Cracking welds on older Komet trailers

Last week I noticed a growing hump in the floor over the axle of my Komet
trailer.

Investigating, I found cracked welds where the axle attachment subframe is
welded to the lower longerons of the welded steel truss that makes up the
sides of the trailer. The rear welds on the subframe had failed on both
sides of the trailer allowing the subframe to rotate upward putting the hump
in the flooring. There were also cracks in the longeron itself. Had this
failure continued, it appears that the axle would have been shoved up into
the wings leading edges.

The cause appaers to be the old rubber torsion suspension axle had harded
with age so it no longer absorbed the road bumps. This transfered the loads
to the welded frame which then failed.

The repair will require removing a section of aluminum siding from the steel
frame and a section of flooring over the axle area. The frame will need
re-aligning and reinforcements welded in. The old rubber torsion axle will
also need replacing.

I looked at several other Komet trailers of the same vintage this weekend
and saw various stages of same failure. If you own an older Komet trailer,
carefully check the welds around the axle. If the old rubber torsion axle
has 15+ years on it, it might be a good idea to replace it before the welds
fail. Fortunately, they aren't too expensive - $150 - $200.

Bill Daniels