Cobra top hinge plate bolt failure

On May 16, 5:23*pm, Steve Koerner wrote:
It looks like YO and I were both commenting at the same time to the
effect that it is more likely a tension failure. *However I don't
agree that the gas spring force has much to do with it. *The gas
spring force is small compared to the strength of two 5/16 cap
screws. *I suspect it has more to do with the inertia of the lid in
longitude with some combination of vibration and road bumping creating
the load. *Heaven knows my trailer has seen some bumpy roads.

GW

Examination of the failed bolt should tell you whether it was tensile
with necking or shear with a fairly clean break.
But, main concern I would have is having a failure while rolling down
the road and doesnt sound like something one could fix by themselves
even with a spare bolt on hand. Maybe the solution is to pre-
emptively replace these bolts anyways at say 10 years?

On May 16, 10:44*pm, db_sonic wrote:
On May 16, 5:23*pm, Steve Koerner wrote:

It looks like YO and I were both commenting at the same time to the
effect that it is more likely a tension failure. *However I don't
agree that the gas spring force has much to do with it. *The gas
spring force is small compared to the strength of two 5/16 cap
screws. *I suspect it has more to do with the inertia of the lid in
longitude with some combination of vibration and road bumping creating
the load. *Heaven knows my trailer has seen some bumpy roads.

GW

Examination of the failed bolt should tell you whether it was tensile
with necking or shear with a fairly clean break.
But, main concern I would have is having a failure while rolling down
the road and doesnt sound like something one could fix by themselves
even with a spare bolt on hand. *Maybe the solution is to pre-
emptively replace these bolts anyways at say 10 years?

Maybe the right solution would be for Cobra to redesign the hinge and
make a kit available to owners. The worst case failure is a nightmare
and YO was halfway there. Image what happens if all 4 bolts fail.
The front of the top could be lifted by the gas struts and at highway
speeds could tear off the trailer into the path of any vehicle
following.

There is no reason the handles have to share the same bolts as the
hinge plates. The hinge plate bolts could be made larger diameter and
the handles relocated.

Andy

On May 17, 6:17*am, Andy wrote:
On May 16, 10:44*pm, db_sonic wrote:









On May 16, 5:23*pm, Steve Koerner wrote:

It looks like YO and I were both commenting at the same time to the
effect that it is more likely a tension failure. *However I don't
agree that the gas spring force has much to do with it. *The gas
spring force is small compared to the strength of two 5/16 cap
screws. *I suspect it has more to do with the inertia of the lid in
longitude with some combination of vibration and road bumping creating
the load. *Heaven knows my trailer has seen some bumpy roads.

GW

Examination of the failed bolt should tell you whether it was tensile
with necking or shear with a fairly clean break.
But, main concern I would have is having a failure while rolling down
the road and doesnt sound like something one could fix by themselves
even with a spare bolt on hand. *Maybe the solution is to pre-
emptively replace these bolts anyways at say 10 years?

Maybe the right solution would be for Cobra to redesign the hinge and
make a kit available to owners. *The worst case failure is a nightmare
and YO was halfway there. *Image what happens if all 4 bolts fail.
The front of the top could be lifted by the gas struts and at highway
speeds could tear off the trailer into the path of any vehicle
following.

There is no reason the handles have to share the same bolts as the
hinge plates. *The hinge plate bolts could be made larger diameter and
the handles relocated.

Andy

Well I was up bright an early this morning intending to refit the
replacement bolt so it went through the handle. Surprise! The right
hinge outer bolt had failed on the way home.

This bolt had failed one tread pitch from the thread/shank
transition. The fracture face shows 4 distinct, almost linear, bands
running parallel to the diameter and has slight corrosion over the
area of the third band. The fourth band is clean but dull and is
about 1.25 mm wide. The only bright part is about a 1/4 turn of the
thread area. This bright area is at the end of the fourth band. The
end of that thread has been slightly curled up along the longitudinal
axis of the bolt which seem to indicate that was the last part to let
go. It appears that this bolt had been fractured about 2/3 of the
diameter for some time.

The left bolt shows also shows banding in the fracture surface but it
not as distinct as the other bolt. about one third of the fracture
surface is dull black and the clean band of the final fracture line is
about 1mm in width. On this bolt there is no obvious tearing of the
thread land. I estimate that this bolt was fractured more than 3/4
for some time before it failed.

Plans to replace all the bolts are on hold until I get a ratchet strap
to secure the top and make a clamp to pull the parts into alignment.
I have to assume the other bolts are fractured through most of their
diameter and could yield at any time so I can't risk opening the
trailer.

If you own a 10 year old Cobra trailer you probably should be
concerned about this.

Andy (GY)

Wow.

