# extending trailer tongue



## crankbait09 (Apr 6, 2014)

Hello all. 

I have a jon boat trailer, that I am looking to extend the length of. the existing pipe i have is 2.75" in diameter. If I were to get a pipe of the same diameter (or pretty darn close), what is the best way to attach it to the exist pipe? It is only extending it a few feet, and will have the new trailer coupler bolted to it, then hooked to my truck.

are there any critical decisions i should know about when deciding which method to use?


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Apr 6, 2014)

Is your's a square or round tongue?
Mine is a square tube 3x3x1/8" What I'll be doing is cutting both the old tongue and the new steel at a 45 degrees then welding them together. Then grinding down the welds and welding a diamond shaped gussets over the welds.


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## crankbait09 (Apr 6, 2014)

"*the existing pipe i have is 2.75" in diameter*"


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Apr 6, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=347690#p347690 said:


> crankbait09 » Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:09 pm[/url]"]"*the existing pipe i have is 2.75" in diameter*"


Round?


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## crankbait09 (Apr 6, 2014)

yes, round


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Apr 6, 2014)

Basically as I described above but the diamond gussets would need to be curved. Either formed that way or welded at one corner and heated to the shape of the pipe.


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## miketheknife (Apr 6, 2014)

I just extended the round tongue on the home made trailer the came with my Rich Line model 15. I didn't get any pics cause my camera craped out. I will try to explain what I did. The tongue is 2" sch40 pipe. ID is about 2.065". I used an 8" piece of 2" steel tubing as an internal sleeve. It was a loose fit. I slit the 2" tubing length wise with a cutting disc in my angle grinder. I heated the tubing in my forge and used driving mandrels to expand it to the form of a "C" that was a drive fit in the 2" pipe, leaving about a 1/2" gap between the outside pipes. My step son, who is a certified welding inspector, did the welding. He said the idea of slitting the internal sleeve would have never entered his mind and made a very strong joint.
Hope this makes sense.
Mike

PS: Put the open "C" at the bottom


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## crankbait09 (Apr 6, 2014)

well, let me ask a rookie question.....

what would be wrong with welding the two pieces of pipe together (butt to butt)? Without using any type of sleeve? the two pipes are practically the same size. so there wouldnt be any gap that would require a sleeve


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## miketheknife (Apr 7, 2014)

The way it was explained to me was that a butt weld is not the best weld under stress. Gussets just distribute the stress over wider area. A sleeve is just a form of gusset. The gap , in my case, was to allow full weld between the pipe and the sleeve with multiple passes to fill the gap. Talk to a certified welder who can explain it much better than me.
Mike


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## crankbait09 (Apr 7, 2014)

so what are my options if i cannot find another pipe/collar that i can use to add strength? are there any?

this could take a long time to find the right sized sleeve to use. can anyone suggest an online company that would sell sleeves similar to what id need? how much of the sleeve should extend in to each side of the pipe?


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## flatboat (Apr 7, 2014)

Well I'm not sure if you realize this , but every pipeline in the ground or above is butt welded .99% of all pipe in nukes , chemical plants , power houses and oil refineys Are butt welded . if you don't weld it right none of them are any good . Just get some one who knows how to weld and it will be fine . Bigger weld doesn't make it better , it introduces stress to the area around the weld , it hardens it ! Hard stuff crackes . there is science behind this molten metal fusion stuff !


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## crankbait09 (Apr 7, 2014)

i can't imagine that the jon boat would add that much stress to a weld, to make it fall apart. I don't know jack about welding but is a weld not that strong? Or again, is it based on how well the item was welded?

i just dont want to look in the rear view mirror and see my trailer/boat going the opposite direction than my truck is....... #-o


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## waterman (Apr 7, 2014)

miketheknife said:


> I just extended the round tongue on the home made trailer the came with my Rich Line model 15. I didn't get any pics cause my camera craped out. I will try to explain what I did. The tongue is 2" sch40 pipe. ID is about 2.065". I used an 8" piece of 2" steel tubing as an internal sleeve. It was a loose fit. I slit the 2" tubing length wise with a cutting disc in my angle grinder. I heated the tubing in my forge and used driving mandrels to expand it to the form of a "C" that was a drive fit in the 2" pipe, leaving about a 1/2" gap between the outside pipes. My step son, who is a certified welding inspector, did the welding. He said the idea of slitting the internal sleeve would have never entered his mind and made a very strong joint.
> Hope this makes sense.
> Mike
> 
> PS: Put the open "C" at the bottom



This is the only safe way I see of doing it. Just remember that other peoples families will be on the road with you. An angled joint will have higher sheer forces pulling or stopping.


