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Welding Forums - Welding of materials for manufacture & repair.
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Posted by RoyJ on October 16, 2007, 5:09 pm
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On my little fold up trailer, I drilled holes in the side of the frame,
used 'U' bolts with 4 nuts for each tie down. I put 3 on each side, one
at the front, one at the back, and one on the forward section. If I did
it over again I'd put 4 on each side at the 1', 3.5', 4.5', and 7'
locations.
As for welding on the frame it likely to be some relatively mild steel,
use the MIG. . You can do a crude check of the metal by taking a file or
a sharp drill to some corner of the frame. If it cuts easily it should
weld fine. If the file or drill bounces off, it is high carbon steel
(bed frame iron) that can be welded but has HAZ (heat affected zone)
that are subject to fatigue cracking when used in a trailer.
spamTHISbrp@yahoo.com wrote:
> I have one of those tractor-supply $300 no-floor 4x8 trailers, angle-
> iron frame rails, no railing or secondary structure except angle-iron
> cross-rails.
>
> I have decided to not drill the frame, attached the bed with bolts
> just next to the frame and used oversize washers.
>
> What I would like to do is add some hooks and/or eyes for tying things
> down, but thought I'd sample some opinions before breaking out the
> welding equip.
>
> The frame is welded (god, what horrible welds), so I'm not too
> worried, but what would weaken the frame the least, if at all-
> Brazing?
> O/A welding?
> The trusty MIG?
>
> I know with any joint, using any of the above methods, the joint is
> stronger than the base material, but I'm less sure about welding a
> fitting onto the frame somewhere.
>
> Thx-
>
>
> Dave
>
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Posted by on October 16, 2007, 5:22 pm
Please log in for more thread options
> On my little fold up trailer, I drilled holes in the side of the frame,
> used 'U' bolts with 4 nuts for each tie down. I put 3 on each side, one
> at the front, one at the back, and one on the forward section. If I did
> it over again I'd put 4 on each side at the 1', 3.5', 4.5', and 7'
> locations.
>
> As for welding on the frame it likely to be some relatively mild steel,
> use the MIG. . You can do a crude check of the metal by taking a file or
> a sharp drill to some corner of the frame. If it cuts easily it should
> weld fine. If the file or drill bounces off, it is high carbon steel
> (bed frame iron) that can be welded but has HAZ (heat affected zone)
> that are subject to fatigue cracking when used in a trailer.
>
> spamTHIS...@yahoo.com wrote:
> > I have one of those tractor-supply $300 no-floor 4x8 trailers, angle-
> > iron frame rails, no railing or secondary structure except angle-iron
> > cross-rails.
>
> > I have decided to not drill the frame, attached the bed with bolts
> > just next to the frame and used oversize washers.
>
> > What I would like to do is add some hooks and/or eyes for tying things
> > down, but thought I'd sample some opinions before breaking out the
> > welding equip.
>
> > The frame is welded (god, what horrible welds), so I'm not too
> > worried, but what would weaken the frame the least, if at all-
> > Brazing?
> > O/A welding?
> > The trusty MIG?
>
> > I know with any joint, using any of the above methods, the joint is
> > stronger than the base material, but I'm less sure about welding a
> > fitting onto the frame somewhere.
>
> > Thx-
>
> > Dave
That's exactly the type of tidbit I was looking for.
Most of those folding trailers have an honest-to-goodness C-section
rail, I'd worry less if this had such.
Thanks-
Dave
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Posted by on October 16, 2007, 7:39 pm
Please log in for more thread options On Oct 16, 10:22 pm, spamTHIS...@yahoo.com wrote:
> >
>
> > > The frame is welded (god, what horrible welds), so I'm not too
> > > worried, but what would weaken the frame the least, if at all-
> > > Brazing?
> > > O/A welding?
> > > The trusty MIG?
