Trailer time with MacGyver

[MacGyver]

 
So today I wanted to know, what is the axle actually rated for on the trailer.......In a conversation with the guys at a trailer shop they said some key information around 2 months ago that just popped into my head today as I again pondered the issue at hand.......

With no brake connections it was sure to be a 3000 lbs axle or less....... well, at 2980 on the GVWR I knew less wasnt a option. I didnt like the 3000 lbs option either, and I planned to replace it sometime..... but what size is it?? and do I need to be worried now at 21 years old on the current axle?!?!

The guys said to me you could identify it by the bearing size..... So today that is just what I did. After looking it up on my favorite trailer site, My 1989 boat sitting on a 1991 trailer has a 3500 lbs axle rating! YAY! PHEW! what a load off. (the boat is in the water so yes, it is a load off!)

Next up!   At CLR Crazy Carl had a issue with his trailer. it was bent down on one side in the front, not really bent but she had a lean.......It appeared to me to be caused by a corner joint not being tight enough, so I wanted to replicate that lean, I loosened the bolts and Voila! I had a brother to Crazy Carls trailer before my very own eyes! This brought up a issue over welding the trailer up.

So, If your trailer has a lean or what not, just not proper looking, I suggest you put the 2 side rails on Jack stands and level it out, then loosen and re-tighten bolts to make is straight once again. The more level the property it sits on or flat, the better the job will go.

As a Certified Welder, I will notate this to you all, I see no issues with having a properly setup trailer fully welded. These parts are just bolted together to save on shipping and frankly once under the boat, I doubt that is a issue. The CP16 I see sitting at the Marina I am at is also a 1989, and has the same trailer parts, just cut down for the 16. Just saves money and time!

Will it compromise the structure?!?!?   Not in my eyes, I just cant see that being a issue. They didn't weld it before because of money savings.

What is the gains?!?!? Well, it wont end up like Crazy Carl's (No offense buddy......please don't get all crazy on me...) It would improve the structure in my eyes, and I would do my own, but the issue then is the Galvanizing will be burned off when it is done.

We want to all be safe on the road and protect the investment we worked so hard to buy, so make sure you keep a eye on its partner, the trailer, and be sure you are set so you can take that boat wherever you want and be safe doing so.

Hope this helps someone out.

Something from welding class: A good weld will break the steel it is attached to, not peel off the steel when broken.
Same principle as a good wood glue joint, the glue will rip the wood off before the joint gives up the ghost.

MacGyver

[comfortably numb]

Hello,

Today I purchased a C-19 and will trailer her home in a few weeks. Where on the trailer might there be a Mfgr's name or # for licensing. Boat is a 1984 C -19/1, factory trailer.

Thanks
Comfortably Numb

[MacGyver]

My name plate was on the front of the main body of the trailer near the tongue on the Y section.

Mine is a sticker about to come off.

Most trailers can be re titled as home built just the same.

Mac

[ribbed_rotting_rusting]

One of my careers was as a diesel Mechanic (tech) ASE master tech in all phases. In school we were taught that a bearing will last 5 or 10 times longer if run at 1/2 wt rating, maybe 2 as long if run at 80% rating, and early death if 10% over rating, Life of bearing tables can actually be found out from Mfg of the bearing. I know when I got to where I was specing trucks for my own fleet I always bought 2 thousand lbs over legal wt for highway use (36,000 on drives rather than 34,000). There was also the added benefit that much fewer seals leaked. The reality is that how many miles are these trailers really going? I would think that water contamination would be a bigger problem than 10% over load. One drop of water can cause some real problems.

One other thing we were taught was never to weld on frames. apparently stresses will develop in the metal that will cause a break there when the rest of the frame in doing its normal job. Some said it would crystallize the metal, others said it would take the temper out of it. I know every mfg. stated not weld on them, and further more would dishonor any warranty claims. I also know of a shop that lost a big lawsuit for welding on steering components, big accident, had to pay both the car that was hit and the driver. Had problems with the insurance liability coverage and ended up broke.

The mfg.'s techs were always pretty sharp--one came out when we were overhauling a 12 speed, asked what is was doing, then told what we would find broken.Sure enough when we got it open he was right! He also covered under warranty because we were using synthetic, normal warranty was 100,000 miles, they extended it to 500,000 if you used synthetic oil. I always found mfg who furnished things that were used for vocational purposes to be stand up guys.

