Mounting steel Red Trailer fenders?

[shoeman]

Hi Gang, long time no see. The snow is gone, the weather is nice, and it's time to get back in the garage and do the last work on my GenBen.
I have two basic steel fenders to paint and mount. I'm thinking 4 holes in each flange, drill matching holes in the skin/walls (Yikes!) and use t-nuts on the trailer interior to bolt them too.
Sound like a reasonable way of doing this? It's one of those Take a deep breath and go for it tasks.

Geoff

[shoeman]

Come on... one of you must have done it this way. Talk to me!

[TPMcGinty]

Sorry. I bought fenders with a back installed like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-SINGLE-AXLE-16-GA-TRAILER-FENDER-WITH-BACK-INSTALLED_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1240Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem4145b2c0c8QQitemZ280342216904QQptZMotorsQ5fRVQ5fTrailerQ5fCamperQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I just drilled holes in the back and screwed the fender directly to the wall. Easy.

[dmckruit]

We would need to see a photo to see how they would attach. Do the fenders have mounting brackets? If not you can get either weld some on or bolt them on to the fender, then the fender to the wheel wall.

[shoeman]

I don't have a picture handy. They are the basic style from Redneck Trailer. They do not have the full enclosed back, just a 1" +/- flange along the edge.
No brackets, no nuthin'.

Close as I can find in a hurry is this one:
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm ... goryID=225

The edge that will be against the trailer wall is flat and mates right up clean. So i"m thinking I can bolt them right to the wall, using 4 or 5 bolts for strength. Should look clean with the bolts on the inside of the fender behind the tire.

[Woodbutcher]

Is there enough room to drill a 1/4" hole in the rim of the fender and bolt through the body with a t-nut on the back side. That is how I mounted mine.

[Dean_A]

Is there enough room to drill a 1/4" hole in the rim of the fender and bolt through the body with a t-nut on the back side. That is how I mounted mine.

Same here. Holes through the fender flange and attached to t-nuts in the trailer wall.

[shoeman]

Thanks guys. I just wanted to make sure I was not doing something dumb.
Dean, tell me about those galley latches you used please. I have a set of the t-handle locks in my hatch, but I don't think they are secure enough to my liking for highway travel. I want to supplement them with a back up system for towing and your latches look like a good answer.

[Dean_A]

I got my draw latches from McMaster (www.mcmaster.com), item #1807A62. They were on the pricey side because I went for stainless steel, but you can get regular zinc plated versions much cheaper. They work great, because the latch distance is adjustable, and they are lockable. I just have a handle on the back hatch, and the draw latches do all the work.

For the catches, I just bent an angle out of 1/16" aluminum flat stock I got from Lowes, then used aircraft rivets to attach the catch that came with the draw latch.

The whole thing works great, and cinches the hatch seal down tight.

[Mark McD]

You can get a "nut riveter" from Harbor Freight for $10 . It works like a riveter wherein access to the backside is not required. The tool inserts a threaded insert into the hole then you squeeze teh handle and it sets the nut rivet, just like a regular rivet, except the nut rivet is threaded, ready to accept a bolt. Other options are teenuts from the inside, or of course bolting it through the wall. The last two options,however, will result in exposed fasteners inside the cabin.