How to get Rust off Trailers

[karenkarenn]

Hello
I was wondering if anyone here knew how to get rust off of a horse trailer.
We cant find anyone to take care of it and paint it. So Its up to us to do it.
Any Advice?
Karen

[ElPrado]

First, get a belt sander. You'll save a lot of muscle pain if you use one. You have to sand the rust off as much as you can. You need to get down to clean bare metal. If the wheel cover things (whatever you call the things that fit over the wheels) are in too bad of shape, you may need to replace them. You can fit sheet metal to them, I've repaired a trailer doing that. Same with the doors, if they are in bad shape, replace them. Make sure there are no sharp edges, you know that if there is a way for a horse to injure itself, it will find it. Bend edges over, hopefully welding them. Once you've done that, rustoleum should work. If you have a friend with a body shop you have it made, he would have the equipment. Use primer, liberally, don't just spray a couple of passes. Follow the directions. Then you can paint it the color you want, but I'd stick with rustoleum, it has rust preventative built in.

[madelyn]

Skybryte Chemical make two chemicals that convert rust back into steel. It is better than sanding because sanding removes the rust, thinning the metal. You could call them and they might sell you one jug.

I first worked with Ospho at Merrill Stevens Yacht Repair in Miami in the early 90's. It is AMAZING stuff.

[Diane]

A an older steel trailer is probably worth more as scrap right now. Before you spend any time risking lung function you might make a few phone calls to see how much you can get for it as scrap. www.crankyape.com has a section where if you watch and wait you might get a super deal on a late model aluminum trailer. They have yards in Adelanto and Kingman which should be a day trip to pick something up.

[majxmom]

Karen, you don't say how much rust there is, but if there's a lot, you have to be worried about the bottom of your trailer. Horse can and do fall through the bottom of trailers, and almost never survive after horrific injuries. When I was young, two different people that I showed against had horses fall through their trailers. One was rented, but one was their own. These were show horses and had some value! Be sure to check any rusted trailer very carefully underneath, and if in doubt, don't haul a horse in it!

Having said that, naval jelly works excellently at getting rid of rust.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/inde ... Id=1876643

The real stuff that the Navy uses is much better, but this is ok.