Harbor freight trailer will break and crack over time. ?????

[boxcar]

Larwyn. I doid not mean for this to seem personal. If I slid that way I am sory. Being from Oregon every thing seems to be on the vertical. Add to that I live on the coast. Can you say heavy tourist trafic. Having one of the fuew fabrication facillities in the eria I have the privalige (LOL) of being the final destination for lots of road kill. A good percentage of what I see is caused by over loaded under powered, poorly loaded, rigs of all kinds. Many of these accidents are due to poor equipment . No brakes, Tinney wheels spindaly axles poorly built trailers . Basicly I see alotta crazy junk. I think the reason it bothers me so much is that inevitably its not just the offending junk owner who is hurt. Most roads go both ways.
Just last week we had an old fireball come in that had lost an axel out on the highwayThis guy was towing a trailer that must have gone 3000lbs with an old Toyota p/u. He had replaced the origanal axle with a 3500 lb ideler axle and used ALL THREAD for "U" bolts, Can you see this coming???? Well the all thread failed and yes the axle desided it did not like the posision it was in . Long story short.....no more fireball, no more Toyota p/u no more chevy truck (the un lucky recipient of the hurtaling mass of junk that used to be a fireball toyota cross breed. Thankfully only miner injories. THROUGH NO FAULT OF THE TOYOTA OWNER. His excuse to me when I asked him "What was he thinking" was hey man I was leagal
and I'v ben towing things all my life. So the issue of towing safty has become an issue for me. And yes I rant. One can not marginalize the safty of others to sute our own pocket book. If you can't afford to build your respective toy correctly then you should not build it at all.... This guy had a $500 flat screen a wonderfull sound system custom wheels new fridge and rainge. and who knows how many other new expensive gadgets in his trailer but had opted for an ideler axle all thread for "U" bolts and a 45 year old coupler. I see this formula being recomended on this site in post after post..And it is driving me nuts!!!!! You would not build your house on a mud foundation. The running gear of a trailer is the most important part of the entire unit. Going cheap on the frame and running gear is just an upside down formula. Skip the oak trim and buy brakes. Go without the garden lights the pink flamingoes tha satalight dish and spend a little more on tires. Lets face it ,whithout the chassis it aint a trailer. A crapy axle will cost you around $125 a good one with brakes may go $150- $300 the controler is $50-$85 proper "u" bolts are a couple bucks. I'd bet that in any build budget the extra cost for this hardware can be cut from the frills. So lets stop advising that people that it's ok to go cheap where the unit contacts the road...The chassis and running gear is the first thing built in any T/D project..Take the time to do it right, Over build rather than under build (TO a POINT) If you project that your trailer will weigh 1500lbs dont buy a 2000 lb axle buy a 3000lb axle there is maybe a 50 lb diference. And by all means add brakes to your unit. While your tow rig may pull the load fine it was never designed to stop an extra 1000-3000 lbs of sling weight (not bed weight , diferent formula)..I am now through ranting ..I will try not to do this in the future...Please forgive me my passion and poor spelling...and be safe I'd love to meet all of you on the road one day.... Boxcar.. PS; Larwyn I love your shop and only a real man has the balls to wear a kilt God I love that.....

[afreegreek]

Who is arguing?

I just presented a bit of personal experience and the facts as I know them. The personal experience is mine and I know it to be true, I even included links to back up the facts. There is no argument here.

no law forces you to wear safety glasses in you own work shop either. that doesn't mean you are not a fool if you don't..

[bdosborn]

Who is arguing?

I just presented a bit of personal experience and the facts as I know them. The personal experience is mine and I know it to be true, I even included links to back up the facts. There is no argument here.

You're not arguing and keep posting the links. Its important to get unbiased views on a subject as important as safety.
Thanks,
Bruce

[glassice]

Thanks Larwyn for puting the laws up I was ok in calif but breaking the law in nv so will be put breaks on this week end . I have air breaks on my toe truck wish there was a cheep way to put air breaks on a 16 foot car trailors I like the truck I have I start & stop on diesel then run on wvo so cost not that bad on long trips. SO thanks I don't need the ticket

[eamarquardt]

It is, IMHO, irresponsible to tow a trailer that weighs more than about a third of the weight of the tow vehicle unless the trailer has functioning brakes. Some states have laws that make this standard (pretty close) a legal requirement.

I don't care about the "legality" of such behavior because I/you have a moral obligation to respect the right others have to be reasonably safe when in the proximity of you and your vehicle.

I don't give a rats posterior if anyone uses a HF trailer safely. People on the forum have purchased the 17XX cap HF trailer, probably loaded it well beyond it's rated capacity, towed it with a "pregnant roller skate", towed it with no brakes on the trailer, broken the law, and eventually there will be an accident involving said behavior. A few prosecutions, well publicized, will bring a lot of people to their senses. Unfortunately it may/will be too late for someone.