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## waterman (Apr 7, 2014)

crankbait09 said:


> well, let me ask a rookie question.....
> 
> what would be wrong with welding the two pieces of pipe together (butt to butt)? Without using any type of sleeve? the two pipes are practically the same size. so there wouldnt be any gap that would require a sleeve



Biggest problem would be penetration of the weld. Pipes would have to be beveled. We're talking linear forces on this project, not the same as a pipe under pressure. Can be done but there are better and safer ways.


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## waterman (Apr 7, 2014)

Like flatboat said, it is a science. Use the wrong electrode/wire and somebody may get hurt. Use the wrong amperage setting, same thing.

Don't risk it, if you don't know what your doing. Support your local welder and let him do it. Take the trailer to him and tell him what you want it to be when he gets done.


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## crankbait09 (Apr 7, 2014)

i was thinking of taking it to a friend that does his welding on his car (he is not a professional by any means), but I also found local welding businesses that are close to me that id feel comfortable with. 
now, if i do take it to a pro, is the sleeve still required? My two pipes are not the same sizes, so the sleeve would have to have different OD's at each end.

Here are the exact dimensions I am dealing with

existing trailer pipe: 2-3/4" OD, 2-9/16" ID, 3/32" thick
new extension pipe: 2-7/8" OB, 2-7/16" ID, 1/4" thick

does this help anyone with which route is best?


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## waterman (Apr 7, 2014)

Take it to the local welder, and let him source the material. Not all metal is the same(strength,hardness,etc...). Plus that puts any liability on him, not you.


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## crazyd (Apr 8, 2014)

Taking it to a welder puts the liability of if the weld breaks and has to be repaired on him as the welder. But the liability of the trailer breaking and hurting you or someone else is on the person pulling it.


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## waterman (Apr 8, 2014)

Yeah, ok.


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## crankbait09 (Apr 9, 2014)

ok, with my OD's being different on the existing/new pipe.................if I were to buy a 3" sleeve that would fit over the existing/new pipe, there would be a gap in between the existing/new pipe and the sleeve. 

How much gap is too much? on the smaller pipe, I am looking at roughly an 1/8" - 1/4" space between pipe/sleeve.

is that too much?


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## Boat2fast (Apr 9, 2014)

Is a new piece of pipe the correct length too expensive? Maybe the whole problem is easier solved with a call to the steel supplier. They sell the stuff by the lb., don't they?


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## crankbait09 (Apr 9, 2014)

Funny you mentioned that. Im in the process of calling around. I would like a 17 -20ft pipe if possible, 2.75 - 3" in diameter. I think its gonna cost me roughly 40-70 bucks


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## alk402 (May 5, 2014)

I drilled holes in mine and put 2, 3/8" bolts about 4" apart. They are holding just fine and if you use galvanized or stainless bolts and nuts, there should be any water damage for a really long time.


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## PSG-1 (May 5, 2014)

Sleeve it. Absolutely no doubt about that. A butt weld might be OK for pipeline (and BTW, a lot of those are socket welds, not butt welds) but a pipeline isn't bouncing along the highway with all kinds of flex and force being applied.

Get the next size smaller in pipe, cut a length of it where at least 8-10" extends beyond either side of the weld. Drill holes in the existing tongue tubing where the sleeve can be plug-welded. Plug weld at each end of the pipe, with at least a 3/4" diameter plug weld. Do one end first, then, slide the 2 halves together, but leave about a 1/8" gap where the butt weld will go. This will allow the weld to not just penetrate the 2 halves, but also down into the sleeve.

Don't worry if the sleeve isn't exactly the right size. The main thing is to have SOMETHING in there, and as long as you have a plug weld at either end, and you are tying all 3 pieces together at the joint, it won't be a problem. 

If the sleeve you attempt to use is a tad too big, have it turned on a lathe to correct diameter, so it will slide right in there.

On Sch 40 pipe that size, I would run about 85-90 amps DC+ with a 7018 3/32" (stick)....or, with MIG, I'd run about 145 amps DC+ with .030" ER70S-6 wire and 80/20 argon/CO2 blend.

Hope that helps.


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