Yet another reason to check over your axles!

[ToolManTimTaylor]

So the day begins with Signal73 pickin' me up @ 7:00am and loading the melenium falcon (Which has only reverse mind you) up on the HD equipment trailer tha has hauled many a truck all over the NE. We get the truck to Mass, unload it and off we go.



A quick stop to pick up some much needed Blueberry Growlers (And whatever else they had in the store) ane we are on the road. 3/4 of the way home Jim says "Ummm ut oh we got smoke" while looking in the sideview mirror. The trailer is a smoking disaster at this point and he starts to get onto the shoulder. Lo and behold there is some sort of sketchy Crack ***** walkin' down the highway and we miss her by a foot while she is yankin' her sweats out of her professional tools. No waiving of fists or yelling (We think at us anyhow) just truck, trailer, smoke and all.



A quick assessment and the tire and wheel combo are at a 45* lean wedged up to the framerail. Being damage was done Signal did what any model American would do and drag it off to safety (A commuter lot). A few suds later and .....



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If you look close at the last pic you will see that there is a section that has been cracked for a looong time, OR was never fully welded?

Posted this on the NETDP and wanted to share this one. If My truck was on the trailer when this happened there is no telling what the outcome would have been. Figure the truck @ 9,000Lbs sitting on the trailer when an axle drops would have sent the forward tire into the deck causing a locked tire set and weight shift. 9K +3K connected to a 7200 lb 2500 I am sure that the trailer truck combo would have taken us down.



Take a sec and look close at the axle tubes where they meet the backing plate. It's a few minutes but man this sure would have been a nasty one.

 

[SierraRam]

You are lucky it happened without the truck, although it may failed while loading it, wasn't muck metal left holing it together.



SR

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

We loaded my truck on it and drove the 148. 43 miles with zero knowledge of ANY issues. In fact when we stopped for breakfast Signal commented on how when IRP is over he wanted tototally go over the trailer.

 

[Doubleclutch]

TMTT- I'm glad you wrote this up for us to "enjoy" your experience SECOND HAND and that the recovery didn't include medical/body work... But just what the hell are blueberry growlers?

Greg

 

[boatpuller]

Looking at the picture it looks like at some point in the trailers life it has been loaded very heavy (I would think maybe even overloaded), it looks like the frame is actually dented from the axle making contact with it, you can see where the frame has rusted where the axle has made contact. That would put a huge load on the axle every time that it slammed up and made contact with the frame. I agree it's a good thing to crawl under any trailer once in a while and check for things breaking.

Glad no one was hurt.

 

[Yo Hoot]

Looks like an advertisement for blueberry beer :-laf

 

[DonTX]

I noticed it was on the front axle on the right side. I would bet that someone turned too tight with a heavy load on, and the front axle took all the stress as it tried to twist and climb a curb.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Actually it is the Aft drivers side axle. Wow good point on frame contact! Supposedly the guy never towed heavy with it (Umm then why did he buy an equipment trailer then?) bah anyhow the guy swore that he never did when Jim bought it. The heaviest thing to date I believe is my truck.



The trailer tows beautifly I will say. A lil rough on the hitch when weight is a touch forward. We had my truck on backwards to place load aft axle.

 

[bigdaddydieseldan]

Wow that just really sucks #@$%!#@$%!#@$%!#@$%! but at least you or no one else was hurt