Is a truck conversion harder on the trailer?

[Bob86ZZ4]

I was showing off my new truck conversion to a buddy that has a Allegro built on a Chev gas chassis. He said my rig will tear up my trailer (24' Rance Renegade aluminum enclosed car hauler) more than his because it's too tough of a hitch. Does that make any sense?

[Doc Weaver]

Jealousy, and envy, coupled with self-justification will make people say some dumb stuff. What, supposedly, makes his hitch softer?

Doc Weaver

[Bob E]

Most likely, his chassis &/or hitch flexes enough to absorb road bumps.

[geofkaye]

....BOB E HAS A POINT!....FLEXING AND THE EFFECTS OF LONG TERM FLEXING.....the parts that flex too much will appear in your rear view mirrors.....it is called joint failure and it is terminal [unless you are very lucky]......the only thing I have noticed in 120,000 miles of towing is that the trailers seem to crack/split/fail at the point that the hitches are welded around the frame ends where it is attached to the trailer main rails....it is because of the poor welding and sloppy fit ups.....if the welding is done by "Amish Frame Makers" in Latino disguises than there will be problems.....yes, your trailer can be fixed! and usually at a very reasonable price....BUT[here it comes] the issue is called "Catastrophic Frame Failure" and it is usually a terminal situation on the interstate highway at speed......I'd suggest a frame gusset be made now and welded in place asap....might cost you $100 for the welding and maybe $50 for the steel...BUT the issue will be moot after that.....geofkaye........BTW if you think you are embarrassed easily-wait till it happens and you can't believe how red your face will be.....specially if some poor unlucky person is killed!

[Bob86ZZ4]

So, I'm kind of confused here. Looks like Geof is saying there is some validity to this? And you think I need to reinforce my trailer? I don't mind reinforcing it if it needs it. But, how can you tell if the trailer isn't strong enough to be towed by a truck conversion but it is by a lesser tow veh? My trailer is 100% aluminum frame so I would have to reinforce it with more aluminum tho, not steel. My trailer is rated at 10k lbs total, empty weight of the trailer is 3k, my Vette scales at 2800 lbs (it's a gutted out track car), 8 extra wheels/tires, misc tools, I don't think I'm over 4k of cargo/car. That makes 7k total approx. For a trailer rated at 10k.

[geofkaye]

....OF THE TRAILERS I HAVE SEEN PERSONALLY THAT HAVE A PROBLEM OR ARE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM-TWO THINGS GIVE ME GREAT CONCERN...ONE BEING THE WELDING THAT IS DONE AT THE FACTORY WHICH IN MOST CASES SEEM TO BE MIG-2.]THEN THERE IS THE DESIGN PROBLEM...THE AREA THAT SEEMS TO BE HAVING PROBLEMS IS/ARE THE AREA THAT I DESCRIBED ABOVE A-FRAME TO MAIN FRAME TRAILER THAT IS A TOW-BEHIND OR A GOOSE NECK/FIFTH WHEEL THAT IS BED MOUNTED.....THE POINT OF STRESS SEEMS TO BE THE AREA WHERE THE FIVER MAIN FRAME MEETS THE EXTENSION TO THE FIFTH/GOOSE NECK.....I CAN'T REMEMBER THE JUNCTION BEING WELDED ANY OTHER WAY THAN BUTT WELDED STEEL TUBE TO STEEL TUBE....ALUMINUM TRAILERS THAT I HAVE SEEN THAT FAILED WERE BECAUSE OF STEEL/ALUMINUM JOINING WITH OUT ANY INSULATOR/STAINLESS BOLTS WITHOUT ANY BRASS WASHERS/NUTS....THE BOLT HOLES/STEEL PARTS CAUSED WHITE RUSTING-WITH VIBRATION- CAUSED THE HOLES TO ENLARGE LEADING TO FAILURE IN SEA WATER ....UNLESS YOU HAVE THAT APPLICATION I THINK YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE A PROBLEM-THOUGHT I'D HAVE TO EXAMINE IT MYSELF TO SEE IF THERE IS A SLIGHT FLEXING OF THE AREA/WELDMENT OR ANY WHITE RUSTING IN THAT AREA.....THAT WOULD GIVE ME GREAT CONCERN-BUT REQUIRES CLOSE INSPECTION By SOME INDIVIDUAL THAT IS SCHOOLED IN WELDING AND WELD FAILURE......geofkaye

[Doc Weaver]

I with Bob86zz4. I understand having weak welds, poor design, vibration degradation, and electro-rust-contamination. I still don't understand the original question. How does a hopped up van have a softer (more reliable) hitch than a full fledged truck (converted)?

