best way to mount body to frame

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best way to mount body to frame

Postby Richrad » Sat Oct 27, 2018 2:27 pm

I'm ready to mount the (mostly completed) body of my trailer. My body has a plywood floor and the frame is 2X2" 1/8" wall steel tube. Best to use u-bolts, weld on brackets, or drill right thru frame? Or something else that hasn't occurred to me :thinking:
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Re: best way to mount body to frame

Postby working on it » Sat Oct 27, 2018 3:30 pm

  • I bolted/screwed my plywood floor to the metal frame, in two stages. I used PL Premium adhesive to seal between frame and floor, then sealed any open spaces from underneath, with spray-on (rattle-can) undercoating (goes on dry, absorbed by the wood). http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=68349&hilit=+tek#p1202710
  • carriage bolts and tek screws.jpg
    carriage bolts and tek screws.jpg (131.65 KiB) Viewed 1624 times
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Re: best way to mount body to frame

Postby Pmullen503 » Sat Oct 27, 2018 4:55 pm

I'd avoid drilling holes through box tubing.

Long carriage bolts on either side of the frame member with a strap connecting them would also be an option.
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Re: best way to mount body to frame

Postby Aguyfromohio » Sat Oct 27, 2018 9:07 pm

Use self-drilling, self-tapping deck screws about 1 inch long. The technical name for the head is "wafer head".
The heads pull down flush to the plywood nicely.

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Re: best way to mount body to frame

Postby Tigris99 » Sat Oct 27, 2018 10:23 pm

Pmullen503 wrote:I'd avoid drilling holes through box tubing.

Long carriage bolts on either side of the frame member with a strap connecting them would also be an option.
actually drilling through is not a bad idea because chances of welds being perfectly sealed are rather slim on a production trailer. That's why most things made out of tubing like this have drain holes.

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Re: best way to mount body to frame

Postby Andrew Herrick » Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:02 am

Unless you're dealing with a particularly top-heavy or portly camper, I'd highly recommend choosing self-drilling TEKS trailer decking screws or self-tapping trailer decking screws (no wings). Attach the subfloor firmly to the trailer by fastening the subfloor every 6-8 inches along the perimeter and interior cross members, and then securely attach the walls to the subfloor. The most important connections are the subfloor to the main rails and the two end cross members.

My second recommendation would be to weld 2x2 angle onto the cross members, like you suggested. You can either use carriage/elevator bolts with a hex nut, or you can use weld nuts with a hex/socket bolt and opt. counterbored hole. There are other fastener combinations, but those two are the most practical.

Remember: A run-of-the-mill 1/4-inch dia. self-drilling screw can carry almost 1,000 lbs in static shear. I once had a wheel almost pop off my 6,000-lb truck; it rolled for a good 1/8th mile on a single stud. So don't overthink it :)
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