Remove Rust from a 2 Horse Trailer

I have a 2 horse trailer and it has surface rust almost everywhere.  How much Rust Doctor do you think I will need? I plan to remove rust from all over the trailer. This includes inside, outside, above, below, and the tongue. We are located in Colorado and want to know about applying Rust Doctor in an outdoor environment, as we do not have a indoor space to apply Rust Doctor for rust removal. Enclosed are pictures of our horse trailer.

Thanks. 

Keith

Hi Keith,

The total square footage of surface area of your trailer is approximately 1,000 square feet.  That is two sides, the front, back and floor plus the tongue.  That calculation includes treating booth sides of the surfaces we discussed previously to remove rust.  Because you can paint Rust Doctor over rust and paint, you will permanently stop all rust on the surface and prime the converted rust and the paint. You can then apply a top coat of any color or any kind of paint. We would recommend a good quality industrial grade paint. Your local paint store can advise you on the best paint for strong wear.

The five gallon pail of Rust Doctor will cover a little over a 1,000 square feet, which is all of the surface needing treatment.  With each 5 gallon pail of Rust Doctor, we provide a free gallon of Grease Doctor cleaner/degreaser to clean the surfaces before you apply the Rust Doctor. You mix water with the Grease Doctor according to what area you are cleaning.  As you add water, you change Grease Doctor from a pure degreaser to a strong cleaner to a mild cleaner.  For lower surfaces on the trailer, use Grease Doctor fairly strong mixture to remove any road oil that is on the surfaces.  Higher up on the trailer you can use a weaker mixture.  I would use a fairly strong mixture on the floor and lower side walls.  Be sure and rinse the surface with plenty of water after using Grease Doctor to remove dirt, oil and any other contaminants that release from the surface by the Grease Doctor.  You will need to remove any loose rust or paint before you apply Rust Doctor.  You can use a pressure washer, wire wheel, Scotch Bright Pads or any system the works for you. 

Applying Rust Doctor in direct sunlight is not a problem unless the temperature is in the high 80’s and above because the metal would be so hot the Rust Doctor may dry too fast.  The temperature range for applying Rust Doctor is 40° to 100°.  Because Rust Doctor is water based, you don’t want to apply it when the temperature may drop into the low thirties.  You can apply it outside but I would put it under cover when you are done as you don’t want moisture collecting on the surface for 16 to 24 hours.  Rust Doctor will feel dry in about 30 minutes but it works on the rust for up to 20 hours until all the moisture in the paint has evaporated.  If moisture collects on the surface, it keeps the paint from drying properly. 

UPDATE FROM OUR  CUSTOMER:

First I would like to thank you for taking the time to correspond over the past couple of days. I believe my approach will be applying Rust Doctor to remove rust when the weather breaks a bit.  There is still snow and it is not the best weather.  I think I will power spray the entire trailer after removing what I can (internal components of the trailer, the wood inside the trailer, windows, etc) and hopefully some of the loose rust.  Then I’ll allow the trailer to completely dry, pick three days where it looks like the weather will cooperate and follow your process.  Apply following your instructions and if I do it right, I will not have to worry about rust anymore.

Keith

We know you will be happy with how easy the rust removal will be with the Rust Doctor products. Your horse trailer appears to have “good bones” and will make it worth the time to remove rust from your horse trailer.  The Rust Doctor strives for quality “customer centered” service, so if  you have more questions about rust removal, please contact us.  We would enjoy seeing pictures of your completed rust free project when you are done. Good luck and happy riding!

The Rust Doctor Team.

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