My new to me (used) trailer lost an axle on I-80 westbound at exit 333 between Elko and Wells, Nevada. It appears the axle, brackets and all, broke off cleanly. The other axle broke off the frame on one end and lost one tire. The axle was in a traffic lane, but a good samaritan pushed it out of the road. Yes, I called 911 about the axle before I knew it was off the road.
The trailer is sitting off the side of I80 in a reasonably safe location.
We are headed to Elko to get padlocks at Walmart to lock up the trailer. We are then going to go look for the axle to at least haul it to the dump if it is trashed.
I need help with figuring out a way to get trailer flat bedded I assume to Elko, names of a good trailer repair place, and a place to rent a trailer. I have no idea if this trailer goes to a junkyard or gets repaired. Coming back for it would cost a lot of money from Minnesota. I may have to buy a new trailer.
My phone number is 612-508-9956 if you can help. Brian Elfert - We might try to get some sleep and take care of the trailer in the morning.
Sorry to hear that. Be interested to find out why it failed so dramatically.
A quick search shows a U-Haul in Elko, if you need to rent a trailer to haul your stuff.
Brian,
Man, What a mess, Glad no one was hurt!
U-hauls site quotes fro Elko to St Paul;
680.00 for a car trailer(to put your trailer on) and drop in St Paul.
280.00 for a 5'X12" trailer if you abandon yours and drop in St Paul.
Cliff
We can't figure out how the axles were attached to the trailer frame. The assumption is the level of rust on the overall trailer contributed to the axle coming loose. All of the critical rusted pieces on the trailer were replaced. The axles still looked to be fine.
We're currently in the bus finding an exit to turn around so we can look for the axle. It might not be the easiest thing in the dark.
Brian,
Sounds to me like the trailer had some very serious hidden issues and I'd probaly just unload it and scrap it. Rent a trailer one way to get yer stuff home. Or go ahead and plunk down the $ for a replacement now.
I wouldn't waste the $ to take the wrecked trailer home knowing that it has had so many problems and I can guarantee you it will have more!
Sorry to hear about the troubles!
;D BK ;D
Sounds like the bus is doing fine ;D I agree with BK re the trailer, sounds like scrap to me, then again I sometimes resurrect scrap (houses and tools etc..) so who knows. Anything can be done with enough stubbornness and money.
Brian, I have a friend in that area I will pm his number to many horse trailers in that area so it should be easy to find someone to repair it
good luck
Brian I just want to tell you how sorry I am. I know it was a struggle for you to get started on this trip, and to have the trailor litteraly fall apart must be disheartening :'( and even worse is where you are at by Elko! I know that area fairly well, been thru it many times and dont care for it at all.
Brian, here are some trailers that are for sale right in elko/reno. You may want to contact them and have the bring their unit directly to you for transfer.
http://elko.craigslist.org/rvs/1948562588.html (http://elko.craigslist.org/rvs/1948562588.html)
http://elko.craigslist.org/rvs/1948537435.html (http://elko.craigslist.org/rvs/1948537435.html)
http://elko.craigslist.org/rvs/1917592924.html (http://elko.craigslist.org/rvs/1917592924.html)
http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/1967245949.html (http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/1967245949.html)
http://reno.craigslist.org/for/1966025190.html (http://reno.craigslist.org/for/1966025190.html)
Not sure of your budget or needs!
Trailers are really pretty simple. The first course of action is going to be finding a rental trailer and a tow for the current trailer to Elko. We're probably going to have to unloaad the the trailer on the side of the road.
I'm not planning to scrap the trailer until I find out about any other damage. As long as the frame is okay I think I can have new or the original axles installed or reinstalled.
Brian if you have Coach-Net towing service they should tow it to a repair shop.
JC, I don't think Coach Net will tow the trailer they would not even come change a tire on mine, but will on a tow vehicle I didn't understand that part as my car was on the trailer.
But they did find me a tire shop close to buy a new tire
good luck
Born and raised Minnesotan, lived there 51 years. Now im a southern Rebel. lol.
Saying Minnesota uses salt is a misnomer. They use Calcium Chloride, and these days other, possibly stronger chemicals they dont tell you about. I had a flat bed trailer made of 3/16 inch box section steel, all primed and painetd. Less than 10 years it was eaten through most of its length. What was left behind was severly eaten away and very thin. I caught it putting on new wood decking and junked it. Ive seen heavy truck frames, over 1/4 inch thick, rotted out.
The 35W bridge, and every other bridge up there, are rusting away from the use of salt. They like to deny thats the problem. they even got the NTSB to hide the truth, but salt litterally eats iron for lunch. They have bridges down here in the south over 100 years old, strong as the day they were made.
Not saying salt is the cause here, but to have an axle just come out from under a trailer while cruising down the highway, seems pretty likely. When I bought a nice enclosed trailer, and when I bought vehicles, I bought out of state.
Find a nice trailer out west and youll be a lot happier. Just dont tow it in the salt belt in the winter.
