My uncle in Phoenix told me to just weld the frame crack and send it

Back in 2018 I found an '02 F-150 with a cracked frame near the rear spring hanger. He swore a good weld would hold for another 100k miles since it wasnt near a suspension mount. I did it and drove it for 2 years before the crack spread and the truck almost folded in half on the 101 freeway. Anyone else have a "just weld it" advice that backfired bad?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.willow2d ago

Honestly I gotta disagree with you here a little bit. A crack near the rear spring hanger on a 2002 F-150 is basically frame rot waiting to happen, and welding it is just buying time. I've seen guys do this on 15 year old trucks out west where they think the desert air saves everything, but that metal is already fatigued from years of heat cycles. Tbh you got lucky it lasted 2 years before it almost killed you on the 101, most of those repairs fail in a year or less. A weld is only as strong as the metal around it, and if the frame is already cracked in one spot, there's a good chance the rest of it is brittle too. So yeah, your uncle was wrong and you almost paid the price for it.

finleyw992d ago

Yeah I read a mechanic say those frames are junk from the factory.