Alum horse trailer tongue broke.

[aametalmaster]

Got it welded today. I used some 3x3x1/4 alum angle to run back 5 crossmembers and welded it all in. Then i plated the outside of the tongue. It was amazing the overheads ran great considering the trailer is covered in Ohio salt. I just buffed off where i was going to weld where i could. I only have 2 pics because my battery went dead...Bob

[fun4now]

its amazing how many people have trailors and cant back them. i started with motorcycle trailors at the races when i was about 10, so its 2nd nature to me. funny to watch people go back and forth.

[FarmBoy]

Perrrty good. I see a lot of trailer tongue repair that was caused by jack knifing backing up. watch the antics around a boat launch ramp some time.

i saw a guy put his trailer up on a dock trying to splash his unit. it was pretty interesting.

[lars66]

what are the chances that the person that was driving doesnt know how to back up with a trailer on?

Perrrty good. I see a lot of trailer tongue repair that was caused by jack knifing backing up. watch the antics around a boat launch ramp some time.

[SignWave]

what are the chances that the person that was driving doesnt know how to back up with a trailer on?

[DanQweld]

Horse trailor hitch

I would take the whole front hitch part off take some steel stock and go under the trailor if possible and bolt to the exsisting frame if it is AL if not weld to steel if there and fabricate a new stronger hitch system...if not "TIG on dude" DanQweld

[Jim-TX]

I'm not an engineer but....

.... it's obvious the guy that designed the trailer wasn't either. To fail like it did is an obvious design flaw and the company will be lucky if some lawyer doesn't bankrupt them because of it.

[shorerider16]

thats what they get for using a material with no ultimate yield strenth.....

i would imagine fatigue over the years, like said above can only put 2 horses in a 2 horse trailer and 2 of my horses wiegh more than you can cram hay in it.

most of the newer higher end aluminum trailers use a steel tounge.

my 4star has a steel tounge thats huckbolted to the aluminum part of the trailer.

i had a featherlight gooseneck stock trailer break off right above the coupler and smash the back of the cab of my truck when i got in an accendent it stopped 6" behind my head in a crewcab truck. ill never own a featherlight again my 4star is 10x the trailer that one was.

Exactly my thought, I wouldn't think aluminum would be very well suited to high stress application over extended periods of time. It will look fine and then out of the blue, snap! With steel at least you should see some stress indicators or have it bend first.

Reminds me of my friends mountain bike, landed a 5 foot drop to flat and the frame peeled clean in half about an inch down from the headtube. Personal experience has shown me that Alum. doesn't like high stress applications like that, which is why things like handlebars get replaced every season even if they still look good.

[FarmBoy]

i had to do some repairs to my cattle trailer because this guy at the stock yard that i go to broke one of my doors .
the floor is goin out in it too.

[jake]

thats what they get for using a material with no ultimate yield strenth.....

i would imagine fatigue over the years, like said above can only put 2 horses in a 2 horse trailer and 2 of my horses wiegh more than you can cram hay in it.

most of the newer higher end aluminum trailers use a steel tounge.

my 4star has a steel tounge thats huckbolted to the aluminum part of the trailer.

i had a featherlight gooseneck stock trailer break off right above the coupler and smash the back of the cab of my truck when i got in an accendent it stopped 6" behind my head in a crewcab truck. ill never own a featherlight again my 4star is 10x the trailer that one was.

[FM117]

What a POS! At first glance I thought rectangular tubing had failed, then
looked at the photos a little closer....who the &%#$ builds a tongue
like that?
At least you don't have 2 dead horses and some unlucky other dead
drivers/passengers. Hope whoever built that has good liability insurance if
they were dumb enough to make more then one of em.
Dave P.

[fun4now]

the hamburger bun's make my point. could be using it to pick up pig food. that could be barrels of liquids one day bun's the next, i would not count on the wait restriction being looked at too closely.
looking forward to the repair pic's.

[abprt]

alum. repair

Here is my job for Weds, repair this alum horse trailer tongue. I ordered some alum angle and some plates to beef it up. I don't think the trailer was overloaded i mean how many horses can you fit in a 2 horse trailer. So i will post some more pics when done...Bob

Well it looks like someone else gets the same kind of work that I do. This is where the real world of welding begins. Out of the ideal conditions and into the aged, seperated, and deteriated world of metal repair. It's easy to relate to jobs such as these especially when some brings an aluminum roll back that has had the frame split and covered in grease to where a power cleaner couldn't even cut the grease and then you have to try to bring the broken pieces back together. Good luck from another Buckeye welder.

[willy]

eeek - that is scary once you think about it

Be sure to post pictures of the fix.

I remember quite a few years ago a friend built a small trailer to pull behind his mini-van to haul a bunch of paintball gun gear for tournaments. Another friend of mine and myself questioned his choice of used boat trailer axles (not to mention the crappy way everything was glued together). He said it would be alright, only going to haul a few hundred pounds of gear.
Well, the dang thing wasnt even painted before he went to pick up a bunch of patio block someone was getting rid of - you know just a 1000lbs or so. He made it about 2 miles before the axle broke. Its still sitting in his yard, 12 years later....

[KBar]

Is there a McDonalds in the vicinity or a funny looking guy with big feet in a red suit ?