The Mad Dash collapes at an exit ramp...

[GPW]

So much for cheap trailers ... All that FOAM was just too much weight !!! The second official Foamie failure ...

[daveesl77]

This is exactly why I did not trust the base HF, bolt-up/weld-up factory system. Instead I used both bolts and welds on every joint or attachment place. We also added in the central tongue tube, bolted and welded.

I wouldn't consider this a failure of a foamie, but instead a failure of the frame. Not sure why your rear tongue bolts were missing, but if left off, then that is a major problem. I've seen pics of this exact failure and that was my reasoning behind bolts and welds.

I'm really glad you made it back home safely and I wouldn't sweat the tongue problem too much. Just beef it up and you should be good to go.

dave

[RAYVILLIAN]

Darn Mike think what would have happened if it fell at 70MPH. Looks like the front weld damage happened when the tongue dropped. But I would think that the back attachment should be through that u bracket not just bolted to the side.That way if the bolt fell out the back part of the tongue couldn't just drop down like it did. I'd see if you couldn't grind that front weld off and change that it would be safer.

Really glad you made it home safe.
Gary

[Dale M.]

This will be a unfavorable comment for lots of people, but "Harbor Freight".... Or Horror Fright.... What can one expect from cheap Chinese stuff.... We can expect to see more of this as time goes on...

Dale

[Philip]

Lets talk about bolts. We know whoever welded the frame didn't know how to weld. Using bolts as a back up can work with the correct bolts. The bolts suppilied with those trailer kits are not the correct bolts to use. You need to use flange head serrated bolts and nuts. Those are the type used in semi construction and other forms of equipment. You need a proper sized hole for them. Use the serrated nuts also. Use a good impact wrench to tighten them. They do not loosen up like regular bolts and lock washers do.

Here is a link the them on McMaster-Car.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#flange-head-ca ... s/=13bkzl2

MC only has them in Grade 5. I would suggest going to Fastenal and getting grade 8. Most semi shops do not have them in 3/8's and that's what most trailer kits use.

[KennethW]

This will be a unfavorable comment for lots of people, but "Harbor Freight".... Or Horror Fright.... What can one expect from cheap Chinese stuff.... We can expect to see more of this as time goes on...

Dale

Yes, Harbor Freight trailers are not the greatest(you get what you pay for). But if One is on a tight budget it will get you into a teardrop and camping. If one gets a trailer build that weights the same as a HF trailer, It would have the same or greater failing rate as each one is a prototype. Most, if not all(one off) welder trailer weight twice as much and cost double or more. So yes more durable. With the number of HF trailers out there it seem they have a small failing rate if assemble as stated in the instructions.
PS, The rear mount on the Mad Dash trailer is not the HF mounting bracket that I have on mine. If it is not the HF bracket you can't blame the failing on HF.

[KCStudly]

I agree, not a foamie failure.

I do disagree with the bolt recommendation to a certain degree. Serrated washer faced bolts and nuts are good for quick assembly in a commercial production line environment, but may not be the best use in every application. Especially where not clamping two rigid items, such as thru HSS tubing or the configuration that Mike showed above passing thru two portions of a bracket that can crush and yield with no anti-crush sleeve. Once they loosen up the nut can still rattle off, just like a plain nut and split lock washer or no lock washer at all. Nylon insert locking nuts are better in this regard since they won't rattle off, but they cost more and are more effort to install with dedicated flat washers.

Also, grade 5 hardware should be fine, for properly engineered joints, for most trailer chassis applications except maybe the suspension components. Not understanding the factors that go into engineering a fastened joint and automatically assuming that Gr 8 will fix all problems is uninformed thinking.

I, too, don't like how the A-frame member rides outside the bracket loop; and the tongue member appears to have been cut down to a single side of the structural shape, or just a flat tab. I wondered if this was just a result of the roadside repair, being too difficult to get the member back into the bracket, but then it seems like it is part of the folding tongue design.

Thankfully there was very little damage and no one got hurt.

[halfdome, Danny]

Glad to hear no one was hurt Mike.
If I remember correctly a Washington member (Rainjeer? something to do with Rambler & Mt. Rainier) years ago took his tongue box off his HF chassis and while leaning on it the tongue broke off, bummer.
Hopefully you can retrofit it so you can safely tow it again.
Danny

[tony.latham]

Mike:

Glad this failure wasn't a disaster.

I'm going to crawl under our 'drop today with a flashlight and check the welds.

Tony

[mikeschn]

I dug around on the internet to find these 2 pictures...

The first picture is the original design, and what is present on my HF trailer. The bracket is bent into the shape of a channel, and a bolt goes thru both legs, and thru a single a single wall of the tongue...



This appears to be a new design. I found it in the instruction manual on the HF website. It looks like they've got a long piece of angle iron now. So the bolt goes thru on wall of the angle iron, and one wall of the tongue. This design eliminates the collapsing of the bracket that is present on my design. But I'll add a sleeve, and we'll be fine. But first we'll let the welder look at it...



Anyways, there's no way to capture the tongue inside the bracket on the original design. I suppose one could fashion a new bracket...

And I remember reading this years ago on http://redtrailers.com/WhyRedTrailers.asp website:

Notice the difference in the tongue design. RedTrailers have a center tongue support tube that provides greater strength (and greater safety) while towing. The RedTrailers coupler is securely mounted to the end of the 50-inch steel support tube, while the "Brand X" coupler is simply bolted to a lightweight flat metal plate.

And red trailers is willing to sell me the parts to make my HF trailer look just like a red trailer. I might do that...

Mike...

[deleted]

Very glad to read no one was injured and your teardrop suffered no damage! That you've taken the time to share your story and all of the pictures is an invaluable opportunity for others to learn from. It was also a good reminder of why once I took that MIG welding class I realized I didn't want to try to build my own trailer without the proper skills and experience. It'd be one thing to make something that would have been only decorative but to create something safe and road worthy? Definitely best left to the experts.

[R. W. Alexander]

It was a improperly welded part. Or what is called a "cold weld". The up and down movement of the tongue while driving on the road gradually weakened the bad weld until it broke. a simple clean out and re-weld along with some gussets will fix the problem. The Harbor Freight trailers are not bad, but welding the steel frame at key areas, can prevent future problems. With a bit of monthly frame checking during the trailer season, problems can be avoided. For me when I get a trailer I get rid of the bolts and just weld and reinforce the areas where the bolts were. It's peace of mind for me.

[dogscats]

If going with nuts. How about double nut where you use two nuts locked together? Drilling for safety wire, cotter pin.

[KCStudly]

Double nutted with post assembly locking compound (the green stuff) would be suitable, and far easier. Less cost (if you have a bottle kicking around already), too.

[yrock87]

glad you are okay Mike. and thanks for sharing, it is always better(for the pocketbook) to learn the important lessons from somebody else. I guess that is why we are all here