Steal Trailer Question?

[Jesse68]

I have a steal square tube trailer that's painted white. I live close to Galveston Texas and want to put my boat into salt water. My question is how fast will my trailer rust out? Are we talking days, month, years? Is taking it to a car wash after a day of boating good enough for it not to rust out real fast? I know to keep the wheels greased at all times so I got that covered. I used waterproof grease that a picked up at walmart but if their is something better please post it. I wish it was a galvanized trailer but if yall say this trailer will last a few years then i'm going for it and ill get a galvanized trailer for it later. I did a search on here for the boat so I was able to get my questions answered about that just not the trailer. Thanks for the help :cheers:

 

[kustomkarl]

The steel trailer will last about 5 years from salt water use if you spray it good with the garden hose after each dunking. It's not the outside, that's the problem, but the bare metal inside that's not coated that corrodes.

Karl

 

[south texas]

Also, don't forget to grease the snot out of the bearings after each use. The salt water will tear them up fast if you don't!

 

[Jesse68]

Cool thanks! 5 years is plenty of time to save up for a galvanized trailer. My plan is to upgrade to a newer boat by then. My friends with boats have burned it into my head to grease! grease! grease! so I won't forget that. Thanks again! :cheers:

 

[Chief Engineer]

My first trailer was a steel painted unit that lasted five years (maybe more but I sold it and the boat). I mounted a couple of zinc anodes to the frame rails and installed two garden hose connections (one on each side). After a day of boating, I hooked up the hose to each side for about 5 minutes and let it flush. Just a suggestion based on my experience......

 

[Jesse68]

My first trailer was a steel painted unit that lasted five years (maybe more but I sold it and the boat). I mounted a couple of zinc anodes to the frame rails and installed two garden hose connections (one on each side). After a day of boating, I hooked up the hose to each side for about 5 minutes and let it flush. Just a suggestion based on my experience......

Hey brother that sounds like an awesome idea but I have no idea what zinc anodes are or what there for. I tried to look them up online but not getting any help from it. Could ya post a link to what zinc anodes your talking about. Also could ya tell me exactly what steps you did to install this cool idea. Thanks for the post looks like a another fun project :cheers:

 

[Kevin3151]

The zinc is a sacrificial anode that is supposed to eat away before the steel does, basically it makes the trailer corrode slower. Not sure if it would do anything on a trailer because trailers dont sit in the water for any length of time. Im only guessing though.

Here is a great article.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Protecting-Metal-Components-by-Using-Zinc-Anodes&id=2366150

the hose flush of the trailer frame is kinda cool.

KH

 

[Chief Engineer]

Well, here's the deal with the zinc anodes - I bolted them directly to the frame rails on both sides with stainless nuts, bolts and lock washers. This gives a direct metal to metal contact between the zinc, the stainless bolts and washers and the frame rails. As they all conduct electricity no matter how small the current flow, the sacrificial anode will begin to waste away first regardless of it being submerged in saltwater or not. Just for the record, this is based off of 18 years of deep sea sailing experience on ships of anywhere between 80 ft long, 500hp and 950 foot long, 120,000hp. I'm a USCG Unlimited License Chief Engineer of Steam, Motor, and Gas Turbine vessels. Cathodic protection systems onboard ships work under the same principal.

Now in regards to the hose fittings in the trailer, buy some cheap plastic hose connections at Home Depot, Lowes, etc., female hose connection to 1/2" male NPT. Next head over to the electrical supply section, and buy brass, stainless, or zinc coated 1/2" conduit lock nuts/rings whatever they call them. On your trailer, drill the appropriate size hole with a holesaw right next to the removable rubber/plastic plugs situated throughout the frame rails. You need to be able to reach into the frame rail with needlenose pliers or visegrips to hold the locknut/ring while you screw the hose connection into it. Tighten it up with a drift pin or flat blade screwdriver and a hammer and you are good to go.

 

[Craigmri]

Chief,

You clearly have more seagoing experience that I have so you have more credibility than I however I'm confused, I always thought you had to have your boat in the water and have stray electrical current to cause the metal to be eaten away? if a boat is on a triailer out of the water there is no current involved. The rust the trailer would get is caused by a different process no???

Craig

 

[Chief Engineer]

Say you've got a steel trailer with stainless u-bolts, coupler, nut and bolts etc., then you've got two different metals and they will impart a small electrical current between them even in air. The humidity in the air will act like the electrolyte and obviously when the trailer is dunked in salt water and even after it is pulled out, the corrosive effects will be more rapid. You also have the possibility of stray currents from your tow vehicle to the trailer and even from the boat to the trailer. Granted it is usually in milliamps but that's enough to cause problems over time. Between the zincs (sacrificial anodes) and the flushing connections it kept my trailer from becoming swiss cheese.

I wised up and insisted on a galvanized trailer this time.

Believe me, I've got a lot to learn about recreational boating!!!!!!!!!! I'll be picking lots of brains on here for advice, I'm sure.....

Put me on a diesel or steam powered steel ship, and I can hold my own on most any system onboard.

 

[Kevin3151]

Say you've got a steel trailer with stainless u-bolts, coupler, nut and bolts etc., then you've got two different metals and they will impart a small electrical current between them even in air. The humidity in the air will act like the electrolyte and obviously when the trailer is dunked in salt water and even after it is pulled out, the corrosive effects will be more rapid. You also have the possibility of stray currents from your tow vehicle to the trailer and even from the boat to the trailer. Granted it is usually in milliamps but that's enough to cause problems over time. Between the zincs (sacrificial anodes) and the flushing connections it kept my trailer from becoming swiss cheese.

I wised up and insisted on a galvanized trailer this time.

Believe me, I've got a lot to learn about recreational boating!!!!!!!!!! I'll be picking lots of brains on here for advice, I'm sure.....

Put me on a diesel or steam powered steel ship, and I can hold my own on most any system onboard.

Good stuff. Thanks.

KH