I believe a number of folks that hang out on this forum need to think about the possible consequences of their behavior. The "I was being carefull" and it "couldn't happen to me" rational won't bring anyone back to life.

Accidents happen but some are preventable. I've lost too many acquaintances to accidents. You gotta do your part.

http://dangeroustrailerspersonalstories ... inlay.html

If you think it won't happen to you, think again.

There is no reason for over 68,000 accidents and more than 440 deaths a year involving vehicles towing trailers.....per

http://markpolk.rvtechtips.com/2009/03/ ... river.html

Here is a good article with lots of new info.

http://slaga.net/RV/How%20to%20Tow-version%202.pdf

Gus, out

[Larwyn]

I have no problem with those who promote safety here. I believe in safety myself. What I do have a problem with is when someone decides to post what they feel the law should be while misleading others to believe that it is, in fact the law. Misinformation is not a good thing regardless of the reason it is given.

It always bothered me that the "Mr Safety" on my last job felt like he was personally responsible for the company safety record. It seems that many people loose sight of the fact that most people avoid accidents because accidents can tend to be somewhat painful (selfish? yes, but serves the purpose). Since most people do not like pain all that much, it kind of comes automatic. But "Mr. Safety" becomes so obsessive that the biggest pain on the job is "Mr Safety" himself. One example being the requirement to wear a hardhat, safety boots and safety glasses when you get out of the truck to open a gate. I guess that requirement was to protect you in case the sky started falling, or gravity might loose it's hold on the gravel on the ground causing it to float violently into your eyes. as there was absolutely nothing overhead. The boots may actually come in handy though, to protect your toes in case that hardhat falls off while you are dealing with the lock on the gate. There were many more stupid rules in the name of "safety" which served no purpose other than to swell the ego of "Mr Safety" because he was in control.

The safest way to move a trailer is probably to hire a professional driver with a vehicle which outweighs you trailer by a factor of 10. If he keeps the speed down around 10 or 20 miles per hour, remains alert, has the road closed and a police escort, chances are the likelihood of an accident would be reduced a bit. Since most of us will not go to that extreme we are taking a calculated risk every time we get in a vehicle whether towing or not. It is up to each one of us to determine what is safe for our own particular tow vehicle/trailer combination and our own skill level. Safety is very important to all of us.

This thread was supposed to be about Harbor Freight trailers disintegrating due to poor material and workmanship. I have still seen nothing to support that claim. I checked mine over last evening and saw no signs of decomposition. Cannot say as much for that Home Depot luan though.

[parnold]

My 1974 HF trailer, which has never had the hubs off, and sits outside in the elements, and has been home to many different boxes, etc on top, is holding up just fine thank you!

[bobhenry]

[quote="bobhenry"]2 years and 8,000 miles and now I am too scared to look


Went and looked .... Decided "Nobody" (Harvey) had the right idea. So when in doubt add more metal

Buddy was a 30 year machinest and welder so it looks "MARVALEOUS"



My new HF reinforced tongue












We are also working on a rear reciever that will mount center and movable to the left side.
Center to tandum tow and left for the spare mount swing out table we are gonna build.

[8ball_99]

I think if your legal and feel safe with your setup thats enough.. Sure you could always do more.. I don't feel the need for brakes on everything I pull. I have a full sized truck. In my state you can pull a single axle trailer loaded up to 2800Lb with out brakes.. I've pulled one loaded that much and felt safe and in control. Heck I've pulled twice that on a tandem with no brakes and had np stopping.
Now all that said. I sorta agree with the smart car comment. Tons of people on here pull with cars that are miles away from what most consider a Tow vehicle.. These compact cars were not designed for towing. They have small brakes and weak frames.. They just weren't built with any kind of regular towing in mind.. A decent truck or Suv in most cases were built with some thought to towing..

[eamarquardt]

This thread was supposed to be about Harbor Freight trailers disintegrating due to poor material and workmanship. I have still seen nothing to support that claim.

I think another (tacit) part of the same issue is how suitable is the HF trailer for what it's being used for.

I agree that there have not been any significant reports of unpredictable failure. Some have reported difficulty obtaining spare parts when needed but some "proper prior planning" can take care of that issue.

However, the orginal question got me thinking about more than just the quality question. HF trailers can't (to my knowledge) be fitted with brakes w/o replacing the axle. I've shared my thoughts on brakes. If you have to replace the axle I think the HF trailer becomes less attractive as an alternative than obtaining a trailer that is completely suitable to the task intended in the first place.

If used with reason and within the laws, a HF trailer is a viable alternative for some.

There you have it, again, the "World According to Gus".

Cheers,

Gus

[Larwyn]

This thread was supposed to be about Harbor Freight trailers disintegrating due to poor material and workmanship. I have still seen nothing to support that claim.

