Adam H
People's Republic of California
Senior Member
Joined: 02/12/2007
View Profile
|
My Fleetwood did that in almost the same location (frame looks identical) also had cracks by some of the crossmembers and body mounts. Cracks were at the welds. I ended up welding them up then running 1.5 x 1.5 angle iron from front to back on the bottom outside of the I beam frame with 1" welds every 1". Seems to have held up fine since then but id probably added 75 lbs. Like I said, that fram looks like mine and it's a Lippert. Just use the search here for Lippert and read away about failures. The rusty cracks were there for a while from the frame flexing and I seriously doubt tha small amount of surface rust had much to do with it. If the manual says to keep rust off the frame I'm sure it is a CYA thing. I have see 50 year old 1/8" thick car frames with ALOT of rust around shackles not fail.
Adam
|
Perrysburg Dodgeboy
Perrysburg, Ohio USA
Senior Member
Joined: 12/06/2003
View Profile
|
canoe on top wrote:Just a side note but Northwood makes their own frames and, soon, will be manufacturing their own axles.
Yes you are right Northwood does build their own frames, talked with them but they do not have any plans on building axles.
Don
Perrysburg Dodgeboy
2004 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab SLT Cummins HO
2005 Keystone Cougar 304 BHS
pics
|
JDLEE1979
Salt Lake City, Utah
New Member
Joined: 07/28/2008
View Profile
 Offline
|
Hey Adam curious if you have either flipped the axles, or pull a second trailer?
|
SteveRankin
Sequim, WA
Senior Member
Joined: 05/05/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:Ok so I’ll ask one more time, how can moving the springs from under the axle to the on top of the axle in anyway cause this. You guys do understand that not only does the frame company do this but the RV companies also will do it. You can read about this in the RV.net blog
"Axle Flips for your Trailer-Flip This"
And just a heads up none and I mean NONE of the RV companies manufacture their own frames/axle packages, so if the frame fails it really is not anything the RV company has done but some thing the frame company did. Frames come to the RV builders with the axles already attached and the builder just slaps on the coach. 
Don
Not true at all. Northwood builds their own frames from scratch out of structural steel. This applies to all Arctic Fox, Nash and Desert Fox trailers. Northwood does use Dexter HD axles however.
I'll agree that flipping the axles should not cause this kind of damage, however.
Steve & C. J.
"Gracie" the Rough Collie & "Bo'sun" the Bichon Frise
2009 Arctic Fox 29V
2005 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 4X4 Crewcab
Hensley Hitch
TruControl Brake Controller
Our Beaver Technical page
Wildlife rescue at the Northwest Raptor Center
|
Adam H
People's Republic of California
Senior Member
Joined: 02/12/2007
View Profile
|
JDLEE1979 wrote:Hey Adam curious if you have either flipped the axles, or pull a second trailer?
No I have done neither. Was thinking about a 2" reciever for a motorcycle carrier with a 250lb bike but after the frame repairs that is out of the question. I have had no other issues since and I welded the angle iron, judging by your repair you posted I would recommend you do the same as i did. It appears you are MORE than capable of performing the repair. I used 3/16 wall angle and stick welded it.
Oh by the way, since I found cracks at crossmembers and body mounts that were only welded on 1 side I stick welded the other side of them.
Adam
|
|
|
Mr Bojangles
Hamburg, PA. 19526
Full Member
Joined: 12/03/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Hello SteveRankin:
Quote:And just a heads up none and I mean NONE of the RV companies manufacture their own frames/axle packages, so if the frame fails it really is not anything the RV company has done but some thing the frame company did. Frames come to the RV builders with the axles already attached and the builder just slaps on the coach.
I disagree Steve! And you really don't mean what that statement is saying I'll bet.
They (RV manufacturer's) MUST establish a "Quality Control" program to ensure these problems do not happen. And you can be sure the FRAME people knew (what RV company) had the better program and conversely "the worst".
Quality is an ATTITUDE...... on and on.....
|
Fordlover
Spring, Texas
Full Member
Joined: 12/27/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
looks to me like rust had little to nothing to do with the breakage. Stress crack, probably started a while back, and finally gave up. Could be bad or weak steal, or weakened when welded originally.
I like what SteveRankin says 'the reality is that there has to be some limit to which the manufacturer can pass the buck off on the consumer as maintenance.'
Amen!
I will also say, that if quality was our number one concern/buying consideration, probably 80% of us wouldn't have purchased a TT. I know I wouldn't have, every trailer I've looked at was thrown together so poorly that it made me realize I wasn't going to spend very much on one. We looked at TT's priced in the 20K's, and ones priced in the mid teens, and they were both poorly built and finished.
02' Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4, prodigy and equalizer
07' Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK
03' Ford Focus SVT my daily driver
04' Volvo S40 wife's daily driver
|
Adam H
People's Republic of California
Senior Member
Joined: 02/12/2007
View Profile
|
Fordlover wrote:
I will also say, that if quality was our number one concern/buying consideration, probably 80% of us wouldn't have purchased a TT. I know I wouldn't have, every trailer I've looked at was thrown together so poorly that it made me realize I wasn't going to spend very much on one. We looked at TT's priced in the 20K's, and ones priced in the mid teens, and they were both poorly built and finished.
Exactly right, that's why I purchase used.
Adam
|
greenrvgreen
open road
Senior Member
Joined: 09/05/2007
View Profile
|
Quoting Fordlover:
". . .every trailer I've looked at was thrown together so poorly that it made me realize I wasn't going to spend very much on one."
Amen +1!
That being said, my overall impression is that TT's deliver an AMAZING amount of value, as long as you don't spend very much on one. And considering the amount of abuse they sustain in typical use, the overall reliability and durability is very good, in spite of workmanship lapses.
|
