How Do I Fix This?!?!?

[Dahlia47]

How do I fix this? Are you able to see the bend in the angle iron? I cant take it off, its welded. It might compromise the metal its welded to. Is it safe? Can I use a square pipe and bolt it? We have a trip in 3 weeks. Help!?

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[western traveler]

Is that one of the tongues beams that is attached to the bent angle iron? If so I’m betting bent from fatigue or overloading. Your comment makes it sound like you can see some wasted metal. I think it needs more than just having a sistered piece slapped in.
Safe? I am interested in what others think...

[Dahlia47]

it bent when we went over a speed bump. I am so mad. Frustrated more than anything. And yes, it connected.

[saywhatthat]

if it was welding it can be cut off with a cutting wheel cutting the welds .me would just cut it off with a plasma cutter
can you see any tear in the steel near the welds are on the beams . can you make the the drawbar bounce by SETTING down on it and bouncing up and down with no landing gear down .just jack stands are what ever holding the front of the frame

[saltydawg]

Yes it can be fixed. the smartest way is to cut it out and replace it with something stronger. It would only take a few hours, but you might need to rework the tongue to be stronger as well. If you really just need a fix for the time being, it could also be done, but I wont tell you how. For a few reasons, one being a temp fix quickly becomes a long term fix that then fails because people just keep thinking its working I wont worry about it, two liability.

I looked thru some of your posts, it seems like your in the midwest so I cant offer any suggestions.

[MickinOz]

Here in Oz, I'd take that to a reputable local crash repairer and get then to put it on their chassis straightener.
Then have them weld in suitable bracing to ensure it doesn't happen again.
A real shop though - licensed tradesmen with liability insuance.

[Shadow Catcher]

A frame strengthening place could bend it back into shape and sister a stronger member. Ours was.

[Woodbutcher]

Get another piece of angle iron, 1/4" thick. Attach it with grade 8, 5/16 bolt on one end, keeping the new piece tight to the old one. Move the jack over and repeat the process, jacking up as you go along, taking the bend out. Bolt every 10-12" . This will fix your problem. If you want, you can take it to a welder before of after your trip and have him weld along the bottom for added strength.

[tony.latham]

This will fix your problem.

I like Woodbutcher's idea. (As usual.)

Tony

[Modstock]

Look up some trailer repair shops in your area. Remember though it is their busy time of year .
Woodbutchers idea would get you by, but I'd get some stronger square steel welded in.

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[bobhenry]

These short tongued monsters expect that second cross beam to carry all of the down force. It will fail ! When I modified my builds I ran square tube front to fear and let it extend onward to the hitch. This allowed 4 or 5 crossmembers to share the stress. I used grade 5 bolts and drilled and attached at each cross member. You may be able to simply tighten and remove the downward bow by slowly tightening the other connectors over time. Even if the bow remains it will not fail with this repair made. First picture is my cobbled up frame with the very scary anemic tongue connection. In the second you can see the addition of the " square tube that was later added to reinforce the poorly engineered original design.






As a bonus if your state lets you pull doubles you can pin in a reliever in the square tube for a trailer receiver for a bike rack or your second trailer

[swoody126]

the guys at a frame straightening shop would simply tie the ends to the floor(they have anchors in their slabs) and jack up in the middle

or do the same thing on their frame rack if they have one

you can replicate this operation w/ a good 5/16" log chain and the jack pictured in the OP

fasten the chain to the ends at about where they are fastened to the longitudinal frame members w/ a sag in the center

cut or nail together a wooden block that cradles/nests the bent cross member and place your jack between the cross member and the chain

jack the cross member up gently

since the chain wont stretch the cross member will bend back up as you pump the jack

once done to your satisfaction use WoodButcher's method to sister it using 5/16" grade 8 bolts and a 1/4" thick piece of angle iron

a cut off disc on your angle grinder will cut the angle iron and a 3/8" drill w/ a 5/16th twist drill are the only other tools you'd knead

BON CHANCE

sw

[working on it]

* More photos would help a lot. Can't really tell what your tongue may be tied into or how it's connected up front; it might need to be scrapped entirely, instead of straightened & braced.

* My trailer's original tongue was bent, and too short to be used, when I expanded its' size (from 50"x60" to 50"x96"), and a bit too thin (just 11 gauge) for a single beam tongue, IMHO. So, I used a 72" piece of 3/16" thick 3"x3" square tube to replace it, tied into 3 crossmembers, and sistered to a central spine running the length of the trailer. It's been proven to handle the 2200+ lbs weight of the trailer quite well, and the 266 lbs tongue weight, too.

welded pieces added to enlarge original frame.png (1022.6 KiB) Viewed 1291 times

* However, if I ever get offroad, I think I'd make the current added-on tongue box "stabilizers" (punched-hole,
galvanized, angle steel... just bolted on) into real supports for the tongue, turning it into an A-frame style tongue, by welding 1/4" steel angle pieces diagonally from tongue to two crossmembers under the front. As-is, I check the current set-up for straightness and/or cracks (near welds) after each trip, just to be sure.

* You have three weeks until your next trip...which should be enough time to fix the tongue so you'll be assured of safety. I was quite inexperienced at building a trailer, with little welding skills (pure novice), so I had help with my frame from an expert. It was done in a couple of weekends, a little at a time (as I acquired the steel). Then, 2.5 years later, I added a new axle, fabricating new frame mounts & reinforcements over about the same time period, all by myself., in a hurry before a trip. So, it can be done...especially if you can find an experienced welder or a weld shop near you. Probably easier than finding an automotive frame shop that's willing to do it.

[MickinOz]

Looks like we are all in agreement:

Jack/rack it straight and weld/bolt in a stiffener/brace.
If you start early enough Saturday morning, you should be finished before lunch.

[TimC]

I like most of those ideas suggested using your jack to straighten it. One thing though, if you find that you end up jacking the whole trailer up rather than straightening the angle iron think of that as a plus. That being, the iron is still very strong. You may need to load a lot of weight on the trailer to hold it down. I'm talking much more than you would ever load it with for a ride down the road. Experiment by adding maybe 500 lbs at a time. You'll get to the point that the iron will give some. Take your time doing this. Might not finish before lunch like Mick says... he's an optimistic chap