How to bend aluminium square tubing? RAMMING WITH TRUCK?
 

Advice needed please.

I got some 3 inch aluminum tubing 1/8 inch thickness. Lenth is 10 foot. I am using it to replace the rusted out steel sides on my boat trailer. I just want a couple more seasons out of this trailer before I buy a new one.

I called a few shops and nobody seems to be able to bend it for me.

I was thinking of just ramming it with my truck to get it to bend, but if anyone knows a better way of doing this it would help a lot.

Here is a picture of what I am trying to do:

https://post.craigslist.org/imagepre...hJ_600x450.jpg

The bend radius does not need to be precise at all since I am not following any plan or blueprint. (I got the aluminum tubes for cheap)

https://post.craigslist.org/imagepre...Ze_600x450.jpg

I just want to be able to put my aluminum 12 footer back on the trailer so I can get some fishing done. boat is being stored on top of truck for now.

umm... cut it.. cut the angle.. then weld it...

Cut and Weld is the easiest. Aluminium can be bent, but you need the tools and die to do it.

You also don't want to mix Aluminium with Steel looks like you are trying to do that.. it will make the steel rust much quicker.

try a welding shop that has a press perhaps they could do it
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I mean everything below as really nice.

NO!

Sell your aluminum, because you are doing it wrong. No, you can't drive into it and bend it.

Buy some box steel. It's cheap! You'll love it.

Take your trailer to one of 1000 shops, welders or whatever and say, "cut this, and replace with this" then go and get your trailer inspected as a u-build so its properly insured and call it a day.

Then, you don't NEED to buy a new trailer, because why would you, this one is good as new. You can even paint it and it will be even better.

Do it right, or don't do it at all. I don't want to drive behind you the illegal way you are planning on doing it.

:heckno:

Why would you want to try and bend that? You lose all rigidity of the square once you do it. Easiest solution is to have a shop cut and weld it. Better solution is to chop off the old steel and replace it with new steel square tubing. It's simple and most shops can do it for you in a matter of minutes, especially a proper metal fabrication shop.

First of all., thanks to all you for your input.


Ok - it seems like bending the tube on my own is not a good idea.

I think maybe, if I just use the tube unbent and make a triangle shape it should work ok.

So does this sound ok?

I vote you ram it with you truck and post a video back here with your findings.

Here's a thought: even if you bent them properly or got them notched and welded, how were you planning on attaching the steel crossmembers and axle to them? lol

Get it done in steel, preferably galvanized.

But yes, if you do decide to bend it with your truck, please post a vid and pics of the finished product.

ok. here is what I may try. I will build a support frame using wood (ten feet long) - just a wood tube with a square inside diameter of 3 inches that I will slide over the aluminum pole like a condom. The wood tube will be cut at the 7 foot area and I will use a hinge to hold the 3 foot length to the 7 foot length (but allowing for bend). I will then secure the 7 foot section to a wall (probably clamped in place by driving my brothers truck against it). I will leave the 3 foot section protruding from the wall with the hinge facing towards the wall. I will then ram the 3 foot section with my SUV. This should cause a nice sharp bend at the 7 foot mark.

The original trailer was all held in place with big square U bolts. There were no welds on it to start. My boat is a very light 12 foot boat and the 3 inch steel seems like overkill for this trailer. The cross members will not be welded to the new frame. I will use the old clamping method to attach the pieces together plus I will add an additional 2 or 3 steel crossbars near the front end of the trailer.

I will be sure to make a video of my success or failure for the entertainment of other revscene members.

subbd for the lulz...

:Popcorn

"How 'bout now, it's ripped?"

-Russell Peters

sounds kinky to me, how much do the boat weigh?

I would like to say hello to the medical examiner who will undoubtedly be using this post as evidence in his investigation.

Just get MM Designs to wrap the entire thing in duct tape, good as new.

I tapped out at condom hahahahahahahaha.

If the wooden condom doesn't work, try making it out of steel.

Hello Sanjay from Burnaby!

I'd like to change my original post, and definitely I want you to do this.

I'm not going to lie to you. This is a GREAT idea. You can't recognize that your trailer is welded together, but that level of inexperience is not a problem. You want to build a wooden box condom, which I can't say I fully understand..but thats me man. You obviously have a vision here that I lack.