Howard Banks is an expert in the field. He sent me some questions
about the appearance of the failed bolt which I couldn't answer well
for having tossed the broken bolt. Hopefully Howard will chime in
based on Andy's detailed description here. I think his suspicion was
that fatigue was a major factor which is probably supported by Andy's
description of progressive failure.

I will, at the least, change all 4 of my bolts before using my trailer
again.

GW

Andy has described clearly a fatigue failure in the bolt.
There is a clear requirement to replace all these bolts in trailers of
some age -- or maybe trailers that have been towed over longer distances.
How old was D Nadler's trailer, how far had it been towed (lots at a
guess).
Spindelberger needs to know about this ... hope someone is forwarding
these emails.
howard banks






At 15:50 17 May 2011, Andy wrote:
On May 17, 6:17=A0am, Andy wrote:
On May 16, 10:44=A0pm, db_sonic wrote:









On May 16, 5:23=A0pm, Steve Koerner wrote:

It looks like YO and I were both commenting at the same time to
the
effect that it is more likely a tension failure. =A0However I
don't
agree that the gas spring force has much to do with it. =A0The gas
spring force is small compared to the strength of two 5/16 cap
screws. =A0I suspect it has more to do with the inertia of the lid
in
longitude with some combination of vibration and road bumping
creatin=
g
the load. =A0Heaven knows my trailer has seen some bumpy roads.

GW

Examination of the failed bolt should tell you whether it was
tensile
with necking or shear with a fairly clean break.
But, main concern I would have is having a failure while rolling
down
the road and doesnt sound like something one could fix by themselves
even with a spare bolt on hand. =A0Maybe the solution is to pre-
emptively replace these bolts anyways at say 10 years?

Maybe the right solution would be for Cobra to redesign the hinge and
make a kit available to owners. =A0The worst case failure is a
nightmare
and YO was halfway there. =A0Image what happens if all 4 bolts fail.
The front of the top could be lifted by the gas struts and at highway
speeds could tear off the trailer into the path of any vehicle
following.

There is no reason the handles have to share the same bolts as the
hinge plates. =A0The hinge plate bolts could be made larger diameter
and
the handles relocated.

Andy

Well I was up bright an early this morning intending to refit the
replacement bolt so it went through the handle. Surprise! The right
hinge outer bolt had failed on the way home.

This bolt had failed one tread pitch from the thread/shank
transition. The fracture face shows 4 distinct, almost linear, bands
running parallel to the diameter and has slight corrosion over the
area of the third band. The fourth band is clean but dull and is
about 1.25 mm wide. The only bright part is about a 1/4 turn of the
thread area. This bright area is at the end of the fourth band. The
end of that thread has been slightly curled up along the longitudinal
axis of the bolt which seem to indicate that was the last part to let
go. It appears that this bolt had been fractured about 2/3 of the
diameter for some time.

The left bolt shows also shows banding in the fracture surface but it
not as distinct as the other bolt. about one third of the fracture
surface is dull black and the clean band of the final fracture line is
about 1mm in width. On this bolt there is no obvious tearing of the
thread land. I estimate that this bolt was fractured more than 3/4
for some time before it failed.

Plans to replace all the bolts are on hold until I get a ratchet strap
to secure the top and make a clamp to pull the parts into alignment.
I have to assume the other bolts are fractured through most of their
diameter and could yield at any time so I can't risk opening the
trailer.

If you own a 10 year old Cobra trailer you probably should be
concerned about this.

Andy (GY)

On May 16, 7:40*am, Andy wrote:
Last year "YO" told us about how he nearly lost his trailer top after
both bolts securing one trailer top hinge plate failed. *Of course I
checked my bolts and all four were secure at that time.

Yesterday I arrived at the club field and had a problem releasing the
left rear top latch. *Sure enough the outer bolt on the left hinge
plate had failed and this allowed the top to move back slightly and
bind up the rear latch. *I was able to find replacement bolts at a
local hardware store. *5/16 x 3.5 inch *are very close to the
diameter *the original metric bolt and provide more load bearing
unthreaded shank.

The bolts in question go through the front handles, the trailer glass
top, the trailer top frame (with an internal spacer block), a spacer
plate, and then the main hinge plate. All the parts try to misalign
under load. *With the help of 5 people I was able to align all the
pieces well enough to get the new bolt in and was then able to rig and
fly the task.

Another isolated failure? *No. *While I was working on it GW walks up
and says he found the same bolt failed on his trailer the previous
evening. My trailer is 9 years old and GW's I think 10 years old.
Both are glass top but I don't know if that is significant. *So 3
known failures of these bolts.

Do you feel lucky?

Andy (GY)

Just checked my hinge plate bolts and they appear to be OK, but one
nut was just finger tight. A loose nut could/would lead to bolt
failure. Recommend we all check to make sure our hinge plate nuts are
tight.
JJ

On May 17, 11:04*am, JJ Sinclair wrote:
On May 16, 7:40*am, Andy wrote:





Last year "YO" told us about how he nearly lost his trailer top after
both bolts securing one trailer top hinge plate failed. *Of course I
checked my bolts and all four were secure at that time.

