by tnsurveyor » Mon Oct 09, 2017 8:22 pm
I would strongly suggest staying away from the Harbor Freight trailers.
I purchased Hap's camper earlier this year. We like the camper, and on the second trip this weekend, we suffered what could have been a catastrophic trailer failure. The front crossmember of the trailer has a small bracket that attaches to the tongue frame. You can use a pin for the trailer to tilt, or a bolt to make it rigid. A weld broke between the crossmember and the bracket that the bolt goes through to connect the two pieces together.
Thankfully the failure occurred in the campground after going over a speedbump very slowly. We had just traveled about 70 miles on a combination of interstates and rural state highways. I had noticed it was pulling a little different, but thought I had the sway bar adjusted incorrectly.
Had the cross member failed on the highway, it would have caused major damage, and probably hurt someone. The failure highlights the cheap steel used in these trailers. The crossmember actually tore. I have been around steel and welding my whole life, and never seen steel tear like this.
I was able to use rope and a rachet strap to temporarily secure the trailer to make the 20 mile trip to my Dad's shop. The trailer is there, and we'll tackle the repair when we have a few spare hours.
The trailer is the base on which we build these campers. With the time, effort, and money we invest in our campers, I would s uggest not skimping on the trailer. I will take pictures when we repair the trailer and post.