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Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure



 
 
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  #81  
Old August 15th 16, 04:16 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Casey[_2_]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

Just wondering if this type of trailer tongue design would be any better for large motorhomes? Has anyone had a failure with this type tongue while towing with a large motorhome?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4vva44n0ho..._0495.JPG?dl=0
  #82  
Old August 15th 16, 06:26 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Vaughn Simon[_2_]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

On 8/15/2016 11:16 AM, Casey wrote:
Has anyone had a failure with this type tongue while towing with a large motorhome?


I once had a failure with that style tongue, and I was towing with my car!

In my experience there is nothing inherently superior about a double
trailer tongue. Regardless of style, the adequacy of any trailer tongue
is all about the engineering and construction. As always, the devil is
in the details.
  #83  
Old August 15th 16, 09:01 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

My failure was at the actual hitch not the tongue. I had two failures actually, one with the original hitch from Cobra and the second on a replacement hitch from autozone. the euro hitch has one vertical and one horizontal bolt, the replacement had two horizontal and one vertical bolts I had to use one of the vertical bolt holes away from the tow vehicle and drill the horizontal hole in a different location to make it fit the failure was in the vertical bolt hole, and the hitch " ripped" the metal away. Luckily the horizontal one held. My latest design, I doubled the hitch plate with 1/8" steel "U" channel and drilled out to match the tongue. 1/2" bolts still one vertical one horizontal and so far so good.
  #84  
Old August 17th 16, 12:27 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Muttley
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 8:23:53 PM UTC+1, wrote:
On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 2:41:33 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Aw. Details.


If you're worried about the trailer tongue dragging with a flexible trailer hitch, just leave the front dolly wheel in the "down and swiveling" position while trailering. Might want to upgrade the bearing on it, though.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"


would not recommend this, as I had a dolly wheel smashed up by high speed bumps, since then dolly wheel is always removed for long travel trips.

  #85  
Old September 9th 16, 05:32 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
2G
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

On Monday, August 15, 2016 at 1:01:57 PM UTC-7, wrote:
My failure was at the actual hitch not the tongue. I had two failures actually, one with the original hitch from Cobra and the second on a replacement hitch from autozone. the euro hitch has one vertical and one horizontal bolt, the replacement had two horizontal and one vertical bolts I had to use one of the vertical bolt holes away from the tow vehicle and drill the horizontal hole in a different location to make it fit the failure was in the vertical bolt hole, and the hitch " ripped" the metal away. Luckily the horizontal one held. My latest design, I doubled the hitch plate with 1/8" steel "U" channel and drilled out to match the tongue. 1/2" bolts still one vertical one horizontal and so far so good.


Sometimes what happens is a design fails and you strengthen the failed part, only to discover that the next weakest part of the design fails. This is the epitome of a "bandaid" fix. The whole system needs to be analyzed to find an engineered solution.

Tom
  #86  
Old March 2nd 18, 04:57 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
JS[_5_]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

On Thursday, September 8, 2016 at 9:32:24 PM UTC-7, 2G wrote:
On Monday, August 15, 2016 at 1:01:57 PM UTC-7, wrote:
My failure was at the actual hitch not the tongue. I had two failures actually, one with the original hitch from Cobra and the second on a replacement hitch from autozone. the euro hitch has one vertical and one horizontal bolt, the replacement had two horizontal and one vertical bolts I had to use one of the vertical bolt holes away from the tow vehicle and drill the horizontal hole in a different location to make it fit the failure was in the vertical bolt hole, and the hitch " ripped" the metal away. Luckily the horizontal one held. My latest design, I doubled the hitch plate with 1/8" steel "U" channel and drilled out to match the tongue. 1/2" bolts still one vertical one horizontal and so far so good.


Sometimes what happens is a design fails and you strengthen the failed part, only to discover that the next weakest part of the design fails. This is the epitome of a "bandaid" fix. The whole system needs to be analyzed to find an engineered solution.

Tom


Bringing this thread back up as another thread about towing with smaller cars hints at the subject.

The AlKo trailer tongue on many trailers has a placarded limit of 100kg.
Some are rated 80kg.
Don't overload the tongue if you don't want it to fail.
In the case of smaller vehicles, this also avoids overloading the rear of the tow vehicle, perhaps putting too little weight on the steering axle.
If you need to carry more weight, put some elsewhere, perhaps in a drawer below the trailer, a Cobra option, or an IMI retrofit. I've installed both.
My last drawer install successfully took the tongue weight of a trailer down from close to 400 pounds to below 220lb / 100kg with the same load on board.
Jim
  #87  
Old March 2nd 18, 05:31 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Papa3[_2_]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

On Friday, March 2, 2018 at 10:57:50 AM UTC-5, JS wrote:
The AlKo trailer tongue on many trailers has a placarded limit of 100kg.
Some are rated 80kg.
Don't overload the tongue if you don't want it to fail.
In the case of smaller vehicles, this also avoids overloading the rear of the tow vehicle, perhaps putting too little weight on the steering axle.
If you need to carry more weight, put some elsewhere, perhaps in a drawer below the trailer, a Cobra option, or an IMI retrofit. I've installed both..
My last drawer install successfully took the tongue weight of a trailer down from close to 400 pounds to below 220lb / 100kg with the same load on board.
Jim


Another trick. I relocated the spare wheel/tire (approx 7kg) from the mount inside the trailer at the glider nose-cone. I made an under-trailer mount with a steel plate and bolt pattern to match the rim. It sits just behind the axle, so it has very little moment and is also below the trailer's vertical CG. Bought a nice tire cover with elastic closure to keep the mud and grime off of it. Works great. A little less convenient to access, but makes the front of the trailer much more usable, especially with the short wingtips mounted in the front of the trailer.
  #88  
Old March 2nd 18, 06:43 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

Bolted under the trailer! So if the tyre in-use tyre has burst and the trailer has sagged down you may have to go under a jacked up trailer to unbolt it. I have done that - once - never again. Very frightening when trucks pass and the trailer sways.

An under-trailer wheel should go in some sort of cradle that it can be slid out of. Failing that carry a very stable axle stand.
  #89  
Old March 2nd 18, 07:39 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Papa3[_2_]
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

Nope. Thought about that. Plenty of room to drop it without needing to jack up the trailer first, even with one tire down. Worst case can unhook the hitch, chock both wheels, and drop the front end. Lots of clearance that way.
  #90  
Old March 6th 18, 12:04 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bob Kuykendall
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Default Al-Ko Trailer Tongue failure

On Friday, March 2, 2018 at 10:39:45 AM UTC-8, Papa3 wrote:
Nope. Thought about that. Plenty of room to drop it without needing to jack up the trailer first, even with one tire down. Worst case can unhook the hitch, chock both wheels, and drop the front end. Lots of clearance that way.


I once drew up plans for a spare tire post for a Cobra that locates the spare on the side of the trailer, just forward of the right fender. As I recall, it bolted to reinforced areas already in the underside of the trailer bed, with maybe one extra hole required. I wouldn't be averse to fabbing a couple of them.

--Bob K.
 




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