Flat Deck Trailer Repairs. 

I don't blame you. I'm almost 60 and don't like to crawl around on the floor either. If I get down it's a feat to get back up..

Hands down the best welder/fabricator I’ve seen.

Makes me happy seeing you teach your boy, he's a lucky dude. Learning from the best welder/fabricator I've personally ever seen. Who happens to be his pops.

I really appreciate you posting all these videos. I’m just a hobby welder and I have learned a lot from watching your videos. Thanks to you for spending the extra time.

I think it was funny that you said, “It is scheduled to be 105 today…”. That was so funny. The day you did the trailer repair.

I like to watch you and “the kid“ together. I do not use that term in anything but a familial manner. I love that you get to work with your young man!

“This is pretty bad.” Yeah, there’s also a bit of water between the Americas and Europe. 🤣 Your standard technical professional understatement. Something I always like about Isaac that shows how much of an experienced professional he is. He admits when a plan is one he doesn’t like but accepts it will do the job well enough and does it. He has his preferences but will not treat them as scripture.

Isaac, I think the patch panels were a definite improvement to the factory design. The stress point is now distributed over a broad area. I don’t think you can do any better with what you had available to work with. I’m sure the wheels will fall off that trailer long before your repair fails. Nice work!

Watching 3 generations working together is heart warming. Thanks for these videos! A great library of technical know-how.

Amazing how flimsy things are built considering how much they cost. Great improvement your repair made.

I like how you explain the material vs repair. Its easy to forget you can't buy stock at the exact length you need. Work with what you got 👍👍

I love how you teach your son the trade and how he works with you out in the field that time you spend with him is very precious and special you are a good father we need more people like you in the world. And you take a lot of pride in your work and it shows the quality in the end results.

You are an artist. Simple, clean and more importantly exactly what some engineer would draw up and engineer. I love watching you work when your customer s will let you really ‘fix’ the issues.

Adding the piece inside the box to stop the flex will pay dividends. went out much stronger than it came in, great repair.

17:30 I learn that tacks are really strong after a hack welded my gate fence panels up. There was 2 tiny tacks holding a 4x4 gate and all the rest of the weld was on only 1 piece. The slag looked like it connected the two but after removal there was nothing. The two tacks held for months and the gate never moved. I ended up buying a welder and doing a better job my first go around.

Either way .. workers work. I love your work ethic. Solid.

Very nice work Isaac, those welds look amazing! I'm glad you're back uploading your regular repair videos! There's nothing like a genuine man putting his skills to practice :)

Sounds like Marty Robbins vocals in the back ground, great music and videos, keep them coming!

I know this was posted over a year ago, but i didn't see a latch for the tread plate you installed, unless i missed it. But at any rate, great job! I'm learning a lot from your videos. Very educational and entertaining 👍🏻 Thank you for what you do

33:57 that looked amazing never seen a flush cut consumable before

In your situation, having told him you would have it done that day, I don't think it could or should have looked any better. Strength where it needed it and the design flaws were overcome. AND it looks nice.

Most enjoyable tradesmen I watched in a while. His tools make the job so much easier.

Lightening Scissors (Plasma Cutter) are the best... We've worked on a trailer like that and the same thing happened. Took the center post out like you did....but, we heard a "bong".. after 'another' inspection and some measuring... the trailer was out of Whack, and had a bend in the frame... reassembly consisted of; Chain come-along, tie-down straps and a 12lbs of persuasion. we fixed it and it rolled true. Week later we saw it for sale.... go figure Great work IC.

Great work on that patch. That iron worker is a handy tool. I would have had to weld to plates together. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent work and a case of what I call Okie Engineering. Okie Engineering - the art of making what you need from things you have on hand without compromising quality. Well done!

I love seeing you and your son working together.

This guy is the best love seeing these jobs

Take care of your knees Use pads. Keep up the teaching of your student. You are doing a great job.

Glad to see you filled that hole above the horizontal bracket. Had me bothered for a few minutes. Like you that crappy looking weld across the vertical piece you had to shorten looks pretty rough but as long as it works you don't have to buy an entire stick or 4 inch channel. Entertainment is great but making 'pretty' can get into the profit margin and then there will be no more entertainment when the doors close from being without profit. Good Job brother. You work hard and smart. That is all we can do

It’s great to see icweldjr in these videos. Learning from the best.

I have a airtow trailer and I couldn't live without it, you can roll everything straight on and off. My local metal supply has a remnant section and it usually has most sizes of tubing in 5 to 6 foot lengths so it makes repairs easy when only a small amount is needed.

Thanks for explaining your auto darkening lens. I didn't even know flip up lens could do that.

I really appreciate the truck video. You're inspiring me to drag my old f350 out of the weeds, get my sae400, compressor, and a couple job boxes bolted down and go to work like i shouldve done years ago. I have the equipment, welding, and millwright experience to do something similar to you but I've been worried about the business side and keeping busy. I need to jump in head first and do it. Keep up the good work.

