Metal workers--Plasma cutting

[isawlogs]

Doug , use an axe file , it comes with a nice handle to remove the ridge,  I really don't think that .03 " is that big of a deal , file till its a tight fit , both spindles will have the same offset that is neglectable. ( Unless you are a purest then .. shime to your hearts content  ;D Or ... Give the pipe a whack with a hammer a quarter turn from the ridge .. that would be my shimming  )
  Once fitted tight , tack weld the end of the spindle to the end of the pipe. Now put the wheels on and check the distance between the rims, if it is same, put a full weld on the spindle & pipe.

To prep , I only ever use a hand held grinder with a sanding disc the type that has many over lapping leaves of sandpaper attached to a plastic disc. For preping the spindle I would use a grinding disc to remove any oils/rust or paint but only where I would be welding.

[scsmith42]

Doug, Marcel is providing some great advice.

When I have built trailer axles in the past, I would use either a round file to remove the burr inside the axle tube, or more commonly a die grinder with a carbide bit in the end.

To weld the stub axle to the tube, I would do a combination of drilling a few 3/4" holes through the tube and then filling them with weld after the stub was inserted, and then full weld the end of the tube to the stub axle. 

Personally, I prefer that my axle's be as precise as possible, and in order to make sure that the centerline of the tube and the stub axles were true I would use one of two techniques.  If the fit between the two is relatively close, let's say within .050, then I will take a center punch and make a series of deep punch marks on each end of the stub axle, making 3 - 4 rows all of the way around the axle.  When you  make a punch mark a rim of displaced metal is raised up from the punch, and this serves to take up the clearance between the axle and the tube.

If the clearance is too great to be taken up with the punch method, then I will tape a piece of shim metal around the stub axle at each end, close enought to the ends so that the stub is centered but far enough so that the melting tape does not contaminate my weld.

[DouginUtah]

It's been a couple of months since I started this and I have now built two trailers.

One is a 5x10 (somewhat unconventional--actually 5'-4") and the last one is a 4x8 with a 3/4" birch plywood deck--which I bought at Home Depot for half price ($13) with an Ace 50% off coupon.

So, I learned a few things:
I said a Sharpie doesn't work. I was wrong. If the metal is clean and you use a fresh Sharpie it works fine. My first Sharpie was old and partially dried out.

I plasma cutter is really good at cutting a bead when you make a mistake. I put the tongue on with the frame upside down and then put the shackles pointing down. Had to remove the tongue and put it on the other side. Of course that meant that the turn signal wires (running in the tubes) were switched so I had to switch the brown and yellow wires in the tongue.

I used Purple Power to clean the metal. (Intended to buy Simple Green but PP claimed to be a degreaser on the label.)

Utah has a requirement that any trailer over 750 lbs. has to be registered. I made sure these trailers were under that, and will never again build a trailer that has to be licensed which precludes building a dual-axle trailer.


 
 

  

 
 

 
 

 
 

  

 
 

 

P.S. Fenders are not a legal requirement for trailers in Utah.