Flatbed Trailer Frame — Rust Removal & Surface Prep, Vancouver WA

The Job

This commercial flatbed belongs to a landscaping company out of Battle Ground, WA. The 16-foot trailer had been working hard for six years — hauling mowers, debris, and mulch across the rainy Pacific Northwest — and it showed. The main frame rails had significant surface rust and scale, the cross-members had surface pitting, and the tongue assembly had a failed paint job that was trapping moisture against the metal.

The customer's goal was to blast and prep the entire frame so it could go straight to their powder coater in Camas, WA for a full epoxy primer and top coat. Budget-conscious, one-day turnaround preferred.

What We Did

The trailer was dropped off first thing in the morning. We stripped the deck boards and removed the lighting harness before blasting.

Media used: Aluminum oxide, 60 grit — aggressive enough to clear the scale and give the powder coater a proper anchor profile without over-blasting the thinner cross-member walls.

The tongue assembly and coupler got extra attention — these are moisture traps and high-stress areas. We ensured zero rust was left in the inside corners of the U-channel.

Results

• All visible rust and scale eliminated — frame rated SSPC-SP6 Commercial Blast
• Surface profile: 1.5–2.5 mils (appropriate for epoxy primer on structural steel)
• Tongue assembly: bare metal, all inside corners fully cleared

Turnaround

Dropped off at 7:30 AM, ready for pickup by 3:00 PM the same day. Customer drove it directly to the powder coater.

Cost

This job came in at $385, including disassembly prep and post-blast air blow-off. Customer was quoted $375 and the extra $10 was for some extra pitting on the tongue we found during blasting that needed a second pass.

Note

We work with several powder coating shops in Portland and Vancouver WA and can help coordinate timing so your bare metal doesn't sit overnight. Ask us about our Blast + Coat coordination package.