All Hell Broke Loose

[Geron]

Just a note on holes. Think of it like an I-beam. The major strength comes from the top and bottom.

My take is, if you have to drill holes, put them through the sides.

Based on this info I'm having second thoughts about "bolting" the battery mount angle iron to the tongue as outlined in the Kuffle Creek Chubby. That would require drilling 2 holes in each side of the the tongue on the bottom of the channel. Think I'll weld them on.

Geron

[Arne]

Angle iron brackets could be side bolted to the tongue and the battery box bolted to the angle iron.....

Or.. you could weld them.

[Dave Nathanson]

I never thought that my old 2x2 (1/8" wall) sq tube tongue was weak. It felt way solid. But there is a big difference between the amount of force I can put on that pipe myself, versus how much force a Baja dirt road can whip up. I'm sure the trailer was bouncing in the opposite direction that the Jeep was bouncing much of the time. Anyway, the fewer holes drilled in such an important piece the better, and the tongue is one piece that you WANT to overbuild. Hey, a little more tongue weight is GOOD, right?

Of note; the 2.5x2.5 (1/4" wall) did not break, or bend. But it did open slightly. So I've supported that with a 3x3 (1/4") sleeve.

Any now that I've proven that 2x2 (1/8" wall) is not a suitable tongue material, I'm going to see if I can prove if 2x2 (1/4" wall) square tube is acceptable. (!)

[dmb90260]

Any now that I've proven that 2x2 (1/8" wall) is not a suitable tongue material, I'm going to see if I can prove if 2x2 (1/4" wall) square tube is acceptable. (!)

But will it be able to carry your portable welding kit?
Enjoyed the pictures of your adventure and how you solved things.