Brian,
Just a thought, what is the total weight of trailer and contents? When 1 axle failed, that put the total weight on the other axle. Jack
Brian you are absolutely right that trailers are pretty low-tech devices. I have changed out axles in a (muddy) parking lot after twisting a spindle off. If you can find a mobile welder and a couple of replacement axles it sounds like an easy fix. But no doubt still frustrating.
Elko is a little far for me right now or I'd pack up my welder and tools and head west.
If you can't get any help let me know and maybe I can do something to help.
Are they spring axles or torsion axles. An enclosed trailer? There are emergency repair shops that specialize in just such events. Good luck. Nothing worse than breaking down on the road.
Brian you have to have the Platinum Plus plan to cover trailers. $109.00 per year.
That's the plan I have now after the trailer ordeal not much cost difference and you are covered,as the saying goes you get what you pay for lol
good luck,
Here is the deal:
We rented a trailer in Elko and unloaded our broken trailer. It appears the one axle might still be good. Unfortunately, we could not find the other axle along the road. We looked and the tow truck looked for the axle. It was gone. Maybe somebody wanted the new tires,
We found a place that will get right on putting the one axle back on and will order another one. It could take a long time to get an axle. Nobody stocks axles because there are too many sizes.
The trailer is an enclosed trailer with torsion axles. We might tow the trailer back with one axle if need be. We want to pick up the trailer Monday if we can.
We made it back home with my sorta fixed trailer. We had the one axle welded back on the trailer. (The other axle is gone.) The trailer was towed home with just one axle. We loaded up a minimum of stuff in the trailer. We went through a scale and were still under 3,500 lbs on the one axle.
I am upset that Coach-Net never mentioned that for an extra $10 or $20 a year I could have towing coverage for utility trailers. It cost me $300 to have the trailer towed. I only learned they even offer this service from a fellow poster here.
The welding shop we used took one look at the axle that broke off and was livid about the poor welding. It almost looked like they tacked the bracket on and forgot to go back to finish the welding job. Everyone was surprised it lasted 15 years that way. We were far from overloaded. The previous owners raced motorcycles so they probably put very little weight in the trailer.
Nobody carries any Dexter replacement axles. They all have to special order them including the Dexter distributors (At least the one in Salt Lake City). The repair shop called Pace American and even they would have to order the axle. If the axle wasn't in stock in Reno, Las Vegas, Sacramento, or SLC it would never have showed up in time.
I don't know how long you have had the road side policy, but i got notifications every month or so until I got Platinum plus!
I have used 3 times and had great results.
Big John
Quote from: bigjohnkub on September 29, 2010, 10:50:52 AM
I don't know how long you have had the road side policy, but i got notifications every month or so until I got Platinum plus!
I think this is my 4th year with Coach-Net. I have seen upgrade offers to Platinum Plus from time to time. I never noticed the trailer towing part. I just thought that the Saleperson would have mentioned the trailer towing part when they tried to upsell me on Platinum Plus. I did send an email to Coach-Net complaining I wasn't told about trailer towing, but I expect it will get nowhere.
I paid the $300 and chalk it up as a lesson learned. The painful part is going to be the $1000 to repair the trailer with new axle, welding, and new tires/wheels. I wish someone hadn't picked up the axle from the side of the highway.
Thank God you're home safe and no one was hurt. The rest can be cured correctly over time...Cable
I took the trailer to the trailer shop for an estimate and the verdict is $1150 for axle, welding, and new tires/wheels. That doesn't include the $109 each for new fender skirts. I am hoping I can find the right axle myself to save a few bucks.
I should have just bought a new trailer as I now have as much as new into this trailer. Even the guy at the trailer shop said they probably wouldn't have found the bad welds had I taken it to them for an inspection.
Brian,
Why not get new different brand axles? I might be missing something, but if you have to weld, why not get a more readily available brand?
Just thinking outside of the box....
God bless,
John
Quote from: John316 on September 29, 2010, 05:52:37 PM
Brian,
Why not get new different brand axles? I might be missing something, but if you have to weld, why not get a more readily available brand?
Dexter is the main manufacturer of torsion trailer axles. Al-Ko is another brand. Everybody pretty much makes them to order since there are too many variations on sizes of axles. Northern Tool sells Reliable axles, but they mount differently and they don't have many sizes.
I already have one Dexter axle so I really need to get another Dexter axle. Tri State RV Surplus has new Dexter axles and I need to check if anything they have is the right size.
I have to deal with this a lot and what Brian is saying is so true. Whenever I order any kind of axle my supplier says 3-4 weeks. Now I just get hubs, spindles and springs and build my own. The big killer is freight on them also as they are to heavy for UPS and such and have to come via truck. Just a major pain. I am not surprised that you encountered poor welding Brian. They make these trailers as cheaply as possible and basically what we call "sticks and staples" rules the trailer industry also. Cheap indeed until you need to repair one!
