Second Coat of Paint and Wheels

 We had a warm sunny day so I dried off the trailer in the morning and was able to get the second coat done after lunch.

I decided red wheels with the chrome Baby Moon caps should look good, well bright anyway.  I wire brushed both sides to clean them up.  The back side got painted black.

I started wiring but the harness is a couple feet short.  Another day.

Safety Chains and First Coat of Paint

 To attach the Safety Chains I made a bracket from a piece of the scrap channel from the boat trailer.

It bolts on to the tongue under the hitch coupler.

I've used 1/2" Grade 5 bolts for this and the 2 Coupler bolts.

We had a day of sunny, almost 60 degree weather.  I was able to get the first coat of paint.  People should be able to see it anyway.  Once I get a second coat on the yellow I'll do some red trim.

We also need some decking and the wiring.

New 2" Hitch Coupler Installed

 The boat trailer hitch was set up for a 1 7/8" ball for a trailer under 2,000 pounds.  I registered the trailer for 2,500 pounds so I needed a 2" ball (3,500 pounds).  This meant I needed a new Trailer Hitch Coupler.

I cut the old coupler off and drilled holes to bolt on the new one.

 The square tube is made of 2 pieces of channel.  The old coupler was welded on and in doing so welded the channels together.  I didn't want to weld the coupler on so I welded the channels together along the seam.

I primed it all but it was only 27 degrees out so it was never going to dry even though the steel was still quite warm from welding.  I put a bucket over the end with a trouble light in it and wrapped it all up with some waterproof tire covers to help keep it warm, just as the snow started.

 By this morning we had 8" of snow.  The paint did dry.

I've bolted on the new coupler and the wheeled jack stand from the old plane trailer.  It's designed to fold out of the way but the straight part of the tongue is to short so it hits the frame.  At least it swivels to make moving the trailer easier.

I still have to add the safety chains.

Trailer Welding Done

 I had just enough time, before it got dark, to weld on the second fender.  It's not my prettiest welding but It's there to stay.  Nice to have the welding done.

I may have to set up a tent and use my torpedo heater to get it warm enough to paint.

One Fender Welded On The Trailer

 I've started priming the trailer.  Tractor Supply has some Rust-Oleum for outdoor farm equipment.  I figure the trailer will spend it's life out of doors so this seems the paint for it.  It's a real oil based enamel.  I'll use Caterpillar Yellow with some Ford Red, and then Black for the diamond plate.  It needs 50 degree weather to dry so who knows when it will get done.

 The plan was to use a scrap of the small angle from the boat trailer to support the fender.  The good fun was cutting it to length with a cut-off blade in the circular saw.  The only way to go.

 The fender will get welded to the piece of angle in the front and rear of the tire.

Unfortunately the fender isn't long enough.  Rather than buy new fenders, the old trailer never had them, I'll make an extension for one end of the fender.

I bought a small fender at Tractor Supply to cut out pieces to make the extensions.  The fender is the same thickness as the boat trailer fenders.

 The boat trailer fenders are 9 inches wide, the new one 7 inches.  There is enough metal to cut 4 pieces to make the 2 extensions, one for each fender, with some left over.

I tacked them together, and to the fender, then welded it all up.  I like it.  It was quick, easy and cheap.

 It worked best to put the extension in the front.  I welded the fender to the front support, then wiggled and slightly twisted it to get a good fit to the rear support.

On the front support I welded it to the free edge of the angle support.  It wasn't bad because the thickness of the 2 pieces were fairly close.

On the rear support I welded it to the corner or the angle and into a blind pocket at the trailer frame, much harder to control the heat for the thick corner and the thin edge of the fenderl.

One fender done and I've run out of daylight.

That wheel needs a nice Chrome hub cap and Black paint.

Started Welding Frame to Trailer

 I started welding the side rails to the old trailer, but ran out of gas.  We're going into town tomorrow so I've loaded the cylinders in the car and we'll get them refilled.  I'm planning to only weld about 1/2 the total distance along the sides.

The next big task will be to weld on the old boat trailer fenders.  These tires are larger but they look like they will fit.

Boat Trailer and Plane Trailer are Joined

 I cut off the old tongue to fit inside the cross member of the boat trailer frame.

The end needed to be shaped a little to fit inside the cross member.

I'll weld it to the cross member.

 With the frame clamped back to the old trailer I needed to make sure the hitch was centered on the trailer and perpendicular to the axle.  I assumed the axle is square to the old trailer frame and just need to get the hitch on the centerline.

I placed a magnetic laser at the center of the rear of the trailer.  Then aligned it with the center of the front of the trailer and the cross member where the tongue will be welded.

With one side of the frame bolted to the trailer the other side was moved slightly for and aft until the hitch was within 1/16" of the centerline.

 The free side frame was then bolted to the old trailer.  I'm ready to weld them together.  We're getting there.

Welding Done on the Front Frame for the Trailer

 With everything aligned I started welding the splices on the side frames.  I didn't weld the full length of the top seam because was worried it would cause the frame to bend up slightly.  I'll flip it over, weld the bottom then finish the top.

 Before I unclamped it from the trailed I also welded the cross member together in the center.

The frame is now on it's back.

To keep the side rails from moving I clamped them together with a 2x4 at the rear end.

The bottom of the side splices were welded.

 While I had it upside down I also welded a piece to the cross member flange where I cut it.  It tied the cut flange together and to the side frame.  I just forgot to take a picture.

 The frame was turned upright and the top splice welds finished.

 I clamped on a 2x4 at the cut line for the side frames so I could measure the length.  I cut off 31" from each side.  I sure hope I measured right.

 The front frame is clamped onto the old trailer, again.

One thing I didn't notice before is the tongue goes slightly uphill.

The cross member in the middle of the tongue looks like it is bending up slightly in the middle.  Maybe once I cut it off I can push it down to the middle of the cross member, then weld it in place.