help with a gooseneck trailer problem... "balance"

[draggbody]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

Before you add anything to that trailer you might want to find a nice 5 gallon bucket, flip it over face down on the ground, have a seat right next to the trailer somewhere near the gooseneck area and thank God that you didn't break that fawker in half going down the highway at 70mph.

that flex doesnt concern me, the effects on the truck did... everything must flex or be so rigid that it cant move... have you ever sat on a bridge while trucks go across them??? almost every gooseneck i have looked at would "twist" with very little effort... but i know what you mean... i've had that bucket talk with myself about things before, lol...

[draggbody]

the vertical is an 8" c channel and the frame rails are 2 6"channels

[JEEPTHANG MD]

Originally Posted by draggbody

the vertical is an 8" c channel and the frame rails are 2 6"channels

I would think about a large L shaped 3/8plate the would connnect the 8" channel up right to the the 2 6" horizontal channels. This will stiffen the neck and help spread the load across a broader area. As you have it all of the load is on the butt ends of the 6" channel and the side of the 8". The side rail of the 8" channel is by far not the strongest part and will want to flex. Can you get a picture of the same area from the inside of the gooseneck looking out.

Also I agree you need a larger gusset at the top of the 8" channel vertical where it meets the horizontals running to the gooseneck.

Does the trailer have a torque tube?

[draggbody]

no torque tube... the inside is fully welded... only one crossmember as you can see on the upper frame rail that goes left to right... i cant get a pic until tonight, but i dont think there is anything that will be discovered by the picture...

[DRM]

After seeing that video, I'd address the neck first. You said no stress cracks - I say no stress cracks YET.

What is inside the enclosure? Can you through-mount some struts inside there from the top of the neck down to the deck, along the inner walls? Just throwing ideas out there.

[JEEPTHANG MD]

Originally Posted by draggbody

no torque tube... the inside is fully welded... only one crossmember as you can see on the upper frame rail that goes left to right... i cant get a pic until tonight, but i dont think there is anything that will be discovered by the picture...

My thoughts are that some of your flexing is coming from the two 6" channels being tied in the the edge of the 8" channel. That's why in addition to the to the larger upper gusset I would gusset the lower section and spread the load out over a larger area, this should get the flexing out of the gooseneck.

[draggbody]

Originally Posted by JEEPTHANG MD

My thoughts are that some of your flexing is coming from the two 6" channels being tied in the the edge of the 8" channel. That's why in addition to the to the larger upper gusset I would gusset the lower section and spread the load out over a larger area, this should get the flexing out of the gooseneck.

so given the space i have to work with, i think this is my best solution... i'll come up with a piece of 12" channel and cut it like the drawing, add another piece of 8" channel under the existing gusset and there will still be a small overlap that will not have bracing, so i can box the inside channel with some plate... i may also run a gusset from the vertical to the inside crossmember like this trailer...

[YellowSub1962]

see all that flat stock underneath, that's the bridge truss. for the relatively low cost, I would get you some 3/8" x 2" CR Bar and truss both your center rails on the bottom just like that. That truss was put on 12" High Tensile I beam, so your channel is WAY undersized and I would be doing everything I could to help it.

I think you have a good start on the neck bracing, and I would also put more cross members between the uprights, and the neck bars as well.

[gbkeith]

In addition to a lot of the other suggestions, I'd cut a gusset to weld across the inside of the vertical channels in line with the top flange of the horizontal channel. That will stiffen up the uprights and take some twist out of it by tying the two sides together.

[jeepgif]

Originally Posted by draggbody

^^^ Dont do this. That would be worse. The gussets need to overlap.


Or be one huge one on one side of the vert.

[jeepgif]

Status?

[bone85k5]

There have been some discussion and some plans have been thrown around....not enough time for execution yet.

-going to sacrifice one of the drivers side propane spots for a brace
-also have to move one of the passenger side toolboxes back
-probably a brace from the side near the basket for straps to the goose arms also

Interior wise Jimmy has painted it, stained cabinets which are also ready to be mounted.


Pics to follow...it turned out very nice

[draggbody]

figured i would update this thread... i haved the interior nearly finished, but thats not what the thread was about, with the advise given i added several braces to stiffen the neck... a small gusset under the front angled portion going to the hitch... i added a triangle shaped piece to the corner gusset and then a piece of 3" channel to that... i used a piece of 5/16 plate to gusset between the deck and vertical, as well as boxed the inside of the vertical channel... looking from the front of the trailer to the rear, i gusseted all four corners where the verticals meet the deck and where the verticals meet the cross brace... i am going to have some plates cut to add a torque tube as well as build a bridge truss under the two center frame rails...

any suggestions as to "preloading the trailer as to "tension" the bridge truss and torque tube... i was thinking to level it left to right, leave it attached to the truck and jack up the landing gear, possible even driving a rig up on the rear to effectively bow it up in the middle a little, and then weld everything in, so when its all relaxed the torque tube and bridge truss will have a little preload on them...

btw, the trailer is night and day difference with whats been added so far... maybe just looking to get a little more of the chassis flex out of the center of the trailer...