Another "Scary" Thread.

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This is pretty much right in line with what Bob posted in his thread here so I hope he doesn't mind. Not my intent to detract from what he posted but I didn't want to hijack his thread.  His thread brought this to mind is all. I took these and forgot about 'em. These are from a manufactured tent trailer. It was an 8' by 10' with torsion (sp) axles. Don't remember the brand name off hand now. My son stripped the "tent/camper" off the frame for the purpose of making a single quad hauler. It looked like it was first painted then maybe a second coat of some thick and hard coat over the seems and joints. For some reason I started hitting all the joints with a wire cup. The thick coating started popping real easy so I kept on going. Glad I did. I guess anyway. I ended up gouging rewelding every single joint but on the other hand, this thing was pretty darn old. Had a gazzillion miles on it and never fell apart. He bought it well used and had it for ten years. Anyway most of the beads looked like 6013 or some production rod maybe. Looked great untill you tapped the bead with a file handle and the salg fell out. Not off but out. Odd that in other spots there were bits and ends of .030 wire stuck to it like a porcupine. They must have had a herd of guys hitting this with everything they had as it went down some assembly line.Again this is a commercially sold, factory manufactured trailer, not a home hobby job. Mostly all C purlin construction. Had one of the surge brake couplers that I cut off. The 1st pic is of the trailer upside down so you get an idea of the layout. Attached Images
Reply:Then here's few more. Attached Images
Reply:And the last. Attached Images
Reply:Good golly, Sandy!!!! I agree w/ you, it's a miracle that thing held together. I made a small flatbed from one last yr for the farm I worked for to haul drag harrows on. It was a lot better quality, all 3" channel and welded together like someone knew what they were doing and getting paid enough to do the job right. I built 10 ga fenders over the tires to keep the deck close to the ground as the harrows have to be loaded by hand. Everyone on the crew liked it for that reason. 4 bar harrows to span 36 ft is quite a stack!!!                                      MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Looks like the guy I met welded it.Scary for sure.
Reply:Originally Posted by Bob WarnerLooks like the guy I met welded it.
Reply:Please, please, please tell me it isn't Made in America...(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)
Reply:Originally Posted by strube1369Please, please, please tell me it isn't Made in America...
Reply:That looks like some of the stuff under our 28' camper. Although the bad welds on ours is from the previous owner adding things like jacks and a rack in the rear. Guess I have to redo those as soon as I get pretty proficient.Lincoln Promig 180
Reply:What first struck me seeing those pictures was the numerous threads about building a trailer using a 115v mig welder.... It wouldn't take much effort by a 1/2 a$$ed beginning weldor to produce better welds than any one of those pictured even using a 115v mig on the material used to build that trailer... SCARY is the correct title for that work(?)Now step back and remember the trailer was built ..What? 15-20 years ago maybe even older? I've seen car haulers out of south Texas with similar welds...that's even more scary...to imagine an 18 foot loaded trailer moving along the highways with such shoddy work.
Reply:OMG!  That -is- just scary.Wow.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Those two gaping holes you see in the back end were some body had added a short chunk of receiver tube. I don't know for what but they did. So there was this piece of 12 inch receiver tube and a couple of (maybe) 2" gussets sticking out the back. Of course rust and time had done its job. I went to torch it off and saw how rusted and goobered it was so about five alternating whacks with a 12 pounder and it was gone. That's the holes.
Reply:Ah, just paint over it, that'll hold it together lolbrowndogwelding.com@welderassassinMy Blog on The Fabricatorfacebook.com/BrownDogWelding
Reply:Yikes...MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:So what project is that sittin' in the geerage?Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1So what project is that sittin' in the geerage?
