This “beauty” is on the door frame of my 4 Star. Quality my ass.
that was my thought also, also I did not notice any flexing fatigue of the floor …but I believe I would take a rubber mallet on all the cross members to see if there was any change in sound
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I was planning on selling the trailer this spring anyways. I need fewer “things” in my life. I’ll get it repaired, then list it.
That’s actually terrifying. Was it sitting unused since then?
Yes. Parked outside on a gravel pad.
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Yikes
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What would cause this Reed?
Yes. Part of my research program 15 years ago was designing new methods to weld pipelines and join hard rock drill bits to drill pipe. I understand HAZ down to the atomic level.
I agree with what you are saying.
But in the case of a horse trailers, aircraft or rockets, autos, or gas bottles, etc. fatigue can exist with almost no detection until final rupture without commercial x-ray or CT or eddy current methods. By the time you find it via other methods, it’s already too late.
@Jealoushe, residual stresses will build and accumulate in the alloys over the lifetime of the vehicle. The areas of higher stress will tend to corrode more readily so even if just sitting the metal can fracture because the corrosion allowing the residual stress to finally “release.” That was what I was alluding to with the term “corrosion fatigue.”
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Thank you, hard to prevent really?
Is this sort of failure specific to aluminum trailers? Or steel as well?
Understood and agreed. Just bizarre on this one, as this isn’t an area of strain. The beam does not support anything when it’s not being leaned on by a horse. The ceiling is self supported with cross members, as is the floor.
Thermal flexing must be what finished it off.
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Here’s another reminder. Thank the stars we were practicing loading at home. When I went to put the trailer back and close the ramp both hinges failed. Mats will be all pulled up and it will be going to a weld shop for that and anything else they may find as suspect.
I bought it used this time last year. I took it to the trailer place to have the bearings packed and everything looked at. We had replaced a few things we knew up front were needed, including the wood on the ramp and a couple other things the trailer guys found…but those clearly rusted out this year 
.
I will also be replacing the tires after this. They have decent tread, no dry rot, and hold air well but they are far from new.
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The final four digits of the DOT code found on the tire’s sidewall will indicate the tire’s date of manufacture. All tires made since the year 2000 will gave this code
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Ooo shoot. That’s a scary one! Thank god a horse wasn’t on it, they’d be scarred forever lol
I just checked my invoice from last year and they noted they were 2015 but gave them an all clear. We have more hauling plans this year than last, nothing long distance, but I just don’t want to chance an issue on something like old tires that are easy to replace. I think I read somewhere that manufactures generally recommend replacing at the 6 year mark even if they seem ok still.
@endlessclimb - We lucked out all around. And had a really good training session with loading and hanging out eating hay on the trailer (well I wasn’t eating hay).
We have a clinic we leave for the 21st, so at least I have a couple weeks to get those couple things sorted out.
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I’d be grabbing and pulling hard on every door/window/etc that thing has to make sure it was just the ramp!
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That will be happening tonight! My friend that came with to look at the trailer with me last year is coming out tonight to make sure there aren’t any reservations about hauling it to the weld shop as is and is going to take a look at everything again. He hauls cross country for endurance races and camping with the horses as well as does trail work, so between the horse trailers over the years and his flatbed, he has a heck of a lot more experience with this stuff than I do. He felt bad about those hinges failing.
The couple times I had to haul in the winter, we took it to the wash and cleaned off the road salt spray to help mitigate rusting, but Im also in a bad part of the country for that.
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The ramp is a great reminder. A lot of people don’t realize when shavings and manure go down into the hinges it really wears away at them. Make sure when you clean your trailer out that includes the ramp hinges, after every use.
My dad built horse trailers for a few years so he was always adamant about doing that!
Once at an event I was fishing shavings out not knowing there was damage and a steel sharp piece that was worn cut my finger almost to the bone. Was getting ready for dressage so had to just wrap with vet wrap and go 
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Oh ouch! And a good reminder about staying UTD on tetanus!
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Yes! I luckily had one the year before from a bad dog bite.
It was right on the my finger pad and took forever to heal there. Very painful and annoying, do not recommend lol
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