Bad welds on my trailer axle?

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Hi. My name is Will and I need some help, suggestions and information. I have a 18.5 fish and ski bass boat from very well known bass boat manufacturer. I bought the boat and trailer brand new in 2005. The trailer has one torsion axle.This past Sunday I was driving on freeway in the far right lane traveling about 55 to 60 mph. I was coming down a hill when my wife said something did not seem right. About a 1/2 second later I felt a thump and felt something dragging. I looked in my driver's side rear view mirror and saw my boat and trailer skidding sideways in the next lane over to my left. The trailer swung back around behind me and I pulled over to the side of the road. I got out of my van and expected to see a flat tire. Instead I saw the axle and the two wheels about 100 yards behind me in the shoulder of the road. The wheels were still attached to the axle.There were alot of cars nearby and thank God no one got hurt from the trailer or the axle. As far as i know, no cars were hit by the axle.I am not mechanically inclined and I do not know anything about welding.  I am trying to determine if the welds that attached the axle to the trailer were bad.  I tried attaching the photos hopefully it worked.Any and all thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.Thanks for reading. Attached Images
Reply:From the pictures that have been attached you could argue that the small weld surfaces could be to blame. but more than likely it was a combination of many things. For instance you apear to have old cracks/breaks in the mounting surfaces. Something that had proper inspections been performed on the trailer would have been picked up long before the axle fell off. Boat trailers are easy to inspect. Every time you put the boat in, go over them closely. This will not only give you access to the whole trailer, but make it easier to work on without the boat on it. They are also subject to some of the worst possible conditions a trailer could be subject to. Water, and rough treatment. Many launches are extremely rough and easy to drive off of the sides. causing lots of damage. Also many guys go flying up the launch after they've dropped off their boat causing the trailer to jump off the ground. again, causing damage.Now I'm not saying that you caused this, but I don't think you're going to have a case that it's the manufacturers fault either. The older damage is enough to sight neglect of the trailer and blow any case you have over the welds out of the water.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Out of the two plates that mount to the actual trailer I only see two short maybe 1" welds on the one plate.I am sure over time fatigue cracked one of the welds and then it was just a matter of time.
Reply:Appears to be a combination of things:Age (12 years)CorrosionLack of inspectionVibration stress cracking........... ?Another example of new age manufacturers who build things with a "life expectancy". I'm sure, in the fine print, some attorney has inserted a "life expectancy" clause in the fine print.The actual "welds" appear to be intact. I would suspect the failure was in the base metal. Next unanswerable question..... country of manufacture of base metal?..Thanks,HoboLincoln SA200's... at least 15 - 20. They come and go. Growing partial to the "Short Hoods" in my old age. Last count on Short Hoods was 13 in possession.
Reply:Thanks for the replies.  The trailer is 7 years old.  I had a local dealer, for the manufacturer, replace the swing away trailer tongue last year.  They went over the boat and trailer and did not mention anything about the trailer welds, brackets etc. having an issue.Last edited by wl1193; 07-31-2012 at 12:32 PM.
Reply:Hard to tell from the pictures but it is possible that these were tacked up on the assembly line and then someone missed the final welding. You would need the print from the mfgr with the welding prints, good luck getting that. Or maybe you could compare it to another similar trailer. in any event the repair will need more linear inches of weld.Last edited by kolot; 07-31-2012 at 01:26 PM."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:Crappy job from the get go...Next time you are at the boatyard look at the welds on the new ones and draw your own conclusion......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Bum welding job.Worse the dealer should have spotted this and fixed it.All trailer welding should be inspected before the trailer is sold.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterCrappy job from the get go...Next time you are at the boatyard look at the welds on the new ones and draw your own conclusion......zap!
