Crack in exterior wall Windjammer 3065

chris t · 01-30-2011, 03:06 PM

I was washing my trailer and could see what looked like a crack. I grabbed the ladder, and sure enough, above the corner of my Curb Side Slide is a crack in the side of the trailer that goes from the upper corner almost straight up. I have included pictures.

I will be taking this up with my dealer this week, and will also be discussing the less than adequate power jacks on my unit. I want them to escalate to Forest River that they aren't going to work. They flex like crazy, and I'm ready to grind them off and put on standard scissor jacks instead. I believe this is for them to fix.

You might want to check your trailers as well to see if there are any cracks.

Thanks
Ct..

dezolen · 01-30-2011, 03:24 PM

Dumb question, I hope you are using powerjacks to stabilize trailer only and not to lift it?

chris t · 01-30-2011, 03:39 PM

Yes, that's correct. Only the fronts have the problem of bending. The rears are fine. I use a wheel jack to lock the wheels in place, but this trailer still rocks like AC/DC concert!

dezolen · 01-30-2011, 03:45 PM

Front bedroom?

On a more serious thought I am surprised it's the front considering tongue jack carrying most of the weight and stabilizers to do their job.

grhodes50 · 01-30-2011, 03:47 PM

It's probably too late and might not do much good, but I would run some clear caulk over that crack as a temp fix in order to attempt minimizing any water damage.

Good luck and I hope things work out for you. Keep us posted.

SoundMan · 01-30-2011, 08:09 PM

Been looking hard at the 3065, please keep us posted as to the cause.

Thanks

rockwood06 · 01-30-2011, 08:28 PM

That is the first time i have seen a crack in the exterior wall, ihope they have a good reason why this happen.

As far as the rocking, my 06 RockWood has done this from day one. I am not sure about your Windjammer but the angle iron that is used is not supported in the middle so every time there is movement in the camper the angle iron bends, i was able make a mod for the rear of the camper but not the front and our bed room in in the front.....i know some will have some thing to say about that....

If you have angle iron supporting the jacks, go out side and watch them and have someone move around in the camper and if they are up to it jump a little you may see exactly where the problem is. That's how i found the problem.

Koodog · 01-30-2011, 09:43 PM

Ct...ah crap! Please keep us posted on what they discover. I also looked at this model last year. Couldn't get a deal that I could live with so I walked.
On the trailer moving...I've found using blocks to minimize the stoke of the jacks works best.(wheels blocked of course) The more the jacks are extended, the more the movement. I know exactly what RW06 is talking about.

MikeA · 01-30-2011, 09:54 PM

I would NOT seal the crack with caulking. It would be better to use a weatherproof tape. The use of caulking will contaminate the area making a proper repair of the crack much more difficult. It would be necessary to remove all of the caulking before proceeding with the repair.
I would check for softness in the area. If the area is soft you probably have a leak which will have to be found before you effect a proper repair.

Mike

grhodes50 · 01-30-2011, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeA

I would NOT seal the crack with caulking. It would be better to use a weatherproof tape. The use of caulking will contaminate the area making a proper repair of the crack much more difficult. It would be necessary to remove all of the caulking before proceeding with the repair.
I would check for softness in the area. If the area is soft you probably have a leak which will have to be found before you effect a proper repair.

Mike

I didn't know about the caulk contaminating the area. Thanks for the heads up.
The weatherproof tape should work good. Anything to keep water out and hopefully there no additional issues started yet, such as delam.

BigRed · 01-31-2011, 02:17 AM

I hope by looking at the location that you didnt try to level the camper with extra leveling jacks on the rear. The rear jacks and the front jacks are Stabilizing jacks only! There is a warning on them not to lift the camper with them. The reason Im saying this is the frame cant support the wieght (thus ultra-light trailer), if the trailer twists in any way your going to snap that side wall at the top. On the 3065 the tops of the slides on both sides are the thinest right were your showing the crack. The safest way to stabilize is to get a steadyfast type system. I know the dealer told us to level (front to back)using the tounge jack,(side to side) using wheel pads. They were very addamint about leveling any other way because the frames can flex causing sidewall cracks. Im not saying this is what happened but, with you questioning the sabilizer jacks being useless. just got me wondering what you might have tried to stop the shaking. Sorry about the spelling error's--- spell check not working and I was educated in the USA plus its 2am in the morning.

