A frame hitch failure

[GrayghostUSA]

I think the C channel looks bent also. Not an optical illusion. Everything else looks straight.

Originally Posted by jimmarako

Your first set of pictures from the passenger side the C channel looks bent at the side wall of the trailer. Maybe its an optical illusion?

So your saying the box beams under the trailer look good? How about where they weld into the I beam under the storage box? Thigs look straight there?

Thanks
Jim M.

[Pvannort]

I can tell you from experience that is caused by excessive tonge weight. All your gear is forward of the axles.

[JDWinter]

Ouch and ouch again. I cringe looking at it. Sorry to hear of your plight. My Mini-Lite 2509S is pushing 925 lbs. of tongue weight with full fresh water. The freshwater tank is near the front. Also have two full 30 lb. propane tanks and two flooded batteries on the A frame. I may reduce my freshwater load to 1/2 for traveling to reduce tongue weight.

To your issue, a reputable RV/trailer place should be able to find and repair the failure. Maybe find ways to strengthen the A frame at the same time so it doesn't happen again. On our 4,000 miles of RVing this summer we had some mean bounces on the interstates and turnpikes. I often wondered about structural integrity. Now I know what can happen. Best of luck!!

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by GrayghostUSA

Thanks for responding. I have already done google searches. The ones I have talked to want me to tow the trailer there to even decide if they can do it. Obviously I want to minimize towing only to be told they cannot fix it. I am hoping for some personal response/experience.

Tim Shannon

From what the pictures show, it seems to me that towing the trailer in this condition would be a big risk. You might get away with it, but I suggest either a mobile welder or a flatbed tow.

The direction of the bend is consistent with excess weight forward of the trailer axle and/or a lack of adequate frame strength. A WDH would have actually served to reduce the bending stress in this case.

Some of the little 13’ molded fiberglass trailers from the 70’s are notorious for failing in a location similar to yours. It’s a location that bears a lot of stress.

Personally I’d prefer to see a continuous member running along the bottom of the A-frame and back towards the axle, rather than separate parts welded to a transverse member as it appears your trailer has.

Am I correct that the A-frame is attached closer to the centerline of the trailer than the frame members are? Because it looks like this transverse member is twisting under the stress imposed by two separate sets of attached members.

One set is the two A-frame members forward and the other set is the two frame rails to the rear. It appears they are acting like pairs of wrenches applying moment (rotational force) to the transverse member in opposite directions, and at different distances from the centerline of the trailer. So, the transverse member is failing and twisting.

FWIMBW, I’m not a structural engineer, but I took related coursework in college and regularly worked with SE’s for 40 years.

In any event, you need an experienced and qualified welder who can evaluate this, at minimum.

Personally, I think that qualified person could look at your first photo and say “yeah, I get it and I can fix it, bring it in”. Unfortunately, the person who answers the phones may not have a clue. So, ask if you can email the shop(s) pictures instead of bringing the trailer in. Hopefully that's worth a shot and somebody will respond with (justifiable) confidence that they can address the underlying issue which appears to be a dodgy, inadequate design.

[mnoland30]

I saw a boat trailer with a broken tongue on the way to the Lake once. It was a washboard road and boat trailers tend to have long tongues. I beefed up my utility trailer tongue after that because I drive lots of rough dirt roads with it. Please let us know the outcome.

[holteg]

Regardless of adding an extra battery or not, it should not have bent. Be sure they reinforce the structure with extra steel beams so it doesn't happen again. Rough roads shouldn't have caused this to bend. Poor design was the cause. Check your vehicle hitch too just to make sure nothing is bent or cracked there.
Best to you,
Dr. Greg Holte PHD Mechanical engineering

[GrayghostUSA]

Originally Posted by Pvannort

I can tell you from experience that is caused by excessive tonge weight. All your gear is forward of the axles.

Tongue weight is high on this model. We carry very little in the basement so I think your idea is in error.

