Trailer hall of shame

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I thought I'd start a thread for trailers where anyone can post pics of bad trailer related stuff. This would make it easier to show the beginners why so many on here go ballistic when they start talking about welding on a trailer.   I'll start off with this. I had to fix a axle on a small trailer recently and found some shocking things when I got it in the air to work on it. Now from the top the trailer really looked pretty good. It was obviously home made and much heavier built than most trailers this size. But it was just a few little details underneath that made it all go bad.  The first two pics are of the piece of angle used for the tongue. It's about 1' under the trailer where I found this. In the first place I don't like the idea of splicing the metal for the tongue and if you do at least try to weld it properly.   The next two are of a couple of cross members under the trailer. Not as critical but still better care should be taken.   The last pic is where the other tongue member joined with the frame. Tried twice and still got it wrong.  But these aren't the most shocking ones. Those are still to come. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:These pics are of the most scarey part that I found under the trailer. First off they welded the spring mounts on the wrong way. If you want to call it welding that is.  The first two pics show it as found. The next two are after a few pretty light taps with a 3lb hammer. Pretty self explanatory. The last pic is what I did to repair it. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Here's the other side. Better but still lacking. I had to swing the hammer a little harder this time but it was still way to easy to knock off. Attached ImagesMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:That's like the maintenance guys who work at the plant where I work - they love their cold welds. They try to laugh when I tell them 18V on the mig is too low. Sadly, I don't yet have a mig to show them, but I'll get on theirs one of these days.Bruce
Reply:It looks to me like they were relying on the strong holding ability of rust!
Reply:Rust and luck they probably bought one the machines at lowes or HD watched the video and figured that is it sounded and smelled like bacon then is it had to be.  That is part of what is wrong with selling those welders that way but they want to make a buck.
Reply:Bubblegum don't hold too well on a trailer does it? Must have stayed parked for awhile for that rust to form on it and the "welds" not break yet. Surely it could not have been used much, or carried much load for those "welds" not to have already broken loose. Even pulling it empty, it's a wonder they were still holding when you got it. The guy that did that probably thought he did an excellent job.
Reply:As much as I hate the gov't getting their hands into anything as they could screw up the Lords Prayer this is one instance where there should be some kind of regulation for home made trailers. You've got people with a machine suited more for body work that any kind of structural welding not to mention their skill, or lack of doing the welding.I have no idea how you'd do it The only thing I've heard about is bike frames needing to be certified by an engineer, which, around here in Nova Scotia there's only one, and he's in New Brunswick.Maybe an exceptionally stringent inspection before a VIN is issued would  be a start.I rememeber the welding shop I worked in many years ago. This fella who was a construction manager for one of our clients, had a utility trailer he wanted fenders added on to. We usually didn't do that kind of work but management made an exception because of who he was.He brought the 'trailer' ( I use that word loosely) in. It was made from pressure treated 4 x 4 and 2 x4 lag bolted together. Even the spring hangers were drilled in the center of the web and he had used a lag bolt thru the hole into the 4 x 4 frame.Thw tongue was 4 x 4 with 2 x 4 diagonal braces to either side. Scary.....Mike
Reply:Being a little more forgiving, some of those were a little cold, but mostly it looks like most just plain missed the target maybe? Makes me think of folks saying "I'm having trouble seeing the bead (puddle)", myself included at times. Thinking back in time and ahead on things not done yet there are always places where the light isn't quite right, or the lens shade isn't quite right, or the view angle isn't quite right and the potential to miss the mark is there. But if you consistently have trouble seeing the bead or reading the puddle then you're going to get a lot of these things. If you are really seeing the puddle then you can see the keyhole or that little gull wing, you can see the wetting at the edges and you can see the slag trailing. You're not stuck with lifting the hood to see what happened. Bottom line I think we spend too much time analyzing the bead after it's done and not enough time seeing what was happening while it was being made."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Kinda makes you wonder how many "death traps" are out there on the roads. Out of state guy came to my shop the other day, aluminum trailer with 4 atv's on it, factory welds on the tongue all broken, tongue held on by two 1/4" bolts, rope & various straps, said they had come over 500 highway miles but were going back to a remote lake and "didn't want to take a chance of it breaking again". He paid extra for being stupid !
Reply:Here's my take on it. Guy can probably weld a bit, but instead of flipping the trailer to weld the hangers on, he tried to do it out of position, and failed. Doesn't know his limits...Just glad you got your paws on it Irish.
Reply:Originally Posted by daddyHere's my take on it. Guy can probably weld a bit, but instead of flipping the trailer to weld the hangers on, he tried to do it out of position, and failed. Doesn't know his limits...Just glad you got your paws on it Irish.
Reply:I just hope the inexperienced here who just got a new 140 mig read this thread before attempting to build something to tow down the highway.                                                    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:And my girlfriend wonders why I do everything I can to NOT follow a personal trailer that is loaded (or unloaded) on the road.If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Originally Posted by larpheadAnd my girlfriend wonders why I do everything I can to NOT follow a personal trailer that is loaded (or unloaded) on the road.
Reply:I get them in the shop here to Irish. Some are so bad that I won't even touch them.
Reply:Gee whiz, you broke my hangers off!!!  You don't know how hard it was for me to DO that.  Attached ImagesCity 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:Here's a good one for you all to check out! Attached Images