Help selecting steel for trailer tongue

[Efis]

Hello. I have a 8.5 foot tilt bed snowmobile trailer I use to haul whitewater rafts. The present tongue is 3x3 1/8inch wall tubing total length is 7 feet long ,4 feet under the trailer and 3 feet extends forward of the deck to the coupler. I want to replace with 10 foot tongue to allow extending the deck by 2 feet, putting the load more forward for more tongue weight and allowing space for a post with winch. I figure total load between 1000--1500 lbs. Wondering if I can stick with same material or if I should consider going up to 3x4 x 1/8. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[ultrarunner]

Can you section it and sleeve it?

I have a tongue that is adjustable... the solid part slips inside the tubular part and a removable pin holds it into place.

 

[Mysfyt]

I'd go 3/16" wall thickness on the 3x4 tube. I want a trailer tongue to be overbuilt. Broken trailer tongues while going down the highway = bad news.

 

[4570Man]

I'd go 3x3 or 3x4 with 1/4 or 3/8 wall.

 

[Rustyiron]

I'd go 3/16" wall thickness on the 3x4 tube. I want a trailer tongue to be overbuilt. Broken trailer tongues while going down the highway = bad news.

:thumbsup:

 

[LD1]

I'm all for doing it yourself, but you are opening yourself up for a can of worms if you ever get in an accident or something breaks. Have you looked into trading in or selling the current trailer and getting one that suits your needs? That way you aint liable if the thing fails? That and not knowing your welding skills and equipment, I am hesitant to advise.

 

[4570Man]

I'd hate to sell a homemade trailer. You could still be liable. The local metal fabrication shop won't touch a trailer or fuel tank with a 15 foot pole.

 

[ultrarunner]

We have an outfit here the modifies trailers, builds custom hitches and flatbeds... they have been in business 40 years... two brothers... so far they have a stellar record.

Sometimes they don't get the job because they won't cut corners.

They also do trailer collision repairs.

Most of my trailers are home made or custom made... the custom made shop that closed after 70 years... they also built bridges and lots of custom stuff for the local zoos...

 

[roadhunter]

It's strange how stuff like this is so regional. I have seen so many homemade trailers made from things like trailer house frames or used pipe that I've lost count. I've even made a few myself. Homemade trailers are very common in the rural areas I have lived. I never once gave it the concern I see in this thread.

Heck Oklahoma doesn't even tag trailers and it was easy to get a tag for a homemade trailer here in Nebraska. To be perfectly honest I have looked at many manufactured trailers and the welding was always pretty crappy. Just because they crank them out of a manufacturing line doesn't mean the guy doing the welding is doing a great job.

I would not even think twice about swapping out a tongue on a light duty trailer like this.

 

[Arc weld]

Depending on the skill of the person building it, there is nothing wrong with a home made trailer. Some are better than factory built trailers. 3/16" or 1/4" wall tubing will add a lot of strength. 3/8" is way overkill and a whole lot heavier. Another option is to add an A frame hitch or long or braces from the tongue to the trailer corners. I'm not sure what your trailer has now.

 

[ETpilot]

A few years ago I was driving home and in the middle of the road was a load of plywood and other building material. I figured the owner would be coming back fast once he saw the load was lost. About 1/2 a mile down the road I see a truck n trailer off to the side. So I stopped to help as this maybe the owner. Sure enough it was the owner and he was checking his trailer. An inspection revealed a broken weld in the tongue area. I rigged it so we could go back and get that load. Sure enough someone was loading it up. We got the load back. I helped him properly secure this load for the trip. I did a temporary fix on the tongue, can't remember the problem. This was a new factory built trailer. I pointed out what need to be fixed. Then followed him 30 miles to make sure he got home.

So factory built may be good and not so good. Same as home built. I have to repair the bent tongue, hit it with tractor, on my home built. This little home built has made several trips between Texas n Florida.

 

[FTG-05]

Depending on the skill of the person building it, there is nothing wrong with a home made trailer. Some are better than factory built trailers. 3/16" or 1/4" wall tubing will add a lot of strength. 3/8" is way overkill and a whole lot heavier. Another option is to add an A frame hitch or long or braces from the tongue to the trailer corners. I'm not sure what your trailer has now.

I wouldn't even consider this trailer mod without doing this.

In this case, I would use two 6" channel - or bigger if the trailer frame has larger channel, then I'd use that size. I would install them at about a 30 degree angle to the trailer front, then perhaps 3x4x3/16" for the trailer hitch area. Leave the original trailer tongue to help support the extension.

I've built two trailer, one for someone else, one for myself. I've since sold the one I made myself. Both had long-ish A frame tongues.

Good luck.

 

[Arc weld]

Two 6" channels for 1500lbs? 6" channel would work for a tandem trailer. I think it would help if the OP could post a picture of what he has now. Hard to give the best advice without knowing what you have to work with.

 

[deanwerden]

don't over think this , if you lengthen the deck you are only increasing tongue length by a foot. 1500 pounds is nothing for 3x3 by 1/8. if you are worried about it go to 3/16 thick. the tongue on our snowmobile trailer is 3x4 by 1/8 and is 3 or 4 feet long but it is aluminum, you have nothing to worry about