TDInewguy
Minneapolis, MN
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Ok, long story, but I'll keep it as consise as possible.
i've got a 24' Aluma car hauler trailer with a "V" nose and an extended toungue to allow it to pull nicely behind a Class A RV.
The entire trailer is aluminum, including the 2"x3" aluminum box that is the straight extension out to the coupler.
The trailer was pretty heavy loaded up and was going from Minneapolis to Bozeman, MT. today.
We hit a bump on 94 just north of Albertville, MN and the tongue snapped about 6" in front of the V nose and the trailer was dragging on the ground until we were able to pull off to the side of the road.
I got a flatbed tow truck to take it to a welding shop that is going to look at it tomorrow AM (sunday) and see if they can fix/reinforce it and keep us on the road.
A few questions:
- is this something I should go after Aluma to fix/pay for?
- what should I be looking for in a proper repair?
- there are a few cracks near the break, how far should this be taken apart to fix, or can we just weld the cracks?
I can get photos, but don't have them right now...
Thanks for the help!
SSSStefan
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fordsooperdootydieselsmoker
OrangeCountyCalifornia
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At least give Aluma a chance, their warranty has always been "At Aluma, LTD, customer satisfaction is guaranteed!" They back it with a full 5 year factory warranty. A heavy duty industrial MIG wire feed welder will make a weld joint stronger than the surrounding metal!
* This post was
edited 07/26/08 11:25pm by fordsooperdootydieselsmoker *
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VintageRacer
Dundas, Ontario
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What is the GVWR of the trailer, and what did it weigh? I had an aluminium chassis trailer, and after a friend had the tongue crack I reinforced it with steel beams U-bolted to the aluminium frame members. Common 6061-T6 aluminium is strong, but prone to fatigue cracking. You may have over-loaded it, you may have had too much tongue weight bias, it would probably ride better with a WD system, and so on. I would not weld the cracks, the HAZ will always be a stress riser for new cracks. You ideally need to cut out the damaged tongue and replace it, perhaps with larger size tubes or sistering on additional support. Plating the damaged section may work as well. Someone who understands the engineering elements of using aluminium as frame members and aluminium welding needs to actually look at what you have.
Brian
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RJsfishin
Winston Or.
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Too much hitch weight, plain and simple. The extended single tube hitch should not have been put on it. IMO, a 2x3 tube is less than adequate for a tounge on a car trailer, even if it was made of steel. Aluminum metal under stress/flex fatigues much faster than regular steel. You must stop any flexing by reducing hitch weight, or you are doomed 
Rich
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The Stu
Washington
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VintageRacer wrote:What is the GVWR of the trailer, and what did it weigh? I had an aluminium chassis trailer, and after a friend had the tongue crack I reinforced it with steel beams U-bolted to the aluminium frame members. Common 6061-T6 aluminium is strong, but prone to fatigue cracking. You may have over-loaded it, you may have had too much tongue weight bias, it would probably ride better with a WD system, and so on. I would not weld the cracks, the HAZ will always be a stress riser for new cracks. You ideally need to cut out the damaged tongue and replace it, perhaps with larger size tubes or sistering on additional support. Plating the damaged section may work as well. Someone who understands the engineering elements of using aluminium as frame members and aluminium welding needs to actually look at what you have.
Brian
X2. HAZ = Heat Effected Zones; The area around the weld that is changed (down to the molecular level). Aluminum is a tricky beast when it comes to welding. It is very easy to over-cook the material and destroy it's strength.
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Kodiak5er
Alex Bay NY Summer; Sanford FL Winter
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fordsooperdootydieselsmoker wrote:At least give Aluma a chance, their warranty has always been "At Aluma, LTD, customer satisfaction is guaranteed!" They back it with a full 5 year factory warranty. A heavy duty industrial MIG wire feed welder will make a weld joint stronger than the surrounding metal!
The OP said the trailer was all aluminum and when welding aluminum the weld is usually only about 40% of the strength of the original metal.
If welding steel or stainless steel the weld is usually stronger than the original metal or at least as strong (100%) if done properly.
At the least the OP should make sure who ever repairs the trailer adds some extra bracing under or against the side of the original tongue (an extra small aluminum I beam would be nice).
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john b
anywhere USA!
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Not unlike a teeter totter a long tongue makes for a lot of leverage thus stress when loaded heavily. They do tow nice that way though!! Have a truss type reinforcement done bare minumum if no factory help forthcoming......Lots of luck!!
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itsalleasy
USA
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I wouldn't try to repair, have a new tongue made, and heavier than 2x3" tube for a car hauler, especially extended and heavily loaded.
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SWMO
Southwest Missouri
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You might have a legitimate complaint. Aluminum is more sensitive to heat when its welded. Two by products are thinning of the metal at the weld, and removing the temper, both could lead to stress cracks or breakage.
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T_Bone
Arizona
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Hi TDI,
I'm a 28yr AWS CWI (certified weld inspector), neuclar grade, AWS certified weldor with 33 different certs, ASHREA Engineer for 25yrs, and most of what's been posted in this thread is just the wrong info. I've certified thoudands of AL weldments at full tensil yield.
Post some pictures and I'll give you my best "net" guess as too why.
T_Bone
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