Your in the Minneapolis metro area, go to Northern, they have trailer fenders, wheels, tires and axles in stock, both leaf spring as well as torsalastic. . They have axles from 1500 pound ratings to 5200 pound (per axle), various lengths (widths), complete with hubs and brakes, or bare that you can build yourself. And the stuff is well made and affordable. You can even look up what you want online,
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_trailers-trailer-parts+trailer-axles+axle-kits (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_trailers-trailer-parts+trailer-axles+axle-kits)
If you need work done on the trailer, welding etc.,, take it out to Hwy 55 trailer sales in Buffalo. Rodney is a good guy, he'll treat you right. Tell him Paul, the guy who moved to Arkansas sent you.
Another place that carries some trailer axles, fenders, etc is Tractor Supply. Not sure if they carry Dexter Axles though.
Brian, I have been wanting to reply to this, but was not able to find the time in recent weeks.
Torsion type trailer spring systems have some pluses and minuses. They seem to ride better (at least on paper), but they are demanding on trailer attitude. If the trailer is not pretty darn level, one torsion spring will be asked to carry more of the load. Trailers with two or more axles with leaf springs have a walking beam that distributes the weight between the two axles pretty well.
I understand that your load was pretty light and you probably had your trailer set up to be level, but I suspect that the previous owner might not have been as careful.
Jim
The axles themselves did not fail. The welds holding the axle brackets to the trailer frame failed. It appears the welding had not been done properly at the time of manufacture and it somehow held together for 16 years. The previous owners had used the trailer to haul dirt bikes for racing so they didn't put much weight in the trailer.
The welding shop we took the trailer and axle to was disgusted by the poor welding job on the one axle that we still had. It appeared as if though someone only tack welded the bracket on and then went on break or something and never did the final welding.
My towing setup is such that the trailer was nearly level. It was just a bit higher at the front. I am sick of people towing trailers improperly. I see it all the time with the front of the trailer lower than the rear, or the back end of the trailer nearly on the road because the front is way too high. If you're going to tow a trailer, spend the extra money for the proper ball mount or a weight distribution hitch if necessary.
forgive me belfert.......wasn't this the trailer you rebuilt from the ground up? and under a great pressure time frame to finish so you could work next on your dash wires ?.....do you not see the irony here?.........that your sick of people towing trailers improperly?..or using rusted, outdated obsolete equipment?.........just sayin
I don't think I see the irony...it seems clear that the failure which occured to Brian's trailer was not the result of any of the work he did, or the way he towed it - or because of rust or obsolescence come to that.
Jeremy
Quote from: steve wardwell on October 07, 2010, 07:45:42 AM
forgive me belfert.......wasn't this the trailer you rebuilt from the ground up? and under a great pressure time frame to finish so you could work next on your dash wires ?.....do you not see the irony here?.........that your sick of people towing trailers improperly?..or using rusted, outdated obsolete equipment?.........just sayin
I didn't do anything to the frame or the axles. The frame is just fine. All of the work I did was basically cosmetic except replacing the brakes and drums along with some electrical. Had I had any hint of a problem with the welding of the axles I would have had it fixed. I'm not going to intentionally put something on the road that isn't safe.
I took the trailer to a trailer shop when I got home to get an estimate on replacing the second axle. I talked to them about the axle problem and they said straight out they would not have found the axle welding problem had I brought it to them for inspection. The welding shop that welded the one axle back on looked at the broken welds and said it wasn't welded properly to start.
Your local shop wants you back. They are influenced to say whatever you want to hear, and will work hard to have you amiable to the idea that "stuff happens" beyond their control.
The shop that will never see you again will slag the previous guy's work as inferior or otherwise deficient.
Those who pay to have the work done are easily misled for the purposes of profit.
Beware those who attempt to gain your confidence when your ca$h is involved...
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Myself and a bunch of my friends on the trip saw the bad welding on the axle mounting bracket so the guy wasn't lying about that. The frame itself had no damage so the frame didn't fail. The welding place I used in Elko does lots of work for the mines and they did the trailer almost as a favor for me. I doubt they would have taken on the liability of welding the axles back on if they thought the frame was suspect.
Maybe the trailer shop did lie to me, but why would he do so? Wouldn't he want me to bring my next used trailer to him for a paid inspection? Why would I bring it to him if he admits an inspection wouldn't have helped? I'm not having him replace the axle because his price is way too high on the axle. There are a dozen or more trailer shops that can do the repair.
It is mostly speculation on why the axles came loose. Nobody really knows for 100% certain expecially with one axle long gone. I would certainly rather have spent $100 or whatever on extra welding than loose an axle and potentially kill someone on the road.
there are huge quality differences in the trailers out there today.. missing 1 wield is a mistake, missing 4 is a crime.You had an angle on your shoulder that day (and a few more behind you)......................s....................
Sorry
We were in Ruby Valley with the BUS that weekend and missed this post till you were home. I live in Wells and could have helped you but seems as you made it through. Next time hope I am here.
John