Reply:Wow!! Sandy looks like your going to be very busy fixing someone else's botched welding. It''s amazing what some folks put on the road.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:That was originally welded on "bring your kid to work" day... Fire!, Fire! Oh wait, that's my torch...Lincoln PT-225 TIGLincoln 175 MIG
Reply:Wow... Looks like it was an employee's market that time around.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:That is the purtiest tent trailer I have seen today! The body work in my Jeep DJ5 looks like it was welded by the same dude!  I may have to snap a few pics one day when I get bored.What brand was that tent trailer? We may be able to narrow down the point of origin.  City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:There is an rv trailer frame company that makes frames for alot of different brands of rv's.  That company is Lippert and their welds typically really SUCK.   They supply ALOT of frames for the rv industry too....MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1So what project is that sittin' in the geerage?
Reply:wow looks like summer welds you know some are  welds and some are s h i t
Reply:Holy "F"!!!! And D.O.T. has a problem with professional welders making a weld repair to a truck chassis?!"SOUTHPAW" A wise person learns from another persons mistakes;A smart person learns from their own mistakes;But, a stupid person.............never learns.
Reply:Around here, we call that a Friday at 3:00pm job!Even a Monday at 7:00am hangover job looks better than that!Heck!Even my 9 year old grandson can weld better than that, and he's still gun shy!#1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!i could do better than that and ive only had about 2hrs mig expirience and anout 1/2lb of stick expirience
Reply:Originally Posted by DesertRider33There is an rv trailer frame company that makes frames for alot of different brands of rv's.  That company is Lippert and their welds typically really SUCK.   They supply ALOT of frames for the rv industry too....
Reply:Bringing up an old thread so I can add to it. I just love these kinds of examples because they come right straight out of the manufacturing industry, and not the DIY shop. Any way, this is one my son picked up the other day to turn into a dump runner (store bagged garbage then make a run to the dump). It obviously started its' life as about a 4 & 1/2 by 8 footer and the guy added wings to make it 5 & 1/2 foot wide by 8 & 1/2 feet long for a quad. You can see the original dimensions and the added width in these couple of pics. Also take a look at the axle & wheel alignment. You can kind of see it in the lifted pic and for sure in the upside down pic. A little caster might be a good thing but this is something else. Attached Images
Reply:So now theres some shots of the factory spring hanger installation. To give credit there are some fairly nice welds on this thing then there are some pure garbage. Probably from coming down an assembly line with multiple 'craftsmen' having a shot at it. There are some pretty crappy welds done buy whoever welded the extension sections on it too, but they weren't billing themselves out to the motoring public. I'm not going to be re-doing every single inch of this thing. It's lasted this long without falling in half on the freeway. The main goal will be to take some of the bend out of the axle, flip the perches for a bit of lift, clean up the worst of the worst, then add some angle iron sides so he can make playwood side boards for containment. Attached Images
Reply:That big of a bow in the axle, it was seriously overloaded at one point of it's life.Make sure to re-do the critical welds i.e. tongue to frame, spring hangers, extensions added later.  Even though this isn't being created for resale, it's still gotta be safe.  Your name is hanging on it now.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Originally Posted by MarkBall2Make sure to re-do the critical welds i.e. tongue to frame, spring hangers, extensions added later.  Even though this isn't being created for resale, it's still gotta be safe.  Your name is hanging on it now.
Reply:Originally Posted by MarkBall2That big of a bow in the axle, it was seriously overloaded at one point of it's life.
Reply:not if the weight was outside the springs.  Like loading a small car on it.I've seen axles bowed by the manufacturer, but not that much.  I agree with how the tongue mounts, makes a person wonder about the manufacturer of the trailer if they had any quality assurance program/inspection in place?MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Originally Posted by MarkBall2not if the weight was outside the springs.  Like loading a small car on it.
Reply:The bend on that axle is correct!Its called a preloaded axle, and is bent by the manufacturer.If you think that axle is bent to much, you should see the 6000# axles that I have, they are bent just about the same as that one if not more!If it were from overloading, the axle ends would be bent in the other direction, and if it were from hitting something, the axle middle would show scaring and most likely be bent either to the front or rear, and not vertically, unless it was dropped from a height down onto something dead center of the axle!Last edited by Ken Dennis; 08-09-2009 at 03:52 PM.#1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!
