Warning - Ugly Trailer Alert! Tectyl Trailer Refurb Thread

[Jackinthebox]

If you like your trailers nice, shiny and pretty, now is your chance to read something else.

Well, the trailer is now three years old and I have been putting this activity off for a while.

Went to Stanage last year and that bloody red dirt just gets in everywhere! Even a blast with a pressure washer doesn't get it off. Not too much of a worry I thought ... wrong!!

After close inspection six months ago, I realised that the trailer was showing a fair bit of that white, powdery corrosion in certain places and the common factor seemed to be the red dirt accelerating the process. (I reckon it is the iron oxide in the dirt starting the rusting process and galvanic corrosion, etc)

Now when I first got the trailer, I hit all the bolts and nuts & crevices with some inox and thought that should keep it ok for a while. Not enough apparently and for the last six months, I have been dreading what had to be done ..... A full strip down, scrub off the dirt and rebuild, coupled with a good soaking of Tectyl!

[Spaniard_King]

Jack,

Unfotunately IMO tectyl is still only as good as the aplication.

Did mine in 2007, a full coating in tectyl even before it hit the saltwater.. alas 3 years on you find out where you missed and I thought I didn more than enough to get it ALL!.

I would like to fully submerse a trailer every 6 months if I could.

A mate hits his with a fire hose after every trip and keeps it in a shed.. his trailer looks like it just rolled off the show room floor:P

[Jackinthebox]

Yeah Garry, I know what you mean, the "application" part is what causes this adventure to seriously blow out. Hey, I just had an idea... I wonder how much Tectyl it would take to fill a tank and submerge the trailer frame (minus the wheels, rollers, hubs, etc? Much better than the mission I ended up undertaking!

BTW, this thread is intended to demonstrate to anyone else what is really involved in doing this with pictures - something that always seemed to be missing in the other trailer maintenance threads I have sifted through.

Anyway, back to the story...

Being on holidays this week, I thought "yeah, should be able to knock this over in a couple of days". My wife always gives me the ::) look at the start of these projects and I never seem to learn that whatever time you think something like this will take you, double it and add 20%!!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

First step, gotta get the boat off the trailer so off to the tyre shop I go to scrounge some old tyres. Old mate gives me five fatties cause he reckons these will help keep the boat off the ground better. (Note to self, next time get normal tyres as the wide tyres grab the shafts of the rollers hanging down under the boat as you are trying to slide the trailer out from under the boat)

With that job done, I grab the trusty wire brush and proceed to spend half the next day brushing that whole bloody thing down. I didn't want to get out the wire wheel/grinder combo because the consensus is to leave as much galvanising as possible on the metal to protect against corrosion. Then I spent the rest of that day unscrewing all the rusted bolts and nuts trying to get access to certain parts of the trailer.

The images below show the results of 1 & a half days effort with the trailer all wire brushed and looking much better. I had also spent an hour or so pulling the jockey wheel apart and scrubbing out the dirt from the thread that was causing it to grind and strip metal when I tried to raise the trailer. Sometimes it would simply refuse to wind at all. Greased up the cheapo bearing inside and coated the thread with grease, all back together and runs like a charm.

At this stage, not happy with some sections of rust that seem to be deeper into the galv with some pitting. I start to think this might need a bit more than a wire brush.:o

Mick.

[Jarrah Jack]

I put up a thread a little while ago about the best coating for the trailer and tectyl got the most nods. Dave aka Blackened uses it so it must be good.

I've decided to go with a bitumanised waterproofing paint. Will be ugly so the trailer should be safe from the theives. The stuff dries very hard but being rubberised sticks like , you know. Will know if I've missed any spots pretty easy too.

Guess I won't know the outcome for many years, I hope.

[Jackinthebox]

Mate, that's why I went with Tectyl, every thread of this nature seems to have Tectyl as the clear favourite ( and yes, Dave is there in just about every thread so that just demonstrates the power of repetition).

Stay tuned folks, more piccies and story coming.

Mick.

[frankgrimes]

Cheers for the thread Mick - My trailers also in need of some tlc!

