Replies: 62
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Athletic Dir [874]
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I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 4:26 PM
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I've never seen nor heard about something like this happening. I don't see how a hitch that I bought a month ago can do this but here we are.
Yesterday I was headed out on Murray and decided to stop by Publix before we went. Thank GOD that I did because the hitch, which apparently had a very bad weld, popped right off. The trailer has (used to) steel safety cables and they snapped like toothpicks. I was only going 5mph tops.
I have a 19foot stratos bass boat and at the most the boat and a trailer weigh 3500lbs. That hitch was rated for 5000lbs.
Needless to say I've now got a hitch rated for 7500lbs and I still maybe buying a more sturdy one that is forged with NO welds, along with 15k lbs safety chains.
Anyway...my point is for all you guys that tow boats or trailers. Make sure your towing equipment is squared away. Don't use those steel safety cables. I could have killed someone yesterday and that's some very scary sh!t. Stay safe yall.
Sidenote: I've been told this is a manufacturing weld issue by several people. If anyone has any insight as to why/how this happened then I'm all ears.
Message was edited by: tankstarus®
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All-TigerNet [12167]
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Who was the manufacturer of the hitch and safety cables?
Dec 27, 2021, 4:38 PM
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May be a brand the rest of us want to stay away from...
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: Who was the manufacturer of the hitch and safety cables?
Dec 27, 2021, 4:50 PM
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I'm going to go back to the hardware store I bought it from this afternoon and check the manufacturer. I'll post it to this thread.
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Oculus Spirit [81758]
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Re: Who was the manufacturer of the hitch and safety cables?
Dec 27, 2021, 4:58 PM
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110%er [6040]
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taking Merica out one trailer hitch at a time***
Dec 28, 2021, 10:15 PM
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Athletic Dir [874]
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A follow up on the brand of this hitch
Dec 27, 2021, 7:12 PM
[ in reply to Who was the manufacturer of the hitch and safety cables? ] |
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I went this afternoon to check what brand that particular hardware store has. They didn't have any more of those hitches for sale like the one that I purchased. However, they did have some different sizes and all of those was Reese brand. So I assume it was a Reese, which from what I gather is a reputable brand. Lemons do happen though no matter the brand.
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Oculus Spirit [90236]
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Thx..great advice.
Dec 27, 2021, 4:38 PM
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Also, did I see some rust? And, always wondered if the safety chains did any real good if trailer tongue came off ball.
Oh, I worry every time I go out and see all the zillion things being pulled, at high speeds, by Americans!!
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: Thx..great advice.
Dec 27, 2021, 4:53 PM
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There was some rust for sure. Although you would think if you are buying it from the store brand new then there would no rust. Certainly couldn't tell there was rust from the outside which just gives me all kinds of trust issues with these things.
I've heard of trailers popping off the ball and the safety chains holding on. But my boat trailer had those steel cables. Those steel cables can't be trusted.
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Heisman Winner [139241]
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Dang it man.***
Dec 27, 2021, 4:43 PM
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CU Medallion [54869]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 4:46 PM
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It's man made, and it's breakable bc it was man made!!!
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All-Pro [698]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:38 PM
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Its made of iron sir. I assure you it CAN sink and it will
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110%er [7214]
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110%er [9003]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 4:59 PM
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There's no penetration in the weld. Welder only got the weld hot enough to melt his weld wire to the 2 pieces he was joining - kind of like gluing them together. He did not have enough heat for the weld to penetrate and actually join the 2 pieces together.
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CU Medallion [53366]
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That is what I thought. A beautiful weld rhat is just laying flat
Dec 27, 2021, 6:02 PM
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On both pieces...
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Orange Blooded [4461]
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Re: That is what I thought. A beautiful weld rhat is just laying flat
Dec 29, 2021, 12:58 AM
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Yep and it had been halfway broken for awhile. You can tell that by the rust where the weld is supposed to be. The Good Lord was looking out for him and others on the road with that one. Could've been absolutely catastrophic .
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All-TigerNet [10856]
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All-TigerNet [10526]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:00 PM
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Looks like weld was porous and water seeped in and caused the rust. The weld also looks like Elmer's glue ..... certainly did not make a homogenous bond.
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110%er [9003]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:01 PM
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good call, had the weld been better, the rust wouldn't have affected it so much.
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:08 PM
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That's what I've been told. No depth on that weld. I'm shocked it held for the 3 prior trips before it broke. It could have broken anywhere and it ended up being in a publix parking lot and while going straight so all I had to do was stay in front to make sure it didn't hit anything.
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CU Medallion [54869]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:03 PM
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It looks like the medal didn't get hot enough for the weld to puddle, but I'm not an expert welder, I can just weld good enough to weld whatever I usually need welded. Something like that, I would pay a certified welder to weld it bc I wouldn't trust my weld when it comes to being responsible for other peoples lives!!!
