Adding accessories to powder coated trailers

[GreatWhitehunter]

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a new deck over tilt trailer. I'd like to add some side mounted tool boxes to the frame. I've priced adding them as factory option but the cost is about twice the what it would cost for me to add them. I know you cant weld close to powdercoat and I'll need to grind off a fair amount by the attachment points.
I can't seem to find any good info on the repainting the affected areas after the addition. This guy added a whole lot accessories to his and seemed to be able to repaint. Anyone know the right way to do this?

Matt

 

[s219]

I'd avoid a powder coated trailer like the plague, but that's just me. Maybe do a search here for some horror stories.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Thanks but there aren't a lot of manufactures left that don't powder coat. I don't want to get off on a PC vs paint thread.

Matt

 

[flyerdan]

They can make aerosol cans for any powder coat color, if you're buying a new trailer make it a condition that you get a few rattle cans of touch up to sweeten the deal.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'd avoid a powder coated trailer like the plague, but that's just me. Maybe do a search here for some horror stories.

I agree. Being in the trailer business part time for 20 years I have seen them all.

If I were buying a new trailer I would get it painted, preferably with a readily available paint that can be bought in rattle cans as I have done with my last 3 trailers.

Chris

 

[aarolar]

What's the issue with powder coat I thought it was a good thing?

 

[fried1765]

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a new deck over tilt trailer. I'd like to add some side mounted tool boxes to the frame. I've priced adding them as factory option but the cost is about twice the what it would cost for me to add them. I know you cant weld close to powdercoat and I'll need to grind off a fair amount by the attachment points.
I can't seem to find any good info on the repainting the affected areas after the addition. This guy added a whole lot accessories to his and seemed to be able to repaint. Anyone know the right way to do this?

Matt

I have a new (last year) powder coated 20' equipment trailer.
I have added several features, and have used black two part epoxy paint as touch up.
I dislike powder coating as it chips easily.
Powder coating is a fast and fancy looking factory finish.
In my opinion, a two part epoxy finish is definitely superior to powder coating!
I use two part epoxy paint on many things.
Check out "Amerlok", made by the Ameron Corp.
It is a commercial 2 part product, but it is not sold in hardware stores (2 gallon kits only).
It is used on bridges, and municipal water tanks.
Great stuff! I have used it for years. and it has a very long shelf life.

 

[bdog]

What's the issue with powder coat I thought it was a good thing?

When it fails it comes off in big chunks. Paint chips but is easy to touch up. Powder coat is thick and when pieces go missing and you paint over them the voids are very noticeable.

 

[s219]

What's the issue with powder coat I thought it was a good thing?

Rust/corrosion will race underneath it and flake the PC off, far worse than paint. PC flakes off in big sheets in short amounts of time, whereas paint will blister/bubble on a smaller/slower scale.

If you think PC on steel is bad when it gets a chip and rusts, wait till you see PC on aluminum in a saltwater environment.

I used to think PC was great, but have grown to hate it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

What's the issue with powder coat I thought it was a good thing?

Looks great new. That's the positive.

Chips, peels, Ect. That's the negative and once it does it's a bear to repair.

Chris

 

[fidowanttobe]

I have a new (last year) powder coated 20' equipment trailer.
I have added several features, and have used black two part epoxy paint as touch up.
I dislike powder coating as it chips easily.
Powder coating is a fast and fancy looking factory finish.
In my opinion, a two part epoxy finish is definitely superior to powder coating!
I use two part epoxy paint on many things.
Check out "Amerlok", made by the Ameron Corp.
It is a commercial 2 part product, but it is not sold in hardware stores (2 gallon kits only).
It is used on bridges, and municipal water tanks.
Great stuff! I have used it for years. and it has a very long shelf life.

Tell me more about this epoxy paint please. I called my paint supply shop and they have no idea.

 

[fried1765]

Tell me more about this epoxy paint please. I called my paint supply shop and they have no idea.

I am certain that your paint supply shop has never heard of "Amerlock" by the Ameron Corp.
As I mentioned, it is an industrial/commercial only product.
You can go to : specialtycoatings.com to get more information. The product is actually called: Amerlock-400.
Once you use it you will love it!
I did our now 65 year old concrete sea wall with it 18 years ago, and the wall still looks great.
It is THE BEST product for a garage floor (car dealerships use it for shop floors). or any steel items/ machinery.
It is not cheap, and the minimum quantity is a 2 gallon "kit". A kit, is one gallon of color (resin), with one gallon of "cure".
Lightly rusted steel does NOT need to be sandblasted, just clean, and free from ALL loose rust.
Application with a roller works best, but it can also be brushed on.
It should only be applied in an area with PLENTY of ventilation.
It comes in many different colors. I last bought some 19 years ago, and I just used some of it again last week, GREAT shelf life!
20 years ago had the entire bottom of my 44' DeFever motor yacht stripped of gelcoat and had 10 coats of Amerlock applied.
I sold the boat 10 years later, and the marine surveyor said it was the best bottom he had seen on a boat of that type & vintage that had been kept in warm Southern waters.