Mick

[Jackinthebox]

No worries Mick, although I don't think you will be thanking me when you see what's ahead of you ...:)

Mick.

[FISHAWN]

Thanks for the reminder Mick, gotta get to mine (think may be same as your trailor) don't want another one fail mid trip ::)

[dnej]

Mick, where is your boat parked, when you finish for the day, and cleaned up?
David

[Jackinthebox]

Too right Dave(FISHAWN), if I can say this to everyone, get to your trailer early, before it hits the water if possible.

Although I do remember a thread about new trailers reacting badly to Lanoline based coatings.

So by now, I have already made three or four outings around the place to various bolt places and hardware stores for grease, bearings, more brushes, wire wheel, filter for the mask cause I am sick of sucking in dust from the brushing of the trailer, etc, etc, etc.

After numerous trips over the course of the exercise, I just couldn't find the right ubolts in galv, or half inch nyloc nuts in galv, etc, etc. So after a sudden brainwave, I thought "why not look up boat trailer manufacturers and try to source some parts from them" By the way, you guys in Brisbane are sorted ... there are plenty of boat trailer companies but here on the Goldy, there is only one that I could find that would sell to the public (Oceanic trailers) since Swiftco closed down late last year.

They had everything you could need for boat trailers and the Dude behind the counter was great too! They are located at Industrial drive in Molendinar if anyone needs parts for their boat trailer. If I knew about these guys I would have saved myself some serious running around - hopefully this helps out somebody else who needs boat trailer parts. Some guys were walking out with all the parts for their own little trailer rebuild and I noticed they even had a pair of hubs pre packed with bearings and all greased up ready to go!:o Now that's what you do if you have crappy hubs and don't like changing wheel bearings I said to them!

OK, back from that little tangent now...

At this stage, I realise I need to disassemble the trailer to get at all the hidden parts where the dust is and then I can also coat them in Tectyl before reassembling. Might as well take the axle off and the suspension, and the mudguards and do the bearings too, etc, etc ...Now my obsessive side starts to come out dammit!

At the end of day three and I start to wonder what I am getting myself into.

Mick

[Jackinthebox]

David (Dnej), sold the house recently & living in a small apartment block with security parking at the moment. No onsite manager ;D but I am very clean and tidy up at the end of every day. I have a security cage in the car park but it still takes me about 15 mins to pack all the crap up & lock it away. The other tenants don't really care too much about me beavering away in the corner, although I am sure they wonder what the hell I am doing there every day. The greasy, dirty bits I just leave there as no one is gonna want those I figure.

P.S. the main frame and the suspension, etc I have just left there overnight.

[deckie]

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6218/dscn0910m.jpg
Hey it doesnt always have to look shabby.
This fella is 27yrs young. Not a skerrick of rust.
Fishoiled regularly...still hard to beat.
Major scrubbing/cleanup left in summer sun for 2 days drying, 2 coats marine penetrol to bind and prime the old gal, 2 coats back half 1 coat front half of por15 UV silver.
Thats sprayed on tectyl on new axle/springs.

Bit too damn pretty for my liking but thats gonna outlast me.

Tectyl works well yeah...but ask a trailer guy and most will still tell u that quality fishoil done regularly is still the go...this is the proof.

[Spaniard_King]

Cheers for the thread Mick - My trailers also in need of some tlc!

Mick


Is that Tender Loving Clouts ;D ;D ;D to get it apart:o

Just bought meself a 300ft LB cordless rattlegun gawd it made quick work of the rusty U bolts on the last trailer I did:)

[dnej]

Mis understanding Mick. When you go out fishing, and then clean down your boat and trailer, where do you leave your boat.Outside?
David

[Jackinthebox]

Sorry mate, now I know where you are going with this.

And yes, I forgot to mention that another contributing factor may have been the storing of the boat in an enclosed garage, often while it was still wet.

This couldn't be helped after night trips and also, it would get pretty humid in there. I would leave the boat out in the sun for an hour or two to dry off if it was still daytime though.

