broken frame and sorta peeved!

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by frank_a

When I have a hole going through a frame, I size it so a piece of heavy wall tubing can be welded in both sides. For instance the hot rod frame I built has two holes each side (in the back) through the top of the 2 X 3 X 3/16 wall frame that hold 5/8 inch bolts that secure the gas tank platform. I used 5/8 i.d. heavy wall tubing for those holes and welded them top and bottom. In eleven years on the road, nary a problem.

Good design.

The easier solution is to avoid those vertical holes, which is the solution which Escape has chosen, now using brackets welded to the side of the frame (as shown in the photo above) for body bolts.

Originally Posted by frank_a

And I bet ETI has great welding equipment, and could easily do that.

ETI gets the trailer frames made to their specifications by a steel fabrication supplier, which is presumably well-equipped for their job.

Originally Posted by frank_a

I couldn't imagine fixing this without removing the body. It is a mystery to me.

The fix in the previous case was to use thick plates on each side to bridge the failure point, so access to the top of the frame is not required - the crack was not repaired across the top.