1 Topic by OnkelUdo (edited by OnkelUdo 2015-09-14 12:49 PM)

  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Topic: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

So I bought a shiny new enclosed car hauler that I absolutely love.  Before it held its first car, this happenned:

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae184/onkeludo/IMG_20150913_125430.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae184/onkeludo/IMG_20150913_125458.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae184/onkeludo/IMG_20150913_125514.jpg

That is driver rear axle shackle.  The weld is sad and horrible.  The trailer had made a 1000+ mile trip to Huntsville with about 3000#'s of furniture and back so I have to assume the tack welds on the inside held it to the frame because that seam weld was only holding on the undercoating.

So the Manufacturer's response was that is obviously is a warranty repair but I have to drive it to the nearest dealer (32 miles away) or find real welding business locally that will come out, submit a quote to them, I pay the welder (assuming they accept the quote) and they would reimburse me.

These are 5000# axles, the trailer weighs about 3200# and I have somewhat permanently installed about 300#'s of fittings inside.  How would you handle this?

A) Put the shackle up in place, lay down a couple of tacks (I do not weld that well and am in a time crunch), drive it to the dealer
B) Remove the other wheel on that axle, drive it that way
C) Put the wheel back on that side and drive it...let the dealer make all warranty repairs including new damage cause by driving it there
D) C-clamp it in place and drive it that way to the dealer

Just goes to prove what I always tell people that drive only new cars for the reliability...new stuff breaks, too.

Oh, and I can never see my own images at work so if they do not come through I will re-post from home

  • From: Tustin, CA
  • Registered: 2010-12-30
  • Posts: 3,275

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

Pix not coming through for me.  My wild guess would be to remove the other wheel and bring it in empty.  Note that if you have one of those teeter-totter arrangements that locate the inner ends of the leaf springs, you need to tie up the axle as the axle with wheels will teeter-totter up which pushes the non-wheeled axle down and may drag (hopefully that technical jargon filled explanation works for you).  Others will likely chip in but it helps if you jack up the "bad" axle and stick something hard above the "good" axle end of the teeter-totter.  A 2x4 will likely just get crushed.

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  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

cheseroo wrote:

Pix not coming through for me.

Pix are fixed.  I can never remember if this site or my Volvo site is the one that does not play well with Google Photos.

  • From: WPB Fl.
  • Registered: 2010-10-27
  • Posts: 1,571

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

C clamp and drive would be opinion here...

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  • From: Hayward, CA
  • Registered: 2010-03-23
  • Posts: 1,762

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

Option C. Strap up the axle.

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  • Registered: 2014-04-10
  • Posts: 38

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

C-Clamp that som bitch and take it in.  Use a couple of them & drive carefully.
They're not going to cover new damage due to what they will call your negligence to bring it in safely.

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7 Reply by tSoG (edited by tSoG 2015-09-14 04:34 PM)

  • tSoG
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  • From: the Hill, PA
  • Registered: 2011-06-10
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Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

take all four tires off. do donuts with it attached to the truck. see how much else you can break first.

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  • From: Life's great in 21158
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Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

I'd remove the other wheel and drive it on the two others.

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  • From: Vermont
  • Registered: 2012-04-19
  • Posts: 301

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

Had a similar failure happen on an old rusty flat bed trailer while I was a couple hundred miles from home, with a race car I had to haul. No welder available, and the only shop open was a Midas/Meineke/whatever, but they wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Ratchet strapped the axle to the frame so that the shackle was compressed against the frame rail and towed home with a car loaded on the trailer. Made it with no issues.

However you manage to get it back to the dealer - I would have them go over the whole thing. If they boogered up one weld, odds are good there are other bad welds on there as well.

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  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

tSoG wrote:

take all four tires off. do donuts with it attached to the truck. see how much else you can break first.

Wally would not speak to me if I treated his condo that way.

  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

piper.gras wrote:

Had a similar failure happen on an old rusty flat bed trailer while I was a couple hundred miles from home, with a race car I had to haul. No welder available, and the only shop open was a Midas/Meineke/whatever, but they wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Ratchet strapped the axle to the frame so that the shackle was compressed against the frame rail and towed home with a car loaded on the trailer. Made it with no issues.

However you manage to get it back to the dealer - I would have them go over the whole thing. If they boogered up one weld, odds are good there are other bad welds on there as well.

I just do not see how to the do the ratcheting strap with an enclosed trailer.  It was my first thought.

The Manufacturer has already stated that they will specify that warranty repair is to include inspection of the remaining welds for the suspension.  After I get it back and get through this next race...I will do my own inspection as well.  This thing has to go from Chicagoland to Barber and back if there in a 2016 race and will be loaded a lot heavier than it was so far.

12 Reply by OnkelUdo (edited by OnkelUdo 2015-09-15 06:59 AM)

  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

So I think I will do a combination of B and D.  Remove the other wheel on that axle after c-clamping the shackle in place.  I will have someone follow me in another car and do it early on Saturday when there is less traffic so if I have to pull over for emergency repairs I can.

  • From: place of bad smells
  • Registered: 2012-03-14
  • Posts: 334

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

Looking at that, I can only speculate that those holes were supposed to be plug welds that never got made. 

You can also drill and bolt it to the 'frame' which might be wise anyways if the 'repair' is simply filling those two plug welds.  If they gusset or fishplate it, I would feel better.  S/F....Ken M

  • From: Urbana, IL
  • Registered: 2010-11-07
  • Posts: 898

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

Who made this trailer?

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  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

mhrir wrote:

Who made this trailer?

A division of Forest River, Haulin.  They are made on the  same line (not sure assembly line is the right term) as US Cargo.

  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

echosixmike wrote:

Looking at that, I can only speculate that those holes were supposed to be plug welds that never got made. 

You can also drill and bolt it to the 'frame' which might be wise anyways if the 'repair' is simply filling those two plug welds.  If they gusset or fishplate it, I would feel better.  S/F....Ken M

My assumption was that they were for U-bolt installation on a different style of trailer.

Drilling the would difficult as the shackles fall on the center of an I beam.

  • From: St Louis
  • Registered: 2011-10-20
  • Posts: 2,611

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

So Mike, fancy new trailer....
I hope it is decked out with shagpile carpet and 80s wallpaper.

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  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

Brett85p wrote:

So Mike, fancy new trailer....
I hope it is decked out with shagpile carpet and 80s wallpaper.

No, the trailer is staying theme free but will carry the paddock section, console TV and VCR to the track.

  • From: place of bad smells
  • Registered: 2012-03-14
  • Posts: 334

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

OnkelUdo wrote:

My assumption was that they were for U-bolt installation on a different style of trailer.

Drilling the would difficult as the shackles fall on the center of an I beam.

You could go with multiple bolts off center, either side of the I-beam flange.

How was it originally "welded"?  Just a bead along the outside, between the end of the I beam flange and the edge of the radius bend of the mounting bracket?  Because that's not only crap welding, that's crap engineering too.  S/F....Ken M

  • Registered: 2011-10-14
  • Posts: 4,167

Re: MY beautiful new trailer...already broken

All,  The clamps worked!  Leaving the wheels off that axle did not but made the drive with the just a couple of clamps.  Warranty work is done.