It was suspose to say BRIDGING a trailer

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The thread added yesterday below was suppose to titled BRIDGING a trailer. Sorry can't weld and can't spell, kicked out of skool.Last edited by Tooth; 03-22-2016 at 07:20 PM.
Reply:Need more info. Is this to repair a break or did you lengthen the trailer? If so how much? What is the length of the span?  I have made several ramps out of light gage steel using the same tapered truss design as in your first sketch and they held up well .  The truss bottom plate will have a tinsel  load and will want to roll so I would use flat bar like 1/4"x2" The verticals I would also use flat bar for. They will have a compression load . Make sure the ends of the bottom plate are welded good because they will have a large load on them. One thing I do not like is that a truss will not allow flex like most trailers get. Impacts will really give the truss a high load. You may be better off with another plan. Like adding a c channel to the inside of each frame member so the trailer still flexes.Most trailers are designed to flex it relieves a lot of impact.Last edited by thegary; 03-22-2016 at 08:40 PM.
Reply:Fixed the other title for you..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:1st pict would give you the most resistance to bending, but only at that one point. 2nd "truss" is drawn completely wrong. You don't see things like I bar trusses made the way you have the 2nd one drawn. A truss uses diagonal members to transfer loads from vertical to horizontal. The 2nd "truss" you drawn wouldn't work well at all.I'm not sure I understand why you are doing all this anyways. From the sound of the other thread, you are chopping off the gooseneck frame because it's too light weight. You are replacing the axles for heavier ones, and now you are cobbling together an abortion of a frame... Why not just start from scratch and do it right? You are pretty much replacing everything anyways..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Most trailers I've seen with a bridge do it like the bottom pic, but I think either way will work. Here is a pic of a texas pride trailer with a bridge.I don't like bridges and have never built a trailer with them, but I have added them to other trailers a couple times to beef them up. When I did it it was also like the texas pride trailer in the pic. To get it tight I first attatched it in the middle spacer, then tacked the rest of the spacers to the trailer frame except the front and rear which were left loose and made from tube. Then I welded on both ends getting good welds along both sides on each end. Then I forced the front and rear spacers towards the ends to tighten the bridge. The last thing done was to weld the bottoms of the spacers to the bridge strap. When welding the spacers I used very short welds, 1/2 the width of the beam and strap, to keep heat damage down.JonLast edited by welderj; 03-22-2016 at 10:55 PM.Yeah, I know, but it'll be ok!Lincoln Square wave 255Miller Vintage mig30a spoolgunThermal Dynamics Pacmaster 100xl plasmaSmith mc torchEllis 1600 band saw
Reply:Thank You, You've helped me tremendously with Your advice, I  Thank You Again!
Reply:When you tighten the bridge all you want to do is take up the slack. Your goal is to have the bridge achieve max tension at the same time the beam reaches max deflection.  If you tighten it too much you force the bridge to do all the work, this requires a lot more bridge and wastes the strength in the beam.JonYeah, I know, but it'll be ok!Lincoln Square wave 255Miller Vintage mig30a spoolgunThermal Dynamics Pacmaster 100xl plasmaSmith mc torchEllis 1600 band saw
Reply:Originally Posted by welderjWhen you tighten the bridge all you want to do is take up the slack. Your goal is to have the bridge achieve max tension at the same time the beam reaches max deflection.  If you tighten it too much you force the bridge to do all the work, this requires a lot more bridge and wastes the strength in the beam.Jon
Reply:Thank You both for You advice, I'm going to do something. I've seen too many saggy things in my life. I'm NOT hauling bulldozers & backhoes. I DO respect the other members and I'm NOT trying to be a professional certified welder, or trying to get into that profession. So I understand all the negative feedback towards me learning something different, believe me I don't need any more competition with me being an adult porn star.
Reply:Originally Posted by ToothThank You both for You advice, I'm going to do something. I've seen too many saggy things in my life. I'm NOT hauling bulldozers & backhoes. I DO respect the other members and I'm NOT trying to be a professional certified welder, or trying to get into that profession. So I understand all the negative feedback towards me learning something different, believe me I don't need any more competition with me being an adult porn star.
Reply:No I'm no star that's for sure! and was told to act like an adult over and over again. I usually put the bulldozer on the trailer then use the backhoe to push the trailer to the next job. Ha Ha
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Reply:Bridging is a hack and I wouldn't buy a trailer that has factory bridging.  Sometimes it can be useful to make a flimsy member more rigid, but it may not increase the load carrying capacity.The rolled structural shapes are well optimized for capacity for a given weight and size.  There are many conditions where a flange may need stiffened, but these conditions are typically well engineered designs.  If you buy the extra weight in your C channel to start, the standard beam will most likely be stronger and more rigid while having sufficient material to resist other conditions such as flange buckling.
Reply:Yes that's what I want to do just stiffen it up not increase carrying capacity, I did the measurements of the original channel and it was the heavier channel and that's what I added to it. Thank You so much good advice given on this site not to mention the brow beatings are unsurpassed!!