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 Special Somebody
Posts: 3951
    
Location: Finally horseback again.... | I just purchased a new to me Featherlite aluminum trailer.
I was wondering about acid washing to make it look brighter. It is in great shape, just starting to show some dullness on the sides.
I have heard lots of pros and cons and was wondering what ya'll do?
This is my first aluminum trailer and I sure dont want to screw it up.
Thanks
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 855
Location: Ok | Hi :-)
I work for a trailer manufacturer and we tell our customers to go to a truck stop and ask for an acid wash. You CAN do this yourself but it is very easy to 'wash out' your aluminum extrusion if you do not get the wash removed quickly enough and it will cause ugly white spots in your aluminum. You will be surprised how well the truck stop wash will clean it up for you!
Good luck and congrats on your new trailer!
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Special Somebody
Posts: 3951
Location: Finally horseback again.... | Boosafluke - 2014-08-05 2:50 PM Hi :-)
I work for a trailer manufacturer and we tell our customers to go to a truck stop and ask for an acid wash. You CAN do this yourself but it is very easy to 'wash out' your aluminum extrusion if you do not get the wash removed quickly enough and it will cause ugly white spots in your aluminum. You will be surprised how well the truck stop wash will clean it up for you!
Good luck and congrats on your new trailer!
Thank you so much!!
I will see if I can find a truck wash in our area now.
Also, I was told to have it hot waxed after the acid wash . Does the wax help to keep it shiny longer? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Yes a truck wash place works great. And it's easy, you just sit in the truck. Most truck stops have a wash available. Look for Blue Beacon truck washes, they are a national chain and do a decent job. You can also buy the acid yourself and dilute it. But be careful because it will literally take your breath away and like the above poster said...get it washed off quickly. If you go the do it yourself route have a helper to hole the hose and spray it a few minutes after you apply it. That's what my husband and I do to ours. Congrats on the new to you trailer!!  |
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  Friendly horse swapper
Posts: 4122
Location: Buffalo, TX | Take it to a Blue Beacon and get the acid wash plus the Rain-X on top...it should cost around $55 for both. I take trailers there all the time, they do a great job. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Acid wash, all the way! My father-in-law used to be a truck driver and got me connected with someone in town who does a nice job. We dropped it off and he did it in his spare time and I think he charged me $40.
Here's when I bought my "new to me" horse trailer:
And while this isn't a direct picture, this is right after I got it acid washed. Look how shiny and NEW it looks! (If you can see around my goofy 2-year-old colt)
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 Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | Is he bored , tired or just laughing at you! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 304
Location: Up and over to the right | ^^ I have the same trailer with a MT and a 6' LQ, would love to see what you did to the inside of your DR!
I heard acid washing can wear your trailer's protective coating down or something along those lines, exposing it to more things. I just hand wash and wax with car products. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| Cindy Hamilton - 2014-08-05 4:56 PM Take it to a Blue Beacon and get the acid wash plus the Rain-X on top...it should cost around $55 for both. I take trailers there all the time, they do a great job.
Do you need to worry about the white-skinned aluminum? I'm really thinking of doing this as washing it by hand is a MAJOR job! |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I wouldn't put acid on white painted aluminum. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| CYA Ranch - 2014-08-06 7:37 AM I wouldn't put acid on white painted aluminum.
So can you not take them to a truck wash or can you tell them to only do the non-white parts? |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Griz - 2014-08-07 5:38 AM CYA Ranch - 2014-08-06 7:37 AM I wouldn't put acid on white painted aluminum. So can you not take them to a truck wash or can you tell them to only do the non-white parts?
I clean my trailer up myself. The white part just needs a good scrubbing IMO. The extruded aluminum on your trailer could use an acid bath but I would just make sure they dont get it on the white. I've seen where people use acid and when they rinse there is white water coming off which is the paint getting ate off. If you take it to a truckwash I would talk to them before you hand it over. My current trailer is all painted aluminum but the last one I had was plain and very dingy. I used a buffer and a lot of elbow grease as we dont have any truck washes within 200 miles. |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| Mine is like yours - extruded aluminum and the white skin. I take it to the truck wash once a year. They scrub the white with something magic and then acid the extruded aluminum. It comes out looking totally new and all the bug guts are gone from the stainless on the nose! It is pricey here, though. I think it was $100 for our 28 foot trailer, so I don't do it too often. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Griz - 2014-08-07 5:38 AM CYA Ranch - 2014-08-06 7:37 AM I wouldn't put acid on white painted aluminum. So can you not take them to a truck wash or can you tell them to only do the non-white parts?
If you take your trailer to someone who knows what they are doing, they should know NOT to put the acid wash on the white part.
I would simply ask them if they have done horse trailers before.
Or ask around to people in your area to find out who acid washes their trailer.
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Friendly horse swapper
Posts: 4122
Location: Buffalo, TX | Don't worry about having the white part of a trailer acid washed....it can absolutely take it unless there's something else going on not connected with the acid (prior bad maintenance or bad quality of trailer)....for over 10 years, I've probably had 25 or more traielrs done a year with white on them with absolutely not one single problem...yes, there's probably someone who used the wrong stuff in the wrong way, or the trailer had a problem to start with and the acid made it worse, but don't let one or two bad stories keep you from having this done.
I've done a few of them by hand and I'll never do it again...you can screw them up more or burn it doing it yourself with no knowledge than taking it somewhere and having it done by people who do it all day every day.....anyway, don't worry one bit, go have it done once other year.....you're not going to ruin your trailer......just sayin....
p.s....one rule is NEVER acid wash when you are going to drive on wet roads....the acid opens the pores in the aluminum and if you get mud splashed on it before the pores close (about 48 hrs), then you never get them out.....make sure you have a few days of nice weather ahead before you take it.....this also includes tying your horses to the trailer and letting them slobber all over the aluminum right away, just let it cure for a couple days before you do that to be sure you don't cause stains...
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| Wow - thank you so much for the info Cindy! I had no idea on this. I've usually used Streakmaster and done them myself but it is a JOB and I simply don't have that kind of time anymore! |
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 To the Left
Posts: 1865
Location: Florida | After you acid wash it you will have to be careful how you park. It can be so reflective that it can a danger to your horse. Always put your horse on the shade side of the trailer. |
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