Anyone seen frame damage like this???

[purple haze]

A month or so ago I was doing the wheel bearings and checking out the brakes in preparation for our 2 week road trip coming up. I did the curb side and went the other side and noticed all this. I was a bit freaked out as you could imagine. Upon further inspection I noticed that the spring hangers front and rear were bent in. I think I know when that happened, about 5 years earlier I think. Anyway I think never ending twisting force on the frame was a large contributor. And I have overloaded this toy hauler a few times. Maybe close to 1,000lbs over its 7500 gvw.

 

[Kirk]

I would have expected to see really uneven tire wear too? I have never seen that sort of damage to a frame member before and I sure wouldn't travel with it like that. I would think that the cracking could be welded, possibly adding a backing plate but the bent in axel hanger should throw the tires out of proper alignment. Do all of the other connections to the axels look OK?

 

[purple haze]

I didn't get to finish as I was on my lunch break. But I don't have any uneven tire wear. This is on it's 2nd set of tires. The first original set lasted 5.5 years and I had a blowout so they were promptly replaced. That was 5 years ago. But, just about a month before I noticed this damage, we had taken a 400 mile roundtrip, and the year before we did the same trip as well as a few closer to home. Even after I discovered that damage, and not having time to fix it we took a short trip, but we weren't hauling any bikes or quads in the trailer. So that turned out ok. That spring hanger in the pic above is the front and the worst. The middle was a little bit out and the rear was out almost as much as the front. I hooked a come-along to them and pulled them back plumb with the frame and welded a pc of 1/4" flat bar in to hold it in place. Then I gouged out the cracks and welded them up and put a fish plate over them. I also cleaned the cracked welds on those silly little "stiffeners" and welded those up. So when I was all done with that side, before I wrapped up I took a look at the other side and there were some of the same cracks on that side. Although the spring hanger weren't bent on that side. So I did the same repair on the curb side. I think that part of the problem is the poor design. There are crossmembers welded in the inside of the frame rails. The bottom weld of the crossmembers only come down the frame about 3/4 of the way. Then the silly little stiffeners don't go up far enough to overlap the lower weld of the crossmember. Does that make sense? The stiffeners should have been a vertical stiffener that goes from bottom to top of the frame rail just like you would see on any structural beam on a building, etc.

I would have expected to see really uneven tire wear too? I have never seen that sort of damage to a frame member before and I sure wouldn't travel with it like that. I would think that the cracking could be welded, possibly adding a backing plate but the bent in axel hanger should throw the tires out of proper alignment. Do all of the other connections to the axels look OK?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'd agree on the poor quality engineering. It's light duty (read: cheap) construction that was surely barely adequate for the GVWR and then you overloaded it besides.

 

[CharlesinGA]

L I P P E R T
Need I say more.
First stop (Biloxi, Boomtown casino RV park) going to Lake Charles, I discovered this on my buddies trailer the morning after we arrived. Took all day but we finally located a mobile welder to fix it.

The OP has a very tall spring hanger. It could have been made a short one and the spring put on top of the axle, Trailer would have sat the same height but the hangers being short, would not have much leverage to do any twisting on the frame. Ill designed I suspect.

Charles

 

[Onyrlef]

I'd agree on the poor quality engineering. It's light duty (read: cheap) construction that was surely barely adequate for the GVWR and then you overloaded it besides.

There's no engineering stress test on the planet which would make a distinction in a trailer frame capable of supporting 7,500 but not 8,500 lbs.
I suspect were the gvwr of that toyhauler 8,500 lbs the the only thing different about the frame would be it's gvwr.
Likewise, the difference in a 5,000 lb rated ball hitch and a 7,500 lb. rated ball hitch is the price and the ball. They're otherwise materially identical.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There's no engineering stress test on the planet which would make a distinction in a trailer frame capable of supporting 7,500 but not 8,500 lbs.
I suspect were the gvwr of that toyhauler 8,500 lbs the the only thing different about the frame would be it's gvwr.
Likewise, the difference in a 5,000 lb rated ball hitch and a 7,500 lb. rated ball hitch is the price and the ball. They're otherwise materially identical.