[GrayghostUSA]

Thanks everyone for the responses to date. We have been in contact with Lippert and they are going to send one of their Lippert Mobile Service units out to do the repair. They are going to cut off the bent frame and replace it with a new a-frame right here in our back yard. The cost is approximately $2900. Our insurance company is reviewing this as to coverage.

The negative is September 9th is the earliest they can do the work. That wipes out our month-long trip to Colorado. As our tickets on the Silverton are not refundable, we will drive out there without the trailer, enjoy the train ride, and come back home and do the whole Colorado thing next year.

I will update this as things actually happen.

[Chuck_S]

Please let us know the tongue weight -- assuming you've not reduced it since the damage.

-- Chuck

[GrayghostUSA]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Please let us know the tongue weight -- assuming you've not reduced it since the damage.

-- Chuck

According to Flagstaff the tongue weight is over 900 pounds. I don't have that piece of paper anymore. With the second battery, full propane tanks, battery box and basement load this comes out to 1015 weight added to rear axle according to CAT scales.

[Chuck_S]

Appears to be within safe towing spec. Factory GVWR is 7000 pounds and 1015 pounds on the ball is 14.5% just below the allowable 15% for safe towing but I'm betting the trailer isn't constructed to put over half ton on the ball. Be interesting to see how much bigger the replacement A-frame is.

-- Chuck

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by GrayghostUSA

Thanks everyone for the responses to date. We have been in contact with Lippert and they are going to send one of their Lippert Mobile Service units out to do the repair. They are going to cut off the bent frame and replace it with a new a-frame right here in our back yard. The cost is approximately $2900. Our insurance company is reviewing this as to coverage.

The negative is September 9th is the earliest they can do the work. That wipes out our month-long trip to Colorado. As our tickets on the Silverton are not refundable, we will drive out there without the trailer, enjoy the train ride, and come back home and do the whole Colorado thing next year.

I will update this as things actually happen.

The Durango Silverton train ride is a really interesting experience. We took it in late May and particularly enjoyed the San Juan County Historical Society mining museum up in Silverton.

Getting back to the frame failure, I'm a bit perplexed. My understanding from some web searches is that Lippert manufactured the frame; is this correct?

Your 2019 model appears to have a listed payload capacity of 1,790 lbs., but it's not clear what the as-delivered axle and tongue weights were, and what the actual respective loaded weights were at the time of the failure. So, we're lacking some information.

While it's not clear if the frame was loaded within the manufacturer's published ratings, I will say that it appears to be a poor design. The frame design is unusual in that applies significant twisting forces to the forward transverse member, similar to wringing a towel. And the transverse member is what failed.

It’s important to understand the cause of a failure before implementing a fix. Personally, I would be reluctant to deal with Lippert until I had established whether the frame was actually significantly overloaded, as a good design will always incorporate a significant safety factor above the published capacity.

So, if Lippert was going to rebuild the frame to the same design, I would not pay them to do so as I consider the factory design to be highly suspect.

And, if they were going to rebuilt it to an improved design, I would not pay them to rebuild it as then I would be paying them to correct something which was their fault.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Aussieguy]

I would find a mobile welder to at least inspect it
you want to know why it failed before anyone touches/fixes it


+
check your paper work on the frame warranty. I think mine was over 3 years?

[ikoolu]

I had the similar issue the next to last day of a 40 trip last year. the welds actually broke on the a frame to the rails of the trailer - Same thing happened calling trailer repair place they all wanted it towed. Had a company come out and was told 3 k to tow it since it would not fit on a bed - to long and heavy. Called a mobil welder and told him to bring a couple jacks and 3 hours later it was welded up and we got on the road. Just make sure they bring some short pieces of 2x2 angle and 4 floor jacks and wood blocking -

[GrayghostUSA]

Trailer back and a-frame replaced. Seven weeks and $4000.

[vestup]

Congrats, I hope this is the last issue ever for you. Happy Camping.