Saturday, May 21, 2016

Trailer Update

I've got the bad boards pulled out of the trailer.  Cut out the warpage and saved the striaght sections for other projects.

My son built that trailer during a welding class he took, shortly after the turn of the century.  It's sturdy as hell, and it's been used for hauling tasks for years.  "Hey, Dad!  I need to borrow that trailer."  Many times it is at one kids house or the other, and that's no biggy.  As long as I know where it is.

But, some of those 2X6 floor boards needed to be replaced, and now's a good time to do it.  Yesterday, I went over to Fastenall to see what they had in the line of self-drilling, self-tapping screws.  I hate laying on my back under a trailer to install nuts and bolts to tie down floor boards, and I thought that a fastener shop might have a better idea.

They did.  The Fastenall guy sold me some self-drilling, self-tapping screws, 3" long.  I was concerned that the little drill on the screw tip might not punch through the angle-iron on the trailer, and sure enough, as I was re-fastening loose boards, I found that I can't punch through that steel with the screw.  However, a drill with a 3/16 bit, and I had a pilot hole that let the screw get in, thread and hold.  Easy-peasy, once I got it figured out.

Monday, I'll run over to the lumber yard and get some boards.  Then, one day next week, elder son and I will do some welding on that trailer.  I'm looking forward to this.

Now, it's time to jump in the shower and get ready to do some shooting.

1 comment:

Farmist said...

I have a similar trailer (altho' not home-built). I replaced the floor in it sometime in the mid- to late-1990's. I used CCA 2x6s, then used black deck stain. It's just now developing some split boards that will need replacement soon.