Inconvenient welding, but I can start my trailer... stumped.

[Camp4Life]

So I now have access to a large garage and a MIG welder to start welding my trailer frame. Problem is, the guy lives an hour away. He has a large 2-car garage that I can work in, that's not heated, and winter is on it's way. And it's not the "oh it's a big chilly" kinda winter, it's the Canadian -30*C frostbite kinda winter.

I've only ever welded in large workshops so ventilation and heating were never an issue. I could throw in some heaters, but I also need the garage to be well ventilated. So I'm not really sure on if I should get started over the winter, or just wait until the warm weather comes back in 7-8 months

The thing is, if I start soon, I don't want to leave things laying around his garage for that long. And since he lives so far away, I won't be able to get out there that often because of work and family, and it would be 2 hours just going there and back alone.

So I'm kind of stuck here now. I almost want to gather up all the steel and supplies and just spend a whole weekend there and try to get it all done in one shot but I'm not sure if that doable since I haven't welded in a decade and need to do a few practice welds first. And I'm also wondering now if I should just do it all in aluminum. I've never welded aluminum before but it can't be that far off from steel.

The bonus to all this is that I can also do my shell framing in steel or aluminum as well while I'm at it.

Hmm......

[3GKnight]

Welding aluminum is far less forgiving than steel. I'm comfortable welding steel but get quite angry when trying to weld aluminum. Have never been very successful at it. I'm sure it just takes practice but if you already know steel, I'd stick with that.

As for getting it all done quickly, if I were in your shoes I might try and get all the pieces cut at my house, doing a mockup on my garage floor as I'm doing that, then truck the pieces to the weld shop and just knock all the welding out in a day.

In any case, good luck with the build!

[jstrubberg]

I'm terrible at any kind of welding, but let me say this...


I've never had a project go smoothly by starting with "I need to get this done quickly".

[Alan_H]

Another consideration.. You said he has a MIG welder. I'm no pro, but I'm not sure if you can weld Aluminum with a MIG, I've only ever heard of it being done with a TIG welder.

[MtnDon]

MIG works with aluminum. The gas is different, pure argon, not a mix. Control (heat) is more critical than for steel; a cheap welder is not recommended. Personally I would not recommend using your trailer to learn welding aluminum. Maybe a CC course.

[Philip]

MIG works with aluminum. The gas is different, pure argon, not a mix. Control (heat) is more critical than for steel; a cheap welder is not recommended. Personally I would not recommend using your trailer to learn welding aluminum. Maybe a CC course.

What MtnDon said.

I have many hours on mig doing aluminum. If this is your first time. Plan on a lot of tubing being used to learn. Plan on a lot of destructive testing to know your welds are good. I have seen welds that looked good. When thrown into a press the welds snapped before the tubing would even start to crush.

The welder your friend has better be a high end welder. Most lower end welders do not do aluminum very well if at all. Ask if he has a spool gun for his welder. If he doesn't do not plan on doing aluminum. Most migs do not feed aluminum wire very well threw a standard mig lead.

[Shadow Catcher]

As some one who did weld inspection for a living on everything from the space shuttle to carnival rides. I will second learning aluminum MIG is not a good idea. If you are not an experienced welder it is probably a good idea to have a certified welder do it for you. If everything is cut and weld prepped the welding process should not take long. Ours was built MIG welded and I have had to have a number of the welds re welded using TIG.

[Dale M.]

MIG works with aluminum. The gas is different, pure argon, not a mix. Control (heat) is more critical than for steel; a cheap welder is not recommended. Personally I would not recommend using your trailer to learn welding aluminum. Maybe a CC course.

Ditto, If you don't get it right doing aluminum its going to be a disaster and you will spend mucho dollars to get it repaired by pro... If you are beginning welder and have "MIG" only (well sort of) go with steel... Much more forgiving and easier to master... Also MIG and aluminum require a SPOOL GUN so add about $150 to $250 for that and be aware not all MIG welders will accept spool guns...

http://weldingtipsandtricks.com

IF shop needs heat keep door and/or window partially open for ventilation and use propane powered space heater... AND I WILL SAY AGAIN KEEP VENTILATION OPEN... Heater will also produce carbon monoxide gas and can be deadly... At any time you feel dizzy or sleepy get out side into fresh air immediately...



or...



