Road Runner trailer? Check your welds.

[Ewok]

So after I came off the water and sauced my boat, I noticed the trailer was looking a bit dirty, so when I got home I washed, polished and waxed the trailer to make it as pretty as the boat. While I was up close buffing the paint I notices a crack in a weld that might have been there for a little bit, it's a little rusty. This picture was taken with a flash so the crack looks a little worse than it is. Then I looked under the swing tongue area to see what else was cracked, and that is the second picture. The cracked welds are on the sides of the center beam so at least I can take it to a welder tomorrow morning and not worry about breaking down, and it's back roads to get there, and it's only 3 miles away.

Anyway, in light of recent trailer safety and inspection and dissapointment of Road Runner trailers, look your over very well. I've got some other welds that I don't trust either so I'm getting a lot redone tomorrow.

[Ruger761]

The crack would bother me but not as much as the gaps they left in the tongue. Those ends should have come together flat against the main tongue tube and fully welded, not used as a spot for wires to go through. Having those gaps allows the trailer to flex a lot more, which causes cracking. Id be inspecting the rest of the trailer if it was mine. It taking it to a welder to have the crack fixed, have him plate those gaps and any other spots on the trailer. It will stiffen it up and make it last a lot longer and be a lot safer.

[IDBoating]

Very creepy.

I've had a boat trailer failure. At ~70MPH. In Montana. On the freeway. At night. Not an experience I want to relive, particularly with a nice Tige.

I'll definitely be checking my trailer. Thanks for the heads-up!

[jmoore15]

I have the same trailer. However, mine came with a piece of 1/4" plate welded between the two braces over the top of the "gaps". I too would encourage your welder to put a piece of plate over those.

[Ruger761]

Goes back to the Trailer Safety Nickypoo posted up. All it takes is one thing to crack or fail and it could be a bad situation, much less ruin a nice boat or truck. Straps are the thing I see breaking more often than anything else when boats are going down the road, and most dont have transom straps.

[What she said]

Sure glad you caught that!! I really need to look mine over too!

[Nobody]

The trailer industry seems to be driven solely by price, leaving quality last.