Does anyone Bend quarter inch plate in North Texas?

[trailgoose]

Ok guys, heres my problem, I have several trailers i use for building fences. The guys that help me out, and the places i ussually load and unload lumber always dent my dang fenders!! I know.. i know what your going to say, who cares its a work trailer, but after a while it starts to look horrible and I have to replace them only to get them all dented up again. I honesty probaly wouldnt replace them if it werent for the fact that it looks unprefessional to show up to job with a trailer that looks like it has been ran into everything. I mean really these fenders you buy at the local stores dent if you drop your hammer on them.

So.. my idea is to get a piece of quarter inch plate, just because i already have it, and make probaly four bends in each fender. So i called around today and nobody even wanted to mess with me about it. I told them i can get it sheared to the right width and they could just bend it in the places i mark. I dont know if quater inch is to thick or if they just dont want to even mess with it. Im just a little discouraged because i hate buying those dang cheapo fenders. I also thought about just cutting it all up and welding it together, but thought it would be neat if i didnt have to deal with all the pieces distorting when i went to weld on them. Does anyone have any ideas or buddys that do this work. Im in Wichita Falls Texas. Thanks a bunch, Nick

[Vipernut]

It takes a fair size slip roller to roll that size plate. The issue may be that it will take them more time to set up the rolls than to actually form the part. Most likely the shops are too busy for a smaller project like that.
One thing you may want to consider - make the fenders yourself out of a heavier diamond plate, it may hide some of the dents.

[clive]

If you can't find anyone to bend it, which surprises me as our brake press does 1/2 inch, heres a suggestion, make a cut with the o/a but leave 3/4"on each end (I'm assuming it's normal trailer width) and then heat the two uncut places and bend. You'll find the bottom will join and you'll have a nice vee you can fill with weld. I've done it many times and on some quite large pieces of plate, sometimes you've got to leave several bits to bend.

[trailgoose]

clive, What do you mean by heating it up and bending, do you mean just heating up the remainding three quarters and just bending that, then butting up the other piece to it? Sorry im just trying to picture this, but it sounds like a good idea so i would like a little more info if you dont mind. Thanks, Nick

[sn0border88]

1/4 is nothing to bend, im really suprised you cant find anywhere to do it.

I would keep on trying, they probably just dont think its worth it to do it.

I would maybe just show up at some shops sometime and ask if they can do it real quick.

[MoonRise]

Nick,

There's more than one way to skin that cat.

Use an O/A torch and heat to red-hot and then bend to the desired shape. Clamp a guide plate where you want the bend(s) to be and then use a lever-arm with appropriate 'grabbers' (think along the lines of wrench jaws, etc) to bend your hot plate.

Make your own press brake. Search the forums (here and other places as well) for pics and descriptions. Then bend your own plate in a press with the press brake.

You have a welder or two, right? Cut the plate to the desired sizes and weld it all up into the desired finished shape. Might not be as fast as just bending to shape, but you sometimes use whatever process you have available for the desired job. A production run would -never- cut-n-weld some fenders together, the time and labor would be a profit/price killer. Instead they'll pay for multi-$$$$$$ forging/stamping dies and then crank them out. They're paying big tooling costs upfront to crank the production run out, you will just skip the tooling costs and spend some time/labor on a one-off job.

[trailgoose]

Well I guess i might call around in the Dallas area tomorow and see if anyone may be interested in bending it for me, if not i will cut them and weld them together. Thanks, Nick

[Tinbasher]

Trailgoose...the job you describe would be a very simple one for any fab shop. I'm not sure whether you want to roll them or as you describe put four bends in them, but either way...shouldn't have to look far.

1/4 plate doesn't work hard atoll, especially in narrow widths. I roll 1/4 plate in these slip rolls all the time. They'll handle up to about a 12 inch width, no problem...and the rolls are only about 4 inch diameter. As far as time setting up the machine...just a matter of two hand cranks.

If I was in Northern Texas I'd do the job for ya for a case of beer...material included

[clive]

Originally Posted by trailgoose

clive, What do you mean by heating it up and bending, do you mean just heating up the remainding three quarters and just bending that, then butting up the other piece to it? Sorry im just trying to picture this, but it sounds like a good idea so i would like a little more info if you dont mind. Thanks, Nick

Nick,
I pm'd you, get back to me and I'll send a sketch.
Clive

[trailgoose]

Tinbasher, I wish you lived closer, I would buy you 5 cases and maybe drink one with you. haha

[olddad]

Another way would be to mount the cheap fenders on a couple stakes with cooresponding pockets on the trailer. Drop the fenders in the pockets and drill a hole for pins...removable fenders.

[blastingcoffee]

there is a place here in Grand Prairie Tex has a few rollers big enought to to that.Might be a drive for you.
I have used them to roll 3/4" alum plate before.I'll look up the name and address if you like.

[fatfrank]

Nick if you want them angled, just cut them and weld them. 1/4" won't warp easily and you can be done in a couple of hours instead of looking all over town or driving to dallas.

If you are set on having it done on a brake, call Steel and Alloy Specialties on Ft. Worth street in Wichita Falls. I have had them do abunch of specialty brake work in the past. They may have to have it done out of shop, but its almost always finished within a week. (940)322-5256.

If you don't mind having it cut and welded and don't want to do it yourself I will talk to a kid tonight who goes to MSU and does some custom bumpers etc in his spare time. I'm sure he would do it for a reasonable price.

[hotrodder]

regardless of how they're made, redesign/rework the stock fender mounts/stays- 1/4" fenders ain't gonna be light. add vibration to the picture and cracked mountings are a real possibility to say nothing of losing one on the road!

[65535]

I would just make myself a square tubing rail system to replace the fenders.