The $6.98 sticker on your hat is a nice touch.

Perfect repair. Whatever works. Little Fluid Film on the hinges occasionally will do wonders.

Those trailers amaze me. I was suprized to see how poorly designed that crossmember was. No doubt your patch is a big improvment. Excellent work! Cheers

Work harden is the description you were searching for bossman. Love your work. I turn 57 tomorrow and I’m trying to convince myself I am not to old to start doing what you do for living.

Isaac you impress me again and again with your understanding of the engineering in these structural aspects of your repairs. When you retire please come to Georgia and teach the engineering dept of our local trade/industrial school. Not nearly enough young people are learing to work with their hands and their brains, Good job brother. Keep on keeping on

Your dog looks exactly like my Dixie, best dog I ever had

I like how you always insulate yourself when kneeling so as not to get burned knees. Those little ball of molten steel are murder! I learned the same lesson quickly.

The owner should be pleased with such a strong good looking repair

good analysis, good approach with the press bent plates,provides a nice clean look and good support..great idea on the internal tubing brace/bridge for the pull eye.Well done.A++

I’ve never seen a trailer like that in the uk!. Thanks for letting us see it. They would sell like hot cakes here 🤩

I like the angle iron patch method and have used it many times for repairs and to fortify add-on's my self. The spot weld method of joining thin steel makes for less burn-through.

Great job. Good to see you doing your Aerobics.......the. Young guy is handy , jumping in and out scaling..... Good luck and thanks again.

Nice job, customer should be happy.

I always learn something new every video . Thank you Isaac .

When you have the knowledge and the right tools you can do anything!. Thanks!

Loved that little vertical up inside tube. You da man

The part you couldn't fit just appears to be put in upside down and the handle welded on. Like a door latch the angle is to allow it to close and the flat to stop it from opening. The patch is an excellent replacement for a fabrication that has broken multiple times in the same location.

That’s funny … I was going to ask you re your old school helmet! Then you answered my question before I asked !! Because it reminded me of my first helmet in the 70’s … I have one of these new fangled jobs full face , flip up for grinding with an air pack for your belt etc … I got it on a job .. so didn’t pay for it !!! Not cheap ! 🤗

That was an interesting one, Isaac. Thank you. I felt your pain having to re-use that center piece. I have dealt with the steel yards not selling short pieces in the past, but sometimes they have drop bins that they will sell shorter stuff really cheap.

Nice welding and remodeled of the lids and everything awesome job

Johnny Cash as work music, perfect.

Another great repair Isaac looks good and a long lasting repair and kudos for you teaching your son a trade that will never fade with time!!!

I love the “this is how I’m going to do it “. Fair warning - I’m probably going to steal your quote. :-).

a marty robbins fan. nice. love that album, have it on vinyl. awesome repair

I’m just a hobbyist welder like so many others but I love watching you work and problem solve on the fly. So smart and makes more sense than what was originally planned and built for such a trailer. Thanks for sharing all you do.

I Really Like Your Work As A Welder And Even More As A Dad Teaching Your Son Spending Time With Him We Need More Guys Like You

Like a surgeon, sometimes you have to cut out all the bad stuff to heal it up properly. Also nice to see a father teaching his son a useful, productive skill.

Great idea. Kneel on your needle scaler or strap so you don't get red hot bee-bees burning your knees. Repair looks good. Much better than the previous repairs.

Great work you have some really great ideas on how to get things done you remind me a lot of my mentor who has gone to the great fab shop in the heavens

Nice work, would love to have a show and tell on the IRON WORKER. Thanks for the vid

I have the same trailer that had the same exact issue. I wish this video came out a couple months earlier because it puts my repair to shame! Lol. Thank you for putting out these gems!

I'm looking forward to when you start taking on simpler jobs like this and letting Jr run the show. I'm sure he does plenty on his own, but letting him call out problems and work through what led to the fault would be cool to see. This is the kind of upbringing I had (heavy diesel repair with a large side of welding. less repair and more fab, but it all ties in if you understand how things work).

Those patches are just what that rig needed... obviously the factory build wasn't strong enough. Good job! Ron..

Those piranhas machines are nice make quick work of material and all the accessories in a small foot print.

Heya Isaac, Ive missed your tutorials. Welcome back to my place.

Isaac, I love your work. I'll get ragged out of the world for this comment but I hate to see you throw sparks at a battery like the one in the tongue of that trailer. I have had two batteries flat blow up on me, one I arced a wrench on a hold down clamp and other I threw sparks from an angle grinder twenty feet away. Sounds like a 12ga shot gun at close range. Fortunately nobody was hurt in either case. Please be careful everybody. Great video.