Yesterday I arrived at the club field and had a problem releasing the
left rear top latch. *Sure enough the outer bolt on the left hinge
plate had failed and this allowed the top to move back slightly and
bind up the rear latch. *I was able to find replacement bolts at a
local hardware store. *5/16 x 3.5 inch *are very close to the
diameter *the original metric bolt and provide more load bearing
unthreaded shank.

The bolts in question go through the front handles, the trailer glass
top, the trailer top frame (with an internal spacer block), a spacer
plate, and then the main hinge plate. All the parts try to misalign
under load. *With the help of 5 people I was able to align all the
pieces well enough to get the new bolt in and was then able to rig and
fly the task.

Another isolated failure? *No. *While I was working on it GW walks up
and says he found the same bolt failed on his trailer the previous
evening. My trailer is 9 years old and GW's I think 10 years old.
Both are glass top but I don't know if that is significant. *So 3
known failures of these bolts.

Do you feel lucky?

Andy (GY)

Just checked my hinge plate bolts and they appear to be OK, but one
nut was just finger tight. A loose nut could/would lead to *bolt
failure. Recommend we all check to make sure our hinge plate nuts are
tight.
JJ- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I checked my bolts for security last year after YO's report. Don't
remember how much I tightened them, it at all, but the damage was
probably already done. I think the only safe action is to replace the
bolts.

Given Howard's confirmation of fatigue failure I wonder how much wash
boarded dirt roads are a factor. Is this just a Western US hazard? I
didn't even know what a wash board road was until I moved here.

Andy (GY)

On May 17, 11:50*am, Andy wrote:
On May 17, 6:17*am, Andy wrote:









On May 16, 10:44*pm, db_sonic wrote:

On May 16, 5:23*pm, Steve Koerner wrote:

It looks like YO and I were both commenting at the same time to the
effect that it is more likely a tension failure. *However I don't
agree that the gas spring force has much to do with it. *The gas
spring force is small compared to the strength of two 5/16 cap
screws. *I suspect it has more to do with the inertia of the lid in
longitude with some combination of vibration and road bumping creating
the load. *Heaven knows my trailer has seen some bumpy roads.

GW

Examination of the failed bolt should tell you whether it was tensile
with necking or shear with a fairly clean break.
But, main concern I would have is having a failure while rolling down
the road and doesnt sound like something one could fix by themselves
even with a spare bolt on hand. *Maybe the solution is to pre-
emptively replace these bolts anyways at say 10 years?

Maybe the right solution would be for Cobra to redesign the hinge and
make a kit available to owners. *The worst case failure is a nightmare
and YO was halfway there. *Image what happens if all 4 bolts fail.
The front of the top could be lifted by the gas struts and at highway
speeds could tear off the trailer into the path of any vehicle
following.

There is no reason the handles have to share the same bolts as the
hinge plates. *The hinge plate bolts could be made larger diameter and
the handles relocated.

Andy

Well I was up bright an early this morning intending to refit the
replacement bolt so it went through the handle. *Surprise! *The right
hinge outer bolt had failed on the way home.

This bolt had failed one tread pitch from the thread/shank
transition. *The fracture face shows 4 distinct, almost linear, bands
running parallel to the diameter and has slight corrosion over the
area of the third band. *The fourth band is clean but dull and is
about 1.25 mm wide. * The only bright part is about a 1/4 turn of the
thread area. This bright area is at the end of the fourth band. * The
end of that thread has been slightly curled up along the longitudinal
axis of the bolt which seem to indicate that was the last part to let
go. *It appears that this bolt had been fractured about 2/3 of the
diameter for some time.

The left bolt shows also shows banding in the fracture surface but it
not as distinct as the other bolt. about one third of the fracture
surface is dull black and the clean band of the final fracture line is
about 1mm in width. *On this bolt there is no obvious tearing of the
thread land. *I estimate that this bolt was fractured more than 3/4
for some time before it failed.

Plans to replace all the bolts are on hold until I get a ratchet strap
to secure the top and make a clamp to pull the parts into alignment.
I have to assume the other bolts are fractured through most of their
diameter and could yield at any time so I can't risk opening the
trailer.

If you own a 10 year old Cobra trailer you probably should be
concerned about this.

Andy (GY)

Pictures of the failed bolt please !

Mine had corrosion through part of the fracture,
indicating it had started to fail a year or two earlier.

Uneducated hypothesis - could these bolts have been
overstressed during trailer assembly, over-tightened
whilst trying to draw the parts into alignment ??