[brackish]

As an ex welder, primarily structural deck sections, platforms, pressure vessels, and piping primarily for offshore oil and gas, not sure about the welding restriction you mention.  I'm farily sure that the trailers our boats sit on are just mild steel with no post heat treatment.  Welding, if done properly, will not cause any problems.  Certainly there are issues such as removing the galvanizing to get a good burn in and making sure there is no undercut on the borders of the weld which will become a corrosion pocket.  Also, repairing the area with galvaweld to replace the galvanizing is essential.

My FIL had an industrial equipment distributorship.  A P & H  telescoping boom crane he had out for rent was turned over, bending the end boom section.  I offered to fix it for him gratis, but P & H wouldn't let him, he had to pay quite a few thousands for them to send their welder down.  Claimed product liability issues.  I welded lifting lugs on thousand ton offshore platforms that would be used by derrick barges to lift the platform onto the jacket in the middle of the Gulf.  I was certified ASME sec VIII div I, BPI piping, and AWS structural for GMAW, FCAW, SMAW, through 6G and SAW, 1G but I couldn't touch their boom.  I kind of thought it was a racket.

[skip1930]

Well yea, this makes sense.
-->...we were taught that a bearing will last 5 or 10 times longer if run at 1/2 wt rating...<--  

And by the same token after so many hours rotor blades are replaces on helicopters, and aeroplanes need annuals, and after a set number of landings and take offs it is mandatory that rubber tires are changed...point being things wear out, things rust and become thinner, things loose lubrication, things need to be replaced. The only thing that needs to be understood is WHEN has the limits been reached? The harder it's used the sooner it goes away.

Bearings and races are cheap insurance and they die when they die. So change them if after a look~see they look or feel bad. Actually how many miles does one rack up on a trailer? Maybe a few thousand a year? My Ford four wheel drive Expedition has almost 300,000 on it's factory set of bearings and CV joints...the 1930 Model 'A' has maybe 82 years on them...who knows. They still roll nice, look fine, feel fine.

MacGyver says, 2980 GVWR...so to heck with the bearings, what is the permitted load on each tire? It will be molded onto the side wall of the tire...so many pounds load at some much tire pressure. It should say 1490 lb or better.

skip.

[skip1930]

After I moved the axle astern...
Jacked up the trailer,
Took the wheel off. Both sides.
Drilled the slider angle through the frame for a 9/16 bolt directly above the axle.
This pulls the cantinary out of the axle. Makes the bow go away.
Puts the tire tread flat on the ground. Not on the inside edge of the tread on the ground.

Additionally 1/16 inch thick aluminium clip angles were placed against the frame and the slider angle and inside the U-bolt.
It seams that the frame rail on end and slider angle are a tad too thin across or the U-Bolts are a tad too wide for the frame.
So the clip angles take the slop out of this fit.

It is not shown in the picture but one can kind of get the gist of what was done.
Just the rear trailer axle on the scale with the boat loaded on was 3020 lb in this pic.

skip.

[ribbed_rotting_rusting]

Well, yeah tires are a big problem and the more likely source of trouble. Maybe because I am use to bolting and unbolting things(engines, transmissions) but it seems kind of final to weld up axle mount brackets. I also know that grade 8 bolts will hold anything together if torqued right. I know I have switched one trailer from 1 axle to two in a pretty short time unbolting one and and the replacement axles placed with two more holes drilled. Where I am in Indiana I think 70% of  travel trailers are made, so axles are cheap.All of the famous formaldehyde FEMA ones were made here.
I don't doubt the strength of welding, I bought a john Deere tractor that had a yanmar diesel  in it. When I tore the engine apart because of a knock the crank was egg shaped on one  rod crank. Too much gone  to grind down. I had no problem having it welded and then the grinding done. They wanted more for a crank than I paid for the tractor. Yeah, the tractor was an 850 utility tractor, no one believes a John Deere with a Japanese diesel. And the tractor works fine. I dug a new leech field for my septic system with it. Without the proper permits apparently or the proper licenses. Not caught--but come on, a poop tech?