Currently bringing a customers Ramlin back to life with some new bunks. The trailer itself is in pretty rough shape for being around 10 years old. Didn’t have any aluminum cleaner on hand so I checked the google. I saw suggested was using a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water. I had some cleaning vinegar and an empty spray9 bottle. Sprayed the areas and hit it with a scotch brite pad. Spent about 30 minutes on it all and pretty surprised on how well it cleaned up. I know the aluminum cleaner would have done a better job but for light oxidation I think this worked pretty well. And of course I didn’t take any before photos..
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Good tip - when I had a wakeboard boat, I’d keep the 50/50 mix of vinegar and water and squeegee towels in the truck and give the boat a spray and wipe down after each use. It prevented hard water stains from setting in. Our lakes and rivers here around Austin have a lot of limestone, so the water is hard and leaves deposits.
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Vinegar is handy on several projects. I splash a few ounces into my soap bucket for every wash. Like @coconutgroves said, it helps cut down on water spots.
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Gunna have to give the vinegar in the washdown a try! Thanks @coconutgroves & @Zika
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Will it kill the wax on a boat?
Doesn’t seem to. But I use Orpine Wash & Wax soap, so reapply every washing.
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I feel like aluminum cleaner generally does more harm than good.. nice work here!
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Agreed, aluminum cleaner is pretty harsh acid, not only on the trailer but everything around it. Needs to be rinsed off fairly quickly, and the trailer would need to be coated with some kind of protection afterwards, if not done it will look twice as bad fairly soon.
You could try fluid film or Woody’s wax as protection on the aluminum or sharkhide
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I’ve had great experience with sharkhide. I even put it on my last maverick’s gel coat - stuff is serious.
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I used to spray woody wax on while the trailer was still wet, brush, then rinse off. Not sure if it really did anything.
I have some leftover showboat custom coating that I will put on my new trailer to see how that holds up. It does wonders on aluminum ttops and leaning posts.
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I spray Woody wax on the bunk carpet every so often, helps with loading/unloading.
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