The Outside Beam

The beam around the outside turned out to be quite a time-consuming little project. It involved four layers:

• A 2 x 8 outside layer
• A layer of 1/2 inch plywood glued and stapled to the 2 x 8 to laminate the joints
• A layer of 1/4 inch plywood as a spacer to go between the 1/4 inch metal plates
• An inside 2 x 6 layer running on the inside of the metal plates and between the welded extensions. This layer sandwiched the metal plates and added the extra support of fitting inside the channel of the channel iron. Each of these pieces had to be shaped at the ends in order to fit into the "C" of the channel iron and to make space for the welds.
• About 72 3/8 inch bolts to hold the beam to the trailer, and lots of nails from both sides to complete the lamination.

This picture shows a clear view of the four layers. The front is just one 2 x 8 held to the front metal beam with self threading metal screws that I took out of the deck boards I removed. It is there so that there is something to nail to. You can also see the bolts inserted temporarily to hold the outside beam in place. The inside layer of the sandwich only has one piece completed.
Also notice that the beam carries directly through at the same level as it passes by the tires and the wheel well. This was a mistake. More on that later...

My father attempting to drill a pilot hole in a difficult location. Dad's done a lot of building and his experience and help have been invaluable. All of the construction is being done inside the large fabric covered frame that he uses as his boat house, and he moved his boat out to make room. The many tools required for the job are also a collection of tools from my father, my own tools, and a few borrowed from my brother - so many many thank you's to my father and family for all of their support and assistance!

Another view of the layers of the completed beam. This is also a good view of one of the scissor jacks.
You can also see some wires hanging out here. This was another little job that ended up taking quite a lot of time. All of the lights had to be removed and extensions added to the wires so that they will reach out to the new sides. I used heat-shrink couplers for the wires, heated them with a small torch, and then wrapped each joint with electrical tape for good measure.