BROKE - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

David and Jo-Anna · 07-30-2009, 09:11 AM

Rich and Helen.....WE MISS YOU! Hope you are getting fixed and so happy you both are safe.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 07-30-2009, 10:15 AM

Report to Al, to Carol, re Rich:

Trailer fixed, waiting for tires?? Tires not available till tomorrow???

Al says he will let Rich explain in detail, so I won't say more, cept things are looking up, and as we are all aware, this could have been much worse, even tho the $$ stuff stinks as does the delay in arriving at the Rally.

richfaa · 07-30-2009, 12:33 PM

The 3400 is no longer broke but we are..Handouts will be accepted. Will be on our way in the AM..

richfaa · 07-30-2009, 12:35 PM

ols1932.. You hit it right on..That was our problem. Center pin in the spring sheared off causing the spring to shift forward We were lucky...

I called everyone on my list early this moring, Mor ryde, Dexter, Keystone. Mor Ryde called burnside within 15 Mins explaning what they wanted them to do and check. Mark Krol called and said..whatever you need. I was covered if the problem was in their areas. Burnside RV was fantastic.They did everythng but give us the keys to the dealership. The problem was a 5.25 Cent bolt. We knew that the extend waranty would not cover the repair because the cause was a Bolt..Strange ..they will pay for a entire motor but not the belts and hoses.The bolt is a expendable??? Any how the warranty lady said she woud attempt to work some magic as she knew how to present things. The labor was 4 hours at 99.00 per hour + tax+ the bolt. That bolt was not easy to find. We have a 50.00 ded. The Extended warranty does not pay State taxes. Our total bill was 143.00..She worked some magic. However we had to spring for 4 new tires...but..we had a tire protection plan on the 4 coopers destroyed so we will break about even on the tires. It could hae been much worse... We will have the tires in the AM and be on our way to the G.L rally

exav8tr · 07-30-2009, 12:50 PM

Glad to hear it was nothing more than that Rich. You surely are one lucky guy. Hopefully the rest of your trip will be uneventful, (maintanance wise). Enjoy yourselves at the GL Rally.

Art-n-Marge · 07-30-2009, 01:03 PM

While it's good to hear it was one single bolt, what a bolt that was, in causing all that. I have heard of a saying that goes something like this, "Don't fret the small things". I don't think they are RV owners.

For a warranty, if a bolt breaks on your engine, will they not cover it or the resulting damage? What a bunch of hooey.

Thanks for the update Rich! May your travels to the rally be filled with better stories!

dsprik · 07-30-2009, 01:20 PM

Burnside in Houghton Lake is our home repair shop. They do a super job.

richfaa · 07-30-2009, 02:48 PM

I have no complaints about our Extended Warranty (RV Shield) We have now received back more than we paid for it and have 4 years left on the coverage but it is weird. Had the spring or shackle broke they would have paid the entire bill less State tax and 50.00 ded. But according to them..Nothing broke???? it was just a bolt and bolts are not covered??? At least that bolt.. They did wind up paying for most of the bill. Remember now these are not Extended Warranties but service contacts. I had a custom van burn to the ground several years ago. The cause was a known defective heater that over heated (1980 Chevy 3/4 ton Van)The insurance company paid for the destroyed van..less the cost of the defective heater that caused the fire...weird...

Dave you are corect about Burnside..They are outstanding... They sold 59 units thus far in July and PDI'ed 4 today. Oh..I got your part..

dsprik · 07-30-2009, 04:51 PM

Thanks, Rich! Do you know about when you will be pulling out of there? Best to beat the Fri PM northward, weekend rush if possible...

Desert RVer · 07-30-2009, 05:06 PM

I suspect every 2006 3400RL Montana owner is going to watch this with significant interest.

Art-n-Marge · 07-30-2009, 05:46 PM

I have a 2006 3500RL and I plan to go out and check the bolts. I'll only be able to check that they are in place, but I won't necessarily be able to tell they are ready to break unless I get lucky and see some pretty bad wear.

Thanks to the MOC, and thanks to Rich for the heads-up.

mail2us · 07-31-2009, 01:02 AM

Rich and Helen,

Judy and I send our best for your safe arrival to Mill Creek. Your site is waiting.

richfaa · 07-31-2009, 02:47 PM

Just a note,,, The problem had nothing to do with a lippert frame, Mor Rye system, keystone quality. It was a 5.25 cent grade 8 centering pin on a spring that sheared no doubt due to many miles on very bad roads and I-75 in Mich was the last straw. A very rare problem.. Burnside RV had never seen such a break on any brand camper. Just one of those things....

hazmic · 07-31-2009, 03:56 PM

The bolt is called a centering bolt and bolts the spring together and keeps the spring pack where it should be and that is centered in the plate that the u bolts go through that holds the axle. Any frame shop should have that bolt and it possibly made off shore and very soft. It should have been harden but I doubt it. Take a file and see if you can file it. If you can file the bolt it is not hard and if you scratch the file then it is a hard bolt. Another thing that we can talk about in Goshen.

sreigle · 07-31-2009, 05:07 PM

I'm glad to hear you are back in business and will get to attend at least some of the rally. Safe travels to you two.

richfaa · 08-01-2009, 02:52 AM

hazmaic. Would not a grade 8 bolt be the same no matter where it was manufactured???? I have no idea where the grade 8 bolt that they put in was manufactured. I did ask them what a grade 8 bolt was and the tech said it was ..very hard and not normally prone to breaking except under a lot of stress which is why I believe that the accumulated banging on rough roads took its toll and they did get the bolt from a local spring shop. In June alone we did some bone jarring roads in Tenn and KY. You can only see the very top of the OEM pins that are in the springs and there would be no way to test them for hardness. You bring up a interseting point on the grade 8 bolt. I thought that there must be standards and spec's on what a grade 8 should be????? We did check out the repair with the Service center (Darrell) and they said the would have done the same thing????

simonsrf · 08-01-2009, 06:16 AM

Glad to hear it wasn't anything catastrophic; and that you are back on the road!!

Bruce Lenhardt · 08-01-2009, 06:40 AM

Rich, I believe what hazic may be referring to is the possibility that the bolt was made in another country and stamped grade 8 but may not really be a grade 8. There are counterfit bolts out there. Just my HMO.

Desert RVer · 08-01-2009, 06:45 AM

Who was the vendor for the axles and springs? They are the ones who need to be held accountable along with Montana for selecting them.

hazmic · 08-01-2009, 07:14 AM

Bruce you are so right. The foreign companies will mark the bolts however you want them marked. Grade 8 bolts are hard that you can almost drive them in with a hammer and not hurt the threads. A file is how we checked bolts that supposed to be harden bolts and if they were not,back to the store room and a call to the bolt vendor.

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