Picked up a used RamLin trailer for my 16 IPB a few months ago that was in real nice shape. The only rust it has is on the bottom low spot of the axle. The fenders had just a little but they are easy enough to replace. My question is, when that axle gets to the point where I think that it needs to be replaced, is it possible because of it being welded to the frame? Any thought are appreciated.....thanks! :-?
A trailer shop can grind the welds and install a new torsion axle once it becomes necessary. I'd wire brush and paint that rusty area in the mean time. Use the rattle can bed liner or under coat down there because paint will just get abraded again like the original. From your description, it sounds like the rust is superficial. If so, the axle is structurally sound and should have many years/miles left. Nate
Thanks,Nate! Never thought of grinding the welds. Yes it is pretty superficial although I did pull off what I thought was a fairly thick piece of rust scale from the bottom of it, that's what got me thinking about the future. I will take your advice and clean off the rust that is there, tape off the area and hit it with several coats of under coating. When I purchased the trailer, I cleaned everything that had any rust on it and hit them all with cold galvy spray. The only spot where it came back was the underside of the axle low spot. Thanks again!
The "Axle" on your Ramlin should be bolted on and not welded.. I'm sprucing up a Ram-Lin right now and this is what I did on the rusty spots. 1) Used a angle grinder with a wire wheel to remove any rust or scale. 2) Sprayed "Osphos" on the spots to kill the rust. You can get this at most True Value hardware stores. 3) Sprayed the same areas with Cold Galv..
My axel happens to be welded, your 1 through 3 steps are exactly what I did to this trailer right after I bought it......... :
I would keep an eye on that axle sometimes they rust from the inside out, if that's the case with yours you might be looking for one sooner than later
Seconding what SBC said. Had the exact same thing as you describe on an older trailer I bought used. Even treated it exactly as described above. Shortly thereafter I pulled it out of the garage to get ready for a trip and noticed both tires kicked out at a disturbing angle.
If the exterior rust is due to rust on the interior, the metal is pin holed and very weak. Crawl underneath and tap on the rusty spot with a light hammer. Don't be shy. You should not be able to significantly dent the metal with a 10-12" swing of a light hammer. If you can, compare to the side of the axle away from the rusty spot. If the bottom is mush or obviously softer than the sides, start hunting a new axle. Nate
