Trailer swing tongue question

[ch312]

 

If that swing tongue fails (Which it never will) that trailer is going to dig in with all that extra chain and bad bad things are going to happen. If this was an issue, manufacturers would be doing this from the factory...

 

Never happens?

 

2 minutes on Google provided these from various websites:

 

 

hellback

01-28-2013, 06:33 AM

I had the welds on a swing tongue hinge crack. Discovered it before a disaster could take play. The G3 boat trailer I had, used a sleeve type removable tongue. Much better set up for strength. The bad side on the G3 set up was a light plug connection inside the slip in tongue. Always gave me problems till I eliminated the plug and used a longer harness to reach the truck.

Bill Krejca

02-08-2013, 03:18 PM

Had the pin break on my 2001 Shorelander, luckily while it was sitting in the garage, at least that's when I noticed it. I just touched the pin, and the bottom half fell onto the floor. I replaced it with another pin from the dealer, but now that I think about it, I probably need to replace with a bolt.

 

Bill

tcthe3rd

07-02-2011, 03:52 AM

snapped the bolt on the hinged side of my swing trailer hitch. no problems opening or closing hitch. one hand operation. was just driving down the paved road, heard a loud bang. thought a rock hit the boat. a mile down the road made a turn, the swing tongue opened up and slamed into the truck bumper. got out and no bolt. anyone know why this happen. the trailer is 6 years old. may be 5000 miles on it. thanks

Explorer

07-02-2011, 10:47 AM

 

I had this happen on my trailer last Fall. Broke off on bottom side of hinge just above the nylock. Bolt stayed in to prevent tongue from opening up. Called company, they sent me some new bolts and said to make sure it was very tight. This really makes no sense because you don't tighten it up against anything. The tongue pivots in the center between the two lobes you are tighting the nylock up against. Anyway put in the new bolt and hoping for the best in the future. My trailer is going on its fourth year of use. I have always carried a spare pin in the truck just in case someone decides they need one while the trailer is sitting in a launch lot. I now carry two pins just in case the bolt breaks again. I don't imagine these 5/8 pins are as hard as the bolt in the opposite hole.

 

I am not so sure we are looking for a harder bolt in this situation. This just makes it more brittle for this situation. The tolerances on these swing tongues could be a little tighter to allow less up and down movement in the hinge. I am not sure how much movement there is in the tongue while hooked up to the rear of the vehicle. (due to the weight and down force) I would guess that some of the bumps in the road give it some good movement from time to time. I would think the harder the bolt and one good strong jolt of force would snap it easier then say a soft bolt.

 

Any opinions from some of you others on a hardened bolt in this situation THANKS

davvoe

Join Date: Jul 2009

Posts: 26

swing away boat trailer hitch (must read)

This is a true story and I am telling it so that this doesn't happen to you.

 

A friend of mine has a swing away hitch on his Shorelander boat trailer. The other day he was coming back from the lake and when he stopped at a red light, the boat trailer swung around and hit his truck. He got out to check what happened and found that the bolt holding the hinge part of the swing away hitch had broken completely in two about a third of the way down. Luckily, only minor damage was done to his truck and bent the hitch and broke the crank down jack on his trailer. It would have been a lot worse had that happened while travelling down the highway.

 

After hearing that, I checked the bolt on my Shorelander trailer and found that it was cracked as well. Another trip or two would have been all it would have taken to have the same thing happen to me. When I went to Bolt Supply to get a replacement, the guy told me these were only grade 5 bolts and should have been at least a grade 8 bolt.

 

This really did happen, and I am just warning you to check the bolt in your swing away boat trailer hitch before this happens to anyone else

 

Sooner

Join Date: Mar 2009

Location: Edmonton

Posts: 2,546

As an appraiser I have done two different boat trailers with swing away hitches that have broke at the pivot point while going down the highway. Both boats went at highway speed into the rt side ditches thankfully but boy were the boats beat up. I dont remember the make of the trailers as it was more then 5 yrs ago but I have always thought the design just asked for trouble. Seems its quite a flex point. Best to keep your eye on the area for signs of stress and fatige if you have a trailer with a swing away hitch. Check it often imo.

