Shock tabs keep shearing off on solid axle/leaf spring setup

[honda250xtitan]

Both trips i've had the shocks, i've sheared the passenger side shock tabs right off the axle tube. Other then the potential lack of heat penetration from my welds, are there other factors?

Both shocks are on the back of the tube going up and back to the trailer frame. I didn't think I needed to have one going forward because there is no wheel hop from torque since its just a trailer being pulled.

Are there lateral forces that keep pulling the tabs off the tube? Say when in a curve on the highway and we hit an expansion joint? Or on the rocky trail and the trailer gets some side to side bouncing going?

The first time I only had one tab on the axle tube for each shock; (single shear) after that i added tabs so both sides of the shock mount have a tab (double shear). Yet both times the passenger shock sheared.

I'm PRETTY sure it's not a lack of shock travel because the leaf springs barely move, its got about 3" of travel, and the shocks are set up in the middle of their travel (they've got like 5-6" of travel). Eventually I wanna swap the stiff trailer leaf springs out for some longer and more progressive jeep springs or do a Timbren setup but that's not for another year or so.

thoughts?

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Are you using any bump stops or limit straps?

 

[NatersXJ6]

Close up photos of the failed weld?

 

[46flattie]

yep, need pictures. could be weld quality, design/strength of tab, shock length, etc.

Is the weld failing or the parent metal?

 

[NatersXJ6]

Less likely but possible would be overtightened shocks, pulling or pushing on the tab but not rotating as the axle moves.

 

[PhulesAU]

Can I throw in alignment? Shocke moving or not through the range of motion.

 

[old_CWO]

All things being equal the simplest answer is usually correct, so I would suspect the welds. It's curious that both failures have been on only one side.

 

[Waygoner]

Another idea... shocks are too short.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Don't think that just because the springs are stiff that the up travel is limited. Inertia can cause travel. Short of taking the leaf pack apart down to the single top leaf, you can measure at ride height between frame and leaf spring, subtract the distance from the frame to a point of the leaf spring being flat. This is the possible uptravel that is normal. You must have this much shock travel left or the shocks bottom out. Testing suspension travel with just the single top leaf is the best way to check both directions of travel.

 

[honda250xtitan]

This time the welds broke off the axle tube. last time the welds broke off the tab if that makes sense. I'll throw some pics up laterrrrrrrr

its not a lack of travel because the tires hit the fenders before the shocks bottom out.

i'm leaning towards its prolly my welding/inadequate surface prep.

If the shock is crooked that could be the alignment causing a torquing motion?

 

[hidesertwheelin]

To much heat when welding? Maybe do a complete weld on the outside and maybe 1" along the inside of the mount?

 

[old_CWO]

If the shock is crooked that could be the alignment causing a torquing motion?

Yes that could be true, but I would think that to contribute to your symptom it would have to be so far off square the shock wouldn't even bolt up. Even then if the shock isn't bottoming out or fully extending I would not expect misalignment to cause this failure. From your description, I am pretty confident something is going on with the welds.

What's different about the other side? Did something in the weld process change from one side to the other like different gas, wire, settings, push vs pull the puddle, etc.?

 

[honda250xtitan]

Yes that could be true, but I would think that to contribute to your symptom it would have to be so far off square the shock wouldn't even bolt up. Even then if the shock isn't bottoming out or fully extending I would not expect misalignment to cause this failure. From your description, I am pretty confident something is going on with the welds.

What's different about the other side? Did something in the weld process change from one side to the other like different gas, wire, settings, push vs pull the puddle, etc.?

naw i think i might've been moving quicker/didnt do as good of a job with surface prep. i spoke with my uncle about it this weekend he reminded me to "weld the axle tube to the shock tabs not shock tabs to the tube" (if that makes sense lol) since the axle tube is decently thick material. IE turn my heat settings up lol.

 

[old_CWO]

naw i think i might've been moving quicker/didnt do as good of a job with surface prep. i spoke with my uncle about it this weekend he reminded me to "weld the axle tube to the shock tabs not shock tabs to the tube" (if that makes sense lol) since the axle tube is decently thick material. IE turn my heat settings up lol.

I can certainly empathize. Generally my welds are somewhere between mediocre and okay but boy can I grind....

 

[Louisd75]

naw i think i might've been moving quicker/didnt do as good of a job with surface prep. i spoke with my uncle about it this weekend he reminded me to "weld the axle tube to the shock tabs not shock tabs to the tube" (if that makes sense lol) since the axle tube is decently thick material. IE turn my heat settings up lol.

Also, you want to weld along the tube, not around the tube. Around the tube can lead to axle failure.