Down and dirty rust treatment.

[longball]

I while back I borrowed (which I hate doing) one of dad's trailers to bring my antique John Deere home. Dad always said that if you borrow something it should be returned in better shape that when it left so... I'll try to stick to that.

I don't know how long dad has owned this trailer. Probably 25 years or so.





My plan is to get everything clean, hit it with a wire wheel, then coat it with rust converter. If I have the opportunity before the trip back home I may run him some new lights. If not, maybe he and I can knock that out while I'm there. I'm not an expert at anything other than causing trouble so all suggestions will be graciously considered.

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[longball]

I started by removing the floor.


When I got the floor off it was time for the pressure washer. Got this one on sale a few years ago at Costco and have been quite pleased with it.
Making a small mess.

Got interrupted for a few minutes by a wreck just up the road a ways. Young fella rear ended an undercover police officer. Thankfully everyone is ok.

That'll need some attention.

Speeding up the drying process.



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[rpar86]

I'm the same way -- return something better than you found it. Have borrowed a friend's dad's trailer a couple times now and put a nice junction box on the tongue and rewired that, fixed a short on the brake wire, siliconed the clearance lights that were letting water into the trailer.  Then the neighbor's 4x8 utility - installed new LED lights that he'd purchased and hadn't installed yet and rewired it for him. I enjoy electrical work, so its fun for me :)  Also gives me brownie points for further borrowing of said trailers.

[Sammconn]

If you need to rewire, use good quality rubber extension cord for the big run to the back.
Stays together much longer than the cheap crap that comes with a kit.
Solder and heat shrink you connections, run a ground from the truck through the plug and to the trailer. When I built both mine, I welded a 1/4" bolt to the frame for grounds. Put a 1/4" ring terminal crimped and soldered to the ground wire and your set.
The majority of trailer lighting problems are broken crap kit wire, and bad grounds.

[rpar86]

Better yet - run a ground to everything and heat shrink like you do everything else. Wont have to worry about the exposed ring terminal and screw rusting over time and then chasing down electrical gremlins.

If you can -- throw some 1/2" PVC conduit on to run the wires through - fairly cheap and good protection.

[EL TATE]

Looks like a good project. were you just down the street from the scene or get called out to assist?

[Sammconn]

Better yet - run a ground to everything and heat shrink like you do everything else. Wont have to worry about the exposed ring terminal and screw rusting over time and then chasing down electrical gremlins.

If you can -- throw some 1/2" PVC conduit on to run the wires through - fairly cheap and good protection.

Now that you say it, I did both on the skidoo trailer...

[longball]

Thank for the tips gentleman. I've never used this product but it's the only thing I could source locally. $26/gallon from Sherwin Williams.
Tate, the wreck was about 1/8 mi from my front door. I didn't hear it due to the pressure washer but a neighbor did. He flagged me down thinking they may be injured. Firefighter/EMT is my day job.

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[Bob Smith]

If you get in my area, I have a couple trailers that need borrowing so they get cleaned up. Good job, it is so appreciated when someone cares enough to help with maintenance or repairs

[EL TATE]

Thank for the tips gentleman. I've never used this product but it's the only thing I could source locally. $26/gallon from Sherwin Williams.
Tate, the wreck was about 1/8 mi from my front door. I didn't hear it due to the pressure washer but a neighbor did. He flagged me down thinking they may be injured. Firefighter/EMT is my day job.

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I've used the Skyco when I was working for a lighting co. they had steel cornered wood crates for shipping $80k 5 axis motorized spotlights. we welded up all the banding all at one time and by the time it came to prep and paint there was rust abound. we wire wheeled everything and treated it with that as we went. still has several crates from 5-7 years ago w/ no rust under the rattle can krylon black we finally painted them with.

Knew about your day job, just curious about the randomness of the local accident. I don't miss wire wheel shrapnel from the shoddy pieces the owner bought. seemed I'd pull em from everywhere in the shower. Buy good quality on those my man.

[longball]

Thank for the tips gentleman. I've never used this product but it's the only thing I could source locally. $26/gallon from Sherwin Williams.
Tate, the wreck was about 1/8 mi from my front door. I didn't hear it due to the pressure washer but a neighbor did. He flagged me down thinking they may be injured. Firefighter/EMT is my day job.

