Had flatbed installed on my truck - really poor welding

[pnw215]

As the title says, I paid to have a flatbed "professionally" installed on my truck. The installer is actually a mobile welder as well. Look at these welds. I could do better and I am a hack.

My concern is that I am hauling a 17,000 lb gooseneck trailer and it is counting on welds like these. There are more just like this, but I have only captured a few. There is a lot of porosity as well as overpenetration in some places and a lack of penetration in others.

Not only that, the strapping he installed to support the bumper hitch to the frame made me laugh. It is supposed to be a minimum 1/4" angle iron, and he used what appears to be 1/8" flat bar that would buckle with any side loading. What should I do?

[walker]

Start by telling them to fix it or refund your money.

[MAC702]

He didn't even chip off the slag?

Is he a one man outfit that did the work himself? What's his reputation in your area? How did you pick him to do the job?

I'd think a gooseneck hitch would be installed to the frame first, and then a flatbed built around it. But I don't build or use them.

[Bushytails]

As the old saying goes, if you want it done right... you're going to have to do it yourself.

Even if you're a worse welder, you'll keep trying until you're happy with it, rather than just doing the ****tiest job you can because it's someone else's problem.

[pnw215]

Thank you for the replies. I had to drive quite a ways to this place, which has a great reputation, so I will not be able to make it back. I think what I will be doing is grinding some of the welds down and redoing them myself. It makes me sick when I see such poor quality. Luckily, the gooseneck hitch is built into the flatbed by the manufacturer so no worries there. The issue is the subframe of the flatbed where this guy welded the brackets and also the tubing which I've shown. The welds would clearly fail if they were graded by an instructor or in any industrial application where there is an inspection. I am just shocked that a professional welder would do this.

[ryanjones2150]

I agree with Mac, looks to me like the slag was chipped off. It’s hard to tell what the weld actually looks like with the slag still on it. I’m guessing that’s just a little of what you’re talking about from these pictures? From just those two pictures it’s hard for someone else to agree or disagree with your assessment. I’d like to see the bumper mounts you mentioned.

There are “professionals” in every field doing crappy work. About half the trailers that come in here for repair is to repair what another “professional” already repaired.

[Auto_Tech]

I'm an average welder (pretty good with TIG, oxy/A, brazing, MIG and definitely so so with stick (some days my beads are World of Clowns Factory Original, some days Miss Universe), but those welds IMO are some of the worst I've ever seen -- my clown factory originals are better.

[ryanjones2150]

Oops, I meant to say looks like the slag WASN’T chipped off.