Reply:Also!I would doubt that this trailer was built by a manufacturer.The tongue may have been, and then cut from a trailer and added to this, but that frame is all wrong to be factory, including the method used to attach the tongue!#1. If you don't like what I wrote, or if it offends you, then don't read it!#2. I am living life the way I see fit, if you don't like the way I'M living, tough sh**!
Reply:Maybe mistaken, never wrong..............I do concede I am probably mistaken on the axle.  Been a long time since I've seen one upside down.  Learned something new today too.  So it's a good day.Thanks fellers.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Note:  Sandy or anybody else.   Yes, the axles are usually pre-loaded, for camber as I mentioned, as you approach the axle loading limits, it tends to straighten the tires out.   More than once, I have "decambered" axles, for something that would be expected to be lightly loaded most of the time.   Say, a rubbish trailer.   I just fixed a horse trailer not too long ago, runs in the high country in Nevada.   They use it, believe it or not, to haul a mule, and pack, partway up to the high summer pasture.   At some point, they stop, can't go any further with a truck, trailer, or even a four-wheeler, unload the mule, throw the pack on, and bring provisions water etc. for the sheepherders the rest of the way up.   The goat-paths, even up to this point, are so bad, high-center the trailer, axles were both bent way up, and way back, so both camber and toe-in were way off.
Reply:I wouldn't get too exited about "fixing" that axle, until I used it a few times, see how the tires were wearing.BTW, Sandy, see you're putting your new hoist to work.   How's it been working out for you????
Reply:Originally Posted by mark8310I wouldn't get too exited about "fixing" that axle, until I used it a few times, see how the tires were wearing.BTW, Sandy, see you're putting your new hoist to work.   How's it been working out for you????
Reply:I would leave the axle alone.  It is bowed in the correct direction.  Judging by the small tires, the axle is probly very light for the load anyways.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:This looks like a job for...Air Carbon Arc Man!! I cut the top off my truck bumper yesterday. The air-arc is so nice!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:WOW just because you can afford a welder doesnt mean you can weld,
Reply:It looks like the paint was holding it together.
Reply:The gauge metal top that was in place just will not fit with the scheme I want to go with! Those trailer spring hanger welds would come out so quickly with a carbon-arc torch. Just the right angle!! City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Originally Posted by tanglediverThe gauge metal top that was in place just will not fit with the scheme I want to go with! Those trailer spring hanger welds would come out so quickly with a carbon-arc torch. Just the right angle!!
Reply:Plasma cutter works just as well for gouging in the right hands.
Reply:That made me almost toss my cookies!!!! Know a guy that built a utility trailer, used 2 5/8 oilfield tubing and mobile home axles. Tells me "yeah had to haul the backhoe other day think i bent an axle." Mobile home axles is wider than utility trailer size, person in question shortened axles, told me " all i had was an old piece of galvanized pipe too splice those axles."I never met a piece of galvanized anything that was built very heavy. Wouldn't the proper way to change axle length be NOT CUT IT IN THE MIDDLE!!!Had some feed wagons on the farm growing up, had ford 2 ton truck steer axles under 'em. The knuckles welded in place of course.Ranger 250 GXTSmith Gas Axe
Reply:Cutting an axle in the middle, is exactly the right place to do it, for either widening or shortening.Assuming, of course, that one has the competence to weld everything together correctly.
Reply:And BTW, galvanized schedule 40 pipe, whatever size, is just as heavy, as black schedule 40 pipe, of the same size.Galvanized schedule 80 pipe, whatever size, is just as heavy as black schedule 80 pipe, of the same size.Galvanized , say, 2" x 2" x 1/4" angle iron, is just as heavy, as 2" x 2" x 1/4" black angle iron.