Meanwhile, our Duo trailer has had two of these bolts
fail in the last week; one of my partners just showed
up and left a broken bolt on my desk. Because I need
more projects...

Aaaarrrggggg....

On May 17, 3:25*pm, Dave Nadler wrote:
On May 17, 11:50*am, Andy wrote:









On May 17, 6:17*am, Andy wrote:

On May 16, 10:44*pm, db_sonic wrote:

On May 16, 5:23*pm, Steve Koerner wrote:

It looks like YO and I were both commenting at the same time to the
effect that it is more likely a tension failure. *However I don't
agree that the gas spring force has much to do with it. *The gas
spring force is small compared to the strength of two 5/16 cap
screws. *I suspect it has more to do with the inertia of the lid in
longitude with some combination of vibration and road bumping creating
the load. *Heaven knows my trailer has seen some bumpy roads.

GW

Examination of the failed bolt should tell you whether it was tensile
with necking or shear with a fairly clean break.
But, main concern I would have is having a failure while rolling down
the road and doesnt sound like something one could fix by themselves
even with a spare bolt on hand. *Maybe the solution is to pre-
emptively replace these bolts anyways at say 10 years?

Maybe the right solution would be for Cobra to redesign the hinge and
make a kit available to owners. *The worst case failure is a nightmare
and YO was halfway there. *Image what happens if all 4 bolts fail.
The front of the top could be lifted by the gas struts and at highway
speeds could tear off the trailer into the path of any vehicle
following.

There is no reason the handles have to share the same bolts as the
hinge plates. *The hinge plate bolts could be made larger diameter and
the handles relocated.

Andy

Well I was up bright an early this morning intending to refit the
replacement bolt so it went through the handle. *Surprise! *The right
hinge outer bolt had failed on the way home.

This bolt had failed one tread pitch from the thread/shank
transition. *The fracture face shows 4 distinct, almost linear, bands
running parallel to the diameter and has slight corrosion over the
area of the third band. *The fourth band is clean but dull and is
about 1.25 mm wide. * The only bright part is about a 1/4 turn of the
thread area. This bright area is at the end of the fourth band. * The
end of that thread has been slightly curled up along the longitudinal
axis of the bolt which seem to indicate that was the last part to let
go. *It appears that this bolt had been fractured about 2/3 of the
diameter for some time.

The left bolt shows also shows banding in the fracture surface but it
not as distinct as the other bolt. about one third of the fracture
surface is dull black and the clean band of the final fracture line is
about 1mm in width. *On this bolt there is no obvious tearing of the
thread land. *I estimate that this bolt was fractured more than 3/4
for some time before it failed.

Plans to replace all the bolts are on hold until I get a ratchet strap
to secure the top and make a clamp to pull the parts into alignment.
I have to assume the other bolts are fractured through most of their
diameter and could yield at any time so I can't risk opening the
trailer.

If you own a 10 year old Cobra trailer you probably should be
concerned about this.

Andy (GY)

Pictures of the failed bolt please !

Mine had corrosion through part of the fracture,
indicating it had started to fail a year or two earlier.

Uneducated hypothesis - could these bolts have been
overstressed during trailer assembly, over-tightened
whilst trying to draw the parts into alignment ??

Meanwhile, our Duo trailer has had two of these bolts
fail in the last week; one of my partners just showed
up and left a broken bolt on my desk. Because I need
more projects...

Aaaarrrggggg....

As Dave mentioned, I drove from Boston to Mifflin for the (cancelled)
Region 2 contest. Sunday I noticed the right handle loose and found
the outside bolt sheared at the nut. An amazing local who was hanging
out at the abandoned field ("Bob" is all I know, works at a machine
shop) took us 10 miles to Lowe's and the Tractor repairs store next
door, where we found 3/16" Grade 8 bolts (on a Sunday afternoon,
closes at 6pm). Bob went home to pick up some tools and met us at the
field. Using some large welding clamps we managed to line up the hole
and place the bolt seconds before a storm descended on us. Thanks
Bob!

Drove back to Boston last night, parking the trailer noticed that the
left handle is loose! Left outside bolt sheared inside. Went to
lunch with Dave and ordered the bolts. Went back to the trailer and
used a C-clamp to line up the hole.

Suggest replacing all bolts with grade 8 AND perhaps drilling a third
hole between the two and putting one more bolt there.

Aaaaarrrrggggg is right....

Juan (LI)

Meanwhile, our Duo trailer has had two of these bolts
fail in the last week; one of my partners just showed
up and left a broken bolt on my desk.

Has anyone used NAS shear bolts as replacements? They're designed for
close fit, and have ~160-180,000psi in tensile and ~95,000psi in
shear (+CAD II plating...) 'normal' bolts are as low as around
50,000psi in tensile and not even rated in shear.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/pdf/20...l/Cat11065.pdf

-paul