Also posted on the trailer forum but thought I'd try here as well.
Discovered a crack on my Bass Cat trailer fold away tongue (see pics). Any thoughts if I clean/grind out the old weld and apply a new one if it would hold or just break again? Should I consider an additional steel plate to help transfer some of the stress/energy to a different part of the tongue? Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera II
BCB may have some input.
Welding is far from my expertise, but I wouldn't think welding the crack would fix it long term.
If you dont get any advice here, try putting this on the Owners Forum.
https://basscat.com/forum/groups/bas...basscat-boats/
2016 BassCat Pantera II
Mercury 200 ProXs
Is the crack from lack of decent penetration? I would grind out the area to see if it was a bad weld. If so, grind a groove to allow better penetration and multiple passes.
Not an option I'm willing to pay for. Just say'in
Steve McQueen "Le Mans"
Own the Champ!Life Long Petty Fan!
2003 ChampioN 2006 250 Merc. XB, Prop By Mark C.
2002 Ranger Okeechobee Special EvinRude Ficht 90 / 9.9 4-Stroke GLAD to have a Get me to the Dock motor maybe!
Cajunhunter is right, probably won't be any better trying to repair. Been down that slope with a BC trailer that we sent to the factory to retro fit a swing away tongue on an "A" frame trailer to fit the boat in our garage. When folded, we supported withe 3 jacks to try and protect the bracket. Had cracked in a similar area.
went through 2 brackets before BC built a "heavy duty" super thick bracket, it had to weigh 10 lbs by itself. And....found hairline cracks in it eventually. That was within 8 years of the retrofit. Wound up ordering a new trailer in 2015 that's been nothing but a pain in the ass but that's another story.
The main thing that applies here is to send pictures to your dealer or have them inspect it. Then go from there. If dealer is too far away then you may send pics to BC after calling them for instructions. It's close to their owner event so don't expect a quick turnaround response.
Last edited by Eyra1; 04-23-2019 at 10:32 AM.
Mine did the same thing. My uncle is a welder. Cleaned it up really well and put a new weld on it. It looks good and I check it religiously for any cracks and so far it's holding great.
Mine cracked in the exact same spot a couple weeks ago. My mechanic is a welder, so he cleaned it up and welded both sides. I will be keeping a close eye on it, but he thinks the best solution will be to cut the two gussets out and weld in one solid one. He also mentioned that the metal was very 'dirty' when he was welding it up. Lots of impurities were coming to the surface.
https://basscat.com/forum/groups/bas...g-tongue-weld/
Last edited by Bahala; 04-25-2019 at 09:07 AM.
What year trailers are you guys having issues with? This has me concerned
I read it as a BCB trailer
Own the Champ!
2003 ChampioN 2006 250 Merc. XB, Prop By Mark C.
2002 Ranger Okeechobee Special EvinRude Ficht 90 / 9.9 4-Stroke GLAD to have a Get me to the Dock motor maybe!
The center pin prevents failure inside the double wall tubing.
My rig is an 08. This past weekend I cleaned it out and applied a new weld using the 7018 stick as recommended in the link/BBC owners board topic posted above. Thanks for feedback/suggestions we'll see if it holds.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera II
Out of curiosity how much slop or movement if any in the swing tongue with the pins in place?? I have a 2019 Bass Cat trailer with a 2019 Eyra and with both pin inserted in the hinge the tongue will move up and down at least 1-1/4" when I tighten the winch to hold the boat while pulling to the lake. I don't think it should be that sloppy but Bass Cat says otherwise. I think this movement will in time cause cracks in the welds on the hinge.. like what you have had happen.Originally Posted by Potomac CAT
2019 Bass Cat Eyra
Mercury 250 Pro SX
4 Stroke 2B591496
I don't have that much play with the pins inserted but I can move the hitch section vertically some without the pins when storing/broken down. I will say my 2000 Jag didn't nearly have the play as this rig but I also didn't have the grab pole/step. I do need to play with strap/tongue to insert the pins and find the sweet spot for them to go in without too much resistance. Again my jag was never like that.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera II
I've got the same play as the poster above me
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