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I've used the Skyco when I was working for a lighting co. they had steel cornered wood crates for shipping $80k 5 axis motorized spotlights. we welded up all the banding all at one time and by the time it came to prep and paint there was rust abound. we wire wheeled everything and treated it with that as we went. still has several crates from 5-7 years ago w/ no rust under the rattle can krylon black we finally painted them with.

Knew about your day job, just curious about the randomness of the local accident. I don't miss wire wheel shrapnel from the shoddy pieces the owner bought. seemed I'd pull em from everywhere in the shower. Buy good quality on those my man.

What would be considered a good quality wheel? This process is new to me.


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[Mrwoody]

Weiler or something comparable  Made in USA    Minimum safety glasses and Leather Gloves  better to use a face shield.. Had a wire stick in my face just under my safety glasses.  Ouch!!!

[Wilbur]

If you get in my area, I have a couple trailers that need borrowing so they get cleaned up. Good job, it is so appreciated when someone cares enough to help with maintenance or repairs

Ha! I was thinking this exact thing. I want to loan him my 540i with a burned valve. 

Nice job on the trailer.....that's a lot of work. Dad should be proud.

[longball]

If you get in my area, I have a couple trailers that need borrowing so they get cleaned up. Good job, it is so appreciated when someone cares enough to help with maintenance or repairs

Careful there, no telling when or where I'll buy something before considering how I'll get it home.


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[longball]

If you get in my area, I have a couple trailers that need borrowing so they get cleaned up. Good job, it is so appreciated when someone cares enough to help with maintenance or repairs

Ha! I was thinking this exact thing. I want to loan him my 540i with a burned valve. 

Nice job on the trailer.....that's a lot of work. Dad should be proud.

That'll probably be a little out of my league but if I borrow it I'll give it a shot. Hopefully I'll be an improvement, the jury is still out on this Ospho stuff.


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[longball]

I got to spend a few minutes on the trailer today. Enough to figure out my plan has changed. I don't think I have enough rust for the chemical to work like it's supposed to. I thought Ospho would work like the 3x chemistry or rust guy product but it does not. At least not the way I am using it. The coating as applied here is not as thick.

It doesn't look bad in this picture but the lighting is a little deceiving. 





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[longball]

I didn't quite get finished with dad's trailer before I had to leave it with him. Pop up showers ruined paint day. I'll finish it up next month when we go back to visit again. I quite using the Ospho product the first day. After 24hrs drying it turned white and required being hit with the wire brush again before paint. That seems like a lot of unnecessary work.
Being on a time crunch, and not able to order anything, I bought a few rattle cans of Rustoleum rust reformer. I liked the finish I got with it but soon figured out I couldn't rattle can the whole thing in a timely manner.
Luckily for me Rustoleum makes the same product in a brush on. It took 3 bottles and 1 rattle can to cover the whole trailer front to back and top to bottom. Totaled about $22 for the rust treatment.

The brush on Rustoleum goes on white but doesn't turn black like the other products I've seen. Here is is next to the same product from a rattle can.


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[longball]

I did get to start painting (John Deere Blitz Black) but didn't take any pictures. That was my first time painting with a gun but it was easier that I'd imagined once I got the regulator set.

Keep in mind that neither I, nor dad, have any expectations of this finish being aesthetically perfect. Or even good for that matter. The end goal is to improve (even if only slightly) something I borrowed by doing something dad wouldn't do himself. Anyway, I'll get back to it in a few weeks and will update then.


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[JR]

Hmm, brings back memories of SD.

[longball]

Finally got a chance to finish dad's trailer.
Pretty?
Nope.
Functional?
Yep.
That's a win as far as I'm concerned.



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[Wilbur]

I think that looks great. So if you were doing it again what anti rust product would you use? I need to redo my utility trailer that's getting some rust. I picked up a new set of LED lights to redo all the wiring and lights bUT want to stop the rust creep too.

[longball]

Of the three products I used, the brush on Rustoleum was the best for this application. The next trailer I try this on will probably get something from 3x Chemistry.
http://www.3xchemistry.com/rustconverter2.php

Or The Rust Guy.
http://www.rustguy.com/originalformula.html



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[Wilbur]

Thanks longball!