Help selecting steel for trailer tongue

[ETpilot]

A few years ago I was driving home and in the middle of the road was a load of plywood and other building material. I figured the owner would be coming back fast once he saw the load was lost. About 1/2 a mile down the road I see a truck n trailer off to the side. So I stopped to help as this maybe the owner. Sure enough it was the owner and he was checking his trailer. An inspection revealed a broken weld in the tongue area. I rigged it so we could go back and get that load. Sure enough someone was loading it up. We got the load back. I helped him properly secure this load for the trip. I did a temporary fix on the tongue, can't remember the problem. This was a new factory built trailer. I pointed out what need to be fixed. Then followed him 30 miles to make sure he got home.

So factory built may be good and not so good. Same as home built. I have to repair the bent tongue, hit it with tractor, on my home built. This little home built has made several trips between Texas n Florida.

 

[FTG-05]

Depending on the skill of the person building it, there is nothing wrong with a home made trailer. Some are better than factory built trailers. 3/16" or 1/4" wall tubing will add a lot of strength. 3/8" is way overkill and a whole lot heavier. Another option is to add an A frame hitch or long or braces from the tongue to the trailer corners. I'm not sure what your trailer has now.

I wouldn't even consider this trailer mod without doing this.

In this case, I would use two 6" channel - or bigger if the trailer frame has larger channel, then I'd use that size. I would install them at about a 30 degree angle to the trailer front, then perhaps 3x4x3/16" for the trailer hitch area. Leave the original trailer tongue to help support the extension.

I've built two trailer, one for someone else, one for myself. I've since sold the one I made myself. Both had long-ish A frame tongues.

Good luck.

 

[Arc weld]

Two 6" channels for 1500lbs? 6" channel would work for a tandem trailer. I think it would help if the OP could post a picture of what he has now. Hard to give the best advice without knowing what you have to work with.

 

[deanwerden]

don't over think this , if you lengthen the deck you are only increasing tongue length by a foot. 1500 pounds is nothing for 3x3 by 1/8. if you are worried about it go to 3/16 thick. the tongue on our snowmobile trailer is 3x4 by 1/8 and is 3 or 4 feet long but it is aluminum, you have nothing to worry about