 

[aeblank]

do you mean Welcome to Specialty Coatings Inc. ???

It's used on garage floors? I need to know more..

edit: that pasted funny, there is a "inc" at the end of the url, no? specialtycoatingsinc .com (put the space there so it doesn't put the web page title in).

 

[fried1765]

do you mean Welcome to Specialty Coatings Inc. ???

It's used on garage floors? I need to know more..

edit: that pasted funny, there is a "inc" at the end of the url, no? specialtycoatingsinc .com (put the space there so it doesn't put the web page title in).

I checked out that web title you sent: "Welcome to Specialty Coatings Inc."
I cannot get anything out of that either.
Type:.... Amerlock 400 .....into google.
That will give you the info that you are looking for (same company title).
You might want to print out the specification sheet. Amerlock 400 is a very impressive product!
Plan on two coats for a garage floor, and not more than 16 hours apart (2nd coat bonds to 1st coat).
You will never need to do anything but wash your garage floor ever again.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

So is anyone familiar with a actual process for blending spray paints with PC finished trailers? Is seems like more and more of these threads got less focused on answering OP's questions and off on side bars.

Matt

 

[fried1765]

So is anyone familiar with a actual process for blending spray paints with PC finished trailers? Is seems like more and more of these threads got less focused on answering OP's questions and off on side bars.

Matt

I think the point here is that trying to make a powder coated trailer look pretty again by blending spray (automotive) paints is not a great idea.
As the brittle powder coating continually chips away with normal use, the best fix in my view is to use brushed on two part epoxy (in a matching color) for a durable and lasting paint touch up..
I view a trailer as a utility item, not needing a highly polished automotive finish.
I do keep my stuff looking sharp, and I like very durable finishes and durable finish repairs to keep the rust away.
Two part epoxy is MUCH better (more durable) than original powder coating, or any automotive type paint.

 

[94BULLITT]

So is anyone familiar with a actual process for blending spray paints with PC finished trailers? Is seems like more and more of these threads got less focused on answering OP's questions and off on side bars.

Matt

Markcuda added a bunch of stuff to his trailer. I think it was powdercoated.

 

[AGRIMAN]

So is anyone familiar with a actual process for blending spray paints with PC finished trailers? Is seems like more and more of these threads got less focused on answering OP's questions and off on side bars.

Matt

We have a custom/job shop powder coating business, so I do have some experience with matching powder to wet paint. When matching powder to paint, we have had good results with one of our supplies use the wet paint code to find the best powder match. Matching paint to powder can be more difficult depending on the manufacture of the powder.

There is a process for turning powder into wet paint for small touch ups, but it's not for the average person. The average powder starts to flow about 350 F. There are small heat lamps available that will cure powder in small areas, but I'm sure you don't want to invest that much money for a few touch ups. Check with the powder coaters in your area to see if they have a lamp, perhaps they can touch it up for you.

Over the years (through trial and error) we have found equivalent wet paints for all our commonly used powders and share this with our customers. Touching up powder with wet paint is not uncommon. We have done many jobs where the piece(s) had to be welded in place. We tape up the weld joints and after installation the contractor will touch up the welds with paint. We had race car chassis that were modified or damaged after powder coating and successively repaired with wet paint.

If your trailer is black, you should be able to find a good match fairly easy. If it's red, it may be more difficult.

 

[AGRIMAN]

What's the issue with powder coat I thought it was a good thing?

It is a good thing aarolar. I'm not going to start a battle over powder verses paint, but reading some of these replies has me shaking my head. Not one of the problems mentioned are consistent with properly applied powder with the exception of powder not being the easiest to touch up.

Powder is no different than paint when it comes to proper prep and application. If done correctly, you will have a finish that will outperform any wet paint. Do it wrong and all you got is one big mess.

Powder is not indestructible, but over the year we have powder coated enough parts going in extreme/high impact conditions to know that very few wet paints can come close to match the durability of powder.

 

[flyerdan]

Agriman is correct; properly done, powder coating is superior to paint, and even surpasses galvanization in marine applications in some instances. The key is to have it clean, and not have any sharp edges where cracks can develop when the coating shrinks, like on angle iron or solid square stock pickets.
To touch up, you feather it with a flap disc or whatever you use for paint prep and shoot it like any other touch up. Powder coating is thicker, measured in mils, and if you have a big chunk knocked off of a straight panel the painted area will be noticeable due to the thickness differences.
I would guess that a commercially produced trailer wouldn't have the same time and care given to the finish that a set of gates would have; the added cost wouldn't fly on a trailer that gets used and is sort of expected to get dinged. If a gate starts to look bad in a year and a half you're gonna hear about it.