Welds Fail on Trailer

[Hotfoot]

Not mine!!...Found on another site...We keep warning newbies to "Not weld anything that travels on the public roads"...this was just a case of sloppy shop QA practice. :o
http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16368

[whateg0]

Yeah, about the safety chains... I've never seen any regs on where they are to be attached to the trailer, but I've always attached them somewhere BEHIND the hitch. Looks like these were just bolted to the hitch itself. I know the chains are really there to cover the coupling itself, but...

Dave

[mudbug]

That thread states the hitch was just tack welded-not- totally welded. That looks like two solid beads across the top of the hitch/trailer joint while the rest was un-welded at all. I could see that causing that failure with a few ups & downs going down the highway. Easy failure situation--very heavy trailer with a pry bar situation. :eek:

Not to defend anyones welding practices,but under those circumstances it wouldn't have mattered who did that little weld or how good a machine was used----the result would have been the same--failure of the joined parts due to lack of finishing the welds.

I would be more inclined to think the guy doing that job just plain forgot to finish his work & the "went to the hospital" was the cover story. I might be wrong,but any welds under that tongue would have prevented that failure--at least right away. The penetration on the two upper beads doesn't look all that great though & I've never seen an inexpensive trailer with multi pass beads,but the beads did go all around the hitch to prevent such as that(pure logic!).

[ruben]

Looks like they guy tacked it and did not fully weld it. Atleast they made the guy a new one and did not try to blame the driver for poor hauling or some crap.

[georgiametalart]

Maybe the manufacturer should educate some of the other workers so they could spot issues before they go out the door.

[B_C]

WOW.........

[folmonty]

way back when (some 35 years ago) a kid on my block wrecked his Datsun P/U. I gave him $75 for it and cut off the bed to make a trailer. Knew just enough to be dangerous with my Linclon 225 stick welder. Put some angle on the front and welded the hitch on. I recall how "rough" the whole thing looked and I didn't have any grinder or proper tools to finish it. Did the wiring for lights and sold the thing to some guy for $700 who probably used it as a gardening trailer. Reading this makes me wonder? Of course this was before all the "slip and fall" attorney's but had something happened it surely would have been on my shoulders. One good thing about getting older is gaining some wisdom. Hopefully.

Thanks for reminding me what a knucklehead I was Hotfoot.:confused:

[Dmaxer1]

I'm no pro but I have built a trailer and welded on several others. I finished all the welds and they're still rolling with no problems years and heavy loads later. The warning in this story is a suggestion the end user inspect welds done by (alleged) pros before risking life and limb. You're right; quality control extends to more than just the strength of finished welds. It includes much more. Caveat Emptor.:rolleyes:

[linde headache]

where i work as a welder it is against company policy to weld across the tounge such as the welds on the back of the hitch. they claim it weakens the steel, however we weld much larger peices .:D

[Mega Arc 5040DD]

Not mine!!...Found on another site...We keep warning newbies to "Not weld anything that travels on the public roads"...this was just a case of sloppy shop QA practice. :o
http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16368

Theres nothing to say those welds or rather lack there of were made by a newbey. And I have seen newbies who can weld better than the oldtimers. I don't care if you pretty new at welding or if you have been welding for the last 30 years. I think a better statement would be "Don't weld anthing that goes down public roads no matter who you are unless you can weld good enough and know hat you are doing. Otherwise keep practicing until you are."

And to who ever built that trailer even though the will brobably never read this. Come on thaths just lazy shotty work. At some point some one hould have noticed the missing welds even if it was the painter. Or the people doing assembly or who ever. thats just people nt caring at work and not thinking about what happens to the trailer once it leaves there sight.

Just my 2 cents. Agree or disagree don't matter to me:)

[CFRacing]

wow! :eek:


i'm not 100% new at welding but i'm still learning, and i built a trailer last year to hawl my ATV around. its seen a few thousand miles and still kickin! :D the welds are not crappy though. if i messed up on one weld i would grind it all back off and lay down a better one. i'll have to post pics up tomorrow. i'm pretty proud of it.

[Jim-Tx]

This is an old thread, but I'll comment.;) Obviously, there was no quality control where that smoker was built. I agree that someone, maybe the painter, should have noticed that it was not ready to leave the factory. I guess it could have been worse. It could have hit a carload of people rather than a tree.

I have "customer" that's always screwing something up. He has a lawn care business. He called one day and said that his "hitch has a crack in it." He's talking about the receiver hitch that goes into the receiver on his truck. I told him that I wouldn't weld it and that he should go back were he got it and ask whether they want to replace it or wait until his trailer comes loose and hits a school bus. I also told him that he can buy a new one cheaper than I would weld his for. I don't think he understood what I meant, but you can get those for 25 bucks. He didn't realize that I would spend an hour grinding out the old weld and fixing it.

If it was mine personally, I'd weld it in a second and not worry, but not for the "public".:(