[Jackinthebox]

Is that Tender Loving Clouts ;D ;D ;D to get it apart:o

Just bought meself a 300ft LB cordless rattlegun gawd it made quick work of the rusty U bolts on the last trailer I did:)

In the end mate, the trusty angle grinder was pressed into action! ;D

[deckie]

Most forget that the most damage is done whilst you;re on the water.

Imagine dipping a piece of steel in saltwater, connecting up a tiny residual current..then leaving it for 6 hrs. How long will it take ?

You can carry one of those garden water/pesticide pump spray things in the boot with some fresh water and just give the back of the trailer a fast wash when parking the trailer at the ramp....but we are all in a rush to get out and seems few these days will even take the 20 seconds it takes to take off the lights and whack em in the boot, so that your trailer isnt connected up.

We've become lazy bastards so we may as well forget trying to control corrosion and not complain about it.

We can wash the trailer down with fresh/w later on... but thats just hosing a fire that is already out.

[deckie]

The other thing to check out on our trailers is WHERE the corrosion is....many will discover it is bad at low points...because much of the corrosion is happening from the inside not the outside, and even open C section steel often misses getting a blast of fresh on the inside section.
Box section low points the most common...drill a hole into the steel and spray the inside of the steel with fishoil/ tectyl/sump oil etc whatever u like...then epoxy a gal screw/bolt back in to seal it up. Reopen and spray once a season and try to get at the inside of major weld pts. You might even be better off leaving it as a drain hole to undo after each dunking so it can dry out the inside of any box section. When u submerge the arse end of a trailer water will always finds a way in...then surprisingly enough heads for the low points inside and trapped at joints/welds. Welds corrode pretty fast mainly from inside.

Simply sprucing up the outside of the steel wont stop rot...need to look at each spot and attack the reason the rot started...be it a gal bolt hole etc. A hot dip gal job may not be economically sound on smaller trailers but makes more sense on bigger expensive ones when compared with replacement cost.

Cold gal type paint is really just paint and hates the rust converter that changes oxide to sulphates...and really needs to be in contact with the origninal gal so dont remove it. Tectyl has been around for donkeys yrs and is just a petroleum wax..yes its messy stuff. If messy isnt a problem u can even spray sump oil...come of the blokes who do a lot of beach travel spray underneath their 4wd's with it. Cant imagine how bad that'd look or how filthy it'd get tho 8-)

[Jackinthebox]

After pulling the thing apart and finding red dirt stuck everywhere, out came the wire brush again and then I attacked the sections where the corrosion was starting to go deeper. As Deckie said, it was around the low points on the cross members where the drain holes are. I guess this lets plenty of saltwater in but a hose would struggle to get in there.

It was also concentrated around areas where gal fittings such as U-bolts, nuts , bolts & roller clamps were attached (trapped dust & salt).

In the end, I needed to find if the worst bits were corroding from the inside or just on the surface so I got out the wire wheel on the grinder and tackled the suspect areas.

The result was pleasing with only surface corrosion at this stage that came off quite easily. I tried to leave as much gal as possible but went back to bare metal in a few spots to make sure.

[peterbo3]

Years ago, a lot of home built trailers had the ends of the box sections welded closed & fitted with a nut of around 20mm ID & a bolt. Some were then galvanized, some were not. The box sealed sections were then filled with a few litres of sump oil & a bolt fitted to the nut to close off the box section. There was never any internal corrosion. The oil would swish around & coat all the interior. The EPA may not like this but trailer owners do. You still see the odd trailer built this way at the ramps.

[Jackinthebox]

OK so after I think I have gotten as much dust off as possible and ground back the surface corrosion in some section as pictured previously, then I wiped down the whole trailer in acetone.

Then I got out the spray can of Galmet Duragal which I discovered a year or two ago after constant recommendation by Oldboot. (thanks mate, it's great stuff!).
I think that POR15uv silver and another product called bright gal is very similar.
As you can see, it is a very good gal paint and is a terrific match for the original gal.

Now the trailer is starting to look respectable again. Not for long though ...;)

Mick.

