A plasma cutter works great on steel, you will use up more tips on aluminum, but its still worth the time saved. I use a circular saw on the aluminum with a 60 tooth carbide tip blade. You need a face shield, but it slices through real nice. A saw zall works great on the thin sheet and on some heavy steel if you get the right blades, but it can bind up and shake the daylights out of you.
I like to remove the roof first, then cut the sides front and back. then poke a hole in the middle at the top, rig a tow strap and hook it to the pick up and pull it down. Then you can work on it on the ground. Once you get the sides cut up you can start on the frame.
All trailers are different but some things are constant...like the copper wire harness under neath and the wire running in a groove in the top extrusion. 45 feet of copper #16 in a 7 or 8 wire bundle underneath. Also copper and brass at the air line couplings. Some have wire inside the are above the bumper where the lights are.
Some trailers (older) have embossed aluminum logo plate that sell to collectors. And the tires can be sold if they still hold air, especially the old tube type. We also keep the dollies and spare tire racks and offer them for sale. There is also heavy steel I beams in the floor joists that can be used to make traliers. Dont forget the axles...
There is more to these things than initially meets the eye.
Bookmarks