Broken Frames

[xw2c87]

https://share.icloud.com/photos/02e8l_Rm8oV3t9e0_of8QzfpA

 

[BSHGTO]

The first picture show the expansion joint with no weight on the pin. You can see by the tape line where it is supposed to be, and it opens more after driving.
The second picture is the slide mechanism. You can clearly see it's not square anymore because the stud is twisted.
Third picture is a broke cross member weld right behind the axles.
Fourth picture is showing how much our frame was twisiting on our 2021 because all of the cross members were broken.

Looks like you're at a campground in the third pic, why are you still driving it in this condition? you're just going to make things a lot worse. The only thing that is holding your frame together are the U-clamps and spring bolts on the axles, they aren`t designed to do that and your frame could roll under and you could lose the camper and your family. Screw the dealer and Keystone hire a professional welder, strip the coroplast off the bottom take the front pilon off the nose and have them reweld and reinforce everything. The luck of the draw with some of these campers and just caulk it up to the expenses of owning one.

 

[MoeGW]

Rear wall on 2018 montana started separating. Left wooden wall in bedroom closet washer section is crushing on bottom into the floor. Side door sometimes opens when driving.
Wall behind recliners also separated 1/4” from wall. Is this a serious flex frame isuue and too risky to drive from NY to Indiana for repairs ?

 

[Mikendebbie]

Moe - Sketches below show the areas (labeled A B C D) you describe as separating.
Your unit is a 3791RD as you stated in your previous post on tire wear.

I am not a broken-frame expert, but in order to help you get more targeted answers…

A. Rear wall…in the second screen shot, where are you noticing separation? Location 1…2…3…or 4 ?
B. Closet wall bottom is crushing…have you noticed anything at the top of the wall? What about either of the bedroom exterior walls…any separation between the wall and the floor ? Have you noticed any water damage in the washer closet? Third screen shot from 2018 brochure shows a front closet/washer wall…can you add any info/symptoms from looking at these pics?
C. Main door comes open during travel…this might be resolved with a strike plate adjustment on the door jamb.
D. Wall behind recliners separating…where do you see separation - location 5…6… or 7? Wall separation on a slide box might not be related to possible broken frame. Have you noticed any soft floors or water damage in the slide?

 

[flyingjack]

Mikendebbie: great post with the detailed pics. Good job.

 

[brooks340]

Cross member failure

We have a 2020 MHC 294RL with 3 failed cross members. Started as a soft floor in the kitchen area, investigation showed weld failures on 3 cross members. Dealing with Keystone to try and get this covered. I suspect this is a much wider issue than most owners realize. Given the poor quality of some other aspects of the construction, honestly I'm not surprised. Whoever pays, this needs to be welded and reinforced properly. Tricky thing will be to get the floor level and neither sagged nor crowned.

 

[ojo123]

we had the exact same thing happen to our 2021 MHC 295RL Our fixit guy had to fab some end pieces to match the cross member ends as the cross members are only sheet metal, too thin to reweld them securely to the frame. He then welded the fab pieces to the cross members and then welded them to the frame. Keystone covered the $7k bill.

 

[Speck56]

I posted 2 years ago about my frame issues with my 2020 3761FL Legacy. 8 months fighting with Keystone about the repair, not the warranty. They had a repair bulletin that was insufficient, according to my repair facility. That issue has not returned, however now another problem 2 cross members near the axles have failed and all welds have broken. I am out of warranty but i contacted Keystone due to my previous issue. I was travelling in Illinois and they directed me to a Camping World in Springfield IL. I am now home in Arizona waiting to hear the prognosis. To be continued.....

 

[brooks340]

A further update to our issue. Keystone and LCI have agreed to pay for the repairs, even though the trailer is outside of the 3 year structural warranty. So far the customer support at Keystone has been great to deal with. I've added a pic showing the cold weld where the cross member was supposed to be welded to the frame. I'll update again once the repairs are complete.

 

[Akdan]

frame flex question

For those who have experienced frame flex, do you have goose neck or fifth wheel hitch?

 

[RMcNeal]

I have a B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch with the original pin box for the camper. I have not made any changes to the rig in terms of suspension, hitch or towing.

 

[Akdan]

I have a B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch with the original pin box for the camper. I have not made any changes to the rig in terms of suspension, hitch or towing.

Has your RV suffered frame flex damage?

 

[RMcNeal]

Yes. Had repairs at Keystone this year. Front slide under bed and both rear living room slides.
Just found today that when they replaced the coroplast underneath, a screw was driven into the fresh water tank and it is leaking. I don't usually use it until winter time as we normally have full hookups wherever we go. I have to contact Keystone Tuesday to see what they can do.

 

[Akdan]

Yes. Had repairs at Keystone this year. Front slide under bed and both rear living room slides.
Just found today that when they replaced the coroplast underneath, a screw was driven into the fresh water tank and it is leaking. I don't usually use it until winter time as we normally have full hookups wherever we go. I have to contact Keystone Tuesday to see what they can do.

That is what I wanted to know, thank you. Of most cases I read, there was no mention of hitch type, and the ones that did mention hitch type, it was goose neck.

 

[Cmccul]

Cross member failure

We have a 2020 MHC 294RL with 3 failed cross members. Started as a soft floor in the kitchen area, investigation showed weld failures on 3 cross members. Dealing with Keystone to try and get this covered. I suspect this is a much wider issue than most owners realize. Given the poor quality of some other aspects of the construction, honestly I'm not surprised. Whoever pays, this needs to be welded and reinforced properly. Tricky thing will be to get the floor level and neither sagged nor crowned.

I have a 2021 MHC 294RL and the floor was sagging. Just found out that I have a couple cross members broke and twisted. Were you able to get yours repaired?

 

[Speck56]

I posted 2 years ago about my frame issues with my 2020 3761FL Legacy. 8 months fighting with Keystone about the repair, not the warranty. They had a repair bulletin that was insufficient, according to my repair facility. That issue has not returned, however now another problem 2 cross members near the axles have failed and all welds have broken. I am out of warranty but i contacted Keystone due to my previous issue. I was travelling in Illinois and they directed me to a Camping World in Springfield IL. I am now home in Arizona waiting to hear the prognosis. To be continued.....

My insurance covered the repair. Keystone backed out 2 weeks in. Heading to Springfield to pick up on May 9th

 

[brooks340]

I have a 2021 MHC 294RL and the floor was sagging. Just found out that I have a couple cross members broke and twisted. Were you able to get yours repaired?

Yes, had the repairs completed and Keystone/Lippert paid for the frame repair. Floor is level and solid again now.

 

[daboom11]

The entire side will have to be replaced. 11K miles on my Montana and its already falling apart!

 

[Speck56]

My insurance covered the repair. Keystone backed out 2 weeks in. Heading to Springfield to pick up on May 9th

Picked up after 15,000 repair. 600 miles later both crossmembers broken and both axles have shifted to the right. Left frame rail has about 8 feet bent in a good 4 inches

 

[larrybessette]

I have had extensive cross member failures and bent frame rails on my 2019 330
rs. Opted to repair it myself as I have the shop, skills and equipment. Check out my thread, Frame Failure, Started Jan. 4 2025. I wrote about it extensively and there are plenty of photos of my solution.