[frankgrimes]

Looking very nice mate! Where did you get the Galmet Duragal from? Bunnings? Paint Store?

Mick

[dnej]

Jack, some time back I did a fairly large post, on white rust.
Mainly leaving the trailer wet, is the big issue. I always take mine for a drive before storing. For those that park outside, dew levels, is the issue. I will see if I can dig up the post.
Peter, my trailer was made that way. I use water soluable cutting oil in mine, as it collects any moisture, and is a rust inhibitor. I change the oil , once a year.
David

[deckie]

Years ago, a lot of home built trailers had the ends of the box sections welded closed & fitted with a nut of around 20mm ID & a bolt. Some were then galvanized, some were not. The box sealed sections were then filled with a few litres of sump oil & a bolt fitted to the nut to close off the box section. There was never any internal corrosion. The oil would swish around & coat all the interior. The EPA may not like this but trailer owners do. You still see the odd trailer built this way at the ramps.
Yeah brilliant old trailers made to last...all need general preventative maintenance but at least knowing this is a great way to prolong its life is a help. its the welds that go fastest from the inside out i reckon. Especially the rear x member.
Not many tho will get their brand spanking new galfriend and bore holes into it :D...then pour crappy old sump oil in lol...works like nothing else tho i agree. Unfortunately u can get a bit of an Exxon Valdez thing happening when u launch ;D and can be a bit obvious.

No reason not to fill box section with a more enviro friendly treatment i guess. Fishoil...still good stuff...it just works.

Great work Mick...that duragal does look brilliant. The por15 is made for things like engine blocks and no priming nor converting...tough as nails. You can put it straight over rust....like anything fast and good tho its a bit pricey. Sounds like u had more red dirt than Lang Hancock.

[dnej]

When steel is freshly galvanized, the zinc has no significant oxide film on its surface. The chemical reactions that occur to form this film take some time. They are:
1. The oxidation phase 2Zn + O2 = 2ZnO
2. The hydration phase 2Zn = 2H2O + O2 = 2Zn(OH)2
3. Carbonation 5Zn(OH)2 = 2CO2 + 2ZnCO3.3Zn(OH)2 + 2H2O
It is the formation of the zinc carbonate oxide film, that is highly water insoluble, that provides the underlying zinc with its good anti-corrosion performance. Other reactions can occur in the presence of chlorides, sulfates and other corrodents that may accelerate the degradation of the zinc-based coating at a rapid rate.

It is the exposure of `young’ zinc-coated surfaces to pure water that is the principal mechanism associated with white rust formation.

Pure water (H2O) contains no dissolved salts or minerals and zinc will react quickly with pure water to form zinc hydroxide, a bulky white, and relatively unstable, oxide of zinc.

Where freshly galvanized steel is exposed to pure water (rain, dew or condensation), in an oxygen deficient environment, the water will continue to react with the zinc and progressively consume the coating. The most common condition in which white rust occurs is where galvanized products are nested together, tightly packed, or when water can penetrate between the items and remain for extended periods. In favourable (for white rust)conditions, very rapid consumption of the zinc can occur and corrosion rates 20-50 times higher than those normally experienced. While this type of corrosion is called ‘white rust’, it may have a dark gray or even black appearance on the galvanized
surface

[deckie]

It is the exposure of `young’ zinc-coated surfaces to pure water that is the principal mechanism associated with white rust formation.

Pure water (H2O) contains no dissolved salts or minerals and zinc will react quickly with pure water to form zinc hydroxide, a bulky white, and relatively unstable, oxide of zinc.

Where freshly galvanized steel is exposed to pure water (rain, dew or condensation), in an oxygen deficient environment, the water will continue to react with the zinc and progressively consume the coating. The most common condition in which white rust occurs is where galvanized products are nested together, tightly packed, or when water can penetrate between the items and remain for extended periods. In favourable (for white rust)conditions, very rapid consumption of the zinc can occur and corrosion rates 20-50 times higher than those normally experienced. While this type of corrosion is called ‘white rust’, it may have a dark gray or even black appearance on the galvanized
surface
Great stuff ...but what does it mean for our ugly old gals that dont have much zinc left on them ?...when are any trailers ever in an oxygen deficient environment ? Is that saying we shouldnt hose pretty new gals with fresh water ?
Now i'm really confused but noone said i was smart.

