by KCStudly » Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:21 pm
When working with square or rectangular tube I like to work back to the sides of the tube rather than the face, and at times such as this it can make it easier to weld, too. So where you show the L crossing the tube the contact point not only ties in to the face of the tube it also bridges across the vertical walls (so that's good). The gusset, on the other hand, only contacts the face of the tube in the middle. So not only could that be hard to get in there and weld, in theory, with heavy loading (perhaps more than it will ever rightfully see) it could have a can opener effect or deforming effect tending to crease the top of the tube along its length and pull the vertical sides in.
I would be more likely to turn the gusset 90 deg (turning that little section into more like a channel with the legs down) and weld it along the toe of the L and across the tube. Another option that I would favor is having two gussets like you show, one on either side of the tube except make them a little longer so they straddle the tube. That way you can weld them to the L first, they will register on the tube during assembly helping with alignment, and you have easy access to weld (with the frame upside down).
In reality, we are probably over engineering, and if you just weld the bottom toe of the L to the top of the tube it would be just fine.
Remember, where the tongue members cross the front xmbr you only want to weld with the long axis of the trailer, not across it (do as I say, not as I did).
Also, think of it this way (if not already stated above or elsewhere): the trailer holds up the front wall and bulkhead; the front wall and bulkhead hold up the walls; the walls hold up and stiffen the edges of the floor and the trailer frame. So build a tight box with glued and screwed joints, and fasten the floor to the trailer using several smaller fasteners distributed along the length, rather than just a few at the corners. Unify the structure and you can build light and strong.
Last edited by
KCStudly on Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
KC
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