Trailer Tongue Break

I am a believer in checking my frame each time I reach a campsite.

I have now had my frame welded 5 times. The first break was along the bolt holes that hold on the front wheel jack. I had a local shop (Idaho) weld the frame and he moved the wheel jack up onto a plate he welded on. He did a bad job and Cary re-welded it.

The second crack was along the holes holding on the Mfg info plate. I found a welder in the middle of nowhere who welded the frame and welded a bar across the break. My Mfg info plate now lives in the galley drawer.

The next two breaks were at the end of bars which were welded over the breaks. Each time the old bar was removed and replaced.

The last weld job was local and I left the tear and let him know I did not want it back until it was bullet proof. He removed everyone else's stopgap measures. He then welded heavy angle iron (just like the tear frame but heavier) from as far front as he could get to as far back as he could. It sits right over the existing frame.

I do almost all my camping off grid and do MANY miles of washboard (and worse) dirt roads. It is very punishing on the frame obviously. Back when I camped in campgrounds I had no problems so I attribute my frame issues to my camping choices.

I have had no issues in about 70 nights since beefing up the frame. I still check it every time I set up camp. I simply run my fingers under the frame and do a quick visual.

By finding my cracks early I have always been able to limp into somewhere that has a welder. The cracks have been clear up the side but never through the top. If you notice your tear slanting down in the front stop and check your frame!

LOVE my tear and try to do 6 week trips each spring and fall. Its how I recharge my mental batteries.

 

Really great post, thanks for the tip!
Some ruff roads ahead...preflight check walk-around now mandatory.

 

I’m going to include checking the post during my post trip inspections. Thanks

 

[QUOTE="
I do almost all my camping off grid and do MANY miles of washboard (and worse) dirt roads. It is very punishing on the frame obviously. Back when I camped in campgrounds I had no problems so I attribute my frame issues to my camping choices. [/QUOTE]
Camp-Inn use to offer an Extreme SUV option which was a higher, and significantly beefier frame. It sounds like you would have been the perfect fit for that one! I was looking at a used one of those offered in the "For Sale" section of this forum back in 2013, and called Cary to see if they could remove some of those options so we could have less drag pulling it with our VW Jetta.
Cary said he could get the height down some, but the beefed up frame would still be a couple hundred pounds heavier, and instead of that one, I should look at one that he heard was coming up for sale from another owner in IL, with no SUV option, which is what we ended up getting. Even the non SUV version still has more clearance than most vehicles, so we've never had a problem with it clearing anything we've been able to drive over, but then admittedly, we don't head off road much unless it's pretty smooth going either, but I don't suppose most folks do.

 

So, on July 7, 2022, we found and had repaired a very similar crack on our tongue. When I talked to the guys at Campinn, they said to check the bars that run front to back. I did, and the drivers side (same as the crack) was broken at the back. That has also been re-welded now.

 

How did you resolve this? Looks like the whole tongue part if the frame was cracked. Did the body also suffer? Do the doors close as before? I feel bad for what happened with you. Hopefully the insurance paid for the repairs and the related expenses.

 

My driver’s side of the A frame has a re enforcing bead. The other side has a tube for a cable run welded on). Is this not standard?

 

The early Camp-Inns do not have the reinforcement piece below the drilled holes for the jack and VIN tag. It is possible on a older Camp-Inn to get a crack from one of these holes to the edge like mentioned a couple times in this thread. With the reinforcement piece added like yours has it does not happen.

Cary