[charleville]

This is a great thread.

Many thanks!


.

[dnej]

Deckie, good question,and I will answer that with the following, as my trailer was brand new spankers.

I am lucky, I have a friend who works in the industry, and wised me up to all this stuff.

I had a new trailer, dipped twice, for extra protection, cost me more, and when I came back from fishing, at the end of the day, went to work hosing down, and still I came up with thw white rust. I freaked out.

I blamed the salt water, but then I found , I shouldnt have been putting the trailer away wet. It wasnt the salt water at all.

So now, I take it for a drive, to dry it off.
One of the worst things is dew, and most of the technical stuff relates to dew readings.
I am only an ordinary bloke, but have access to the experts on this sort of stuff. I hope that helps some what
Regards David

[Jackinthebox]

Looking very nice mate! Where did you get the Galmet Duragal from? Bunnings? Paint Store?

Mick


Mick, I'm pretty sure I got it from ACT nuts & bolts in Upton St last year. I think Blackwoods has got it and Coastal fasteners in Ereton Drive, Labrador have got another spray can called Bright Gal which seems much the same.

Just got some welding done on the trailer today at Ashmore Welding (Indy crt, Nerang) and they used a spray can that was 98% zinc, can't remember the name now. They were very cheap cause I had prepped everything right and paid with the folding stuff. Good quality welds too.

[Jackinthebox]

When steel is freshly galvanized, the zinc has no significant oxide film on its surface. The chemical reactions that occur to form this film take some time. They are:
1. The oxidation phase 2Zn + O2 = 2ZnO
2. The hydration phase 2Zn = 2H2O + O2 = 2Zn(OH)2
3. Carbonation 5Zn(OH)2 = 2CO2 + 2ZnCO3.3Zn(OH)2 + 2H2O
It is the formation of the zinc carbonate oxide film, that is highly water insoluble, that provides the underlying zinc with its good anti-corrosion performance. Other reactions can occur in the presence of chlorides, sulfates and other corrodents that may accelerate the degradation of the zinc-based coating at a rapid rate.

It is the exposure of `young’ zinc-coated surfaces to pure water that is the principal mechanism associated with white rust formation.

Pure water (H2O) contains no dissolved salts or minerals and zinc will react quickly with pure water to form zinc hydroxide, a bulky white, and relatively unstable, oxide of zinc.

Where freshly galvanized steel is exposed to pure water (rain, dew or condensation), in an oxygen deficient environment, the water will continue to react with the zinc and progressively consume the coating. The most common condition in which white rust occurs is where galvanized products are nested together, tightly packed, or when water can penetrate between the items and remain for extended periods. In favourable (for white rust)conditions, very rapid consumption of the zinc can occur and corrosion rates 20-50 times higher than those normally experienced. While this type of corrosion is called ‘white rust’, it may have a dark gray or even black appearance on the galvanized
surface


Thanks for that David, I remember this post and it backs up my suspicion about the red dirt trapping the fresh water moisture from the hose and holding it for some time against the gal. Not to mention the iron oxide rusting too.

[Jackinthebox]

Now comes the bit where it gets ugly...

After a day of drying out for the Duragal, I sprayed Tectyl on the springs and suspension that were off the trailer.

While these were going tacky, I punched out the bearings and cones from the hubs with a mild steel bar, greased the bearings and packed it all back into the hubs.. I would have taken photos but the hands were covered in grease and it took me a few hours cause I didn't want to damage the cones. Maybe someone else can put up a few pics of changing bearings so newbies can see how it's done.

Jeez I wish I had a proper tool for the cones.

At this stage I realised I should have listened to the people on here who recommended Tectyl and said to get the 4 litre tin and not the spray can. I thought that a couple of cans at $18 bucks each would do the trailer easy and I would be done.

Wrong again!! After half a can, I had barely got one decent coat on the suspension and the can kept clogging up & spluttering. I was wondering how much it was gonna cost to do the whole bloody trailer ????

