Trailer Repair

[vega]

Hello guys Im new here and been reading for some time and joined yesterday.
Look like there are a bunch of good people here and some good ideas and a lot of help also!!

Im looking for some help so here's my question.. Im replacing a tung on a car trailer that is twisted and bent. I have purchased some 2x3 3/16 tubing a new hitch with a 2 5/16 ball as the old one was only 2" . What I need to know is where is a good place to measure from on the trailer so I can get the hitch in the propper location so everything will track straight..From the axle? or from the corner of the bed? or what would you suggest?..... I did take some measurements before I cut the old tung off and did measure how far it was from the bed so want to make it fairly close to where it was.......Thanks for any help at all....

[Burnindaylight]

Welcome aboard, take your measurments from the front spring shackles, same place on both sides, tack and remeasure, that's your best bet for a straight tracking trailer

[Steve]

Working for a dirt moving outfit like I do, trailer snafus are common, particularly the jack knife. For a true running trailers that don't clip off mail boxes, or hang into the other lane, I block up the trailer, Asure axle is square and centered under the frame, remove the hubs and use the centerpoints drilled in the axle when it was turned at the factory as two points of measurement. Then string a line up the middle of trailer bed to the point where the tongue should be. Adjust this point equidistant to the axle centerpoints to the kanats butt and weld it up. The ball fits in the toungue which is now dead center of the axle and it tows straight with the bed straight. For tandem axles adjust the rear axle centerpoints equidistant from the front axle centerpoints. Did I miss anything?

[HMW]

I like that word "equidistant"............ Good point about the turned place on the end of the axle, I always used the front hangers, but that would be very accurate

[terry welds]

trailer repair

i agree hmw i always used the hangers too i know what steve is talking about.thanks for info. steve i have a hard time spelling the words i use now

[dabar39]

Vega

We cut the tongue arms at 81" and weld the 50 Degree a-frame coupler to the arms. measure back 32" back on trailer frame and mark. We then take and find a center line of trailer and run string forward past the center of coupler. Clamp tongue to the marks and center up, clamp and re measure the distances and also from the edge of tongue to edge of trailer frame at front edge of trailer. This method should put the center of the ball area of coupler at 42" from the front edge of trailer. Hope this isn't too confusing as I'm not real good at explaining things I do. Dave

Also the coupler should be kept at a height of 16 to 21 inches from ground to keep trailer level when towing, most trucks have a hitch mounted at this height .

[Bmxin^Bjorn]

standaed ballhight is 15'' to the base of the ballmount.

[vega]

Thanks for all the replys and help with this project guys..... I was looking at another thread and a few of you posted that a good mig weld would be ok for this type of repair for this car trailer tongue....or should it be stick welded???

[dabar39]

which type of welder

Either way you go should be more than sufficient, although I am assuming you would not try this with a little 110 mig unit. You will not get any better penetration with one opposed to the other, mig is just faster and cleaner. Dave

[Bmxin^Bjorn]

Either way you go should be more than sufficient, although I am assuming you would not try this with a little 110 mig unit. You will not get any better penetration with one opposed to the other, mig is just faster and cleaner. Dave

whats wrong with a 110 welder.. the little miller ones (mm135) are ausome!. just do 2 passes or so.. i think the thickest i've welded with my 135 is 1/2'' plate with good penatration, i just had to weave bigger and go slower. but yah a 230 is eaiser

[HMW]

The little ones are awesome but also welding 1/2" would be prety much working on the duty cycle too I would think. I think I would stick vs MIG that project. Little MIG might be OK but no need to stress it out...Might use the MIG to tac it all up, then come back with stick and weld it up. Just my 2 cents worth!