>
> > > Thx-
>
> > > Dave
>
The MIG process is a low hydrogen process. So it is the best process
of those you named if the steel is high strength steel.
Dan
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Posted by JohnM on October 17, 2007, 2:02 am
Please log in for more thread options spamTHISbrp@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> That's exactly the type of tidbit I was looking for.
>
> Most of those folding trailers have an honest-to-goodness C-section
> rail, I'd worry less if this had such.
>
>
> Thanks-
>
> Dave
>
If the trailer was purchased from some sort of retailer then it's going
to be an ordinary structural steel angle iron, whatever is cheapest on
the day they ordered it. No guarantees on it not having hard spots but
nothing to lose sleep over.
The only issue is that you, in welding onto the frame, not weaken it to
the point where it'll fail. Keep any welds away from the edges of the
angle iron (say, two times the thickness of the flange) and holes should
not be drilled too close to the edge, keep them a goodly distance away-
maybe two hole diameters from edge of hole to edge of iron.
Keep weld beads as small as will suffice, the thinner material is what
dictates the size of the weld. Try to not stiffen the frame with what
you add, otherwise it'll eventually break at the point where it refuses
to flex. If you have to make vertical welds and feel uncomfortable
running them uphill, stitch it from the bottom- welding down on a
vertical can result in remarkably weak welds, it's honestly best to
leave downhill welding to the jobs where it's specified.
Don't be afraid to use the grinder before you weld, it doesn't take a
lot of paint or mill scale to make a mess of your work.
John
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Posted by RoyJ on October 17, 2007, 9:14 am
Please log in for more thread options I have a hunch that the trailer is made from "angle iron" that was 12ga
sheet stock folded up on a brake rather than hot rolled "angle iron"
that comes from the mill. I've never seen one of these el cheapo units
made with hot rolled product.
But good comments on the pre cleaning, weld and hole location, etc.
JohnM wrote:
> spamTHISbrp@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>>
>> That's exactly the type of tidbit I was looking for.
>>
>> Most of those folding trailers have an honest-to-goodness C-section
>> rail, I'd worry less if this had such.
>>
>>
>> Thanks-
>>
>> Dave
>>
>
> If the trailer was purchased from some sort of retailer then it's going
> to be an ordinary structural steel angle iron, whatever is cheapest on
> the day they ordered it. No guarantees on it not having hard spots but
> nothing to lose sleep over.
>
> The only issue is that you, in welding onto the frame, not weaken it to
> the point where it'll fail. Keep any welds away from the edges of the
> angle iron (say, two times the thickness of the flange) and holes should
> not be drilled too close to the edge, keep them a goodly distance away-
> maybe two hole diameters from edge of hole to edge of iron.
>
> Keep weld beads as small as will suffice, the thinner material is what
> dictates the size of the weld. Try to not stiffen the frame with what
> you add, otherwise it'll eventually break at the point where it refuses
> to flex. If you have to make vertical welds and feel uncomfortable
> running them uphill, stitch it from the bottom- welding down on a
> vertical can result in remarkably weak welds, it's honestly best to
> leave downhill welding to the jobs where it's specified.
>
> Don't be afraid to use the grinder before you weld, it doesn't take a
> lot of paint or mill scale to make a mess of your work.
>
> John
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> iron frame rails, no railing or secondary structure except angle-iron
> cross-rails.
>
> I have decided to not drill the frame, attached the bed with bolts
> just next to the frame and used oversize washers.
>
> What I would like to do is add some hooks and/or eyes for tying things
> down, but thought I'd sample some opinions before breaking out the
> welding equip.
>
> The frame is welded (god, what horrible welds), so I'm not too
> worried, but what would weaken the frame the least, if at all-
> Brazing?
> O/A welding?
> The trusty MIG?
>
> I know with any joint, using any of the above methods, the joint is
> stronger than the base material, but I'm less sure about welding a
> fitting onto the frame somewhere.
>
> Thx-
>
>
> Dave
>