32 replies to this topic

[Laycon Row]

The tongue of my trailer is cracked. The weld has failed on one side and beginning to crack on the other. Has anyone had this happen before?

This is a 2005 Boatmate trailer for a VLX. It has never been in salt water.

I am going to get it welded but should I also beef it up with a gusset plate or something?


Trailer Crack Picture

[Bobby Light]

The tongue of my trailer is cracked. The weld has failed on one side and beginning to crack on the other. Has anyone had this happen before?

This is a 2005 Boatmate trailer for a VLX. It has never been in salt water.

I am going to get it welded but should I also beef it up with a gusset plate or something?


Trailer Crack Picture

Call up Boatmate they have a 5 yr warranty.

http://www.boatmatet...om/warranty.php

[Pistol Pete]

Yup,
I'd have them replace that whole swing tongue assembly. It'd be pretty easy.

[Laycon Row]

The tongue of my trailer is cracked. The weld has failed on one side and beginning to crack on the other. Has anyone had this happen before?

This is a 2005 Boatmate trailer for a VLX. It has never been in salt water.

I am going to get it welded but should I also beef it up with a gusset plate or something?


Trailer Crack Picture

Call up Boatmate they have a 5 yr warranty.

http://www.boatmatet...om/warranty.php

I didn't buy it new. It doesn’t sound like it is transferable. I paid and filled out the paperwork to transfer the Malibu and Indmar warranties. Should I have sent something to Boatmate?

[RTS]

Give Boatmate a call. They have excellent customer service. Based on my experience with them, they will take care of this.

[Pistol Pete]

I'd still recommend replacing that whole tongue assem. Call boat mate and see if they'll "good will" you just the painted part. Swapping the brake internals could be done by anyone who is mechanically inclined.

[Baddog]

Yowzaa!

That was a catastrophic accident waiting to happen.

Edited by Baddog, November 02, 2009 - 07:45 AM.

[footer2]

The tongue of my trailer is cracked. The weld has failed on one side and beginning to crack on the other. Has anyone had this happen before?

This is a 2005 Boatmate trailer for a VLX. It has never been in salt water.

I am going to get it welded but should I also beef it up with a gusset plate or something?


Trailer Crack Picture

that looks to be a poor weld job initially, i'd ask boatmate to work with you on the cost of having it(the weld in that assembly) ground
out and redone by a local shop......welded correctly, the metal would tear before the weld would crack

had similar issue with a non-boat gooseneck trailer, mfg. helped foot the repair bill

[Laycon Row]

The tongue of my trailer is cracked. The weld has failed on one side and beginning to crack on the other. Has anyone had this happen before?

This is a 2005 Boatmate trailer for a VLX. It has never been in salt water.

I am going to get it welded but should I also beef it up with a gusset plate or something?


Trailer Crack Picture

that looks to be a poor weld job initially, i'd ask boatmate to work with you on the cost of having it(the weld in that assembly) ground
out and redone by a local shop......welded correctly, the metal would tear before the weld would crack

had similar issue with a non-boat gooseneck trailer, mfg. helped foot the repair bill

You have a good point; if the weld had good penetration it should have been stronger than the surrounding plate.

This scenario is case-in-point why it is a good idea to always give the trailer a once-over before hitting the highway. The safety chains would have been useless. It could have been bad, real bad.

[SmoothWaterMan]

If it was mine, being second owner and five years old I'd just weld it up. With proper preparation it will weld back together just fine, and will take less time and effort than asking the mfg to take care of it as an act of goodwill.

Peter

[UWSkier]

Call Boatmate and ask for Owen. He's helped out a ton of 'crew users before. No reason to think he wouldn't again.

[BlastRlxi]

If it was mine, being second owner and five years old I'd just weld it up. With proper preparation it will weld back together just fine, and will take less time and effort than asking the mfg to take care of it as an act of goodwill.

Peter

A good welder should be able to handle that fairly inexpensively.

[davemac]

the big question is how do you bring the trailer to the welder (or do you have the welder come to you)? From the photo, I don't think I'd want to pull that trailer too far, and preferably wouldn't want the boat on it when pulling it.

[Baddog]

the big question is how do you bring the trailer to the welder (or do you have the welder come to you)? From the photo, I don't think I'd want to pull that trailer too far, and preferably wouldn't want the boat on it when pulling it.

Same problem with my truck with no brakes. How do I get it to a fix-it place if I don't do it myself?

[RTS]

Tow truck and tow truck.

[Baddog]

Tow truck and tow truck.

Oh.

But that costs more money.

[BlastRlxi]

the big question is how do you bring the trailer to the welder (or do you have the welder come to you)? From the photo, I don't think I'd want to pull that trailer too far, and preferably wouldn't want the boat on it when pulling it.

Have the welder come to you. You should be able to find a certified welder to bring a portable welder to your trailer and make the repair. Just make sure the welder is certified. There are plenty of hobby welders out there that really aren't qualified to make a safe repair.

[Laycon Row]

Update:

In the interest of getting this fixed as quickly as possible, I took the trailer to a local fabrication and paint shop. I towed it but very carefully and took back roads. At the same time, I sent e-mail to Boatmate and asked about warranty coverage. They agreed to replace the pivot hinge assembly under warranty. I contacted the shop but they had already begun the repairs. I asked Boatmate if they will cover the shop labor instead. They said that the pivot tongue is made by a vendor and they had to get approval from them for the warranty claim.

Bottom line, the repair has been made but I don't know if Boatmate is going to do anything warranty-wise. In retrospect, I should have contacted Boatmate first but I really didn't think about replacing the assembly as a possibility.

[Bobby Light]

Update:

In the interest of getting this fixed as quickly as possible, I took the trailer to a local fabrication and paint shop. I towed it but very carefully and took back roads. At the same time, I sent e-mail to Boatmate and asked about warranty coverage. They agreed to replace the pivot hinge assembly under warranty. I contacted the shop but they had already begun the repairs. I asked Boatmate if they will cover the shop labor instead. They said that the pivot tongue is made by a vendor and they had to get approval from them for the warranty claim.

Bottom line, the repair has been made but I don't know if Boatmate is going to do anything warranty-wise. In retrospect, I should have contacted Boatmate first but I really didn't think about replacing the assembly as a possibility.

Sorry man but we tried to tell you.

[davemac]

If you care to share it, what did the welding shop charge??