Does welding trailer damage electrics?

[For Steve]

G'day

I'd like to mount a small jockey wheel by welding the bracket to the trailer. Are there precautions necessary to prevent damage to the outboards electrics?

Thanks in advance.

Brad

[dnej]

Brad,
Most Jockey wheels,can be fitted with U bolts.No need to weld.
I would desconnect your battery,in any case,if you still intend to weld
David

[tunaticer]

Keep your earth as close as possible to the welding job on the trailer and you wont have a problem as the boat itself isnt attached and carrying the welding current through it. Disconnect the earth lead from your battery is all you would do as a safety measure.

It would be an entirely different deal if you were welding the boat itself.
Jack.

[Silent]

I'm with David and suggest Jocket to be U-bolted or bolted either.
Welds would reduce steel life because galvanise coat required to scab or grind off and don't trust cold galvanise paint and it can't stand where salty (air) is. Learnt my mistake in the past.

[sheridan]

Brad as being a welder and your boat being a tinny I suggest you disconnect the battery during welding a small earth connection or even your winch cable could cause electrical problems I welded a rideon lawnmower at work the other day forgot to disconnect battery only blew the headlights luckily

[Sniper]

If its a alloy boat, don't forget to take the safety chain off as well. If possible, don't even have the boat on the trailer. A mate of mine just welded new guards on his trailer and forgot about the safety chain. Took the which cable off and disconnected the battery but not the chain. Damaged the computer in his outboard and something else. Not sure how with the battery disconnected but it happened. Costly repair.
Bolt it on if possible. Like stated earlier, welding will weaken and speed up corrosion. Easier to change too if only bolted on.
Cheers
Bill

[Roughasguts]

You can buy a Zinc stick and rub it on your weld while it's still hot, after you have chipped out the slag of course. The stick looks like solder but after you rub it on the hot weld it looks like fresh gal.

It costs about 6 bucks any welding shop, maybe even bunnings has them.

[For Steve]

Thank you all for your replies. Very helpful.

I would prefer to use U-bolts but the small jockey wheel I'd like to fit only has the option of being bolted or welded on.

If I decide to bolt, wouldn't drilling holes in the trailer expose ungalvanised steel and lead to corrosion anyway?

Maybe a larger jockey wheel that can be fitted with U-bolts is the answer???

[bilby]

Hi,
You should be able to weld the jockey wheel on safely, if you put the earth clamp (as stated above) as close as possible to the welding location. I used the weld truck chassis for a living and found if you don't create a circuit with the current,it won't cause problems. Example: welding a trailer and having the earth on the port side of the trailer and welding a bracket on the starboard side, will cause the current to travel through the wheel bearings, boat , or whatever is between, causing arcing and possible damage. But If you keep the earth close to the electrode you will cancel out the current flow. But ALWAYS remove the earth lead from the battery for peace of mind.
Cheers Fozzy :)