Big trailer job I'm tooling up for

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Here's some before shots of a big trailer job I just got the go ahead on doing properly. As you can see we've got our work cut out for us. Every cross member above the rear axles is broke in one place or another. The replace we'll have to remove the floor, all the cross members, repair/replace many brackets and put it all back together. Lots of Huck bolts to remove and replace as well as some welding to do.   There's also some work around one of the hopper doors, some crossmembers at the front of the trailer and some brackets around the hoppers that need fixing. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:old trailer and both rear tires blow out a few times or something? that looks like it has taken a good beating good luck with repair and keep us posted with PICS!
Reply:That 'ol girl looks like it's seen a lot of road salt or hauled a lot of fertilizer!!                                                      MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Originally Posted by barefooter14old trailer and both rear tires blow out a few times or something? that looks like it has taken a good beating good luck with repair and keep us posted with PICS!
Reply:Whoa, I thought folks around here were getting along with used up stuff... That trailer is really busted up!Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireWhoa, I thought folks around here were getting along with used up stuff... That trailer is really busted up!Matt
Reply:I would've suggested to replace this one too.  I don't understand why some of these guys would rather pay someone to fix it when you could get a decent trailer cheaper.  Although I got guys like that with a aluminum dump trailer, first time I told them they should replace it, they brought it back the next year, I fully expect to see it again this year.  Before and after the job both times I suggested they get a different trailer.  Scraps high and trailers are cheap.Good luck!
Reply:Originally Posted by AntiblingI would've suggested to replace this one too.  I don't understand why some of these guys would rather pay someone to fix it when you could get a decent trailer cheaper.  Although I got guys like that with a aluminum dump trailer, first time I told them they should replace it, they brought it back the next year, I fully expect to see it again this year.  Before and after the job both times I suggested they get a different trailer.  Scraps high and trailers are cheap.Good luck!
Reply:That does not even look like fun.
Reply:Originally Posted by AntiblingScraps high and trailers are cheap.
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitI agree but I don't figure he would get any better the next time around. At least he's allowing me to fix this one properly. I can't complain to much since it's people like this that keep me in business.
Reply:Originally Posted by moose13That does not even look like fun.
Reply:I was wondering why you kept referring to "hoppers" when it looked like a van.A little closer inspection and I see a roll tarp on top and tarp handle brackets at the rear. Now I understand. Don't see too many of these....A neighbor had one 10-15 years ago. He would slide his combine straight-cut header in it to haul down south for the wheat run.Andrew
Reply:Ive had to replace more than a few of those crossmembers in the past, really not terrible work.  Grind out the rivets, jack the rails apart and slide the new ones in.  Bolt and repeat.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Originally Posted by Andrew_DI was wondering why you kept referring to "hoppers" when it looked like a van.A little closer inspection and I see a roll tarp on top and tarp handle brackets at the rear. Now I understand. Don't see too many of these....A neighbor had one 10-15 years ago. He would slide his combine straight-cut header in it to haul down south for the wheat run.Andrew
Reply:Well we finally got all the parts in for the trailer so we could start working on it. So far it's gone pretty well. Mon when notified that the parts where in Amarillo I backed the trailer in that afternoon and we managed to get the floor out.  The first two shots shows after getting the first piece of floor out. The third shows the other side with all the side huck bolts removed. The last two are after removal of the floor. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Next are my two helpers after the end of the day. At that point we've removed the floor and the remains of the buck plates. The next shot shows this clearly. Next is the floor stacked outside. Last is the saws I used in the removal of the floor. Both are the bad blades. I'm not to impressed with the one in the 5 1/2" saw it's already lost two teeth with very little cutting. The one in the grinder was a life saver on the floor removal but you definitely have to be thinking about what you're doing when using it. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Late Mon night and yesterday was taken up with emergency jobs. Finally got all of them out of the way so we could start back on the trailer. This morning was taken up with getting the trailer backed in and level. We removed the tires to make the job easier. The first shot shows it backed into the shop. Next is the side supports and axles on the floor. Next is a shot a little over half way through removing the cross members. Next is as we're driving the last of the huck bolts out of the last cross member. Last is what we used to remove most of the huck bolts. I ground a blank chisel to this profile. If used right it'll split the collar off a huck bolt in a few seconds. I need to get some shots if it in use but didn't get the chance. Attached ImagesLast edited by irish fixit; 04-27-2011 at 07:03 PM.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Here's the promised pictures of the "huck buster". It was a life saver on this job if a little on the noisy side. :-)  Todays progress. Got most of the cross members in then run into having to repair the broken bracket on the lower cross member. As you can see I decided to kill two birds with one stone there. I think it's going to work out alright. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:as far as i know theres only one company that will even build a converta hopper any more corn husker.   Wilson wont build one for anyone at any price neither will timpte.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:isn't it a little dangerous to have most of the weight of the trailer resting on the brake drums?  dangerous to you and your helpers and, dangerous to the guy following that truck in the future?  i think a broken brake drum [from that kind of stress] flying at a mere 45 mph could  mess up somebodies day.i'm just sayin'.......dave.
Reply:Originally Posted by Dualieas far as i know theres only one company that will even build a converta hopper any more corn husker.   Wilson wont build one for anyone at any price neither will timpte.
