Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Hey Folks, I am a retired weldor with enough training to get me in trouble. Each one of you has a valid point. A weld failure can occur as a Catastrophic failure such as an overload, directional loading or a failure over a period of time caused by stress loading and vibration. There is stress corrosion cracking in the Heat Affected Zone, Hydrogen induced cracking by Improperly Shielded or dirty/oily base metals. Improperly placed welds, improper filler metals and improper technique, Lack of fusion. If these new truck frames are formed from HSLA ( High Strength Low Alloy) steels, they have their own weld process! Basic metallurgy can be complicated or simple. Problem is that most hitch and exhaust shop personel cant even spell Metallurgy let alone tell you what it is! 
Just because some Jack says they are a weldor and has an establishment with a Shingle out for everyone to see, does not mean they do quality work. A shop with written Weld Procedure Specifications and weldors certified to those procedures would be clue's If I were lookin'. Another concern is the electronics that is the essential control system for your truck. What did they do to protect this investment? If your brain box gives up the ghost in the short term you know d--- good and well they were only after the buck. 
I am really sorry to hear about this. #@$%! Hope you fare well. There are those of you out there that build your own trucks from the ground up and have an excellent grasp of what you can get away with and when a mistake is made, you can rectify it, straight away. The average truck owner who needs to take their rig to a shop to get a hitch installed is at the mercy of those that claim to be qualified to do this work. You all need to do your homework before handing the keys to anybody! GregH
Just because some Jack says they are a weldor and has an establishment with a Shingle out for everyone to see, does not mean they do quality work. A shop with written Weld Procedure Specifications and weldors certified to those procedures would be clue's If I were lookin'. Another concern is the electronics that is the essential control system for your truck. What did they do to protect this investment? If your brain box gives up the ghost in the short term you know d--- good and well they were only after the buck. I am really sorry to hear about this. #@$%! Hope you fare well. There are those of you out there that build your own trucks from the ground up and have an excellent grasp of what you can get away with and when a mistake is made, you can rectify it, straight away. The average truck owner who needs to take their rig to a shop to get a hitch installed is at the mercy of those that claim to be qualified to do this work. You all need to do your homework before handing the keys to anybody! GregH
. You gotta start somewhere! GregH
