Frame flex/broken frame

[gjetzen]

looked through the archives and found a lot of interesting articles on frame flex/broken frames, but could someone please tell me what are the symptoms of a bad/broken frame? The only reason I ask is that I found a 4-5" crack in the front closet wall board in the upper left corner. Thanks in advance.

[dieselguy]

Closet issues similar to what you describe such as bowed paneling or staples pulling out / space between pinbox and front cap changes dramatically when you hook up to your truck / aluminum extrusion along the front over hang showing signs of movement between sitting on landing legs and hooked up to the truck / front cap showing signs of pulling away from the walls or roof along the calking.

[DQDick]

We had the seams along the lower edges of the cap opening and a wall popped out in the closet after a really really big hole I hit last year on I-40. We were rushing home to help with a Great Grandbaby who was in intensive care so I was driving at night and didn't see it in time to avoid it. Everyone, including Keystone expected frame flex, but when we got the cap off and looked it was just old caulk on the outside and apparently the washing machine rocked into the wall (if you could call that poorly constructed thing a wall) popped it out and then stood it'self back up so we didn't know it did it. If you have symptoms though you have to look, because if it really is frame flex you don't want to wait for more welds to break.

[gjetzen]

The only sign I have right now is the cracked wallboard in the closet. None of the other symptoms mentioned are there. I want to be able to catch it before something bad happens but I also don't want to be paranoid about something that is not there. I don't want to rip the front cap off for nothing. I'm just asking for advice take the front apart and have it inspected or wait till I see more symptoms?

[twindman]

I had frame flex on old Montana. The clincher as to it really happening was proven by getting in the trailer bed room and watching as the weight is taken off the landing gear as you are hitching up. When I did this, the paneling bowed out about 3 inches in the area that it had previously cracked and broken.
Good luck.

[richfaa]

What you have is a symptom of Frame flex.