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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-08-15          133359


I bought a piece of 20 gauge "electro-gal" (whatever that is) steel to lay in the bottom of the dump trailer. It seems nobody in town carries galvanized that was large enough and thick enough for this application. The electro-gal steel develops a sort of white rust when exposed to weather. Anyone familiar with this stuff? Is there a good way to keep this metal from rusting badly short of painting it?



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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-08-15          133363


Ken electro galvanizing is applying the Zinc coating from an electrolytic bath rather than molten zinc. The layer is much thinner than the traditional hot dip. It is similar to the thin coating on the galvanized nails for the air gun. So thin you hardly know it is there.
The white on the surface, zinc oxide also occurs on the traditional galvanizing. I would think the first scratch on it will rust unless you keep it oiled.
What other materials have you considered?
....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-08-15          133364


I wanted real galvanized but I couldn't find a place that would shear it to size and sell it to the public in a reasonably thick gauge. Some HVAC shops would sell me 24 gauge but that seemed pretty thin to stand up to the abuse of dumping firewood, etc. on it. Would real galvanized get scratched up and rust anyway? Maybe I'll just screw it down, keep it tarped when not in use and when it rusts out replace it. ....


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DenisS
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 367 NJ
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2006-08-16          133372


IMHO oiling the floor of a dump trailer wouldn't be the best idea simply because of safety issues. ....


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yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004
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2006-08-16          133375


Ken: Any galvanized surface will rust in the spots that get scratched. If you haul any stone, or use a shovel to remove any contents, you'll begin the process. Like was said, the electro stuff is real thin.

I just leave my trailer bed get rusty, but keep it out of the rain. Local farmers put a heavy coat or more of paint on the bed surface. They then line the bottom and sometimes the sides with a material that is like UHMW (kinda like nylon). It comes in big sheets and comes in several thicknesses.

It can take a real beating if you dump stone on it, absorbs shock so it is dent resistant, doesn't rust and is real slippery for dumping. They usually fasten it with countersunk screws and chaulk edges so moisture doesn't get underneath it.

Suggest looking into this as a possible approach.

Happy haulin' ....


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DenisS
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 367 NJ
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2006-08-16          133376


I think this is what yooper is referring to. Check out the Heavy duty stuff. ....


Link:   Heavy Duty Dump Truck Bed Liners

 

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
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2006-08-16          133378


I think Denis is on the right track.

We use a sprayed on lining on all of our dumps. One of the boys bought a small dump trailer of his own to collect firewood for his personal use. He just bought the DIY roll-on bed liner goop from the auto supply place and then thinned it just a little so it would dry to as smooth a finish as possible. It seemed to work pretty good and everything slides out of it well, but sticky topsoil or clay or something might be different.

I've also seen people succesfully use similarly coated plywood in the bottom of small dumps. The wood seems to absorb the impact better if wood is tossed in it on a regular basis, and is readily available.

Best of luck. ....


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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-08-16          133379


Ken: Denis's suggestion was what I was working around to. UHMW is Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. You can purchase it in sheets from somewhere like US plastics. Normal high density polyethylene would work also and would be much cheaper.
The urethane coatings like Murf suggest would work, but many have abrasive in them to increase friction. Murf mentioned that one of his guys thinned it down, there are some coatings that come with the abrasive separately. The urethane coating will not be as slick as the PE. ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-08-16          133381


Thanks, guys. It's all a learning experience. I'll just keep the sheet metal dry, oil it before the rainy season starts and use it as-is. When it gets too beat up or rusty I'll replace it with something else. It's always interesting to learn what solutions other folks have used to solve a problem like this. I suppose a stainless steel sheet would be too expensive. ....


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DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000
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2006-08-16          133383


Since you really only have things sliding in one direction... I.E. front to back..... I wonder if you could "shingle" the bed with strips of sheet metal starting at the back and working forward.

A roll of aluminum flashing from the local home improvement store comes to mind.

....


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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-08-16          133388


Ken,

Working on memory here, but did you not use the metal to just give a smoother surface to a wooden floor to assist in dumping?