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All-TigerNet [10822]
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The weld failed
Dec 27, 2021, 5:15 PM
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Came off really clean too
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110%er [5804]
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Re: Looks like not enough heat, no penetration.
Dec 28, 2021, 1:27 AM
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An experienced welder would no doubt, have seen this.
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CU Medallion [54869]
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Re: Looks like not enough heat, no penetration.
Dec 28, 2021, 1:57 PM
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Or the the operator running the machine that welds them on the assembly line, or even the inspector that watches them go through the x ray machine that shows the actual bonding of the two medals. Somebody was asleep on the job. They could be sued if it actually caused any damages, but without damages, you collect another hitch!!!
I also read where someone said something about the little rust that was on it. That hitch would have needed another 20-30 years of that amount of rust to cause that failure!!!
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Legend [16255]
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Too whirds:
Dec 27, 2021, 5:28 PM
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Harbor. Freight.
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110%er [6092]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:30 PM
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Appreciate the post. So glad no one was hurt. Please post the brand you used.
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Orange Blooded [2877]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:51 PM
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Was a small but steep speed bump involved?
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 7:09 PM
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No speed bump. It happened right after I turned in and started going up one of the aisle.
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All-In [26919]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 5:55 PM
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Holy carp! That’s remarkable. Glad everyone is safe. Scary indeed
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All-In [25274]
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You were fortunate. I've lived on the lake at Ballentine
Dec 27, 2021, 5:58 PM
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for 40+ years and have never seen something like that.
By the way that Publix is my go=to for fried chicken!
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: You were fortunate. I've lived on the lake at Ballentine
Dec 27, 2021, 7:18 PM
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You and me both brother. Never seen anything like it. My mind is blown.
Love that Publix, and Lowes Foods although Lowes can be pricey. We get the gas reward points for shopping at Lowes. Really helps here recently with gas prices being what they are.
Ballentine along with Lexington is blowing up with new construction houses. Are yall getting crowded over there because we sure are over here.
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Heisman Winner [110330]
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I lost a prized heifer that way when I was towing her though
Dec 27, 2021, 6:19 PM
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the Rockies, It must have been a good 2000 feet down after the guardrail gave way.
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All-In [26919]
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Re: I lost a prized heifer that way when I was towing her though
Dec 27, 2021, 7:01 PM
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Bet that made for sum good sloppy joes
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110%er [7214]
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All-TigerNet [10315]
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Oculus Spirit [93156]
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Oculus Spirit [78616]
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I’m glad you weren’t hurt. That’s really dangerous.***
Dec 27, 2021, 7:06 PM
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Orange Blooded [4800]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 7:38 PM
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I’m a structural engineer, that is most definitely a weld issue. The weld metal should be stronger than the base metal, so a full separation like that is a total failure of the welding. Almost looks like they welded over the paint, which would contaminate the weld and reduce its strength.
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Legend [15844]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 8:00 PM
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Based on my experience handling defects it looks like faulty wields. Does it have a name brands? Where did you buy it because I have 3 class 3 hitches. Don’t buy any hitch inserts unless they are made in the USA. China sells junk.
Make a lot of photos then send it to the mfg. you may want to take it by a boat or hitch dealer and get their opinion.
In 1992 I investigated an incident at Burns HS in Duncan, SC. One of their football stadium light plows broke loose and feel in the student parking lot. Thank the Good Lord it happened during the Christmas Holidays. The parking lot was empty. I worked with an engineering firm who discovered through several test. They discovered that all of the lights had faulty wields at the base of each light. They were amazed that one of the other light poles did not fall early possibly during a game.
Good luck and I hope there was not to much damage to your boat.
Message was edited by: wueagle86®
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 9:11 PM
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That's scary about the high school. Thankfully nothing fell during games because that would have been horrible.
I'm leaning towards buying a forged hitch. Those have no welds and are not hollow.
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Orange Blooded [4993]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 8:38 PM
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Should of used Gorilla tape. Lol. Glad no one was hurt.
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Orange Blooded [4028]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 27, 2021, 8:40 PM
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I don't want to mention the problem, but let's just say the fabricators of that unit have oft been accused of putting peepee in your coke.
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110%er [5804]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 28, 2021, 1:22 AM
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I did some welding, in my years as an industrial maintenance man. All I can say is; it’s hard to believe any welder worth his salt could do work like that. And QC must be pretty lax at the facility that turned that hitch out. Letting a piece of work, that poor, but that critical, get out to the consumer is bad stuff. Whoever is responsible, should be called on the carpet. You’re right, someone could have been seriously injured. Please tell me it wasn’t made in the USA.
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Scout Team [178]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 28, 2021, 7:09 AM
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You can tell by the rust around half the face you have been getting lucky for awhile. Also looks like there was no bevel on the tube before it was welded to the drop. Really surprised that there was no gusset between the tube to the drop which adds strength. The one I use is forged which some might say is overkill for what I do but better safe than sorry. Fortunately it happens the way it did for you...could have been really bad in any other situation.