I think another (tacit) part of the same issue is how suitable is the HF trailer for what it's being used for.

I agree that there have not been any significant reports of unpredictable failure. Some have reported difficulty obtaining spare parts when needed but some "proper prior planning" can take care of that issue.

However, the orginal question got me thinking about more than just the quality question. HF trailers can't (to my knowledge) be fitted with brakes w/o replacing the axle. I've shared my thoughts on brakes. If you have to replace the axle I think the HF trailer becomes less attractive as an alternative than obtaining a trailer that is completely suitable to the task intended in the first place.

If used with reason and within the laws, a HF trailer is a viable alternative for some.

There you have it, again, the "World According to Gus".

Cheers,

Gus

The whole point is that there is no reason to put brakes on the trailer in the first place. Unless you are planning to tow with a lightweight vehicle. If you are determined to put brakes on the blasted thing then a HF trailer is not a choice period. But my opinion, as well as that of the lawmakers in practically every state of the Union is that a teardrop camping trailer of average weight (800 to 1500 pounds) is not required to have brakes. I know for a fact that if TXDOT felt that it was unsafe to tow a 100 pounds without brakes then all trailers over 100 pounds would be required to have brakes, it is that simple. And yes I do have more confidence in their opinion than I have in yours. Sorry bout that.

Brakes or not, I just slow down, keep my distance and do not make any sudden moves. Much the same as driving on ice. Like it or not, safe driving habits are more important when towing lightweight trailers than brakes could ever be. And don't forget, some of those 16 foot tandem axle trailers with brakes that you see traveling the highways at 80 mph are somebody's first welding project. Now, that is ten times more scary to me than a bolted together HF trailer with no brakes.

[rainjer]

I have been following this thread I find it very interesting. I have a trailer that is very similar to the HF trailer. Mine was even made in China.

In my opinion, if they are built correctly, maintained and not overloaded, they will last a long time.

My trailer was purchased in 1984 by a friend of mine. He used it for a camping & utility trailer until he gave it to me in 1998. I used it as a camping & utility trailer until I built my teardrop in 2005. The only thing I did to it between 1998 & 2005 was replace the 8" tires with 12" ones and repack the the bearing a couple times. I must have put 7,000 to 10,000 mile on the trailer in that time frame.

In 2005 I stripped the trailer down to the frame, replace a bent axle, extended the tongue and built my teardrop. I had not problems with my trailer in the 6,000 miles I towed since 2005 until last May (2009). That is when I realized the mistake I made. When I extended my tongue, I created a "lever" that put excess stress on the rear cross member. On a trip back from California it broke.





After analyzing the problem I realized I created the the weak point when I put the longer tongue in. I put a 72" tongue. The distance from the front cross member to the rear cross member was only 24". I had 48" in front of the trailer. the create a great lever action. The other thing I did was move the angle tongue supports forward so they were only under the trailer 12" which was not giving any support. I have now corrected that problem. I have replace the cross member and added longer tongue supports.



So to answer the original posters question. Built and used un-modified the trailers can last a long time. If you plan to modify in please learn from my mistake.

Jeremy

[Arne]

Good story, and I like your fix. I see some that triangulate the tongue and don't run the supports toward the rear far enough.... imho..

[boxcar]

I am not advocating any new laws or requirements. They already exist...Driving an overloaded vehical is eilleagal in all 50 states. The brake requirement is only part of the equasion... I am advocating safer rigs. For any one to state that he or she is safe becaus he or she allways drives --------------ADD YOUR BEST COMMENT
is just about the most lame excuse I have ever herd and just about the most utilized. No one plans on having a problem ,problems have a nasty habit of just hapening...Try telling the guy you hit that story see how far it gets you.......I'm Done...Boxcar..

[Larwyn]

I am not advocating any new laws or requirements. They already exist...Driving an overloaded vehical is eilleagal in all 50 states. The brake requirement is only part of the equasion... I am advocating safer rigs. For any one to state that he or she is safe becaus he or she allways drives --------------ADD YOUR BEST COMMENT
is just about the most lame excuse I have ever herd and just about the most utilized. No one plans on having a problem ,problems have a nasty habit of just hapening...Try telling the guy you hit that story see how far it gets you.......I'm Done...Boxcar..

Well, now I get it; You are assuming that all of us "other idiots" on the forum are overloading our tow vehicles in spite of your selfless plea for sanity! If that is the case, then what matter is it how the trailer is loaded/equipped?

I'll say it one more time; Safe driving habits are the number one most important factor in vehicle accident prevention, period. This attitude has served me well through the last 46 years as a licensed driver.

I have towed many different types of trailers and farm equipment over the years. Of them all, I am beginning to get the impression that, for this particular thread, the most appropriate to bring back into service would be the manure spreader..................