If so a thin sheet should be sufficient. Galvanizined will rust if given enough time and wear. Look at old barns.

My thoughts are, it is a trailer you will be using to haul loads you will be dumping. It will get banged and bumped as you use it. If not let me borrow it and it will be. ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-08-16          133389


Mark, the aluminum would probably work and be easy to install. The extra seams might let more water underneath but they could be caulked.

KT, yep the metal was to make the bottom a little more slippery to ease dumping. The boards that came with the trailer aren't all that thick and will flex some so I thought a thicker gauge metal would help stiffen it some when tossing a big round into the trailer. You're right, it's just a trailer and it will get banged around. So be it. ....


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AnnBrush
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 463 Troy OH
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2006-08-16          133392


I just bought six sheets of steel corrugated roofing sheets (called Grand-Rib 3) for a deck project, they are slicker than all get out, They came in 20' sections and covered 3', cost $17 each. If you wanted a cheap solution and did not mind the corrugations (they could be aligned paralell to the sliding direction) they might work great, better yet if they did not work out you would be out just $51 for a 9' by 20' bed. ....


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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-08-16          133395


Ken,

I understand how you feel. It did not work the way you expect so, disappointed. Sometimes a little nick makes me forget the blessing of the new item. But a tool only becomes valuable as we use it. I am reminded of that every time I look at my dented tail gate. Thank you Lord for the trailer that did it does not always come to my mind. ....


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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2006-08-16          133397


My 12,500 GVW dump trailer has always had 3/4" plywood on the sides, doors and floor. It takes a beating hauling broken concrete. If you put a little sand on the bottom of the traler it help the concrete slide out.

Since your trailer is small you might want to put 3/4" plywood down with 1/4" fender washers at the bolt-down points between the plywood and the steel. These will space it off the steel and let them breathe. Otherwise the paint will blister, fake off and rust in no time just due to temperature changes (condensation) not to mention everyday use or the ocassional washing out. Make the front and sides tight as possible to seal out dirt and water.

A cheap alternative to UHMW (for this application) which is very, very expensive is a child's snow toboggan/sled---the kind that a basically a slippery roll of plastic that rolls up on its own. It'll make cleaning up and dumping so much easier and quicker. ....


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oneace
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1490 south central pa
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2006-08-16          133401


Why did you not just get a piece of 14ga. aluminum sheared to size? ....


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
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2006-08-16          133402


Where were you to suggest getting 14 ga. aluminum sheared to size :) ....


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oneace
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2006-08-17          133406


I don't know. It actually just crossed my mind watching Jesse James build a motorcycle on t.v. ....


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k9fletch
Join Date: Jul 2003
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2006-08-20          133535


I used some Lexan Sheets that I got from a large commercial sign manufacture, the sheets were only about 3/16 inch thick and were used to cover the fronts of electronic signs/message boards. They cut real easy on a table saw(blade backwards if I remember correctly) and most were 3'X4' but some were broken. We did this about 5 years ago and they have held up real well even over some large rust holes. My dad still uses this trailer mostly for fire wood and mulch, so I don't know how it would hold up with sand or broken concrete.

I'm not sure if that lexan is the same type of plastic Peters is referring to in his post. ....


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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
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2006-08-21          133538


K9: The Lexan doesn't have the self-lubricating, cushioning, machinability and temperature tolerance properties like UHMW. Some places you'll see this is in food manufacturing, the steel stamping industry, and rule-die cutting, to name a few. It's also used for cutting boards in restaurants and homes. ....


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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-08-21          133543


I have used a "paint" from automotive paint supply store on my disk. It is designed to paint on rusted surface and give you a smooth surface. You can paint over it (may should be) but I just painted my disk black with it. It is a bear on brushes so if you use it, realize the brush is history as you can not remove it from the brush. It probably would work well on the sheet metal if and when it needs to be coated to prevent further rust.

I would have to stop by the paint store it get the name but will if you want me to.

Have a great and bless week, ....


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