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Athletic Dir [874]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 28, 2021, 8:45 AM
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That's so true with the luck. You know I didn't include it in the original post but the day before we went out to eat at one of the few places that was open. We left a hefty tip, way more than the bill, to the nice server we had as she was working on Christmas Day. They say God works in mysterious ways, and you could argue that us leaving a big tip the day before and it breaking in a parking lot was coincidence. But that's a pretty big coincidence...
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All-In [26963]
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Legend [15844]
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Re: I've used this one from Tractor Supply.........
Dec 28, 2021, 1:06 PM
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Thank you for the information. I am going to get one at Tractor supply. Cost should not bea factor when buying some products.
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Orange Blooded [3116]
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I've never seen cables on one. Always chains. I had a
Dec 28, 2021, 9:08 AM
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Scout Trailer pop off of my hitch on 526 crossing the Cooper River. Spark were flying everywhere but the chains held. Not a fun day.
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CU Medallion [63627]
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Two things wrong with that weld. First, the metal should
Dec 28, 2021, 10:28 AM
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have been "beveled" all around, so that the weld would have a wider surface to melt into.
Second, it is obvious that the weld was made at too low a heat setting. So, instead of penetrating and melting a sufficient quantity of metal to produce a good weld, it just basically stacked up on the surface. You can see from where it broke loose, there was no "channel" of weld below the surface at all.
From the looks of it, you are not the only one who is about to have issues with whatever brand hitch that was.
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All-TigerNet [10856]
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Take it back...there should be a recall for those!***
Dec 28, 2021, 10:51 AM
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Orange Blooded [2891]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 28, 2021, 11:12 AM
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You should notify the manufacturer so they can recall it. It would be awful for this to happen in traffic and someone getting seriously hurt or killed.
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Freshman [10]
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Oculus Spirit [93156]
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Substandard steel, machine welding, weld wire and/or...
Dec 28, 2021, 12:37 PM
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machine operator. Welds can be tested with many methods but nothing is a sound as breakout/ break test. That is done by splitting the welded material in a direction horizontal to the length of the weld and bending it double to see if the two welded piece separate (break apart) at the weld. That is called destructive testing and can be done without the expense or equipment required to do non destructive testing like sonic, magnaflux or xray. There may be more which I am not aware of but none test a weld like bending.
Naturally, that is only done on a one or more pieces in perhaps a thousand. The number of pieces tested in a thousand will control quality. If a piece tested is good then the machine which is doing the welding is left to run as is. When a weld on a test piece fails by splitting an assessment is made to determine what is wrong with the machine and the correction is made.
Consider the source of the product and never risk you life or the lives of others on something which may have been subject to a manufacturer which test welds one in ten thousand. My guess is the manufacturing process which is not held to ASME standards as are we here in America.
Imo, if you take the two pieces to a trusted welding service and have them grind and weld them together you will end up with a much better product that you will ever buy from China, India or elsewhere.
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Freshman [10]
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Freshman [10]
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Freshman [10]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 28, 2021, 2:13 PM
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No safety standards for aftermarket products. All are self sertified https://youtu.be/74hmsJ-9nMQ
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Freshman [10]
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Athletic Dir [874]
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A follow up on this
Dec 28, 2021, 2:54 PM
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After researching for a couple of days I finally went with B&W which is an American company. They only have one manufacturing plant in Kansas. They get their steel from American mills and also partnered with Major League Fishing which those guys pull stuff all over the country. Most importantly they are held to ASME standards.
I went with B&W Heavy-Duty Ball Mount which is rated for 16,000lbs gross towing weight and 1,600lbs tongue weight. More than enough to pull my 3500lb boat and trailer.
https://www.etrailer.com/p-BWBMHD30012.html
Yall be safe out there and thanks for all the info everyone has shared.
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All-Pro [663]
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Re: A follow up on this
Dec 28, 2021, 9:04 PM
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Thanks. I’ll look into that for my truck
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Orange Blooded [2504]
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Re: A follow up on this
Dec 29, 2021, 1:45 AM
[ in reply to A follow up on this ] |
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Yep, B&W is the way to go and worth every penny.
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110%er [6453]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 28, 2021, 5:43 PM
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Bad weld. The weld did not penetrate.
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110%er [6321]
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Wow, thanks for sharing...checking my hitches first thing...
Dec 28, 2021, 8:42 PM
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...in the morning!
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Orange Blooded [2504]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
1
Dec 29, 2021, 1:44 AM
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Looks like a cold weld job. Very little of the steel was melted into and with the bead.
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Legend [16186]
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Re: I've pulled trailers and boat trailers all my life and..
Dec 29, 2021, 6:39 AM
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The hitch had Covid. Pretty obvious to the trained eye. Recall if you can that the Chinese never said a word about trailer hitch failures. The basterds. Hiding all their trailer hitch failures and ROR over incidents like this around the world.
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Replies: 62
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