Dale

[Camp4Life]

Thanks for the input and advice guys The welder is a 220v with a spool gun yes. Since it seems that aluminum is much pickier about temps, I might just stick to steel. With heaters going and the garage door open the temperature will be hard to control...

I have welded many small projects but nothing like a trailer so I guess I'm still a beginner. I will indeed get lots of scrap to get the hang of the controls and settings first for sure. And I do definitely plan on doing some destructive tests. I don't want to be testing as I'm pulling it down the road

He's asking his son about an enclosed car hauler he has as well that he doesn't use. It's tandem axle and way too long for what I need, but if he donates it to me, then I'll just cut it shorter and remove one of the axles. Much less welding to do, and it can carry more weight than I need, and it already has brakes. I might just remove a leaf from the springs to make it less stiff. I think that might be the way to go, so hopefully I can get my hands on it

[Camp4Life]

Plans have changed. A guy I work with has an older (early 90's) tandem axle tent trailer that he's giving to me for free. It's just been sitting in a storage lot and he's sick of paying for the lot rental.

He said everything is in good shape but the canvas was removed and was going to be replaced but it never happened. Has brakes, and everything is good inside according to him. So that means I can use the sink, the 12v converter, wiring, lights, water tank and pump and maybe other stuff from it!

The rest is just going to be trashed or sold. It also has a toilet and my wife was asking if we could use it but there really won't be any room. So if it's in good shape I might sell it as well. It sounds too long for what I need since my build will be 12x6, so I'll haul it off once it's stripped and chop it shorter, which means very little welding to put it back together. It'll also be nice to have the 4 tires in case of a blowout, less chance of something disastrous happening

Now I just have to see how it'll work out with a tandem axle and rework my design around it. Very excited!

[Padilen]

Free is always good. But I've learned that "said" everything was in good shape last time I used it-10-20-30 years ago. Means well I forgot I never drained the water -waste- emptied the fridge. Left some thing opened and water, mold, animals found a away in. Hopefully you have better luck with free, then I usually do. But yet I still take all freebies offered


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[Camp4Life]

Oh I know I may be in for surprises. But apparently everything was fine, and it was just a recanvassing project that never got finished. In the end, it's the frame that I really want, anything else I can salvage is just a bonus

[MtnDon]

You may want to assess the frame before diving into using it. The tandem axle use makes me wonder/think about how heavy is this frame. Tandem axle might mean it was built to carry way more weight than you will ever haul. Is the frame oversized for your purpose? If so it could still be used but will mean every trip may involve towing the extra weight. Check out the size and try to guesstimate if there will be a weight penalty.

[2bits]

In my opinion a free frame can never be oversized. Roads are only so wide so if it is too long, unbolt the axle and cut off the rear section as desired. Glad you found a solution to MIG welding aluminum, not to mention what a time saver! I like your floor plan, it's almost laid out like a tow behind truck camper.

[Camp4Life]

Thanks for the comments and thanks for the compliment Thomas! Yes it's laid out just like a truck camper

I spent over an hour checking out the trailer and unfortunately I'm now back at square one. The suspension was completely shot. The boxframe was way too far forward and had a very short tongue. It sat very low, even if the suspension was ok. On the side of the frame it had a large plate built into the frame with the lifting mechanism that sat below the frame itself. We jacked it up so I could look at the frame and see how I could cut it shorter to fit my design, but the way it was put together would have seriously ruined the strength of the frame because of the angled support beams that went out to the corners. I removed a wheel because the entire hub was loose, bearings were crackers, and the brakes had been removed! Looked at the others, and all the brake wiring had been cut out, so I only assumed that all others had also been taken out. And yes Don, you were right, this thing was seriously heavy! I think it was about 18 feet long, and that's just the closed up tent trailer body...

I have no idea what kind of trailer it was because any kind of logo or name on it had faded or peeled off. Suffice to say, there was enough things wrong with it that I didn't want to take it, even though it was free. Just to move it, I would have had to buy quite the drop hitch for my truck, replace the suspension, and who knows what else just to get it out of the storage lot! And it would be a scary one hour drive on the highway to get it back to my house to strip it down, plus another hour to get it to my friend's shop for cutting and welding

Oh well... Back to the drawing board.