Guys this is why you work on your car trailer

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Yeah, the welded together axle had the weld age-fatigue I guess. I didn't notice when it left, actually. I was towing with a box truck, and the trailer/car was invisible, even tho I have a rearview camera.
The one that broke had the electric brakes, but was built identical to the non/brake one pictured.
I check the tires and bearings each potty stop. With my shepherd with me, and my age, potty stops are frequent.
 
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33IMP said:
Yeah, the welded together axle had the weld age-fatigue I guess. I didn't notice when it left, actually. I was towing with a box truck, and the trailer/car was invisible, even tho I have a rearview camera.
The one that broke had the electric brakes, but was built identical to the non/brake one pictured.
I check the tires and bearings each potty stop. With my shepherd with me, and my age, potty stops are frequent.
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I am super glad you weren't hurt. That could have been bad.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I am super glad you weren't hurt. That could have been bad.
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You're right about that! I just hope nobody hit that assembly,, and that it rolled off the highway.
I'm pretty sure It nicked the camaro ss I was carrying, as it went by. Could have gone thru the windshield too.
 
GTX JOHN said:
If needed I can get you an axle at my cost which is less than 1/2 of retail.
I get to So Cal most every week consulting and I would enjoy see you!
It is a 3500 Lb. non brake axle which is inexpensive.

If you supply me the measurements, I have a lot of take off 3500 axles that
I have switched for 6000 axles for customers. You could have any of those for
free.

I do not think you are one of my enemies from years ago = I Hope.
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Definitely NOT an enemy, John! I bought my savoy from you when you were still in southern cal. And we met again when Bill brought his Duster to Vegas. (Boosted)
I'll send you a pm, thanks again.
 
ProjectBazza said:
I'm not on FB, but I'd be real curious to see if this guy replaces one axle only...or both.

Or scraps-out the entire trailer, even.

Scary to think that these people are out there on the road with us.
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That's why the rules and reg book gets thicker and thicker......The few ruin it for the many.
 
harrisonm said:
Okay, folks, I have a question. I do NOT do Fakebook. Do people really post things like this in the hopes that someone will come and help?
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All the time…. the off road community around here is awesome. You break down in the desert on whatever desert toy, throw a SOS post with a pin on the local page, and you’ll get help.
 
Yikes. Pos.

I avoid driving by anything that looks suspect for that reason. I do however, sometimes drive far enough behind to stay out of harms way but close enough to satisfy my morbid curiosity of viewing the impending accident they are about to cause…. Lol
 
I have friends that travel out of state that are constantly doing Facebook callouts for motorhome issues. If you breakdown towing with a motorhome you are screwed bigtime. One of my friends was coming home from Dragway42 and there was a terrible stretch of road where they narrowed you down on a big bend with a guardrail. He caught that guardrail with the front of his trailer and can opened whe whole side. Another friend emptied his trailer and went and got his race car and all the belongings. The tow truck driver took what was left of his trailer for his towing fee.
 
My trailer “fun” from a few years ago…..
we’d been having tire wear issues on the rear axle. Took the trailer to a repair facility where I made the call to replace the axle. It was at this time they upsold me the Dexter EZ flex equalizer kit. Looked good….. all moving parts have serviceable grease zirks. Long story short the part number they sold me was for a 30” axle spread….. my trailer is a 33”. Took a couple years for the damage but once it occurred I spent a ton of time researching before I came up with what I believe was the issue. Rear shackle on the left side was cracked also. Of course due to the time the shop that did the work wouldn’t do anything for me. I ordered the correct center section for my 33” spread and beefed up all the hangers. Those long hangers had always bothered me. Three years and all good so far.

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dangerous. How about drive your car to the racetrack, race it, and drive it home...... I've seen slicks in the trunk before....


oohhh boy .... :D
 
A body said:
My trailer “fun” from a few years ago…..
we’d been having tire wear issues on the rear axle. Took the trailer to a repair facility where I made the call to replace the axle. It was at this time they upsold me the Dexter EZ flex equalizer kit. Looked good….. all moving parts have serviceable grease zirks. Long story short the part number they sold me was for a 30” axle spread….. my trailer is a 33”. Took a couple years for the damage but once it occurred I spent a ton of time researching before I came up with what I believe was the issue. Rear shackle on the left side was cracked also. Of course due to the time the shop that did the work wouldn’t do anything for me. I ordered the correct center section for my 33” spread and beefed up all the hangers. Those long hangers had always bothered me. Three years and all good so far.

