TS Trailer Tongue

[Dooner]

Hey guys,
This is for anyone that has used the TS 4X8 no floor trailer.

I was looking around on the trailer today and noticed as it has been sitting with some boxes of junk on it, that the tongue has dropped down about an inch or so at the back mount. The angle iron that has the mount is curved like a smile. The boxes were not that heavy and seems that when I do get started on the TD, It will drop more.
I hope I am giving a clear picture here. The front mount is the pivot point and the hitch is going up when put on the ground and the back mount is going down.
Does the tongue need to be modified? Does anyone have any pics of what they did?

Please help.

[sdtripper2]

Dooner:

Please be more specific as to the brand of your trailer manufacturer?

This is for anyone that has used theTS 4X8 no floor trailer.

Tractor Supply Co Model SKU #1000215 2,000 lb GVW
The Tractor Supply Co. 4x8 Maybe other sizes too (Call for quotes).
Go to the websites below and find locations and
call for quotes on sizes and availability.

Carry-On Trailer supplies trailers to (Tractor Supply Co.)
CARRY-ON TRAILER� EXPANDED METAL FLOOR UTILITY TRAILER
A popular Tractor Supply Co, I believe this one has to be special ordered at the store:
Carry-On trailer 4X8 with no floor SKU #1000215, 2,000 lb GVW, 5 lug 4.5 center
wheels, lights, wired, safety chains, assembled & ready to go.

*These trailers can be ordered in other sizes too if you can find a
co-operative sales person. The key here is that many threads
hint at trouble getting quotes or the right person to help you.
Read the threads below please before you buy.

Exact dimensions of the SKU #1000215
Thanks Walter (surveytech)

Tractor Supply Co Customer Service (877) 872-7721
http://tinyurl.com/fvb6s SKU #1000215
Carry-On Trailer (They supply Tractor Supply Co.) (706) 356-5379
http://tinyurl.com/qosdx

[Kens]

Thats the trailer I used mine is fine.

[Podunkfla]

Dooner... There is no question there are better ways to build a trailer... That tongue design is inherently weak as it has about 4 to 1 leverage working on a crossmember that is weak in the middle and is too far forward too... IMHO. Take a look at Doug Hodder's tutorial for the best design I know of: http://www.teardroptrailers.us/tbuild.pdf

You could prolly add the angle bracing to your trailer without much trouble. I sure would if it was mine.

[madjack]

Dooner...this shouldn't have happened...either the crossmember is defective or a load was placed just right to use the tongue as a fulcrum and a pretty powerfull force it would be...I'm not sure what to tell you to fix the problem but now that the crossmember has been bent is in a weakend state and an additional brace may be called for...check carefully to see if the FRONT crossmember is twisted or damaged in any way as well any damage to the welds.....
madjack

[Juneaudave]

Dooner...what the heck did you have in those boxes??!!?#?%%??

[Miriam C.]

Sorry your trailer sagged. Perhaps you can turn it over and put the boxes back for a day or two. After that I would add a brace. Once you have a floor on it should be fine. The weight of the teardrop won't be all in one place.

There are several people with no frames and they go just fine.

[angib]

I'm sorry to hear that, but not surprised - that frame design has never looked right to me as clearly the tongue is stronger than the cross-members it's fixed to. But it's not unusual - plenty of people on this forum have built trailers with a strong tongue fixed to a weaker frame.

It's not easy to calculate accurately, but I'd guess your frame had a load on it of something like 300lb to make this happen, assuming that cross-member is 2"x2"x1/8".

Bending it back should fix it, but I imagine you would want to strengthen it. A pair of 2"x1"x1/8" rectangular tubes (with the 2" vertical) angling off the tongue fairly near to the hitch and running out to the side rails at least 12" behind the front of the frame would roughly double the strength.

There would be no problem to tow the trailer to a welder without these braces.

Andrew

[JunkMan]

A pair of 2"x1"x1/8" rectangular tubes (with the 2" vertical) angling off the tongue fairly near to the hitch and running out to the side rails at least 12" behind the front of the frame would roughly double the strength.

I did something similar on my frame, and it really strengthened the tounge. I would have made the angle braces longer, but I was working with steel that I had on hand, and you can see that the tongue has a step right about where the braces weld to it, to put it at the right height for the hitch (my trailer sits pretty low).

[Dooner]

Sdtripper2,
That is the trailer I have, but my GVWR shows to be rated at 1500 lbs. Where did you get the 2000 lbs rating?

Kens,
When you have it hitched to your tow vehicle, does the back of the tongue dip down any?

Madjack,
It doesn't permanently dip down. It's only when you have the trailer propped at the hitch, like this picture.

If it is propped at the front of the frame as in the first one, it is fine. I just don't know what it will do when I get all the weight on it from the TD.

Juneaudave,
Toys we were donating. Couldn't have been over 100 lbs. But even after getting rid of them, It still does it with nothing on it.

Aunti M,
I thought about that. But I don't think the angle iron cross member is actually bent.

Angib and Junkman,
That is what I was thinking I had to do. At first I was thinking maybe putting a square tube cross member above it between the floor sandwich and bolt it together, but I don't know if that would be enough.

[angib]

Jeff's (junkman) first photo shows exactly what I meant. In your case the braces would land on the side of the tongue, not underneath like Jeff's.

When you say the tongue doesn't permanently dip down, that sounds like something has broken, not just bent - if the tongue can move, something must be damaged quite a lot - like a broken weld. You need to lie underneath it while somebody pumps up and down on the tongue to locate the problem.

Having the front of the trailer propped while you're lying underneath would, of course, be a good idea!

Andrew

[madjack]

Jeff's (junkman) first photo shows exactly what I meant. In your case the braces would land on the side of the tongue, not underneath like Jeff's.

When you say the tongue doesn't permanently dip down, that sounds like something has broken, not just bent - if the tongue can move, something must be damaged quite a lot - like a broken weld. You need to lie underneath it while somebody pumps up and down on the tongue to locate the problem.

Having the front of the trailer propped while you're lying underneath would, of course, be a good idea!

Andrew

Dooner, I am in positive agreement with Andrew...if it can move like you state, something is broken...get it fixed before going any further!!!!!!!
madjack

[Nitetimes]

Ok, here's the story on the why your trailer is it doing that. This is a very common design and even on heavier built trailers you will see the same thing happening. These trailers were designed to have either a 5/4 or 2"x deck screwed to them. Once the boards are screwed to the x-members the flex will go out of the tongue for the most part and any you get will go thru the boards as well as the angle making it almost impossible to break it. The longitudinal boards make a big difference in the stiffness and strength of these trailers. They were never designed to be used without the deck on them.
That said, I will say that once you put a 2x2 across that piece of angle and screw it down then screw your deck to it you are going to transfer a lot of the load to a large deck area. It will work safely as is. Would I put A bracing on it? Most definitely, but it won't be unsafe without them.

[Miriam C.]

If any part of the metal separates from any other part you should take it back to the dealer. Your pictures shows something that should not happen...

If your TS dealer is like the one we have they can weld it back for you or replace it.

[sdtripper2]

Sdtripper2,
That is the trailer I have, but my GVWR shows to be rated at 1500 lbs.
Where did you get the 2000 lbs rating?

Dooner:

If you go to both of the links below you will see the 2,000 lb. GVWR for the
SKU #1000215 advertised.

Tractor Supply Co Customer Service (877) 872-7721
http://tinyurl.com/fvb6s SKU #1000215
Carry-On Trailer (They supply Tractor Supply Co.) (706) 356-5379
http://tinyurl.com/qosdx