Sorry, I'm not clear on what you are saying. Is it that there is no concern about being 1000# over the GVWR? Or no way to detect or test for a mere 1000# difference?

 

[Kirk]

Then I gouged out the cracks and welded them up and put a fish plate over them. I also cleaned the cracked welds on those silly little "stiffeners" and welded those up.

Those welds look pretty good to me. No discernable undercut. I haven't welded now in several years, but I still know what they should look like. A long time ago the Navy spent a lot of money teaching me nuclear grade welding repair in my submarine days. I am guessing that the repair is the one from the first picture posted? If I were you, I'd keep a real close eye on those areas as you travel.

 

[Onyrlef]

Sorry, I'm not clear on what you are saying. Is it that there is no concern about being 1000# over the GVWR? Or no way to detect or test for a mere 1000# difference?

Well then let me help. No, that's not what I said. It's what you're saying.

 

[purple haze]

Thanks for the compliments! I have about 40 years of a bunch of different metal work/welding under my belt.
Ya, for sure I will keep an eye on things. I'm thinking of getting a few more years outta this toy hauler. I've gotten my moneys worth out of it, I think. I mean if I sold it tomorrow with the repaired damage on it and got $5000 for it, I could be happy with that. I got it new early in 2014 it was on "clearance' for $20,000. I had been looking at/for a used toy hauler in the $15,000 range and hadn't really found anything that I wanted. We've used the heck out of it and it is still insured with the same coverage as when I bought it and it's been paid off for quite some time now. I thought about filing an insurance claim, but, I'm not sure that they wouldn't total it and then I would be shopping for replacement (or taking the buyout and fixing it and then probably not having insurance on it anymore) and with this long trip coming up, I just didn't want to deal with that. So, I just decided to the repair and keep an eye on it. Like i said Iv'e gotten my $$$ worth so if I get 2-3 more years out of it and have to trade if for a 30 pk of Coors, its all good! LOL

Those welds look pretty good to me. No discernable undercut. I haven't welded now in several years, but I still know what they should look like. A long time ago the Navy spent a lot of money teaching me nuclear grade welding repair in my submarine days. I am guessing that the repair is the one from the first picture posted? If I were you, I'd keep a real close eye on those areas as you travel.

 

[purple haze]

Dang, that's gnarly! Was that the only spot like that? What did the mobile welder cost?

L I P P E R T
Need I say more.
First stop (Biloxi, Boomtown casino RV park) going to Lake Charles, I discovered this on my buddies trailer the morning after we arrived. Took all day but we finally located a mobile welder to fix it.

The OP has a very tall spring hanger. It could have been made a short one and the spring put on top of the axle, Trailer would have sat the same height but the hangers being short, would not have much leverage to do any twisting on the frame. Ill designed I suspect.

Charles

 

[Ray-IN]

All the damage appears the result of overloading and the torsional effects of making sharp turns with tandem axles. This might also involve frame twisting.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Dang, that's gnarly! Was that the only spot like that? What did the mobile welder cost?

You can read the story here, and somehow I didn't mention what the welder charged, which was $200. What the welder told us was that every one of the people we had called has shops and were "mobile" only when they had time, felt like it, or needed work. He said he didn't have a shop, his truck was his shop and he stated (and I can believe it) that he was the only real mobile welder on the Mississippi coast. The trailer came from Daytona Beach FL so I'm sure that contributed to the rust. in addition it looked like the lower cap of the beam was spliced right at the spring hanger. My buddy really likes the trailer but the frame sucks.

After he got back, he did install a Dexter wet bolt kit with the 1/2 inch thick fat shackles and the Dexter cushioned equalizers. His original plastic bushings were worn out.

Charles

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Well then let me help. No, that's not what I said. It's what you're saying.

???? I don't think I said anything like that. Certainly not intentionally.

 

[Kirk]

I thought about filing an insurance claim, but, I'm not sure that they wouldn't total it

With the RV now 10 years old, I'd suspect that you are right about that. If it's in decent shape you can probably get most of what you bought if for when you sell or trade. Let us know how it works out once you make your long trip, if you will.