Tapered 'I' Beam - Artic trailer style

[Andrew]

May have a little project this winter, a two axle turntable trailer. To keep the height to a minimum, I'd like to taper the I Beams as they do at the neck of artic trailers. I can obviously plasma a section out of the I beam, then heat, bend and re weld, but it will never be perfect which will bug me.

Does anyone know how the trailer manufacturers build these? I'm guessing they have an adapted CNC laser and do a similar process?

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

The parent section is plasma cut in 2 at an angle down the web, then spun, then welded together to form the taper. Alternative that can be made from shaped plate. There is a firm in Tadcaster who’s name escapes me makes them for the structural industry.

 

[Chuckie]

I think most are made from plate welded together rather than i beam

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

Look up Westok or Allerton Steel. Jamestown also make then but I think they are solely Ireland based.

 

[Chuckie]

 

[Andrew]

Should have thought of youtube! Thats 400ft of welding on the I beams of a 50ft er alone then.

 

[Forever Fendt]

Look up Westok or Allerton Steel. Jamestown also make then but I think they are solely Ireland based.

I think ASD have a division that makes them

 

[Forever Fendt]

May have a little project this winter, a two axle turntable trailer. To keep the height to a minimum, I'd like to taper the I Beams as they do at the neck of artic trailers. I can obviously plasma a section out of the I beam, then heat, bend and re weld, but it will never be perfect which will bug me.

Does anyone know how the trailer manufacturers build these? I'm guessing they have an adapted CNC laser and do a similar process?
[/ Perhaps it would be less work to use a standard universal beam as your main chassis member and cut out the section of Web and flange at your axle and turntable mounting points and have a thicker flat bar formed than the flange section you have removed and fully weld this in place this perhaps could be overlapped the remaining original flange to distribute the load beyond the area of the thinned main member

 

[Warp Land Farmer]

I think ASD have a division that makes them

ASD, who are now Klockner, purchased Westok about 6 or 7 years ago