Well, I broke it.

[pugslyyy]

In an unexpected turn of events, the frame is now supported by the body/sub-frame!

 

[yabanja]

Hmm... perhaps time for the heavier duty complete frame transplant.......

 

[LeishaShannon]

Sorry to see that happen! what about a different mounting technique to spread the load more evenly down the rails?

 

[k9lestat]

How many mounting points does you body have to the subframe rails?

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

 

[LoRoad]

Wow. Not to be too obvious here but That Sucks!

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Clearly the mustache was to manly for the frame to handle!

 

[kerry]

This is Doug's former truck, is that right? So the frame broke in a different place than previously? Do you have plans on how to replace/strengthen it?

 

[pugslyyy]

No definite plans on the repair as yet. I'm going to consult with a few folks that are much better at welding than I am and go from there.

My rough plan is to repair this big break and any other cracks I find, and then investigate modifying the sub frame mounting method.

 

[kerry]

Swapping in a new set of used frame rails from Busbees? Just read your blog for the first time. If I'd have known you were heading to the Purgatoire I could have told you you can camp at the trailhead for the dinosaur track trail. We've had our Fuso out there. We've ridden bikes out to the tracks. We've gone out there a couple of times in the fall to see all the tarantulas seeking sex.

 

[pugslyyy]

Swapping in a new set of used frame rails from Busbees? Just read your blog for the first time. If I'd have known you were heading to the Purgatoire I could have told you you can camp at the trailhead for the dinosaur track trail. We've had our Fuso out there. We've ridden bikes out to the tracks. We've gone out there a couple of times in the fall to see all the tarantulas seeking sex.

Yeah it annoyed us that everything we had read said that there was no camping there.

I'm more likely to keep welding up what I've got. I'm going to talk with the guys that weld up frame rails all the time (tow truck guys, etc) and see what they think.

 

[SkiFreak]

Sorry to see this happen mate, but it's a rather graphical example of why 3 point mounts and Fusos don't really go together...

 

[canter tourer]

Wow, what an understatement, I call that tears and skinned knuckles to fix it, but nothing that cannot be repaired, hope your back on the road soon.

 

[haven]

Was the failure caused by an "event" or just accumulated fatigue? I remember Doug's report of frame problems emerging after driving a road in Ecuador filled with deep potholes.

 

[pugslyyy]

Was the failure caused by an "event" or just accumulated fatigue? I remember Doug's report of frame problems emerging after driving a road in Ecuador filled with deep potholes.

There were a couple of big bumps along the way (as there are with any trip) so who knows what started it. I'm pretty sure that the crack started a the top of the frame member and worked it's way to the bottom since it is a clean break at the top but torn at the bottom.

The prior break was aft of the current break but on the same side. (I believe)

 

[kerry]

It's hard for me to tell from the pictures where exactly the current break is. Is it near the point where the frame turns upward at the front? It's been a long time since I read Doug's thread but my recollection is that the break back then was explicable by a long stretch of frame flexing up and down repeatedly in the location of one of the spring mounts. But if this is up at the front my intuition is that it wouldn't be subject to the same flexing forces--or would it?