At the end of part one (The Shed, November–December 2022, issue 105), we sent the welded frame, the front and back gates, and the axle of our trailer for galvanizing. You could paint the trailer instead of galvanizing it, but paint won’t get deep inside the box section to stop rusting in there. You can paint the frame after galvanizing, but there’s a lot of fuss with primer and preparation.
Use a drill to clear galvanizing from the box-section vent holes you drilled for safety during galvanizing. I also cleared out the holes in the spring holders (photo 1) and in the angle-iron cross members that I pre-drilled before the trailer went for galvanizing. It pays to pre-drill as many holes as possible before the galvanizing. These include holes in the hinge straps and holes in the angle-iron supports for the side boards.
Check the coverage of the galvanizing, especially on the welds. Rust can occur on a weld that has been sitting in the rain after galvanizing if there is an air lock not properly covered by the weld. The wiring clip barrels and tie-ons — pieces of bent rod — that were welded to the trailer frame should also be well covered with galvanizing (photo 2). To cover any gaps in the galvanizing, you can use spray-on cold galvanizing zinc spray from a can. Follow the instructions.
“Check the coverage
