How do I straighten out my trailer?

[goodolpete]

the wooden floor was rotten, so I took off all the sides to replace it. I now have the metal skeleton of the trailer, a square with an A frame at the front with the tow hitch, and four angle iron uprights, one at each corner of the square. I've noticed that the back offside upright leans outwards, it's 1 inch wider at the top than the bottom. I've tried banging it, levering it and various other things, but I can't bend the upright so it is vertical. Can anyone suggest any clever way of getting enough leverage to bend it back into alignment? Thanks in advance, Pete

[Cicero]

================================== If you haven't already done so, get a long piece of tubing to fit over the upright to use as a lever.

Cic.

[goodolpete]

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Thanks for your reply. I havent got a tube, so I bolted a 2x1 peice of timber to the upright and tried levering it, but it didn't make any difference, it sprung right back. I'm racking my brains to think of something that you can use to connect to two of the uprights and then *shorten* to bring it back into alignment. Pete

[Simon Wilson]

A ratchet strap?

[Cerberus .]

A stout piece of rope & a piece of 1" x 2" (tourniquet)

Don.

[Richard]

2 x 1 sounds a little light for the task to me. A length of scaffold tube is really the best thing.

Did the trailer track straight before you discovered the twist? If so what is the problem? Mine is far from straight body-wise but tracks straight nevertheless.

Richard

[goodolpete]

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

That's a good idea -THANKS! Pete

[Cicero]

=================================== Take care with this method (and the 'Spanish windlass' method) because you'll be applying the same force to both uprights which might mean distorting one whilst straightening the first.

Cic.

[Cerberus .]

Another piece of wood laid diagonally from the bottom of the 'bent' post to the top of the other should help stop bending the 'good' post.

Also, if you have access to a blow torch, heating the bent post may help.

Don.

[goodolpete]

:

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Thanks for that Don. Don't have access to a blow torch but the diagonal strut will help. Pete