trailer safety-- look what happened to my trailer

Another trailer tale.
Way back in the 80's two trucker friends and I were pulling the small runabout boat we'd recently rebuilt and I painted. Coupled to an 80's Chevy 1/2 ton truck. Used only a ball mount on the step bumper because the trailer/boat were not heavy. Headed from near Peoria , Illinis to Lake of Ozarks. All three checked the ball nut and coupler. Friend had used this trailer and ball before.
Got most of the way and I was driving friend's truck. While in a town I could feel a jurking and bangin as I stopped and started.
Never before heard of this type ball in all the RV's I had pulled. The ball was a screw on stud into the ball with the stud bolted below the bumper like normal.
When we looked the trailer coupler was sitting on the Chevy step bumper, the ball was mounted, but the stud and nut were gone. I had stopped in front of a small hardware store. He sent us down the road to some new Box Store. First Wally World we'd ever seen. Borrowed a wrench and put on new ball, then went fishin.
Damned that was close!
That coupler that failed is the kind I have on my 18' flatbed. Made seven round trips from Ill. to Fla. with cars and junk when retired. Bought the heavy duty trailer from a farm dealer. No problems.
That ball mount also seems to be slanting downward and yes the hitch looks too far forward on the tongue.

 

You can see where your hitch is welded onto the sides of the box tubing and that's where the triangle style will weld to also... that's all propper but your coupler itself sticks so far out that it makes for a weak point and that's why it buckled.
The conventional triangle stlye don't stick out that far so it's much stronger.
You change to that style and I don't think you'll have any more problems.

 

Glad you posted this. Many can learn from experiences like this.

 

wow bad day for the trailer good day for you Ive never used that type of hitch. i have couple trailer an a 24 ft camper i have 26 ft home made shed trailer. I build yard barns an small garagesn like 14x 30 an such. One time I had a car hauler i borrowed to take a 64 Goat to the paint shop. It came off my pick up right in the middle of s curve with iron bridge in the middle. I saw it in my side mirrori was a little left of center an it was passing me. Lucky I was going slow. It wacked the bridge an went sideways tthen straighted up I hammered the pick up got in front of it an hit the brakes! It hit me in the ass end an I slowed to a stop holding it back the ties held an the car wasnt scratched. did screew up the trailer a little though.

 

Your trailer weight you indicate is extremely heavy for a 28 ft enclosed. I would check your tongue weight also and that coupler is not the most ideal type for weights this high.

 

Good point. Although the coupler was rated for 12,500# trailer weight, you may have exceeded the coupler's capacity for tongue weight. Add the shock load provided by the bump and...well, you know the rest.

The Bulldog coupler is very popular up here as well. Farmers love 'em for their heavy construction and high # rating. (Which often results in grossly overloaded trailers and bearing/spindle/axle/spring failures, mind you).

Anyhow, I also recommend the Atwood style coupler. Eliminate that skinny "neck" style Bulldog and the possibility of a repeat incident. I would also be very interested to know what Bulldog has to say about this, if the application is wrong or a faulty part. As I mentioned earlier, I've cut many a coupler off, plenty were abused and overloaded, but I've never seen one fail like yours.

 

What do you have for axles and tires on the trailer and what is the trailer rated for? It takes some good tires for 4 to handle 12,000 pounds. If you have two axles, you might consider adding a third.

Air bags on the van to raise the rear some would allow less tension on the equalizers. The hitch might have bottomed out on the road and put a very large impact on the trailer tongue.

 

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tires were upgraded hankook 16" 10 ply rated for 80 psi, cheap tires do not last long.

 

i weighted the van and trailer on a "cat" scale, van front axle 3600#, van rear axle 5300# trailer axle's 9800 (van is a gmc 1ton) total weight 18,200#

Your 1 ton van alone should weigh about 6- 6300 lbs. 18,200 total minus 6200 equals 12,000lbs trailer weight. 9800 trailer axle weight plus 2200 lb tongue weigh comes back to 12,000 lbs.

None of that takes the weight distribution bars load changing into effects so that could be all BS and very far off.

Those bars can take weight off the van, some of that would be tongue weight.

 

Looks like an instalation problem to me, I looked up the instructions from Bulldog, and they show that the front of the trailer frame should go all the way to the top of the triangle. From the picture it looks like there is a couple of inches gap, and thats where it bent.

 

Any word?

 

1-ton GM vans are around 3 tons, I had mine over the scrapyard scale and it was 6750 with me, tools, towbar, etc all in it. A lot of that weight is the springs, axle and big brakes.

 

I am interested in the outcome of this one as well. Thanks for posting this, the impact goes beyond the car hobby as well.

 

order this from northern tool and equipment

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200414751_200414751

that one looks like the 7000 lb unit pictured here
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_28655_28655

 

Looks like a poor weld finally showed itself. Nothing that a new coupler and an hour near a welder can't fix.

 

my enclosed race trailer loaded only weighs 8000 tops. tongue looks nothing like that. with that weight im surprised it didnt break sooner. good luck on this. not knowing bobG, but i would talk to him.