Reply:After a few minuets of thought and five minutes of typing, I recommend cutting that whole mess into a neat pile and hauling it in for scrap.  Axle also.  That will eliminate any future threats to public safety."The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government."  Teddy RooseveltAmerican by birth, Union by choice!  Boilermakers # 60America is a Union.
Reply:The trailer was factory built and was used over the road at some point and unless it was burnt which would weaken the original frame and if it had additional railing framework to restore the structural integrity,perhaps you guys might actually think about what you're saying. No! welders don't come with common sense,but it seems a lot come with an inordinate amount of pompus arrogance and very little civility. I can't tell if that trailer is sound or a POS from two pictures and neither can any of the rest of you.In one breath everyone states scrap is high... guess what... metal is higher. While some of you may be able to  trash the whole thing and go carte blanche with all new material at someone elses expense not everyone has that option. There are actually people out here in the real world that are in a position of making do with what's available with no blank check for materials from someone else paying the freight.A welder is a tool used to solve a problem and repair things that are broken or damaged.A weldor is supposed to be able to use that tool to repair things that are broken or damaged.Using the premise of cutting everything apart and starting over with all new material ...WTF would anyone need either a welder or a weldor for... It would be cheaper to go buy a POS trailer from Tractor supply.That's pretty good thinking...we can all now scrap our welders (scraps up you know) and forget paying weldors to fix anything since they seem to think taking it all apart and using all new works better,although it'll cost twice as much to pay the weldor and buy new material....Yeah I'm thinking this will catch on real quick....The guys at the body shop & the mechanics just pull off parts and replace them (which any dummy can do) they no longer "fix" cars... so I guess Weldors no longer "fix" things either they just replace parts instead.The original poster asked a very simple question...what he received was very simple responses for the most part... If you don't care for the project or even care to ask more in depth questions about it to solve his particular problem...why bother even responding if all you have to offer is stuff like this. He's not working on a nuclear powerplant water system... He's just wanting to rebuild an old trailer frame into something that might make a buck. If you guys don't live in areas where this is done everyday of the week...don't know what to tell you... I've seen much worse than that used as a starting point for a trailer.With all that said.... Can anyone offer up a logical plan to actually REPAIR the trailer in question beyond " trash it" and start over...or is the concept of "fixing" something beyond most here?I'd like to see more pics of the trailer after he gets it home out of the weeds...The only issue I can observe from the pics posted is the very back crossmember..The rest looks acceptable for the intended usage and that rear crossmember is easily repairable.
Reply:Yes, we did buy welders to fix stuff. But most of us have the intention of profitting from our work. Either with an item that we can use, or an item for sale. That being said. I value my time. And the amount of time it would take to repair something that looks (pictures can be deceaving) as bent up as that one, does not balance out when compaired to the amount of time it would take to build one from new metal. New shocks on a car do nothing if the tires are still bald, and the brakes are bad. so repairing rusted out metal work by sticking a few pieces of scrap in to stiffen it up isn't going to last. I'd rather build something that will out last me, than repair something to last for a couple years at most.After seeing the corespondence above I will also say that it would be in the interest of everyone for the whole thing to be scrapped. and the funds used to take some welding classes.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by Bob the WelderWhat DSW said x2.By mudbugone;Too bad they don't sell a large package of common sense to go with the welder!
Reply:Ive pretty much been living below government poverty levels my whole life, so I know what it takes to get along. That trailer frame is made out of formed C chanel about 1/8 inch thick before rust. It looks to be fairly straight. If you wish to try to fix it up to haul lawn mowers on, go for it. Just like it is with a plywood deck it would haul 1000 lbs no strain. A lot of times asking straingers about something that you can figure out for your self is self defeating and a waste of time for you and for them. Of corse if it wasn't for people like you asking questions like yours   we woildnt have anything to do.   Mac
Reply:forgot to mension that i am an authorized Horton Dealer.Zach WareOwnerMid-GA Outdoor & Equipment ServiceByron GA478-960-2014
Reply:Y'all don't know what your talking about mostly. This will make an excellant lawnmower trailor. Clean off the rust, deck it with expanded metal or 2x8s add some side rails, paint it, and install newer tires. Then pull it BEHIND the lawn mower to do all sorts of jobs around the yard. That shouldn't endanger many lives in that capacity. It will be a great lawnmower trailer. Don't forget to repack the wheel bearings.
Reply:Originally Posted by Tool MakerIve pretty much been living below government poverty levels my whole life, so I know what it takes to get along. That trailer frame is made out of formed C chanel about 1/8 inch thick before rust. It looks to be fairly straight. If you wish to try to fix it up to haul lawn mowers on, go for it. Just like it is with a plywood deck it would haul 1000 lbs no strain. A lot of times asking straingers about something that you can figure out for your self is self defeating and a waste of time for you and for them. Of corse if it wasn't for people like you asking questions like yours   we woildnt have anything to do.   Mac
Reply:If you buy and rebuild trailers for a profit, then you don't need us to tell you what needs to be done here.  I admit to not knowing what a Horton is, or knowing how you being a Horton dealer plays into this question.  If you're a successful dealer of most anything, you won't be considering fixing this up and using it yourself (as you can afford to buy a nice one which will show off your products well to your customers), so I can only assume you mean to sell it at a profit.I also admit I didn't read any of the links above in reference to your welding skills or lack thereof, as I consider this to be a business sense question and not a welding sense question.With the assumption you want to fix this up and resell it, I will speak to you from you my limited experience with making equipment like this profitable.  Advertise it just as it is in CL for $50, and when they want to haggle let them take it for $40.  Any inputs spent (labor or parts) beyond a free advertisement and you're into loss territory.  Take your money and smile all the way to the bank, or the Texas Steakhouse, or the movie theater.Then spend your time where it is most profitable, maybe in selling Hortons if there's a good market for them.Last edited by tbone550; 08-10-2011 at 05:16 PM.
Reply:In all fairness, the pics portray a pretty rough looking piece of kit.  It looks like a lot of bent stuff there.I'm sure it's fully fixable - it's just a question of how much work and $$ you want to throw at it.  You'd be the best judge of that.To clarify, by "lawn mower trailer" do you mean a plated road legal trailer that would be used to haul a lawn mower (basically a utility or landscaping style) or an off-road only trailer to be hauled by a lawn tractor?"These instructions are at our present level ofknowledge. Legal requirements do not exist.Technical issues subject to change."_________________________________________Lincoln MIG PAK 180Lincoln AC-225
Reply:Seriously...pull it outa the weeds and take some more pics of the trailer especially the rear portion..My Uncle has a similar trailer that the deck was made using 3/4" sucker rods He's cut most of that extra weight off already and It will eventually make a perfectly servicable light duty hauling trailer.You're the only one that can determine the structural integrity of the remaining trailer ,but I see no reason it can't be restructured if it's still sound. I'd be tempted to add several feet to the rear to make it longer since the axle is so far back already. A couple more feet would make it more attractive to someone with 4 wheelers.Good Luck & keep us posted on your progress Horton Equipment Trailers maybe ?Last edited by mudbugone; 08-10-2011 at 05:19 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by midGAoutdoorforgot to mension that i am an authorized Horton Dealer.
Reply:Horton is a cartoon elephant.