You guessed it, another session on the phone trying to track down the 4 litre tin ... Supercheap, Repco, Cheapa Auto spares, etc, etc all only had the spray can. Called up head office Sydney and they said to try Autobarn.

Bingo! Autobarn here at Upton St Bundall had a couple of 4 litre tins ... you beauty! So anyone that needs it here on the Goldy, give Autobarn a call. The big tin only cost $55!

So I get the trailer outside with the help of a mate (remember it doesn't have any back wheels) and flip it over to coat the underside first. Just as I get half done on the underside, the wind starts blowing & rain clouds that were threatening start to get close - back inside the garage we go & on with the respirator.

Here is the trailer frame after one coat, it looks a bit better in real life cause the flash makes it look like I've missed bits. Looks great eh????

Got some Bro's living next door that I heard saying "what a crappy paint job, looks like bird shit". If I wasn't busy and didn't have the mask on I would have corrected them and said I think it's more like bat shit. ;D

[Matt76]

Looks like a messy job mate, better you than me!

Does it dry and stay on there? Did you just brush it on?

I am currently building a new trailer so I might give it a coat of this stuff straight up.

Cheers
Matt

[Jarrah Jack]

JinTB From reading Deckies comments and others it would be fair to say that the inside of the box sections are gunna look pretty much like the outside.

Are you going to do the fish oil trick to the inside or leave things how they are? Not saying you should do anything just wondering what you think about it.

[Jackinthebox]

Not too messy mate, just brush it on with a decent brush. I have now done two coats and used heaps to dab in the crevices & roller holders & over the suspension again and I have barely used half the can. Great value compared to the spray cans. For half a $55 tin, I have covered probably 10 x more than an $18 spray can could cover.

My advice would be to do it outside with a big dropsheet underneath and really pile it on so the goo oozes down through all the little bits of the trailer.

It stinks a bit but not as toxic as the spray cans (cause of the solvent/propellant).
I have stunk out the carpark for a couple of days now, but the smell is diminishing rapidly. (I used a facemask with a VOC filter the whole time cause I was in an underground car park and am a bit sensitive to fumes these days)

Cheers,

Mick

[Dantren]

Hey mate. You are knee deep in it, but if a job's worth doing..........
Did you mix the Tectyl with a thinner? How did you apply it?

Question Answered.

[larfin]

Have used white spirits to thin it with great success and applied with a spray gun.Much cheaper than spray cans.
cheers
greg

[Jackinthebox]

JJ, I am definitely going to do the fish oil trick thanks to Deckie's and a few other's comments. If I do all the prep and have it ready to be welded, I don't think it will cost too much either.

I need a break though after 6 days on the job.(you could get it done much quicker if you didn't pull the trailer apart or the bearings and the trailer was in good nick already - or if you weren't so pedantic like the better half tells me I am::) )

I might resurrect this thread in a month's time when I get the urge to attack it again cause I can really see the benefit of the fish oil sloshing around inside the box sections - that water soluble cutting oil Dnej uses sounds interesting.
I would have to get the ends of the cross members welded up as well because they are not sealed to the main side beams.

Dantren, I just painted it on with a brush and yes you do get a few drip marks on the frame. The white spirits idea sounds the go except I ain't got a spray gun. Would that work in one of those garden sprayers or would it "melt" the plastic?

Some more pics with a second coat of tectyl (except for the front section and back indicator panels where some welding had to be done) and greased up hubs (yes I wiped the excess grease off before I put the wheel on because I hate grease flying all over the place). I also replaced all the roller pins with newies and marine greased the pins and assemblies - used a few rags during that job! ;D

[deckie]

geeeezus ...looks like a bird shat on it. ;D

Lotsa work mate.

That stuff is seriously evil...i remember when i did that 4.5m trailer up in the pic that i went thru about 3 spray cans just doing the axle and springs. Giot it everywhere and the back lawn has never been the same since. You would've cranked out 50 spray cans by now if u didnt track down the tin ;D. The damn nozzles clog and u wanna throw the things over the fence..stuff is so damn thick.

