New dump trailer, NOT!!

[NIsaacs]

After a major screw up on a new dump trailer my son and I had built this summer, I bought another one from Big Tex. The orginal is still too small for my Bobcat. It is (my Bobcat) a full 77" wide, the new one (trailer) is 75. 5" wide (title says 77"x14') so I figure a mis-comunication between my son and the builder and turn it over to my son, it fits his Bobcat. Then I buy another new one, (7'x14') with the left side suspension installed wrong. The front has the rear spring hanger welded on and the rear has the front... . how does this happen? It must have been overlooked by at least two installers, the person welding the hangers and the axle installer, maybe even a final quality control inspector?



It wouldn't be so bad but after calling all day, I have yet to get someone from the dealer to call me back with a solution. The dealer is the largest in the southwest, you would think they would be on the ball.



If you notice in the pic's, the slipper spring pad (6" hanger) is on the front and the front hanger (4") is on the rear. So now even after it gets fixed, I will have a used trailer. It is impossible to cut off spring hangers and re-weld them without some damage to the frame and hangers. Sorry for the rant



Nick

 

[mwilson]

Nick,



Sorry that you are having this issue with something brand new.



My unsolicited opinion is for you to call Big Tex directly and explain the situation. The dealer will need the support of Big Tex as well so you might as well go to the source. Have pictures at the ready to e-mail, and explain that you DO NOT want a reworked trailer. If it were me I would politely request another trailer (I assume that you have not used it yet) and the mis-manufactured trailer can go back to them. It is really not fit for the road in it's present condition.



Mistakes happen, what sets some companies apart from others is how they handle them.



Mike.

 

[jelag]

Nick, I think is spot on. . I currently own a trailer like yours. . made by someone else... and I'm guessing that when mine was new I'd have accepted a repaired unit with a 20% discount... otherwise I'd want a new one. . the key to them is once the MSO has been delivered to department of licensing in your state its USED and will always be USED unless they change the serial number and send out a new MSO...

Before I bought I made sure that they guy who made mine had a good jig to set the spring carriers so that the trailer would track correctly and not skid or shave of the tires from miss-alignment. . and that would my worst fear with a local repair on the one you have. .

 

[MChrist]

I don't understand exactly what is wrong. I watched a you tube video on this exact trailer and the spring orientation looks the same as yours. Dexter axle website also looks the same. Am I not looking at the right spot? They both show the slipper pad toward the rear. . ???

 

[MChrist]

Ok NOW I see what you are talking about. The 4" and the 6" brackets are swapped. It'll be interesting to see what they say about this.

 

[DValentine]

Now I see it, too. Thanks to MChrist. I looked at it a couple of times and didn't catch it. LOL. Sorry Nick. I would raise heck, also. I am working for a place that rents dump trailers and Bobcats, among other things, and we load them in the 14 footer no problem.


Dave

 

[NIsaacs]

Thanks for the advice and sympathy guys, sorry for being a big baby but out of 20,000 trailers a year that Big Tex sells, I get the crap one. I was lucky and noticed the issue before I hauled with it. I had a load of fire wood in it ready to deliver so I had to dump it and now get to re-load it, too dang much labor in fire wood for what you get out of it.



I finally got an answer out of the dealer, he had me contact warranty at the factory in Mt. Pleasant, TX. There is a small dealer here local that sells trailers but is not a warranty or service center for the Big Tex brand but said they will work on it. Big Tex did recommend new hangers so at least they will not be chopped up and hopefully they will be gentle on the frame. Since they are not a service center for Big Tex they will need an estimate for approval. If they approve, then I pay for it and they will pay me back. The repair shop (3 in AZ and one in Nevada) is well equipped and have the state contract for all the school buses, they have a truck and trailer frame shop also, so I am confident in their work. The service manager of the repair shop did recommend that since the trailer was brand new that I get a new replacment but I don't really want to fight that battle.



Hi Dave! How is the old AC/WD going, still got some snort in it?



Nick

 

[NIsaacs]

Before I bought I made sure that they guy who made mine had a good jig to set the spring carriers so that the trailer would track correctly and not skid or shave of the tires from miss-alignment. . and that would my worst fear with a local repair on the one you have. .

Exactly, very critical. I fixed a friend of mines 102"x30' tandem axle dually Road Boss that he bought at auction. It wore out the tires on the left rear just pulling it home empty. He figured it was just the Chicom tires so he replaced them with a full set of Michelins, same thing, so he parked it, thought it had a bent axle or something. It was so bad you could see the mismatch with the naked eye. I figured it was a spring or equalizer that was wrong but it turned out that it was just a mis-alignment in all the spring eyes and center bolt's. I removed all the springs and found they were all slightly different from the center bolt to the center of the bushing eye. The rubber bushings are not precission, they were all off a little. So I installed them to the advantage of the bad side and with the small movement in all the center bolt's I ended up with an exact alignment. He uses it all the time now.



Nick

 

[MChrist]

I'm not a suspension guru, but I wonder what the purpose of the different length brackets is? It is that way for a reason, I suppose, but I don't understand what the effect would be.
Glad somebody is doing something about it, though.

 

[NIsaacs]

MChrist, the main reason for different hangers is axle placement under a particular trailer due to spring capacity/length, equalizer style/length, tire size and clearance of all moving parts. They also must be the same left to right and front to back.



My trailer has a 4" eye type on the right front and 6" slipper style on the right rear, the way it should be. But the left side has a 6" slipper/eye type on the front and 4" eye style on the rear. Can you see now what this would do with spring level v/s frame level v/s equalizer articulation?



Nick

 

[MChrist]

I understand why it should be the mirror image from right to left, I'm just not sure why they wouldn't both be 4" or both 6". Or why not both 5". Just trying to learn something new today...
Thanks for the info.

 

[jelag]

the length difference from front to back is to adjust the suspension so it sits level, assuming you want a trailer frame level... the overall length is set to provide the correct clearance to the fenders and any other feature the trailer manufacturer wants to add... . as an example, a set of axles might need a 2" differential front to back for the springs and suspension... . and one trailer might have a 5" front and a 3" rear for fender clearance... and another trailer that uses different tires or wheels per say... might have a 6" and 4"... or they might modify the hangers so the frame is level to match a truck, or hitch...

I've built a few work trailers, and these are some of the issues we've faced and information we've gleaned from from folks we've talked to over the years... Hope it gives you the insight you need...