Unlucky Lippert owner?

[mopar1]

I hope this is just a "built on Monday" kind of a problem!

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...pging/1/page/1

I can see my 08 Mountaineer flexing up and down in the rear view mirror a little bit so this makes me nervous!

[SlickWillie]

Was wondering if anyone else was following that thread. Do I want to inspect the welds around the pin box? From the other welds I've seen on the frame, I'm scared to look. I just found out the SOB I was looking at has a Lippert frame also. Time to set down and think this over really well. I'm gonna do some more research, and see what brands don't use the Lippert frame.

[PapaBeav]

I just picked ours up from the dealer yesterday because of frame flex and broken welds. That is frightening, I sure hope that ours holds up now since being repaired by Keystones procedure.

[richfaa]

Yes I am following that thread over on RV net. IMO that incident is a clear case of negligence and I would be following that attorneys advice. This appears to be a good case to take the manufacturer to task for poor workmanship. A huge lawsuit and plenty of PR is not something the manufacturer wants but may be of benefit to the rest of us.
We had the pin box area re-enforced on our 06 3400 last September.

A little flex is normal..

[lightningjack11]

Hi Guys,

Haven't posted in quite a while but this thread really got my attention. Just checking in to see if you guys were posting about it.

I thought Lippert had most of the framing problems solved but this one is bad and looks like it could have been caught by Keystone with simple inspection.

Last year I traded my Montana for a MH but I really wanted a new 3400. DW ruled against it and I was not a happy camper. Kept the truck in case change of mind. But after looking at this, she was right.

Good luck everybody with your inspections

[KTManiac]

Wow!

That looks like it wasn't far from a complete break-away from the Truck! Imagine your 5er separating from the TV at 65 mph.

.....just WOW!!!!

[RCN.Stoker]

For my own peace of mind, how can I inspect my pin box welds?

[richfaa]

In my own case ..I would not know a bad wield if I was ,looking at it....

[lightningjack11]

I inspected my old Montana several times. You have to drop the cover. If your working by yourself like I usually do, I put a 2x4 into the back of the pinbox to hold the cover up while taking the screws out. This will keep it from ripping. Then lower the cover.

The forum cited in the first post suggested buying a device with a camera on the end (snorkle type) and use it to check the welds without taking all the panels off. Home Depot has them.

[PapaBeav]

To do a good inspection the entire under sheeting will have to be removed. I saw ours when it was removed and there were two cracks on the frame on each side toward the front and a broken weld on one of the small angle irons at the pin box. Keystone picked up the tab, but their procedure will have to be followed.

[mike and kellie]

If your'e following this thread (and I have been) ib516 has had more bad luck this year than one can imagine. I followed him because previously we had the same Cougar bunkhouse trailer in our profiles. He bought his new truck and 5th wheel and there was a report that he either got behind a truck bleeding sand and gravel AND or got caught in a hail storm. He described huge dents in his truck and the front cap. And now this. His posts always reflect a stand-up character and this has to be really testing his patience.
PapaBeave-thanks for the welcome. Ironicly, I was a state certified welder on heavy duty trailers in Cotati back in the early eighties. Did Keystone do your repairs "local".

[PapaBeav]

Yes, I had it repaired at Reeds where I bought it and they use a welder on Corona Rd.

[Illini Trekker]

By looking at the rust in the weld area that one weld???? the weld may not have ever been a real weld??? and all that metal running down from that weld??? shows me what ever monkey welded that couldn't even peel a banana! I'm a retired welder now and have welded for more that 30 Yrs and this is disturbing to see someone would make a weld knowing this trailer could be pulled down a road and could have killed somebody needs to be found criminally liable!! This tick me off sorry.

[MuddyPaws]

Rather than tearing the skin off your rig every few months how about measuring the distance between the underside and the top of your tailgate. If that distance changes much you probably have a problem.

Our 2955 'kinda' survived being dropped off the tow truck and the nice folks who repaired it said them made it stronger than new, but I keep an eye on it anyway.

[Glass Guy]

If you look in the help wanted adds places are tring to hire welders for 8 to 10 dollars an hour, at that rate your not going to get a quality welder. The bad thing is you have to assume that these thing are put together correcly as there are to many thing that are not visable until something like that happens.

[PapaBeav]

quote:Originally posted by MuddyPaws

Rather than tearing the skin off your rig every few months how about measuring the distance between the underside and the top of your tailgate. If that distance changes much you probably have a problem.

A better way to measure it is when you are unhooking your rig. With the front legs down and just touching the ground, mark the leg. Then when you raise it measure the distance between the marks when the pin box starts to lift off of the hitch. Ours was 2 3/4" before it was fixed and 1 1/4" after it was repaired.

[mopar1]

I wish the blurry weld picture was clearer. But even so I can see the bad welds. I am with you guys by thinking how could somebody make those poor welds knowing how much is at stake if they would break. Obviously the person did not know how to weld and there isn't any quality control (which we already knew.)
I worked at Hendrickson suspensions as a semi trailer suspension welder for 3 years before transferring into maintenance. I knew every day my welds had to be right. I imagined if one of my welds broke and caused the semi to crash into a bus load of children. That motivated me to do my best everyday.
We also had accountability. I metal stamped every part I made. That way if there was a problem they knew who to go to. Our MIG welders welded in MIG pulse. Which means it measures the amount of current going into the part and keeps it the same so the penetration stays the same. They also had a locked range that they could operate in. In other words they were set where they should be to make a good weld every time. If operated correctly.
So I rambled on to get to my point which is Lippert appears to only be concerned with bottom line sales numbers. Quantity and not quality. (Guess it's just like the rest of the RV industry)
Come on Lippert and the RV industry - put some quality in what you do. Hendrickson's does, and backs it with a 1 million mile warranty!

[grampachet]

After following this thread, it appears there may be a business opportunity for a qualified inspector to make a living giving RV owners some peace of mind. There may be many who would pay to have an inspection by a professional welder or welding inspector. Go for it.

[richfaa]

Just about 3 weeks before this incident this guy dropped the Couger on the truck. I am not suggesting anything but I would wonder if dropping the 5th wheel might have contributed to the failure. It was never mentioned in 14 pages of post and I got a little tired of the frame bashing when it MAY have been a contributing factor.....never mentioned..???????

[Tom_Holsinger]

Rich, the rust shows that the weld was defective from the beginning. There simply wasn't enough time between the drop and the final weld failure to develop such extensive rust. Plus there are comments by experienced welders in the originating forum thread explaining how the drop was irrelevant to the weld's defects.