Doc Weaver

[Bob86ZZ4]

Yes Doc, I guess I'm still not clear on the original question. Geof, I understand you've seen trailer failures. Is that enough to prove that the cause of the failure was from being pulled by a truck conversion? How do we know those same trailers wouldn't have had such failure if they were being pulled by a overloaded underbraked undersprung motorhome? Is it possible the failures were the result of overloading the trailer? Wouldn't a person be more likely to overload their trailer if they knew it was being hitched to a veh. with lots of extra power to pull an overloaded trailer? Do those same trailers not show any of that type of failure when pulled by something lesser? Maybe we need to get the Mythbusters on this?

[geofkaye]

...the trailers that I have seen are towed by P/U MDT or HDT:.....I have inspected a lot of towed unites over the years for frame damage.....in my opinion- goose necks/fifth wheels will begin to fracture at the joint of the main frame and the goose neck....or the goose neck and the forward frame....in most cases they will fail from stress-lack of design- along with poor welding practices.....whether the towing vehicle is a P/U-a MDT or a HDT ...there will some flexing because of the light weight materials that are used or there is an issue with the welding.....frame flexing is a great issue and the rv industry manufactures have done the testing by the same method that the mobile home manufactures do....trial and error. Belly broke manufactured homes are on the side of every major interstate and now there are fifths and goose necks in the same spot....I'd suggest one measure and examine the frame at the end of each trip for structural damage and need of repair.....geofkaye

[Doc Weaver]

So the bottom line is.........the pulling vehicle shouldn't make a difference. right?

Doc Weaver

[geofkaye]

...at this point I consider the trailer to be the problem and not the tow vehicle....[this should start a poop storm!].....there isn't too much difference between a HDT and a P/u when you come to the issue of towing....[the up and down pounding on the tow eye or the coupler and even the goose neck/fifth is all the same]....the area of concern will be at the intersection of the main frame and the part with the hitch attached........geofkaye

[Bob86ZZ4]

Okay, so I guess that explains it. Nobody so far thinks a truck conversion is harder on a trailer than anything else. Anybody else want to chime in if they think it's harder on a trailer to pull it with a truck conversion than a gas class A motorhome? Forget about goosenecks and fifth wheels.

[Bob86ZZ4]

Just replying to bring this topic to the front.

[vapoppa]

ummmm, so if you know that you are going to tow a loaded trailer more than 120,000 mile you should have the front of the trailer frame reinforced or consider trading every 85,000- 110,00 miles?---- mase

[Bob86ZZ4]

I don't see how you could simply put milage on it. I'm thinking there's more to it than that. I buy that a trailer can break. And a trailer that isn't made very well should break sooner than one that's made well. And if a guy is towing with a truck and the trailer breaks I can see him wondering if it broke sooner because he was towing with a truck. I just don't know how you could prove that. I wonder if anybody's got any connections at "Mythbusters?"

[vapoppa]

it was geof's 120,000 milage ,,, after all he knows---- mase

[geofkaye]

....huh?....geofkaye

[Wysart]

Just to add my experience to the mix. I have had problems caused by the jarring stiffness of the HDT suspension, on lighter weight trailers, far faster than I have had trouble caused by the softer stiffness of a LDT pickup suspension. As mentioned here trailers are not particularly well built, and will fail at specific points, but. . . the stiffness of the suspension of the towing vehicle does, in my experience, make the failures occur sooner, rather than later. If concerns for the jarring of an HDT tow hitch is a bother, there are receiver mounted suspension hitches that soften up the jarring.