Help me find aluminum for my trailer

[SuperDutyScaler]

Ok ive read threads about making a tamiye flatbed trailer to amore scale 48ft, and most of yous found it at local home depot or lowes. Well i dontknow if its cuz i live in crappynew jersey orwhat but i checked three home depots, two lowes, a ace hard ware, a true value hard ware, and one mom and pop hard ware and cant find anything close to tamiya frame stuff! Can someone post a link or something so i can finish my trailer and king hauler please?

[Claus]

I have two sets of stock, never used, Tamiya flatbed frame rails. If you want them, pay the shipping and they are yours. Maybe you could cut and splice.

[Smokin Joe]

I have two sets of stock, never used, Tamiya flatbed frame rails. If you want them, pay the shipping and they are yours. Maybe you could cut and splice.

Claus, because of members like you, there is no shortage of good will on this
forum. Joe

[Claus]

Thanks, there's lots of good people around here. I would rather help somebody out than keep parts I will never use.

[Espeefan]

Cheers to Craig. If I need aluminum sheet, channel, and what not, I usually go shopping online. McMaster-Carr is one of my favorite sources. www.mcmaster.com Not always the cheapest, but they have a huge, huge selection of everything, and shipping is the best I've ever had.

[Bsorenson79]

Cheers to Craig. If I need aluminum sheet, channel, and what not, I usually go shopping online. McMaster-Carr is one of my favorite sources. www.mcmaster.com Not always the cheapest, but they have a huge, huge selection of everything, and shipping is the best I've ever had.

Wow Thank you for the site!! I also live in the communist state of NJ. And let me tell you SuperDuty is right on with the Home Depots not having anything in terms of metal stock.

[Claus]

How will the new parts work out for you Mike?

[SuperDutyScaler]

craig just got home from work and man there's more here than i thought you were gonna send me! i now have enough to keep my stock trailer and take your parts and make a second trailer at a scale 48ft!

[Claus]

Cool!!, Let's see some pics when you get it done.

[THX_138]

Just joined the forum and this is one of the first posts I have read. Third to be exact.

If this is the tone and nature of the forum in general.... I am happy to have found the forum. Refreshing to see people join together in a hobby instead of fight and argue.:)

[SuperDutyScaler]

yea i hardly see any fighting going on here, im part of a Ford Super Duty forum also. I will not say the name unless asked. But almost ever post someone is slamming someone about something stupid, or because the guy asked a dumb question, or because a new guy asked a question that was answered a bunch of times and because he didnt know how or what to search for the answer somone slams him and usually the newbie never comes back.

[fyrbuilder]

I would have to agree. It seems most everyone here wants to help each other out. And they do a great job in helping new people out. I have belonged to two other forums before this one and it seemed to be a competition as to who could insult or "flame" someone the best. I don't particularly care to play those games. Having some fun ribbing each other is one thing, but being hateful and insulting is entirely another.

As for the question as to where to find some aluminum....a really good place to look is a local machine or fabrication shop. If you get in with them good they let you go through their "drop" and either pay a low price for it, or even give it to you as it is no good to them. I have gotten a god bit of aluminum this way!

[THX_138]

You may need to do some paint stripping or creative cuts, but it is amazing what is right under our own nose sometimes.
Sliding glass door chassis/frame holds an abundance of aluminum.
Channels from double pain windows.
Top work surface from old broken table saw.
Many types of old office furniture.
Unwanted or broken aluminum ladders is a great source.
Some lawn furniture.
Even some BBQ grills have aluminum frames.
A simple square tube sliced down the center can end with some sweet frame rails.

I do buy at the store when I can, but the things that have reprocessed materials in them give me the greatest satisfaction.

[cabrover]

Try tractor supply. I found most of my aluminum there.

[SuperDutyScaler]

im trying to post pics of my trailer at 48' but for some reason my computer won't upload them, i'll keep trying guys

[Claus]

Mike upload your photos at photobucket and cut and paste from there, or I can post them for you.

[SuperDutyScaler]

http://i51.tinypic.com/2zywg0k.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/zu2yh1.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/pm92v.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/ab6x5w.jpg

[SuperDutyScaler]

im kinda picky about stuff so i used a old saw blade i had that was getting too dull for wood. it actually cut through the stock trailer parts like butter! plus all the cuts were perfectely square to each other that really helped with joining the sides together. I have to add the grey wood risers still and i have to cut the wood to length so i can finish the deck. im going to take the chrome rims and try to make a set of Budd's out of them with a circle cut of styren. Im going to paint the entire trailer black, also the trailer ended up with exectly 41".

[tc1cat]

Trailer build is really taking shape :D Always nice to see 1 member helping another when they do not know each other. I think that the members on this forum are what sets it apart from all of the other forums. Very little to no fighting or flaming with almost everyone willing to help out a fellow mini-trucker solve a problem :) Makes for a relaxing time looking at all of the threads from everyone.

[Claus]

Nice work Mike.

[SuperDutyScaler]

i just finished filling my roof in a few days ago, got the primer on and got it sanded and got the paint on today so i havent pulled the new trailer yet, but just sitting next to the truck frame is looks sooo much better being 48' long. I dont see why tamiya wouldeven sell the trailer that short. Judging by how cheap we can get the aluminum to extend the trailer it would cost tamiya pennies more for a true 48' trailer.

[Claus]

But then it wouldn't fit in the box. LOL!

While they are at it why don't the make the King Hauler a couple inches longer?

[SuperDutyScaler]

yes the king frame defientely needs a inch or inch and a half behind the sleeper to look perfect. Thats the next thing on my to buy list, a 1 1/2" longer frame from Joe to make my King look perfect.

[SuperDutyScaler]

but really 180 dollars for a tiny 20' trailer? For ten bucks more per trailer Tamiya would have their trailer almost perfect, i really hate their bumper/light bar for the trailer also not scale at all.

[SuperDutyScaler]

but think about it, they pay their workers two bucks a day to make and then box these kits....

[BRICKNICK]

I know I've already told you but my home depot and lowes in my area of Jersey has a decent metal selection, in fact the lowes metal selection saved me tonite in making a bracket. Here's my lowes metal stock, tons of different sections of angle iron and plates of steel and aluminum in different gauges.





http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc34/nickgirdwood/FxCam_1317337776567.jpg