One thing i've never done with trailers but sometimes wondered about is using duralac when putting new gal bolts on or redoing the old ones. The stuff is usually used for dissimilar metals and on tinnies but from what i gather works damn well on same metals to stop corrosion.

We've all seen how the rust can start fast on even new bolts u've just replaced and frustrating...and dnej's comments kinda suggest why. Duralac is such evil stuff that its gotta be handy for all sorts of things...and plenty already have a tube of the gunk around. Might be useless for gal steel tho who knows.

[brisbane_boy]

it stays sticky that stuff for a good while, i have played this game and i woudnt recommend going as far up the bars as you have, in my experience a trailer lasts 10 years without doing it on any of it-each to there own. and then its only the back bar thats gone, the rust eventualy creeps inside the bard towards the wheels. the first 2/3 remains perfect, for the inconvenience of the stickyness id leave it bare the front half

[Jackinthebox]

No worries Brissie Boy, I had some corrosion starting up the front and wanted to protect it. I could always thin a bit of it off the front of the drawbar if I feel the need to.

Actually, I have just realised that Dnej's post about the freshwater/white rust connection is even closer to my situation than I thought because the front sections that are corroding have never seen saltwater.

Hang on, now I remember backing the trailer up my steepish driveway, which could have sent saltwater down the rails to the front since I only live 5 mins from the ramp. Ah bugger it, i'll leave the Tectyl on all of it.

Mick.

[Jackinthebox]

geeeezus ...looks like a bird shat on it. ;D

Lotsa work mate.

That stuff is seriously evil...i remember when i did that 4.5m trailer up in the pic that i went thru about 3 spray cans just doing the axle and springs. Giot it everywhere and the back lawn has never been the same since. You would've cranked out 50 spray cans by now if u didnt track down the tin ;D. The damn nozzles clog and u wanna throw the things over the fence..stuff is so damn thick.

One thing i've never done with trailers but sometimes wondered about is using duralac when putting new gal bolts on or redoing the old ones. The stuff is usually used for dissimilar metals and on tinnies but from what i gather works damn well on same metals to stop corrosion.

We've all seen how the rust can start fast on even new bolts u've just replaced and frustrating...and dnej's comments kinda suggest why. Duralac is such evil stuff that its gotta be handy for all sorts of things...and plenty already have a tube of the gunk around. Might be useless for gal steel tho who knows.

I got Tectyl right into the nuts & bolts, in fact I soaked them in it before putting on and then hit 'em again once they were on. I will probably give all the threads a dose of fishoil regularly over time.

Cheers,

Mick

[DATCOL]

EXTROL make some very good paint clear as a undercoat primer & silver as a top coat once coated will last 6 to 8 years Made in Brisbane Cheers COL

[Mad Fish]

Hi Mick
I've just been through the Trailer experience. Mine is 7 years old and Buggered i wash it down after every trip (every 2 weeks) however as the saltwater gets inside the box section even if you wash it over the salt stays inside the box sections and they rust from the inside out. I'm replacing mine with a custom trailer from Belco made entirely of C channel ads about 100kg to the overall weight of a 6.3 m trailer but i think it may be a better option. Bad news is almost $10,000 with electric brakes. Where do you buy the tecktol ?? I might put it on before if goes in the water
John

[frankgrimes]

Hi Mick
Where do you buy the tecktol ?? I might put it on before if goes in the water
John

Hey mate - Few post above from Mick - sourced 4lt can from Autobarn:

another session on the phone trying to track down the 4 litre tin ... Supercheap, Repco, Cheapa Auto spares, etc, etc all only had the spray can. Called up head office Sydney and they said to try Autobarn.

Bingo! Autobarn here at Upton St Bundall had a couple of 4 litre tins ... you beauty! So anyone that needs it here on the Goldy, give Autobarn a call. The big tin only cost $55!

Mick

[Heath]

For that sort of money you could by an ally trailer.

My trailer is similar age to yours & is rooted as well.

My next trailer will be an ally one for sure