My wife just bought a new Titan 14' bumper pull trailer and she asked me to mount a rubber bumper on the back of the floor. This trailer has a 2" square tube across the back, it's maybe 3/16th thick steel. There is no way to use bolts/nuts since the back of the tube is welded to the frame.
I thought about drilling and tapping holes but there would be so little thread, I doubt if it would hold the weight of a horse.
Posted 2014-09-27 3:36 PM (#160939 - in reply to #160938) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Penrose, Colorado
why not drill all the way through the 2" tubing and then just use longer bolts?? I have seen it done this way and then rhino line the top of the tubing that shows.
Posted 2014-09-27 7:35 PM (#160941 - in reply to #160938) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Norfolk, NE
That was my plan, but the back of the tube is welded to the back of the floor bracket. Hard to explain. the attached (very crude) drawing will show what I'm up against. Gray represents the wooden floor boards.
Posted 2014-09-27 10:06 PM (#160944 - in reply to #160941) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Norfolk, NE
That was the plan. Again, my drawing is very crude, but notice that the flooring is shoved into the open side of the U shaped tube. Because there is 2" of steel covering the top of the floor boards, the only way I can see getting a nut on the end of a bolt, would be to remove each of the floor boards, drill the holes, insert the bolt from the back side through the rubber bumper and then get a nut started on the other end. Before I can put the floor boards back in there, I'd have to notch the end of the floor boards to allow room for the bolt end and nut.
Getting the floor boards out looks to be near impossible. There is a slant wall that separates the stalls and the tack room. It's welded in place and cannot be moved. Unfortunately, the floor boards do not stop at that wall, they go under that wall and end in the nose of the trailer.
I feel so stupid for not looking for this things before buying it.
Posted 2014-09-29 9:41 PM (#160965 - in reply to #160938) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Norfolk, NE
That may well be what I end up doing. I contacted Titan and was surprised when I received a call. He asked that I give him a few days to work on it. He said they would send me any materials needed to add the bumper.
Even if it turns out that they cannot, I feel good just knowing that they tried.
Posted 2014-10-02 5:08 PM (#161023 - in reply to #160938) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Is the end of the tube open? Perhaps toggle bolts would suit your purpose. If you need to remove the bolts, unscrew the toggle and retrieve it from the end of the tube.
Posted 2014-10-02 5:35 PM (#161024 - in reply to #160938) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Member
Posts: 6
Location: Norfolk, NE
The ends of the square tube are sealed, which would not be that hard to open up. Titan strongly discourages owners of this line of trailer from modifying the frame in any way. I asked about extending the fear of the floor with additional materials and was told I should not extend the length of the frame even by just a few inches.
So, the bumper I just bought will end up in the trash.
Posted 2014-10-02 10:11 PM (#161028 - in reply to #160938) Subject: RE: Titan trailer / rubber bumper
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Wait ... don't trash the bumpers yet... You could have a lip welded to bridge the gap between the rubber and the tube. Then weld a strip of metal across the length of the tube. The combined metal thickness will support drilling and threading holes to secure the rubber bumper. Plug welds around the threaded bolt holes would be the strongest method of reinforcement.
Titan trailer / rubber bumper
