Structural Repairs

This project began as a simple restoration, but the more layers stripped, the more problems were discovered!  Lots of care was taken when stripping the timbers and rusty walls to salvage as much as possible, but you don't know when you start these things what you are going to find...

The walls had large holes, and were cut off with an angle grinder, revealing that they were not watertight at the bottom, and the water was running into the framework, and allowing it to rust underneath the hardwood floor. 

Once the floor was lifted, the extent of the rust was evident. 

In this picture, you can see the lower part of the walls that were spot welded to the frame.  The vertical supports were rusted through at floor level, but the angles just have surface rust 

The angle beams could be salvaged, but the cost of sandblasting them, was greater than replacing them, so it was cheaper to put new steel in.

 
 

The leak in the roof had allowed water to run onto the main structural beams, at the top of the walls, and they had rusted through in two places (one on each side).

Again, this could be repaired, by replacing the rusted section, and cleaning the rest, but it would cost almost as much as replacing the entire beams.  Since these were the main structural beams of the trailer, it was safer to replace them, and worth the extra money to have that piece of mind.


Original Floor Plan                                             New Floor Plan
Forward Facing Angle Load                               Rear Facing Straight Load
with drop down ramp & rear tack box                with rear doors, step up and slide out ramp

 

 

So began sandblasting!  Well worth every cent!  Cost less than I expected, and took a fraction of the time it would have spend me doing it by hand, even with a sander and drill.

The roof was cut off to make it easier to sandblast, and it needed to be removed to replace the beams at the back anyway.

The front end, roof, and the dual axles is pretty much all we kept! 

Primed it in 2 coats of rust protection primer immediately after the sandblasting.

Then it went off to the metal shop to have the structural beams replaced...



Which turned out great!  New walls will be flat instead of corrugated, so the extra angle to the front end is to add the structural integrity that the walls used to give it. 

The old roof is replaced onto new beams at the top, at floor level a tubular (100mm) beam is used to add strength, and to ensure there is no where for water to collect.  The angles used for floor beams have also been replaced with tubular steel, that is closed at both ends, so water cannot enter.

The tail gate ramp won't be replaced, but two rear doors will be added, so the steel at the rear have been replaced with stronger materials.


All the steel has been replaced with galvanised, so it won't need to be painted, and shouldn't suffer from the rust as it did in the past.  (The idea is that it won't be neglected again either!)

The new horizontal bars have been placed at heights to support the windows that will be going in.  As a rear facing trailer, both horse and pony height windows will be installed at the very rear of the trailer.  Additional windows for ventilation will be at horse height further forwards.



The rear doors have galvanised steel frames, and additional support has been installed for the flush mounted locks (one of each door) and rear windows. 

The horses will have to drop their heads a little to see out, and ponies lift, but both sized equines will be able to see out the sides and the rear easily enough.  I will be able to see in from ground level too.



So that completes all the structural work!  Just the tip of the iceberg, but its finally starting to look like a horse trailer again, which is really exciting after all that stripping for months and months!

Introducing The Gooseneck

 

 

I bought this 1995 second hand gooseneck 3 horse float in 2004. 

 

It was a good deal, but had lots of superficial rust, and needed a make-over. Of course, I didn't do the work it needed when I bought it, and used it with my horses for 5 years, until the rust went beyond superficial. I started stripping the paint and rust in 2009, and two weeks later, I broke my leg in 8 places, and had a long recovery, while the gooseneck sat in the yard for years quietly rusting away...







By 2012, it was looking like this:

Neglected and unloved!


The seam in the roof leaked, and the rear storm flap couldn't close, so water had been seeping in, running down the roof beams, and the into the tailgate and rusting it from the inside out.



While structurally it was still sound, the walls were rusted through, and crumbling.



Rubber had been sprayed onto the hardwood floor by the previous owner, and this trapped moisture as well. 


They had also bolted rubber belting to the walls, and I regret not removing this as soon as I bought the trailer!  



Never, ever, ever use spray on rubber in your trailer, or bolt rubber to the walls so it can't air out!!  You WILL regret it.




It felt like the rust just went on forever...

Oh yes, that IS my hand easily fitting through the rusted hole in the wall.... The line of bolts where the rubber was attached is where the rust started.



Three of the four hinges (below right) on the tailgate were completely gone, and the beam on the back needed replacing.


So it was brought back to life and moved to where I could start stripping it back to restore it. 


Like an onion, it was layers of surprises...  And MUCH harder work than I had anticipated.... 


 

 

Single Roofless Pony Float

 



Back in 1997...

My first horse trailer was a little single horse trailer that I found advertised for $200, neglected and sitting on blocks in a paddock for years.  Yes, it was a sad, ugly thing, but it was more than I could afford and I saw potential.  I had one mini horse at the time, so it was enough.

 

 

 

With my dad doing the welding, we cut the walls off and lowered them so there was no more rust, repainted, new electrics, new window and locks, and she was good to go.  It was easy enough.  It was a great little lightweight float.

 

 

Traded in this trailer a couple of years later, when I had 2 ponies, and a carriage to transport as well.  This little guy couldn't do it, and I was sorry to see it go.  Now when I look it, I would change so much - the sharp edges on the door and mud guards, the open triangle over the lights, and the minimal lining inside would not be acceptable to me now, but fortunately, I never had a horse injured in or around this trailer, and we travelled almost every weekend to shows and clinics, and other events.

 



Welcome to my Rebuild of a Gooseneck Blog!

This blog documents my own personal journey renovating my horse float.  This blog gives me somewhere to collect and share the images and stories throughout this process. 

DIY is a financial necessity for me, but also the only way to ensure I get exactly what I want!  In many aspects its also a steep learning curve, and a much bigger, time consuming project than I have attempted in the past.  It would certainly have been easier to just buy a new float, although that was not in my budget, and by doing it myself, I am getting a top of the range, custom gooseneck for the price of a basic 2 horse A-frame float.

I'm happy for others to use ideas on what to do or not to do from my experiences, good and bad, just like I have gleaned ideas and suggestions from others who have shared similar experiences on the internet, and from innovative manufacturers.  I've seen a lot more bad designs, than good ones!  I have really enjoyed researching the many options and ideas for floats and float storage ideas out there, and picking and choosing what I hope will work for me and my horses, as well as what wouldn't be too costly, or technical, for me to build myself! Someone more competent than myself would probably do things very differently.


There's not a lot of rear facing horse floats out there, despite the studies supporting the idea, so I hope that this blogs helps others convert or purchase their own trailers and trucks in rear facing.

Enjoy the journey... friendly comments and discussion are welcome,

- Karri.