Welding a Harbor Freight frame?

[jeffmutch]

Hello fellow campers!

So I've been struggling a bit to reinforce the tongue on my Harbor Freight 4x8 lately. I'm probably pushing the weight limits but I haven't gotten an official weight so who knows...

Today I took the small paralellogram-esque piece that the coupler directly bolts onto to a local welder (unprofessional) to see if he could do a better/tougher job securing the "tube" to the "plate" as the current weld was beginning to fail.

Long story short, he got the job done, but says it was a pain because the Chinese steel isn't quite the quality he'd expect. Also the welding job is harder because the ?wire? builds up on the surface of the piece instead of penetrating into it.

He also said he was a bit skeptical of the job and couldn't guarantee it'd hold...

So my question for you folk's is: Whats your experience welding with this "inferior steel"? Any tricks you've found, or is it better to fabricate an entirely new piece?

As a side note, I'm wondering if the only difference between the 950# capacity HF trailer and the 1070# is the 8 inch wheel upgraded to 12 inchers... I can't seem to notice anything else but obviously mine is having issues so maybe I missed something.

Thanks in advance!!

[jeffmutch]

I should add that he was using an MIG welder. From what I understand it's easier to use but may not be the BEST around. Perhaps I should make some calls and find someone with a better machine...

[Dale M.]

If the welder was unsure of his work and was putting partial blame on chinese steel, I would have serious doubts about his abilities ( yes I know Chinese steel is not "that" good , but) ..... Penetration is a heat process and if he could not get any penetration heat either he did not know what he is doing or his welder is to small to supply the "heat" needed to get good penetration....

I would get new parts and a find a different welder.... I do some MIG welding and if there is any doubt in any of my work, it would never leave my shop even if I was forced to purchase replacement parts that I had worked on and became suspicious of the quality of repair.... There is no excuse for poor MIG welds, its a tried and true process and any experienced person can lay a bead that is totally safe....

Dale

[Toytaco2]

Here's another thought....... you might think about a different kind of tongue strengthening. Here's what I did and a number of others on the forum have done the same. I don't think I've heard of anyone who is sorry they've done this mod.

Good Luck,

Mike

[jeffmutch]

Mike,

Thanks for that suggestion, It's definitely my next option of this doesn't seem to hold. I'm a bit curious of the measurments on that steel tubing the coupler is bolted onto. My coupler is 2.5 inches wide but it seems more logical to use a 2 inch piece of tubing to slide through the front of the tongue.. Or perhaps I need to find a 2 inch coupler?

Slow,

Thanks for your input. I wouldn't say I'm doing any EXTREME offroading, but the trailer does see a lot of miles and has the occasional rough patch of road. Im guessing with my current tongue weight at about 150 pounds, it's not unreasonable to think the coupler is seeing 300 pounds or more going over dips and such, especially at freeway speeds. I'm not a crazy driver, I just dont always see the potholes in the construction zones.

p.s. I meant to ask if the 1700# HF trailer is any different than the 950#. (1070# was a typo... )

[Toytaco2]

The tubing for the tongue extension is 2x2 and a new coupler was added to fit the 2x2 tubing. I got the new coupler (3500 lb capacity/2" ball) at Tractor Supply - about $20 as I recall. The extension goes back to the second cross member, although others on the forum have gone longer than mine.