Welding floors in a 48' refer. trailer

[Roger]

That cleaner is real nasty stuff (Hydroflouric acid) that you absolutly can't let contact skin. About what is used to clean and pasivate stainless steel.

[bill grooms]

floor repair

When I repair the ridged floors in the reefers, I dont plate the area. I usually find solid aluminum round that fits down in the floor,7/8 I think. I try to get a tight fit. I then tack one end, then pound down the other. Sometimes if there is a portion gone on top, I'll cut a small piece to fill it flush then weld. This repair keeps the floor nice and flat. I'll usually cut the rods to extend the damaged section by about 6 inches or so. Grinding the top flush and then wirebrushing makes the job complete.
good luck

[Arc Burn]

Thanks Franz.

Bill,someone used a similar fix before,only with solid square stock.This is a pretty large fleet operator who feels the plate is worth the $$ so this was the way he wanted to see it done.

[bjdenommee]

Hey I like that idea, round stock at the ends for a nice tight fit.

[Danco]

what material is the floor made of now? if its wood, you might want to wet it down before you bring in the sheets and start welding. also, if youre doing full seem welds, make sure you leave enough gap between the plates before tacking. not doing so will cause them to "lift" at the seam. you might get to do these a lot in the future because in my opinion, aluminum's too soft a metal for a floor plate. these floors take a lot of wear and tear.