Where to find round metal stock for building trailer hitches, etc?

[ebinmaine 67,619]

I'm in need of some steel stock / round tubing. 

3/4 ID, - 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 wall thickness.

 

Repurposing or buying new is fine either way.  In other words if you know of some sort of tool or object that has that size I'd be open to buying that instead of the raw steel. 

 

First project is going to be making up a heavy duty hitch for my c-160.

 

I'd also like to just order some lengths to have on hand when needed.

 

I'm seeing prices online as high as $25 to $35 per foot. I don't know enough about metallurgy to understand if this is special stuff or highway robbery ... I ain't spending that. 

 

Seems to me there's about 13 zillion places to get something like this but the prices  vary widely.

 

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

Steel is a super hot commodity right now.  It is in major shortage and a few foundries have been purchased by a “nobody” company making them the biggest all of the sudden and cornering the market.  With that said, full lengths are generally cheaper than by the foot.  If you can purchase 20 or 24’ sticks, you’ll be best off.

[OldWorkHorse 3,045]

You should call some local places and just see what they are charging for that spec and go on the hunt from there. I'll keep my eyes and ears open. What's the length ur looking for?

[SylvanLakeWH 25,600]

I had a source for some old chain link fence post. VERY solid. Used it for several components of the SL&WHN RR trailers. Top rail and upright posts are both excellent if its the old stuff. Newer stuff is not so good... Maybe call a fence company and offer to save them a trip to the scrap yard for scrap price?

 

[953 nut 55,320]

Check with a welding shop or industrial supplier, should expect to pay about $ 5.00 a foot for Sch 80 3/4" black iron pipe. It is 1.05" OD and 0.74" ID which is as close as you are likely to find unless you go to DOM mechanical tubing which is very strong but also very expensive. 1" DOM with a 0.120 wall has an ID of 0.76" and cost about $ 20 a foot.

 

[squonk 41,155]

Steel has been high for years. And if you want it cut, you get charged for that too.

[ebinmaine 67,619]

All good tips. Thanks guys.

[ranger 1,750]

I picked up a number of poles around that size from a sale, they are the supports for the folding / sliding “curtains” used on truck and semi trailer “curtain siders” sides. They have a spring loaded bar inside one end to allow for removal. They are around eight or so feet long and thick walled. Do you have the same things on your trucks in the USA? Perhaps there is a local truck breakers yard you could contact/visit?

Doug.

 

 

[wallfish 17,011]

Black plumbing pipe is typically good enough for most garden tractor build stuff but if you need exact diameters you need tube not pipe

 

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Repurposing or buying new is fine either way.  In other words if you know of some sort of tool or object that has that size I'd be open to buying that instead of the raw steel.

A WH snow blower lift tube is 3/4 ID mechanical tube and very strong. Excellent for bearing type things with 3/4 rod

[peter lena 8,634]

ebin , do you have a local scrap yard near you ?  you can always buy new, but scrap yards have tons of assorted piping and lengths of steel , sold by the lb . recently picked up some heavy chain and angle steel lengths , for cheap , just an idea , pete

[ri702bill 8,338]

Eric:

I do a fair amount of fabrication and gage the price according to what McMaster would charge for a specific piece with delivery and go from there. Two thoughts - Online Metals can be a good source, and Metals Supermarket. A franchised branch of Metals Supermarket opened up in the city next to my town about 2 years ago - they charge about 2/3 the McMaster price. If they don't have it in stock, they will get it for you with no extra charge .......

Bill

[JoeM 7,874]

2 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

a trip to the scrap yard for scrap price?

We have one here that sells old and new. Convenient

 

I do have a local supplier that I found out about from a local fab shop. Prices are fair but they only sell full sticks, and in my case, I have to pick up because my orders is small for their delivery. 

 

[Kenneth R Cluley 527]

The local metal supplier(ALRO) has a bin for "drops" or cut off sections from larger pieces. they sell at discounted price. some are longer, some are shorter. Anytime I am in area I stop by and raid drop rack and buy anything that I think I can use.

[oliver2-44 9,760]

Have you considered using angle iron or square tubing for your hitches.  I always find round stock the most challenging to cut fit to each other and to weld. It's easier to weld a straight line than to weld around a curving one.  Angle iron usually cost less that pipe, and square tubing usually cost more than pipe.  Like other have stated I get some of my metal from welding shop drop piles, or the scrap yard.   

[ranger 1,750]

A few pics of the pipes I mentioned in my earlier post.

[roadapples 6,983]

Around here, scrap yards won't sell you anything. They say you're not allowed on the lot because of liability....

[ebinmaine 67,619]

1 hour ago, oliver2-44 said:

Have you considered using angle iron or square tubing for your hitches.  I always find round stock the most challenging to cut fit to each other and to weld. It's easier to weld a straight line than to weld around a curving one.  Angle iron usually cost less that pipe, and square tubing usually cost more than pipe.  Like other have stated I get some of my metal from welding shop drop piles, or the scrap yard.   

In this particular case I'm only talking about the part that surrounds the pin at the bottom. The rest of the hitch will be C channel and 2" square stock. 

 

Certainly Open to suggestions if you have any... I just figured round pin/round steel....

 

OOh. By the way... I can't weld in a straight line anyway. 

[ri702bill 8,338]

I can lay a bead with the worst of them ....

[ebinmaine 67,619]

21 minutes ago, roadapples said:

Around here, scrap yards won't sell you anything. They say you're not allowed on the lot because of liability....

That's becoming more and more common here as well. 

 

You guys mentioned drops. I've bought scraps and drops in the past but I'm finding nowadays that the price of steel is so high that I can tell you for a fact my local welding Fab shop, there is no such thing as drop price anymore. 

[ranger 1,750]

5 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

In this particular case I'm only talking about the part that surrounds the pin at the bottom. The rest of the hitch will be C channel and 2" square stock. 

 

Certainly Open to suggestions if you have any... I just figured round pin/round steel....

 

OOh. By the way... I can't weld in a straight line anyway. 

If you only need a short piece, with a 3/4” inch bore, try the local ag dealer. I used 3point linkage adapters for the front hubs on the C121 trailer hub conversion. They have them in all different categories ie, Cat 2 to Cat 1 -  3 to 2 etc, very cheap. Over here they carry them in imperial and metric sizes.

Doug.

p.s. Nobody can weld in a straight line! When you factor in, The effects of gravity and the curve of the earth’s surface, you’ll find you’re always going around in circles! So maybe it’s easier to weld round stock than square? 🤓

Edited April 16, 2021 by ranger

[Rusty Tinsnips 477]

My local scrap yard has a deal on Thursdays, all you can fit in your truck or small trailer for $60.

[Crazyredhorse 295]

probly not for hitch but rebar good for light work and cheap