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Trailer overhaul

nedly05

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
1,801
Location
Adk. Mtns, NY
Has anyone ever overhauled their trailer? We are kicking around the idea of taking it to get sandblasted, painted and a new wiring harness. Just go through it to make it new again. It is a 96 eager beaver, low miles, it is in good shape for the most part. Could be made like new. Thanks in advice!
 

Chaz Murray

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2007
Messages
215
Location
Stockton CA
Has anyone ever overhauled their trailer? We are kicking around the idea of taking it to get sandblasted, painted and a new wiring harness. Just go through it to make it new again. It is a 96 eager beaver, low miles, it is in good shape for the most part. Could be made like new. Thanks in advice!

if the trailer is in good shape then do it...weld up anything ya find wrong...sandblast and look it over again and fix anything ya find wrong and paint...we redo a few trailers a year for customers... Repainted and wired a 9 axle last year and just finished a 7 axle for the same customer... Just updated it with all the new ABS valves and new style harness...makes it easier down the road for replacement parts
 

nedly05

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
1,801
Location
Adk. Mtns, NY
Thanks for the reply Chaz. The trailer is in really good shape structuarlly, it has begun to rust a bit due to being run in salt in the winter. It is a 20 ton tag. Any idea what we should expect to pay to sand blast, paint,and re-wire?? Thanks!
 

Chaz Murray

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2007
Messages
215
Location
Stockton CA
Thanks for the reply Chaz. The trailer is in really good shape structuarlly, it has begun to rust a bit due to being run in salt in the winter. It is a 20 ton tag. Any idea what we should expect to pay to sand blast, paint,and re-wire?? Thanks!

depending on the paint...thats the expensive part...it can range from about $100 per gallon up to about $400 per gallon if it is a bright color... so prob would need 2 1/2 gallons of paint and maybe 2 of primer.

we use Dupont IMRON 5000 and Dupont 921S primer...seems to hold up well. Sand blasting will prob cost you around $5-800 and wiring prob max of $300 if you reuse the lights you have on it
 

nedly05

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
1,801
Location
Adk. Mtns, NY
The tail lights are all new LEDs the markers all work, but for what they cost we will replace the markers. We will most likely buy the whole harnes from nortrax, as they are the E/B distributor around here. I was thinking that the POR 15 paint would be the ticket for stopping rust. I know that would be costly though.Maybe a money saver in the long run?:beatsme
 

Chaz Murray

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2007
Messages
215
Location
Stockton CA
The tail lights are all new LEDs the markers all work, but for what they cost we will replace the markers. We will most likely buy the whole harnes from nortrax, as they are the E/B distributor around here. I was thinking that the POR 15 paint would be the ticket for stopping rust. I know that would be costly though.Maybe a money saver in the long run?:beatsme

if you are going to sand blast it whats the point of the POR 15? If you have a good base of primer and paint you should be fine for years
 

nedly05

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
1,801
Location
Adk. Mtns, NY
if you are going to sand blast it whats the point of the POR 15? If you have a good base of primer and paint you should be fine for years

The point is if I am going to spend a bunch of money to redo it I dont want it to rust up again, and POR 15 should take care of that. The salt is the big thing, if I could get away with not running it at all in the winter it would be fine.
 

thejdman04

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2006
Messages
582
Location
Illinois
If I were gonna do it id def use por 15. Youll have less money into it then a new trailera dn yooull have better then a new trailer when done. Too bad you cant get a manufacture to paint it w/por. Por is an excellent product even if you do sandblast it because the paint is super super resiliant against chips scratches etc and flexible, will flex w/the frame. The stuff these manuciplaities are putting on the road is absoulty terrible on metal and the road spray will find the slightest nick and scratch and it all goes down hill from there. Make sure to rewire it using a harness or if you make your own die electric grease and shrink wrap is your friend.
 

nedly05

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
1,801
Location
Adk. Mtns, NY
I dielectric grease and shrink wrap everything I wire, We will most likely buy a whole new harness right from eager beaver. POR 15 is a great product.
 

celticcrusader

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
103
Location
stillwater N.J.
having done comm. sandblasting for 15 years, there's not much i haven't blasted. buildings pools trucks cars aircraft const.equip. be careful around bearings seals hyd.cyls. engines trans rears ect. ect. remember sand moved by air press. will go where you don't want it to go. you can't be CAREFUL enough and even if you are it will still come back to bite you. you need good heavy cardboard heavy duty duck tape [lots of layers] POR-15 made in Morristown N.J. is like a rust convertor paint works great as long as you don't chip it so rust can get under it you have to paint over it [top coat it] if exposed to sunlight. the primer i used alot after blasting metal to near white finish was zinc-chromate primer i found it worked the best on equip. and if you didn't top coat riteaway it didn't rust up riteaway. i hope this helps.
 

nedly05

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2006
Messages
1,801
Location
Adk. Mtns, NY
Welcome the HEF celticcrusader:drinkup

Some very good tips! I am wondering if it is worth blasting it now, just scrape it good, wire wheel it and put the POR 15 to it.
 

celticcrusader

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
103
Location
stillwater N.J.
do not know ? how long are you going to keep trl.? and rember rust never sleeps , if you don't blast it to near white , [if you leave rust] it will come back . i used a 375 or 600 cfm with a 8 bag blast press. pot / 1.5" blast hose w/ 5/16" or 3/8" nozzel by tying both comp. together i could use 5/8" nozzel what a pattern!! clean an area bigger than a beach ball. boy did thoes detroits drink fuel!
 

SouthOnBeach

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
130
Location
Westren North Carolina
Occupation
jack of all trades
i always think of por15 and the likes as a cover up on rust. they do work so i've heard but the rust is still under there. i'd rather blast it clean and prime it with an epoxy primer then top with a good automotive type single stage paint. thats just my 2 cents
 
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