Welding & Decking – Urban Logging Trailer Build Pt 4

Now with the trailer frame on the rotisserie, I can start welding out the rest of the frame.  All of the previously vertical welds are now horizontal which is a much easier welding position.

And of course the other advantage is the welds that were previously on the bottom can be accessed from the top now.

Maybe the only downside is the welds on the side of the trailer are 7′ in the air.

With all that welding out of the way, next I’ll reinforce the conneciton between the tongue and the frame with a plate.  I cut a couple of holes into it with my plasma torch to increase the weld area.

That plate is welded between the tongue and frame tubes up against where the tongue was cut so it could be folded.  This further reinforces the connection in the tongue tube.

The last little bit to take care of is the gusseting at the top of the tongue.  A plate is added between the two members just like the bottom and a couple of small gussets are added to support the extended area of the coupler mount.

Next up is decking but there’s one issue I need to address before starting.  When I attached the rear rotisserie mount, I forgot about the clearance I’d need for the deck so part of the mounting plate needs to be cut back and removed.

Now I can get to installing the decking.  It will be made from two 4×10 sheets of 10 gauge steel.  I can cut two panels to span the width of the trailer and the offcuts will create a similarly sized 3rd panel.  I made the cuts with my metal circular saw while the steel was still on my trailer.

I can get those first two panels tacked on.  I ran some small beads along the top perimeter and also added some tacks to the underside make sure it’s held tight to the frame below.

The offcuts just needed a little trim to fit.  The blade on the metal saw was dull so I used the plasma torch.

With those cut to size, I could get them up onto the trailer and tacked on like the others.

Now I can roll the frame over and weld the decking to the frame from the underside.

The last little thing I want to take care of this time is finalizing the hangers.  They have a little flex in them and come together when the suspension components are bolted down so a quick assembly of the suspension and axles showed me that I had nothing to worry about and can proceed.

I can now finish up the plug welds, the welds between the hangers and the plates, and the welds between the plates and the frames.

That takes care of this one.  At this point we’ve constructed what is essentially a basic trailer.  From this point forward, it’s going to be all about the customizations that make this trailer truly unique!

PRODUCTS USED
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Metal Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2c3DaSS
Mag Drill: https://amzn.to/2r8hYIo

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