Reply:Thanks for all the information.  I am waiting to hear from the manufacturer about what they are going to do about this.  I did some research.  Seems like alot of people who bought this brand around 2005 have or had this problem with the welds and bad axles.  I think most of the problems were caught while the trailer was parked (unlike me).   What makes me mad is that I took my boat to three dealerships over the years for routine maintenance.  None of the employees told me about the bad welds, to look out for them etc.  I am not a mechanic or welder, and am not very handy.  How could they expect me to know to check welds underneath the trailer?  Or what to even look for?As far as I can tell  the company knew about the problem and did not do anything to address it.  It seems like a wait and see what happens approach for each customer.
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTManufactured trailers are pretty scary now days. It amazes me over and over again what passes as welds now days on critical joints. Even the welds on my rotary car hoist are at best "barely making the grade". I have been so tempted to go over some of the welds again but I don't because then if something happens I only have me to blame.
Reply:Any damage to the boat, or just the trailer?
Reply:As far as I can tell only damage to the trailer.  There may be internal damage to the engine and fiberglass hull though.Would the failure of these welds be classified as "normal wear and tear?"  Maybe I am wrong, but I think the welds should have never failed.  The trailer has a three year warranty.  My trailer warranty expired about 4 years ago.  Am I wrong to believe the manufacturer should take ownership of the welds and do what is necessary even thought the warranty expired?  I don't  expect them to cover brake pads, light bulbs etc. on the trailer but I think welds are different since someone could have been seriously hurt or killed.
Reply:It looks to me that the bracket on the axle has been broken a long time, judging by the rust where the bracket is broken in half. And it looks like someone tried to "fix" it by welding the bracket that was originally part the frame directly to the axle. But the "fix" welds failed. I think you need to have a "talk" with who ever did the maintenance on the trailer.Original axle brackets = blueOriginal frame brackets = redPlace where original axle brackets were broken = greenPlace when "fix" welds broke = purplePlace where original frame brakets where welded = yellowBolts that, pre- "fix", attached frame to axle = pink Attached ImagesLast edited by fortyonethirty; 08-01-2012 at 03:43 PM.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:Thank you for the color coded break down!
Reply:In my book, no warranty left = not their problem anymore. They might still want to take care of it in some way anyway (because of bad publicity, knowing those trailers were not good, or other similar reasons), but ask politely for that, don't make demands.Seven years is a long time for anything on the road, and as mentioned, a thorough inspection should have found those cracks in time.
Reply:I have worked on trailers for many years I agree with Fortyonethirty on this that bracket looks to have had some repair work poorly done, the rest of the axle looks to be in good condition. Get someone who knows welding to take a look at it in the flesh then talk to the company that serviced your trailer.
Reply:At least they put a warning sticker about stay clear of moving parts! Miller Dailarc HF 250 Hobart 140
Reply:wl1193 is there a plate on the axle with the manufacturers details on it?  The trailer company probably bought the axle in, I am guessing the brackets where added by them. That type of axle can use rubber bushes to give the torsion effect. The person who repaired it was scared of burning the rubber when it was fitted/repaired. The axle maker should be able to tell you what was fitted to the axle when it was made. If you get this rewelded make sure the rubber is not damaged.Mark
Reply:manufacturers defect and negligence may not be bound by the term of the warrenty. Look at vehicle recalls the apply to vehicles independant of the terms of the warrenty.
Reply:Torsion axles apply a lot of torque to the trailer frame so the mounting needs to be substantial.  Since they are constantly trying to twist the mount back and forth, fatigue cracks need to be looked for and repaired before a catastrophic failure occurs.Boat trailers, when empty and travelling over rough roads can bounce into the air and land repeatedly, watch one when you are behind one.  The trailer hops and hammers into the road over and over, a tough life for a trailer and when you see how they are built, with crappy welds and thin steel frames and brackets, it is no wonder they fail."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25
Reply:Originally Posted by Trailer monkey Get someone who knows welding to take a look at it in the flesh.
Reply:Looking at these threads on "Mfgr. built" trailers and the high failure rate, maybe we shouldn't be so hard on the guys who want to build trailers as aparently you can really get a lemon from the guys who build them daily. LOL"Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400