All aluminum Trailer for my club car

lmswest · 04-02-2013, 08:26 PM

So I finally got a 200 amp service at my house so I can run my TIG welder and teach myself how to TIG.
I finally collected enough odds and ends pieces to build a 5x9 trailer and figured what better way to learn than a 5x9 trailer..
So I had 2 sticks of square tube a few sticks of round tube and four pieces of c chanel and a bunch of misc pieces of 1/4 inch plate..
and this is what I came up with..

lmswest · 04-02-2013, 08:29 PM

For ramps I used two old pieces of scaffold and beefed them up along with some cleats to get traction cause they are kinda short..They slide over these really cool solid aluminum hinges i had given to me as scrap!
For the decking material I used 5/4 board thats been pressure treated and then I put on three coats of sealer with a solid color stain on it.
All bolts are either grade 8s or galvanized. I had to run a 3500lb axle in order to run those wheels and tires because they are 6 lug but Im going to use a 2000 lb spring and see how it rides..
Being as all material was either scrap or given to me and its aluminum im going to get the personalized license plate rcycled!

Schunter · 04-02-2013, 08:32 PM

Looks Good,,

lmswest · 04-02-2013, 10:06 PM

Found a few more..

DOOmsman · 04-03-2013, 10:04 AM

The welds look great.

lmswest · 04-03-2013, 11:14 AM

Thanks for the compliment but im sure a real pro could pic them to pieces. (plenty of undercut,tons of contamination etc etc)
Obviously some are prettier than others but I learned a lot and my welds towards the end are far better than the early ones.. Probably a few hundred 2-4 inch beads aught to teach ya something.. lol

pachanga90 · 04-03-2013, 04:39 PM

Acid and a Stainless-Steel wire-brush are your best friends when welding aluminum.Some say use Muriatic,some buy the Aluma-Prep,but I think its' very weak,especially on used Aluminum.The welds look good,Practice is the only thing that can make tig-work better.Make sure you only use the Wire-Brush on Aluminum,and use Aluminum Grind-Wheels as well.Hope this helps.

lmswest · 04-03-2013, 05:11 PM

I have been using a wire brush thats only been used for aluminum. I hadnt heard of the acid trick though , have to try it. I did clean some with alcohol after the wire brush..
I got lazy on a few and got contamination on the surface. Hit it with a flap wheel and the contaminants were gone and it still had good fusion all through so I wasnt too concerned..
Thanks for the Tip..
O and when I was ALMOST finished I went up a size in tungsten and it was WAY better. fewer trips to the grinder to clean the tip..

And to the surprise of the welding supply counter guy I tried using red 2% on aluminum based on a webpage I read and was very happy with it. Liked it better than pure green. Tip stayed good longer with fewer trips to the sharpener.

lmswest · 12-14-2013, 11:45 AM

Here is what I came up with for fenders..
I had some old diamond plate donated to me from a neighbor that used to be some ramps in his backyard into his shed I cut them up and made some Fenders

lmswest · 12-14-2013, 12:11 PM

And the axle I wound up using was a 6 lug 3500 pound with a 4 inch drop

04-02-2013, 08:32 PM	#3
Schunter Gone Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Auburndale,fl Posts: 256	Re: All aluminum Trailer for my club car Looks Good,,

04-03-2013, 10:04 AM	#5
DOOmsman Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Reddick IL Posts: 11,220	Re: All aluminum Trailer for my club car The welds look great.

04-03-2013, 11:14 AM	#6
lmswest Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 366	Re: All aluminum Trailer for my club car Thanks for the compliment but im sure a real pro could pic them to pieces. (plenty of undercut,tons of contamination etc etc) Obviously some are prettier than others but I learned a lot and my welds towards the end are far better than the early ones.. Probably a few hundred 2-4 inch beads aught to teach ya something.. lol
lmswest Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 366

04-03-2013, 04:39 PM	#7
pachanga90 I Refuse To Get Stuck!!! Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Hilton,NY Posts: 5,427	Re: All aluminum Trailer for my club car Acid and a Stainless-Steel wire-brush are your best friends when welding aluminum.Some say use Muriatic,some buy the Aluma-Prep,but I think its' very weak,especially on used Aluminum.The welds look good,Practice is the only thing that can make tig-work better.Make sure you only use the Wire-Brush on Aluminum,and use Aluminum Grind-Wheels as well.Hope this helps.

04-03-2013, 05:11 PM	#8
lmswest Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 366	Re: All aluminum Trailer for my club car I have been using a wire brush thats only been used for aluminum. I hadnt heard of the acid trick though , have to try it. I did clean some with alcohol after the wire brush.. I got lazy on a few and got contamination on the surface. Hit it with a flap wheel and the contaminants were gone and it still had good fusion all through so I wasnt too concerned.. Thanks for the Tip.. O and when I was ALMOST finished I went up a size in tungsten and it was WAY better. fewer trips to the grinder to clean the tip.. And to the surprise of the welding supply counter guy I tried using red 2% on aluminum based on a webpage I read and was very happy with it. Liked it better than pure green. Tip stayed good longer with fewer trips to the sharpener.
lmswest Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 366

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12-14-2013, 12:11 PM	#10
lmswest Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 366	Re: All aluminum Trailer for my club car And the axle I wound up using was a 6 lug 3500 pound with a 4 inch drop
lmswest Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 366

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