tentcamper1 · 01-31-2011, 08:53 AM

I have the Flagstaff version of your trailer. I just looked and no cracks. I had the jacks changed out to scissor jacks and that helped very little. Last year I added a "strong arm / steadyfast" type support from the rear curbside jack back to the frame on the opposite side and that help a lot. This year I will add one more to the rear from the curbside jack to the curbside of the frame and two in the front. I will also have a jack added by the tires to help eliminate bounce.

tejano · 01-31-2011, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockwood06

That is the first time i have seen a crack in the exterior wall, ihope they have a good reason why this happen.

As far as the rocking, my 06 RockWood has done this from day one. I am not sure about your Windjammer but the angle iron that is used is not supported in the middle so every time there is movement in the camper the angle iron bends, i was able make a mod for the rear of the camper but not the front and our bed room in in the front.....i know some will have some thing to say about that....

If you have angle iron supporting the jacks, go out side and watch them and have someone move around in the camper and if they are up to it jump a little you may see exactly where the problem is. That's how i found the problem.

Have the same problem on my Sabre. I am going to cut a 2.5"x2"x7" block of treated redwood and install in the opening between the frame and channel that the stabilizer is attached to.

capucine · 02-07-2011, 11:55 AM

I see that your crack is right above the pull out and on that section of wall it is very narrow. I wonder if this damage was caused by the pull out when closing or opening. It may have caused some stress on that top section above the pull out. I dont see any other cause of this crack. These crank system are quite powerfull and if not lined up properly they can place stressing point at certain places.

SoundMan · 02-07-2011, 12:35 PM

ChrisT
Any word as what caused the crack. Please keep us posted.
Dennis

chris t · 02-12-2011, 08:27 PM

Hi guys,
I have the answer! I took the trailer in this week to my local dealer in ABQ. They took pictures and sent to Forest River. FR sent back and said that there is a problem with the side wall of my trailer. They have changed the design of the wall due to the cracking, but it was after mine was made.

They are going to come get my trailer, tow it to the factory, replace the entire wall, and then ship it back to the dealer. The process will take 3-4 weeks. They did say that it is not an issue to camp in it until it's fixed, so we're going camping in it this weekend and then we'll send it back. I'll keep you guys posted on how the repair went.

I still do recommend the trailer. The stabilizing jacks are just as described up above. They are too weak to properly stabilize the trailer, so I may just go through and "fix" them.

If I can get that figured out and fixed to my satisfaction, I'll post pictures.

Thanks for all of the tips guys.
Ct..

sherdep · 02-12-2011, 10:13 PM

Glad to hear the Factory is going to take care of your issue and didnt try to blame you for the cracks

Good luck and keep us posted on how the repair went

BigRed · 02-13-2011, 12:16 PM

When was your camper manufactured ????? Mine was built Aug 28,2010 was that before or after yours ??

sherdep · 02-13-2011, 10:30 PM

Big Red - might be easier to send a PM or maybe even call the Factory and ask them about the issue and when the fix was implimented for peace of mind.

scallon64 · 03-25-2011, 01:32 AM

Hello, I just purchased my Windjammer two weeks ago and from the very first night we experienced problems with the front stabilizers. The dealer thought told us that we were doing something wrong. Two weeks later and I am still having the same problem. I put the stabilizers down and by morning the camper is leaning to the left where the slide outs are. When I pulled the camper onto a concrete slab and it was perfectly level front to back and side to side, I put the stabilizers down and the same thing happened. Leaning to the left.

Needless to say, I am not happy with this.

Does anyone know if the Windjammer is an all season TT. I purchased it in Texas and they knew I was moving to WA with it to live in for six months to a year. When I was inquiring here about the stabilizers I was told from a Forest River dealer here in WA that the Windjammer was not made for all season and that if I live in it for more than three months, it voids my warranties on the stove, furnace, fridge etc. Anyone familiar with this???

Thanks,
scallon64

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