tongue patches

[Muggnz]

hi,

do these patches look like they'll need removing? I suspect that they should be removed, but aren't sure. The unseen side isn't patched.



If I do remove them. I'll shorten the length of the tongue.

tia
david

[sseaman]

im not sure i would remove them unless you are planning on cutting it back some, otherwise id leave them

[Dale M.]

Don't know... Looks solid. Got a shot from a little further back so whole configuration can be viewed...

Dale

[Muggnz]

This what the tongue looked liked before I removed the rusty cross member.



FWIW. It doesn't leak water. I've filled up the inside & it only came out where the wires go in through the top.

I don't want to cut the tongue back.

david

[Chicken Legs]

Is the box tubing of the tongue tapered down to fit onto a piece of flat, then the trailer coupling is welded to the flat?__Hard to tell from the pics. If this is the case then yes, I would remove the whole patch job and weld a trailer coupler directly to the trailer tongue, however as for the patch job it looks okay. You could just clean it up and weld over any highly rusted pits, if there is any, to fill the metal back up.

[Gerdo]

Hard to tell from the picture. I would take a wire wheel in a hand grinder and hit the rust/weld and inspect it. Apparently the tongue cracked there and the owner put a stick plat over it. If you take it off you probably won't like what you see. Here in the states when you stretch a truck frame you but weld the new frame with the old then cover with a stitch plate. I would clean, paint and leave it.

What I dont like is... The way the three tongue tubes meet the main frame. There is a twisting force on the first cross tube which may a point of failure. I likt the stress spread out by having the tongue under the main frame attaching to a couple of cross members. This is mine.

This way the weight is pushing on the first cross and pulling on the second. You could add another tube under the center tongue tube extending it back a couple of cross pieces.

[Muggnz]

here is a pic of the front of the tongue



Gerdo,

I have some replacement pieces as seen in blue @
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 274#273274
I'll be doing some more grinding on them, when my twisted ankle gets well enough.


They'll fit under the frame, like yours. And meet under the centre of the centre rail. The 2 angled rails will then be removed, cut and used as supporting plates for where the front cross member met the centre rail.

FWIW
I've been reliably told that we're not allowed to repair truck frames by welding. And weld must be removed And there must be a plate bolted over the crack.

david[/img][/url]

[Alphacarina]

What I dont like is... The way the three tongue tubes meet the main frame. There is a twisting force on the first cross tube which may a point of failure. I likt the stress spread out by having the tongue under the main frame attaching to a couple of cross members.

I agree

Adding the two additional members the way you are going about it isn't going to increase the vertical load limit of the tongue by all that much, which is what I assume you're trying to do

Two members under the front crossmember (the way Gerdo's and most other well built trailers are designed) is a much better way to go, IMO

Don

[Gerdo]

The best thing to do may be to cut the whole tongue off and start over. Make it the length you want/need and braced properly. I know alot of people use a single tube in the center for the tongue but I am a fan of the "A" frame tongue. It gives more lateral strength and you will have less sway.

[angib]

Two separate thoughts:

- 'Burying' the back ends of the two tongue members of an A-frame (like Gerdo's photo) is a good idea for amateur welders, as the load on the welds joining the tongue to the main frame is much lower. It isn't any stronger, but it's guaranteed not to be a weak point. Butt welding a joint in the tongue is near-as-dammit the same strength, if it's done by a really good welder.

- The way nearly all tongues fail (that's if they do!) is in vertical bending - an enormous superhuman hand holds the main frame stationary while another enormous superhuman hand pulls upwards on the coupler. So the critical point for the tongue/A-frame is right at the back where it meets the main frame or the front wall of the teardrop body - if it's strong enough here, it'll be strong enough everywhere else. Reinforcing the tongue anywhere else but around here is a waste of time.

Andrew

[Muggnz]

Andrew,

After thinking about it for a while or 2. I did decide to change to look like Gerdo's. Whilst also keeping the center rail. And of course strengthening it.

I have no idea about the quality of the existing butt weld. I only know that it's a home build trailer made in 1973.

Don,

I wish I give you a better idea of what I'm planning. Hopefully Gerdo's pix will suffice

Gerdo,

I do not want to start again. Or completely from scratch, which is why I started with the donor trailer.

And after studying Andrew's tongue strength calculation helper. I'm a fan of having the 3 tongue rails for my trailer. As the existing rails & braces are all 1.5" x 2.5" x 1/8" .