Reply:And the Huck buster looks good, i made one a couple of years back just like that one but for a lager chipping hammer.   i ground a little V notch in it to help center on the rivets as i sliced them off.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Originally Posted by DualieAnd the Huck buster looks good, i made one a couple of years back just like that one but for a lager chipping hammer.   i ground a little V notch in it to help center on the rivets as i sliced them off.
Reply:Ok Now we're getting somewhere. Got most of the back end done today. Sat I put a few of the floor planks in. Today we finally got down to a bit of welding as you can see by the third pic (admittedly some of the better beads I did today, I'm not to proud of some of them). We've still got wiring and light protection to do as well as install the flaps. Then we'll have to shift to the front of the trailer. There's some minor cross member repair and the front hopper to fix that's still left to do. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htmgreat work
Reply:Thanks. Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by tackitNice work,  the owner will be pleased.   Is there a reason why they don't incorporate back up lights in a trailer's bumper?
Reply:It's back on it's own legs again!!  The first pic shows it one it's own tires again. The second shows how I decided to protect the lights from the tires. I used some of the old back end material and bolted it with the mud flap. They've been running without anything there and having lots of problems. It would of been better to of completely sealed and enclosed it but I've really not got the budget for that this time around.The bad news is now we're moving up front. The front hopper is getting in bad shape. I inspected it less than a year ago and it was fine but they've managed to start tearing it up like they did the old trailer. The first pic shows a front corner after cutting away the broken corner piece. The second shows us starting to get the other front corner back together. I know from experience the futility of trying to weld these corners up. They never hold more than 6 months. You can see the one of the back corners has been welded in the past and is starting to break again in the last pic. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:The next pics show the center divider area. Someone in the past has worked on this and put in a thin piece of aluminum on both sides of the original. But the welds to that thin aluminum are worthless as you can see. I decided to put in a piece of 3/8" x 3" strap to spread the load out a little and give me something that I could weld to which would hold something. You can see that we're using 3/8" huck bolts on these and we're using washers on the outside to help spread the load. I'm going to put some more 1/4" huck bolts in this area as well after I get through welding the old patch to my new one. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:These pics show the cross member problems in the front of the trailer. The first is fairly simple. The angle brackets that held in in place where broke. We're almost done removing the old brackets here. The more worrying problem is the fifth wheel mounting member. As you can see it's cracked (and it's like that on the other side). It is steel though so I think I can come up with a beefier solution here but I've still got to work the details out. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Wow I'm impressed.. That is an amazing job. You sir are making a lot of us look bad.Thanks for the pics.  It is interesting to see how a job like that is done and how these trailers that we all see everyday are put together.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:Thanks for the praise. I do the best I can which I know is not as good as some others can do.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Originally Posted by tackitIntersting work. You are doing a fine job of getting it road worthy again..Thanks for making the highways safer for all of us too....It's to the point I won't follow a truck, I pass them at the first oppertunity.
Reply:I think you're good to go Irish.The 5th wheel structure was the last thing keeping the box and the tractor from getting together in a bad way, I'm not suprised to see the mount plate crack that way.The box being tied to the floor, being tied to the cross members, being tied to the frame is 95% of the structure. All that stuff was busted apart and the 5% left was all that kept some 55,000# of whup azz from coming into the cab.As for the aluminum welds... Don't move to the midwest, sometimes the neighbors' first weld on a frame after grinding and gouging doesn't even look like it stuck. Salt must do something different to the white rust up here.I like the solution for the hopper bottom corners, gonna have to show the neighbor.Matt
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireI think you're good to go Irish.
Reply:Ok. Here's todays update. Opened the back hopper this morning and found it almost in as bad a shape as the front. One corner was in as bad or worse shape the first pic really doens't do it justice. As you can see from the last pic that corner was also ripping up the seam. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:The first pic here is the outside of the bad seam. The rest are how far we managed to get today. Pretty much done with the huck bolting (except for the lower cross members which are still to be made). Tomorrow looks like welding day. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Great job, you are some hard workin talented men!  I see you are in Texas- im a little N of HoustonMiller Synchro250 bought new 1997Millermatic200Miller Bluestar 2E . AC/DC 16hpBluestar 2E , DC Miller Thunderbolt225 AC/DC ArcLongevity 60 plasma
Reply:Originally Posted by davo727Great job, you are some hard workin talented men!  I see you are in Texas- im a little N of Houston
Reply:You guy's did a great job.
Reply:Originally Posted by woodweld1You guy's did a great job.
Reply:you did a fine job of polishing up a big dirty turd on that one.    You deserve a few cold ones this weekendVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Good as new, Nice Job!Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:Originally Posted by Dualieyou did a fine job of polishing up a big dirty turd on that one.    You deserve a few cold ones this weekend
Reply:Did you weld the aluminum with mig and spoolgun or tig??Miller Synchro250 bought new 1997Millermatic200Miller Bluestar 2E . AC/DC 16hpBluestar 2E , DC Miller Thunderbolt225 AC/DC ArcLongevity 60 plasma
Reply:Originally Posted by davo727Did you weld the aluminum with mig and spoolgun or tig??