Best epoxy/adhesive for aluminum

[SamM]

Ozarker,
Sorry for the late reply. As I mentioned before, the Schutt Industries trailer that I have uses Huck bolts in its assembly. The Huck bolts have a 5000lb strength tension. Each side of my trailer has had the main 3.5"x2.5" aluminum frame section removed. You can see where the frame section has been removed in the picture below. Both sides are like this. As you can also see the new frame rails are bolted into place. The fabrication is still ongoing. Once the final measurements are made and everything is bolted together and checked, it will be disassembled, glued and then bolted back into place. The glue has the same holding strength as the Huck bolts. All the fasteners are Grade 8.

As far as the inspection goes. I do not see a problem. In my state, they don't seem to concerned about the construction of trailers. Harbor Freight makes some cheap trailers. I've seen some crappy trailers going down the road here. I'm going for a quality build. No expense has been spared. The frame stiffeners will be bolted to the underside of the cross members. This is where the Timbren suspension will be mounted.

SamM

 

[Ozarker]

Ozarker,
Sorry for the late reply. As I mentioned before, the Schutt Industries trailer that I have uses Huck bolts in its assembly. The Huck bolts have a 5000lb strength tension. Each side of my trailer has had the main 3.5"x2.5" aluminum frame section removed. You can see where the frame section has been removed in the picture below. Both sides are like this. As you can also see the new frame rails are bolted into place. The fabrication is still ongoing. Once the final measurements are made and everything is bolted together and checked, it will be disassembled, glued and then bolted back into place. The glue has the same holding strength as the Huck bolts. All the fasteners are Grade 8.

As far as the inspection goes. I do not see a problem. In my state, they don't seem to concerned about the construction of trailers. Harbor Freight makes some cheap trailers. I've seen some crappy trailers going down the road here. I'm going for a quality build. No expense has been spared. The frame stiffeners will be bolted to the underside of the cross members. This is where the Timbren suspension will be mounted.

SamM


Very good, I read the post as being as strong as the bolts and didn't understand the bolts would remain along with the adhesive, so that will be incredibly strong! Very nice, thanks for the details.

 

[SamM]

No problem. That's what I figured. I wasn't really very clear that would still be using the grade 8 bolts. It's snowing here again and my small garage is too cool for any work this weekend. I believe the Loctite Hysol E20hp is probably the best glue for the aluminum. The dry time is around 20 minutes. Again my worry is running out of time due to the quick drying time. Loctite reports that an oxy torch is required to remove the pieces that are glue together.

SamM

 

[christianoffroad]

OK, so I decided to go the 5200 route....OMG, this stuff is crazy! Whatever it bonds stays bonded....forever! Slow to cure, but once it sets up, solid! Very impressed, thanks for the advise folks!

 

[spencyg]

Good choice on 5200. Yes, there are other adhesives out there which perform better in very aggressive scenarios, but 5200 certainly fills the need for nearly anything you'd need on a camper or trailer (within reason). I'm waiting for some Fast Cure 5200 to setup as I type this in an application where a 6 foot long aluminum rail is being bonded to my fiberglass topper to act as a mount (one of two) for a new roof rack assembly. The excessive squish out on each end was due to a miscalculation on how much the aluminum would pull in around the curvature. The whole length is bonded with a full tube (10oz) of 5200. Sanding both surfaces with 80G and cleaning with acetone was the prep for this project.



As has been mentioned, I hope to never have to face taking this rail off, as it would likely take the topper with it...

SG