Here’s a sad tale pictured from Williams, Arizona. This poor little guy was left, not beside the road, but in a truck stop parking lot. The victim of a broken tongue, we’re thinking the proud parents may have gone off to try and get help. Owners of these little “egg campers” are recognized for the fondness they develop for their trailers.
Broken tongue cautionary thoughts
What happened to cause this broken tongue? We don’t have any information on this one. But it still leads to some cautionary thoughts we could throw out. Little rigs like these aren’t built to carry much weight. Is it possible the owners had an overload—maybe way too much up front of the axles? It’s a story for any RVer. Know the total weight capacity of your rig, and don’t overload it. The old adage “a chain is as strong as its weakest link” applies. Whatever can’t stand the load first will be the first thing to let go.
Here’s another one: Make frame inspection part of your regular checklist. Cracks can and do develop. One of our RVtravel.com staff writers, who shall remain anonymous, has buried two travel trailers this year alone—with broken frame issues. And if you frequent boondocking venues, traveling over hill and dale—and washboard road—a lot of stress can lead to problems.
Meanwhile, we hope the best for our little pal here. Hopefully he’ll get an appropriate fix and get back on the road again. With that broken tongue healed, he’ll be talkin’ and walkin’ again!
If you’ve seen, witnessed, or had your own “RV boo-boo” moment and have a photo to share with others, let us know. Fill out the form below, and put “boo-boo” on the subject line. Be sure to link your photo with the attachment tool on the form.
Other stories by Russ and Tiña De Maris
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My fracture was the leaf spring shackle attachment point. A solid welding job by my son-in-law got us back on the road.
I would think you see this more with tongues that are welded to the frame than you do with trailers with the tongue part of the frame. I could be off on this but to me this makes sense.