[BillM]

Trailer maintenance is one thing people should never skip on (Unfortunately a lot of people do).. As for mine, I'll happily keep trucking alone without any worries

Edited April 2, 2014 by BillM

[irishfield]

Anyone that thinks a grade 8 bolt is a better application than a grade 5 bolt might want to go back to metrology or strength of materials class! The 5 will bend before failure and give you a warning sign (if you're paying attention and doing maintenance)... the 8 will just snap.

Edited April 2, 2014 by irishfield

[ch312]

Trailer maintenance is one thing people should never skip on (Unfortunately a lot of people do).. As for mine, I'll happily keep trucking alone without any worries

 

The point is swing hitches are a weak point and chains should always be attached to the main frame of the trailer, not to a part that has the potential to separate. This thread is mainly bickering back and fourth, but I really hope that people with swing hitches will read this and start inspecting them regularly.

Anyone that thinks a grade 8 bolt is a better application than a grade 5 bolt might want to go back to metrology or strength of materials class! The 5 will bend before failure and give you a warning sign (if you're paying attention and doing maintenance)... the 8 will just snap.

 

Huh? How would a measurement class help them? I think you meant metallurgy :D:D

[irishfield]

Metrology is how you measure the strength.. Metallurgy is how you make the bolt. Thought about that for a bit before I hit post! lol

[BillM]

 

The point is swing hitches are a weak point and chains should always be attached to the main frame of the trailer, not to a part that has the potential to separate. This thread is mainly bickering back and fourth, but I really hope that people with swing hitches will read this and start inspecting them regularly.

 

Better call the trailer manufacturers and let them know they're doing it wrong

[ch312]

 

Better call the trailer manufacturers and let them know they're doing it wrong

 

I see you haven't had a job where failing to understand the concept of "the weakest link" can mean the difference between going home and taking a dirt nap.

 

 

 

Fulton has this in their installation instructions for their swing away coupler kit:

 

 Do not attach safety chains to the coupler, swing tongue

or their existing hardware. Safety chains’ attachment

point must be behind castings on the trailer tongue.

 

Why do you think they add that?

 

 

Why do you think chains are attached to solid points on the hitch and not the draw bar, which is held in place with a pin?

[BillM]

Why are companies like Shoreland'r, EZ-Loader, etc not attaching chains behind the swing tongue? And passing government safety regulations at the same time? If this was such an issue, why isn't it regulated?

[aplumma]

Common sense is rarely regulated. You can look at it and see that it is safer and will do far more good attached at the point behind the joint. A company will take a short cut that saves them money if they are not called on it pretty common in today's competitive market. Some things are worth arguing but when it involves safety I prefer to error on the side of caution to cause yourself injury doing stupid things is your right to injure others isn't in my book.

 

 

Art

[BillM]

Let's hope no one here ever has to test it this theory

[Fisherman]

I think swing tongues are the weak link unless you check at every use. That's like you should do a walk around once a week to check all your lights etc. I'm sure everyone does that too . I would be more in favour of a sliding tongue (one inside the other) with an exterior doubler or stiffener.

[Sinker]

I don't really get the point of a swing tounge.....just to fit in the garage?

 

I need my trailer tongue lengthened, and was considering a swing tongue, but maybe I'll just get a length welded on instead.

 

S.

[Crazy Ivan]

I don't really get the point of a swing tounge.....just to fit in the garage?

 

 

 

Yes. And I also like that I can lock the tongue back onto the the trailer to make it harder to steal.

[Fisherman]

 

Yes. And I also like that I can lock the tongue back onto the the trailer to make it harder to steal.

No different than having a coupler lock, an extra couple of seconds to slow the thief. I would just take the front of the swing piece off, then there's no coupler.

[akaShag]

VERY interesting thread.

 

I had to get my trailer tongue made into a swing-away so it would fit into my new garage. The machinist who did the work used seriously large bits and pieces and had to put a lot of effort into making everything work. The kit was one from Fulton. But yes my chains are forward of the pivot, and reading all of this makes me think I should get that re-jigged, even if it is a secondary chain from the primary set back to the main trailer body.

 

And as Fisherman knows, I am highly assiduous in ensuring a weekly check of everything mechanical..............

 

Doug