reitnauer broke frame

alum. only flex so many times before they crack.

 

Is this a very hard / expensive thing to repair?

 

trailer shops can fix,or back to factory for fix. I have taken one back in 2005 to fac. they found at one time someone put tie/downs under frame then over load, they said it changed the way frame flexed, an caused breakage.

 

Hmm, maybe a bad batch of aluminum that it was built with. I never go with a 100% guarantee of "if" but when, how and where something will fail. It's just a chance that's taken no matter what you purchase. I would see if if they will replace the rails. No way in hell would I ever trust a repair weld in a high stress area that would flex such as the main beams. Others maybe ok with it but I'm to #### paranoid of the failure factor of what could happen if the trailer failed under load at 65mph but that's just me.

 

You are right about welds, they don't flex. I know, some guy who welds is going to say "my welds will flex"… No they will flex for a while but only half as much and half as long as virgin aluminum. You can fish plate them for a temporary fix. I would insist on the plates (both sides of each crack) being twice as far out as the crack is long. In other words, if the crack is six inches long then put a two foot fish plate on it. If you can't get that much plate, replace the rail. You DO NOT want to be shut down at Banning for that.