Mobile trailer welding means Brad Smith brings a MIG welder to your yard, driveway or job site and makes the repair where your trailer is parked. Keep Them Rolling Trailer Repair uses it for broken brackets, cracked welds, ramp and gate hinges, and custom work like tie-down points, racks and equipment mounts, anywhere from Morris and Sussex counties to Warren and Hunterdon. Call (973) 651-1045.
What a mobile welder can fix on a trailer
Most welding calls on a trailer involve small parts that carry big loads. Common on-site repairs include:
- Cracked or broken brackets: fender mounts, light brackets, toolbox mounts and battery box mounts that vibrate loose.
- Jack mounts and safety chain anchors that have cracked or rusted through at the weld.
- Ramp and gate hinges that have cracked, bent or pulled away from the frame.
- Broken factory welds at joints that were never fully fused in the first place.
- Reinforcement plates and gussets over a joint that keeps cracking.
Bigger structural work, like cracked main rails, rusted spring hangers or rotted crossmembers, is covered on the trailer frame repair page.
How the welding gets done on site
The KTR service truck and enclosed service trailer carry the MIG welder, grinders and the tools to measure, cut and fit steel. MIG suits trailer work well. It lays down a strong, consistent bead on the steel thicknesses trailers are built from, and it’s quick, so your trailer spends less time out of service.
Each job follows the same order. Brad looks at the damage and the load that part carries, grinds the area to bare metal, cuts and fits any new steel, and welds it. Welds are ground smooth where they need to be, then the bare steel is coated so rust doesn’t start at the repair. Before he leaves, the part gets loaded or worked the way you actually use it.
Custom trailer modifications
A trailer bought for one job often ends up doing another. Brad fabricates and installs the additions that make a trailer fit the work:
- Tie-down points placed where your loads actually sit. A tie-down is only as strong as what it’s welded to, so they go on the frame or crossmembers, never just the deck or a thin side rail.
- Brackets and mounts for toolboxes, equipment and accessories that weren’t part of the original build.
- Ladder, lumber and pipe racks for contractors.
- Rack setups for mowers and equipment on landscapers’ trailers.
- Heavy-duty parts in place of worn standard ones on a trailer that works hard every day.
- Conversions, such as setting up a flatbed to carry a specific machine.
Custom parts are built from steel or aluminum depending on the trailer and the job. If a modification needs power, like outlets or interior lighting, Brad handles the wiring as part of the project. Every job starts with a conversation about how you load and use the trailer, then a look at the frame so the new steel ties into structure that can carry it.
Ramp and gate repair
Fold-down ramp gates on utility and landscaping trailers take a beating. Mowers roll over them, they get dropped, and the hinges rust. On site, Brad can weld cracked hinge tubes and knuckles, straighten or reinforce a bent ramp frame, repair broken latch and spring brackets, and replace worn hinge pins. The same trailers turn up often in utility and landscaping trailer repair. On enclosed trailers, a ramp door’s cables, springs and hinges are handled with trailer door repair and alignment.
Getting your site ready for a mobile welder
A little prep makes the job go faster:
- Level, firm ground with room to walk all the way around the trailer and get underneath the repair area.
- An empty trailer. Unload the cargo so the frame can be inspected and nothing rests on the repair.
- Nothing flammable near the work. Sparks and heat travel. Move fuel cans, and expect that deck boards directly over a weld may need to come up.
- Some shelter from wind. MIG relies on a shielding gas, and a strong gust blows it away from the weld. A spot beside a building or a calm day helps.
- Room for the truck. The welder rides on the service vehicle, so it needs to park reasonably close to the trailer.
This is the same model as our mobile trailer repair and roadside service: the shop comes to the trailer. Fabrication is one part of Brad’s trailer welding and frame repair work, and he covers the northwest corner of the state too, including Sussex County trailer repair. To book a job, request service and describe what needs welding or building.
Common questions
What can a mobile welder fix on site?
On a trailer, most welding jobs can be done right where it’s parked: cracked brackets, fender and light mounts, jack mounts, safety chain anchors, ramp and gate hinges, tongue cracks, spring hangers and crossmembers. Custom additions like tie-down points and racks can be built on site as well. A job that needs heavy straightening or new main rails end to end may call for a different plan, and Brad will tell you that up front.
How much should a mobile welder charge?
Cost comes down to a few things: how far the welder travels, how long the job takes, how much steel and hardware it needs, and how much prep is involved. Rusty, hard-to-reach repairs take longer than clean ones. Custom work adds time for measuring and fitting. A fair comparison also counts what you save by not towing the trailer to a shop. Brad looks at the job and quotes it before any work starts.
Can you weld a trailer ramp or gate on site?
Yes. Cracked hinges, broken spring brackets, bent ramp frames and snapped latch mounts are all common on-site repairs. The ramp gets supported or removed, the damaged area is ground to clean steel, and the hinge or frame is welded and reinforced where it keeps breaking. Check the spring assist and latch at the same time, since a broken spring throws the full weight of the ramp onto the hinges every time you lower it.