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Trailer Makeover


smeagol

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Do you have more details on the project?  A materials list, perhaps?  :cheers:

I have a very similar project coming up this spring...except my trailer is just really old.

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Here's my project list:

 - Tires and wheels from Discount Tire

 - New 2x6 pressure treated bunks - figured that the cost of the wood was worth the hassle of pulling staples out of the old bunks, pleased with this decision.  Re-used original hardware.

 - Carpet is 18oz HD Bunk Carpet 12" x 75' from boatcarpetsales on e-bay.  Seems like good quality and very easy to work with.  Secured with stainless staples using electric staple gun.  Was a little worried that using 12" carpet would be a problem but didn't want to pay more for something that would reach all the way around when I wasn't sure it was necessary.  There is about a 1.5" gap underneath, and I'm hoping that is ok. Would guess that I have about 20' of carpet left.

 - Re-used the plastic fender panels and mistakenly stapled the carpet to the wrong side of one of them, so had a re-do there.  Used finish nails pushed through the carpet to mark my screw locations.

 - Most of the rust was under the old step pads, so I didn't have to worry too much about paint finish.  I cleaned the rust, sprayed with rustoleum primer and rustoleum glossy black from Home Depot. 

 - Washed 2x, then polish and finish to hopefully protect the paint at least for a little while. 

 - There were areas that the old step pad adhesive did not come off completely, so I scrubbed those areas with a stiff brush to remove edges and create a clean smooth surface for SeaDeck

 - SeaDek is a sheet 39" x 77"from sturdybuilttrailerpartsinc on e-bay.  Used about 60% of it and was stunned with how easy it was to work with.  Cut with a utility knife and scissors (using a garden hose connector as my template for rounded corners). I was worried aligning it would be a challenge, but I was able to eyeball it and adjust on the fly before pressing down and securing.

 - Electrical had been chewed by mice, so most challenging part of the project was figuring out where wire needed to be replaced. Used a continuity tester and went hunting.

 - Replaced bow roller and winch strap from Amazon.  Thought it would be a good idea to go from a 10' strap to 20', but 20' just barely fits on my spool.  So, it works, but probably not necessary to make the change.

  • Like 3
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2 hours ago, John I. said:

Looks great! I assume you will be finding a new storage location for it.

 

6 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

That looks nice, great job!  Will it be stored inside now?

 

 

I will still be storing it outside as the cost of covered storage is just too much.  If I have to do a make-over every five years, it will be cheaper than paying for covered storage.

I'm hoping to move it to another part of the storage facility where it is not sitting under trees.  I purchased wheel covers (Camco 24-26") from Amazon to hopefully lengthen the life of the tires.

  • Like 1
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I found a company that makes fender/wheel covers, but they were like over $350 per side.  And a total trailer cover can be had for over $1k... none of these options seem reasonable to me on the price/benefit scale.

Curious if any of you have done something simple like throwing/staking a tarp over your trailer to try and protect it from the elements?

Also, I think I saw somewhere that it helps to get the tires off the ground.  Is it ok to just put them on a block of wood?

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5 hours ago, smeagol said:

Here's my project list:

 - Tires and wheels from Discount Tire

 - New 2x6 pressure treated bunks - figured that the cost of the wood was worth the hassle of pulling staples out of the old bunks, pleased with this decision.  Re-used original hardware.

 - Carpet is 18oz HD Bunk Carpet 12" x 75' from boatcarpetsales on e-bay.  Seems like good quality and very easy to work with.  Secured with stainless staples using electric staple gun.  Was a little worried that using 12" carpet would be a problem but didn't want to pay more for something that would reach all the way around when I wasn't sure it was necessary.  There is about a 1.5" gap underneath, and I'm hoping that is ok. Would guess that I have about 20' of carpet left.

 - Re-used the plastic fender panels and mistakenly stapled the carpet to the wrong side of one of them, so had a re-do there.  Used finish nails pushed through the carpet to mark my screw locations.

 - Most of the rust was under the old step pads, so I didn't have to worry too much about paint finish.  I cleaned the rust, sprayed with rustoleum primer and rustoleum glossy black from Home Depot. 

 - Washed 2x, then polish and finish to hopefully protect the paint at least for a little while. 

 - There were areas that the old step pad adhesive did not come off completely, so I scrubbed those areas with a stiff brush to remove edges and create a clean smooth surface for SeaDeck

 - SeaDek is a sheet 39" x 77"from sturdybuilttrailerpartsinc on e-bay.  Used about 60% of it and was stunned with how easy it was to work with.  Cut with a utility knife and scissors (using a garden hose connector as my template for rounded corners). I was worried aligning it would be a challenge, but I was able to eyeball it and adjust on the fly before pressing down and securing.

 - Electrical had been chewed by mice, so most challenging part of the project was figuring out where wire needed to be replaced. Used a continuity tester and went hunting.

 - Replaced bow roller and winch strap from Amazon.  Thought it would be a good idea to go from a 10' strap to 20', but 20' just barely fits on my spool.  So, it works, but probably not necessary to make the change.

If you don’t mind me asking, what was the total cost of everything?

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Trailer looks great!

You could probably buy a a extra large heavy duty tarp and drape it over the guide poles. To prevent puddling put to ropes from the bow roller to each guide poles nice and tight just to make a “frame”, I’d also put large pool noodles on the ropes to make them a little wider/softer.  Dropping the tarp all the way onto the ground on all four sides, with heavy boards ontop to keep the wind from lifting it up. Just a thought but putting the front of the trailer towards the wind will probably be easier on the tarp as it won’t be like a walk to break the wind. 

When I say Heavy Duty I mean something like this, not the super cheap ones that will just fall apart. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077Y6DDLQ/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1&th=1

Edited by Cole2001
  • Like 1
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Nice work. I need to re-furb mine. I was tossing around the idea of covering the whole thing in bedliner. A friend of mine has a bedlined trailer and it looks great and holds up well.

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Looks great! Yes, get those tires off the soil. When I kept mine in the back yard I didn't do that at first and the tires went bad really quick. Replaced them and started putting on 2"x12"s. Had no problems after that. I've heard even having them sit on concrete for extended time will ruin a tire. If mine is going to sit in place for a long time in the driveway I will put it on boards still.

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I bought a cheap universal boat cover at Menards and just tied it over the top. I also pulled the post in the back out to make it fit. To keep water from puddling I drilled holes in it where water puddled. In the picture I hadn't drilled drainage holes so it is full of water.   https://photos.app.goo.gl/wDGYKeNQxweJv9Cd2

 

Edited by roeboat
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On 3/1/2018 at 7:38 PM, svnfightsvn said:

If you don’t mind me asking, what was the total cost of everything?

Tires and wheels were the big expense at $800, but trailer is 13 years old and I was replacing originals, so don’t really count this in the cost of the refurb. I think carpet was about $120 and Seadek about $150. Probably about $75 for everything else. 

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Thanks for the list!  Makes it easier to track this stuff down.  

I think you did the bunks properly, with the carpeting not reaching 100% around.  I watched a few tutorials and they recommended leaving a big gap underneath for fast drainage and improved drying.  

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Looks very sharp, thanks for posting. What's the hardware you used to attach the plastic fender panels? Mine are attached with screws, but the metal on the fender has rusted in places to I need to figure out something more secure. 

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13 hours ago, norcal210 said:

Looks very sharp, thanks for posting. What's the hardware you used to attach the plastic fender panels? Mine are attached with screws, but the metal on the fender has rusted in places to I need to figure out something more secure. 

I had some rust, but for the most part, the fenders were structurally sound.  So, I just replaced the old screws with new ones. 

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