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I remember this well but I didn’t want to rehash bad memories of you doing that job in severe heat.
 
pittsburghracer said:
Most trailer tires die with plenty of tread left.
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That has been my experience, too. I think in my case, my blowouts have been from the tires being too old, or pressure being too low.

I had to be taught that if your tire pressure is too low and there's a bulge at the bottom, that bulge creates heat because every time the tire rotates, the rubber flexes. Then the tire overheats and *BOOM*
 
Righty Tighty said:
That has been my experience, too. I think in my case, my blowouts have been from the tires being too old, or pressure being too low.

I had to be taught that if your tire pressure is too low and there's a bulge at the bottom, that bulge creates heat because every time the tire rotates, the rubber flexes. Then the tire overheats and *BOOM*
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Yep sun heat beating on sidewalls kills tires and under inflated tire build heat while towing. I always had at least 5 pounds over recommended pressure.
 
pittsburghracer said:
How do you at least not take a damn four way tire wrench. Lmao.

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I have had my enclosed trailer for over 20 years and never had a problem until I burnt up a wheel bearing last year on the way to Cecil County for an index race. Luckily it happened less than 10 miles from my house and and only 2 miles from my sister in laws house and I was able to limp there. I ended up having to replace the whole axle as well as the brakes and bearings on all four wheels. It is my own fault as I should have done better maintenance on the the bearings. I don't worry to much about towing as a fellow racer / friend owns a towing company I could always call. My trailer being 24 years old now is being replaced by a new one next year.
 
pittsburghracer said:
Yep sun heat beating on sidewalls kills tires and under inflated tire build heat while towing. I always had at least 5 pounds over recommended pressure.
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I've never understood why sun destroys tires sitting in a driveway on an RV or trailer, but it doesn't destroy tires on daily drivers, which are out in the sun just as much, of course.
 
pittsburghracer said:
How do you at least not take a damn four way tire wrench. Lmao.

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Please don't work on your vehicle this close to the highway! Get as far off the road as possible. In a nano second, someone can hit you. "I only took my eyes off the road for a second", if they even admit that much. IMHO, other than a battlefield, a highway is the most dangerous place you can be.
 
I agree with speedkills , I am retired but work part time for an excavating / landscaping company for some extra racing money back in the spring I was bringing a mini excavator back from a job on a tag trailer it was dark and around 8 in the evening I blew a trailer tire , I was on the interstate with cars and trucks going by at 65-75 mph I pulled over as far as I could but the berm had a big drop , I called my boss and he said to unload the machine, I wasn't comfortable doing it so he sent his brother with another truck / trailer and he did the unload and load ( he's a more experienced operator ) luckily when I chained the machine down I put the binders on the side not facing the highway , with the machine off I was able to limp back to the yard which was only a few miles away . It all went well but it was still frightening especially in the dark. About a month later I blew another trailer tire when I had a loader on the trailer luckily it was during the day and I was able to limp into a parking lot and a tire service came and did the repair . The tires had plenty of tread and weren't dry rotted.. the trailer got all new tires the next day



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SpeedThrills said:
I've never understood why sun destroys tires sitting in a driveway on an RV or trailer, but it doesn't destroy tires on daily drivers, which are out in the sun just as much, of course.
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Actually…… our old 2500 displaced that theory. Prior to the boat sale it would sit outside. It too would go through tires in the 2-3 year range. Biggest issue was probably letting it sit. I only live 8 miles from work and have a jeep for a daily, so unless we were towing the boat or race rig, it really didn’t move much. My whole removing the trailer tires arose from the fact that we’d get 10 years out of our boat trailer tires after we bought a house with a garage large enough to store it inside.
 
I’m in the process of rebuilding an old 16’ car trailer. Will get the whole thing blasted-top and bottom and probably be easier to just replace the axles with new. And tires and deck.
 
pauly said:
I’m in the process of rebuilding an old 16’ car trailer. Will get the whole thing blasted-top and bottom and probably be easier to just replace the axles with new. And tires and deck.
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Open trailer is a whole different story than an enclosed trailer. It’s not only the trailer weight difference it’s what we put inside because we have enclosed trailer’s. I have bolts, nuts, screws, carb parts, starters, fluids, more fuel than most would burn in a year, 250 quad, two generators, air compressor, and 100 other things I may need during the race season. Most of it stays in there all year from season to season. Ohhhhh I forgot tools, lots of tools.
 
This is the 16 inch tire that I got on my 26 foot 10,000 pound car trailer. I ordered it customized during the winter and I drove and picked it up on my birthday (March 25, 2017). I had a left front tire on the driver side go bad late last year. So I got almost 7 years out of that tire. Look how much tread is left and you guys know I do a lot of racing.

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