Hi all, I've been gone a while.
Finished Campy up to about what I would consider 90% - sleepable, comfortable, air conditioning for the wife, Yeti electrical system with batteries and a (not yet functional) solar panel. Had a custom frame made out of 2" aluminum angle. Towed it down to Missouri for the solar eclipse in Sept 2017 (which we got clouded out of by 5 minutes!), towed it to central Wisconsin for the Energy Fair, a couple other small trips.
Before the beginning of the 2018 season, I pulled off the right wheel, doing some maintenance, only to find a vertical crack in the frame directly behind where the stub axle attaches. Couldn't quite understand what the stress could be to make that crack in that way, but whatever. Had the original welder have a look at it, lift the body off a few inches, and weld in a patch.
Guess what? Pulled the same wheel off in May - same crack, same place. See picture.
Not sure what I'm asking here...I've essentially decided to have a new frame made out of 2" steel tube, with exact bolt holes so I can pick up the cabin and drop it back on a new frame. Has anyone else seen this? The welding guy actually said to me that "aluminum frames are only really good for 6 years anyway." Really?
I guess it goes without saying that I'm pretty reluctant to drive it any distance.