Please check your trailers

[W_A_Watson_II]

Please check your trailers as we enter this trailering season.

While doing some maintenance and cleaning of my trailer I discovered a crack in the hitch. It went from a factory hole to the lower edge, and wasn't recent, but had not opened up either. I cleaned the area and ground out the crack some before welding it back shut.

[Cheyenne Dave]

You may consider welding a plate/strap across your repair, as well as a duplicate on the other side of the hitch. Those kind of failures tend to come in pairs...

There are places like that on the 1-Ton Civilian PW frame that are prone to failure as well. I have found it helpful, when dealing with cracks, to make siamese repairs wherever possible. (see:PWA Article Feb/Mar/2004 "Lessons Learned"

CD

[Bob Thompson]

I would go so far as to check the trailers of other people too.
We just had a terrible crash out here because some knucklehead towed a big trailer with a little truck. To wit a twin axle Uhaul full of cinder blocks and bags of concrete. The springs were bottomed out on the trailer and it was being pulled by a Ford Ranger.
If you see someone doing something that stupid, Call The Cops! It might be your wife or kid in their path.

[wayneh]

My trailer is an 18 footer that is rated at 14000 pounds, so it has brakes on both axles. I used it to move my neighbors tractor this spring, and the brakes did not grab as well as they used to. Upon not very close inspection three out of four of the brake pad assemblies were falling apart.... So now I have new brakes assemblies on all four tires.

Wayne