Seriously dude. Just stop. You don't know what you are doing and you are going to waste time and money and effort and its unsafe.

Throw a few bucks at a professional and get it done right.

On the topic of condoms,

I imagine the first greek soldiers who used lamb intestine as a contraceptive device were ridiculed by naysayers. Leave the guy alone grid, just because you didn't think of the wooden condom.

Fear not, young Sanjay -- Tread on, my brethren! May good luck and fortune be with you.

One day, your name will be remembered with many of the other great sanjays before you, like:

Sanjay Gandhi
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...jay_Gandhi.jpg

Sanjay Dutt
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oY5DBzPli5...jay-dutt03.jpg

Sanjay Gupta
http://digitalnatives.net/lqhs/files...y-gupta-05.jpg

And of course, what list of great sanjays would be complete without Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon, brother of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon

Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__.../65/Sanjay.png

http://i.imgur.com/LIlt6dF.jpg

I think he died

you fuckin white devils killin our kids and corrupting their minds

THIS IS THE DISCRIM-NATION!

Ok - This thread is old and I forgot to update it a while ago. People were waiting for the carnage video and I failed to provide it.

Here is what happened

I was a bit worried about the ramming because I only had 2 pieces of aluminum tubing. If I messed up one pf the two 10 foot tubes then I would have to drive back the shady area under the Pattulo bridge to buy another one from the sellers junk heap.

I thought I would try putting the boat on the roof on a couple of pieces of scrap wood - but it seemed like a bit of a hassle and all boat mess (engine,fuel.rods.bait,etc) would have to get added to the crap that's already littering the back of the truck. Plus it would not fit threw the garage gate at my condo.

http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Boatrooffail.JPG

So I went to home depot and bought a large crapload of ubolts and a $29 grinder. I ripped the old trailer apart by jumping on the rusted areas and

grinding away whatever did not come apart. (took the old rusty metal to the landfill)

I lost my measuring tape so I laid out the metal tubes and simply used lots of ubolts to re-attach everything back together by eye. It turned out to be a really easy project and I was quite pleased with the result.

I had 2 people jump up and down on the trailer and it looked really sturdy. I then look it by a mechanic and asked him if he thing it would pass certification. I was worried about the tongue area and was thinking of getting a triangle plate welded on.

He said it looked really "solid" so I did not bother.

I put the boat back on and used the trailer heavily for the whole 2013 season without any problems. (other then random trailer light failures and bad bearing which Big O Tires (on Kingsway - near Rupert) made way worse - bearing was fixed properly by myself after watching a few youtube "trailer bearing" videos

Here is the before and after pics


Rusty trailer pic1
http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Rustytrailer01.jpg

Rusty trailer pic1
http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Rustytrailer02.JPG

Trailer with new sides
http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Trailer01.JPG

http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Trailer2.JPG

http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Trailer3.JPG

http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/Trailer4.JPG

Some crabs I caught Pic
http://www.doglantis.com/trailer/somecrabs.JPG

Cost to do this was around

$50 for the tubes ($25 X2)
$80 for ubolts (a bunch - plus I had a few lying around)
$0 for labor - cause I have plenty of free time anyways.

Total cost $130.

Anyways - I lost 1/2 of the front skidplate on my truck while trying to sculpt a snow castle with the pathfinder during winter - tried pushing a large pile of snow, but my front bumper is still solid.

If anyone has a nice long piece of square 3 inch aluminum tubing that they want to donate I will gladly RAM into it with my Pathfinder while filming (I have 2 camcorders now) - There is an abandoned car on my street block that I can use as a nice wedge for the tubing. I will even pay $20 for the delivery of the tubing. (to Joyce area). If my bumper breaks during the tube RAMMING video making, then I will make a new bumper using aluminum tubing. (will post pics also of that)

I kind of regret not getting the third piece at the time.

^whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Sanjay, Godwin's point here is important.

I would fit a bushing between the aluminum (anode) and steel (cathode) to prevent further galvanic corrosion. A piece of rubber would work well.

I was waiting for this thread to come back up. That looks dangerous as fuck man. How can you be okay with driving that on the road? And aluminum doesn't bend well. It will break.