Good solid repair I am struggling to understand what the center latch bolts purpose is for it looks like its upside down to me

Your son has a great mentor!

Love to see you fixing things that are more common like this. I learn a lot from you but I can't always translate what I learn about replacing auger teeth to the light duty things I work on. Thanks !

I don't think you'll see that trailer back with the same problem. Your fix is probably three times the strength of the original. Nice work!

Great repair. Perfect welds. Most people can weld the same piece over and over, but you weld everything all shapes and sizes. That knowledge does not come easy.

That bender must have been handy over the years and I like that inside gusset you added on the center line your job turned out neat with no overworked welds or metal. The motor on your saw has a dual capacitors which helps it start when the line voltage is low or a nice feature.

Thank you Issac. I never saw a trailer like this before. You always make a machine strong and safer.

He has an amazing skill that not many are able to have .your super professional and well experienced welder

Sissor lifts both as lead type battery or gas-diesel are awkward to load to any ramp type trailer, in particular as rain or ice can make surfaces slickened. The design as working solve is very good, where I take note of the inside of the wheel wells, braced to any movement or incidental load shift. And these lifts get delivered to all sorts of job sites..grades...doorways. So a good design returned to working service. I'm betting a long interval as repaired. Thank you for the lesson as prepare to weldment. M.

Having that Scotchman or whatever it is, opens up a wider range of possibilities for doing a repair. This was a sanitary, dependable quick fix that should last the life of the trailer. I believe the customer should have been happy and probably at a price he liked also. That's what it's all about.

Nice repair. They got by easy with this. I'm afraid that they would have paid for some new steel. It's an interesting concept but crucial pieces were undersized, in my opinion. Really enjoy your videos.

Thanks for all you do; I always learn something by watching someone who not only enjoys what they do but shares that joy with others.

I believe the word you were looking for is metal fatigue. Looked like someone had used a buzz box welder on it. I always hated fixing something after someone had butchered the job all up. Much easier and cheaper to fix it right the first time. Great job.

Always learning from this Channel. Cheers man from NZ

Badass brother. Now you need to break down charge methods! Easy money 💰

I like the patch angle, as you called out it is thicker and gives broader support on the load points. Great job , as always thanks for allowing us to follow along looking over your shoulder.

Andy Hunt from West Virginia I think you do a fantastic job well real fine

Love watching you pass along your craft to your boy. Truly great stuff IC

nothing like having all the tools ya need👍

Ha, 4" Channel always seems to be in short supply around here too, that and 2 x2x1/4" tube. It seems to be the go to for building things that I need built! Nice repair Isaac. Fortunately My steel supplier also provides sawing, cutting and bending for customers. For example If I need 100 ten foot pieces of pipe they will saw them, package and deliver to my job etc... They have a lot of drops and sell them. they have an area outside that they keep all sorts of short tubes, shapes and various sizes of plate and small drops of AR too and sell it by the pound. Very handy.

Good Job !!! Replacing both the top & bottom RHS with thicker walled RHS would just add a lot of unnecessary weight and that stuff isn’t cheap. I think everything you did was spot on. Inserting the tab behind the hydraulic ram fixing was a good idea. When the trailer is fully loaded that ram fixing becomes the point of greatest load. The channel was reusable and I think the locking tongue will wear out before your repair work does. Utilize what you have and you did so to great effect.

I thought the patch would work great! I was taught a long time ago that form follows function a/k/a it's gotta work first and foremost. These repairs foot the bill!

Brilliant video watching and learning thank you very much👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

When i draw the forces, all off them going to bend and twist the frame at the lock hole/plate. And these are mostly stressing the horizontal direction welds there, and possibly start an crack. I think the slide lock direction and the slide frame pulling force are have to be squared first. Then have to make an sandwich like screw type connection between them with some play, to let the bending and twisting forces work. In trafic all the the dynamic load is concentrated in this point so the stress on this frame section is can be enormous. So may have to make some small bumps into the bearings way on the endpoint of ther tracks, and lock them down somehow. This way can share this dynamic load by five points total. I never see this type of trailer before, but i built something similar when i was ten.

Looks stronger and more durable than it was when it left the factory! That iron worker certainly is a great tool to have eh? Cheers from Tokyo!

I've seen sloppier plasma cuts from a CNC plasma cutter. Just casually free handing the torch, making a super clean cut look easy.

A win win Isaac. Thicker metal to resist the local bend and a larger patch to better distribute the load. I think the word you were looking for earlier was "work hardening" when metal gets brittle from being overworked. Thanks again for the great content.

Thank you for taking the time to video your projects and skills. It is greatly appreciated.

Cropped corners on the hinges makes a big difference great idea.

Amazing Issac thanks for sharing!!!

Love this channel. Such a wide variety of material. Great ingenuity coupled with tremendous experience and skill. Learn so much here. Wish I had a gantry like that!