The comments under the article "On the article page that was posted by the op" are very close to the discussion we are having here... In my very limited knowledge of metal there are two things that could do this and they are weight and rust. If a bridge over a stream rusts it falls apart over a very long period of time. Another point is with my unloading of every single possible pound of weight I got the weight of my 1181 down to 4300 lbs from well over 5000 lbs and it still feels like the front end is driving up in the air. JM2C Great discussion though and you are all correct about your points.