Lippert Frame Defects on Wolfpack

[Kat]

Update, got a message from my forest river rep when i got home friday night. He wants me to call. Will be calling him back monday and hope he has reevaluated this situation. Sure be nice if they decide to stand behind there product.

[terry.e]

Hi Kat,
Sorry to hear about your problem. I have a 2007 Cardinal with a cracked frame as well. Got the same story Please send photos - next email - Sorry out of warranty. Only way to fight back is tell anybody/everybody you can about the "quality" of lippert frames. Talked to an aquaintance that has put a deposit on a 2012 V Cross. Told him to go home and search frame cracks and lippert frames, He called me and he said he was going to see if the dealer will allow him to switch his deposit to any other trailer that does not have a lippert frame under it. Good luck.

Terry

[Kat]

It's very frustating. We pay good money for our rigs and expect a certain degree of quality to go along with them. One would think that a certain level of inspections go into thes espicall when you are doing 60mph down the road with about 10,00ibs behind you. Where are all the safety check, where are all the state laws to protect people from getting hurt when one of these trailer experience seperation. Where is the DOT stamp of approval. Where is or great nation taking us!!

[DDC]

All must report these issues to the NHTSA or government department responsible for road safety, someone will eventually be killed by this lowering of standards just to cut costs and if there are no complaints registered this company may well get away with this, the government dept will act as it will be their problem if they don't and someone is killed.

[brookside]

How can I tell if I have a frame that might have this defect? I have a 2012 17rr

[Kat]

The best suggestion I can give you is to get a flashlight and mirror get on the floor and start looking at all welds, frame members, cross beams and the area around your axles. These frame failure are huge with fifth wheelers because of the stress that goes in the pin box area, but not to sure about a bumper pull, but if Lippert built it I will be very cautious and take a good long look.

[Mountainmanbob]

Originally Posted by DDC

lowering of standards just to cut costs

this could be a possible reason -- but

we see on the news many times these days
groups of factory workers caught by the news teams
hanging out together and doing naughty naughty
during their breaks and lunch time lunch

I would think that there is a good chance
that the welders at the trailer factory
if they wanted to
can lay down the best of beads
but
possibly they are just lazy slackers
and the ones inspecting their work
are their friends and slackers also
thus
possibly
having some sort of party on the job ??

let us face it
the factory at the very least
should do an internal investigation
so as to see

What Is Really Going On ????????

----- as we still note -----

it appears that ((( too light ))) of a
((( gage metal ))) may be
responsible cause of many failures ??

Mountainmanbob

[crocus]

The welds are not the problem.
The metal Lippert is using is simply too light.
Lippert obviously didn't have an engineer design these frames, they just slap them together with the lightest and cheapest crap they can.

But the buyers of these units are also to blame, as everyone wants a cheap and lightweight unit they can pull with their cheap 1/2 ton. The factory has responded, providing a cheap and lightweight unit.

Another example I saw was someone complaining about the floor in their lightweight sagging. But they were full-timing in it! Nothing in the lightweights is made for people using them as a house. The buyer should have bought a unit made for the job.

So yes, Lippert is to blame for building garbage frames. But buyers are to blame for continuing to buy them, and then complaining. I knew the limitations of my fifth before I bought it, most don't do any research.

[Mountainmanbob]

Originally Posted by crocus

they can pull with their cheap 1/2 ton.

The factory has responded, providing a cheap and lightweight unit.

are 1/2 ton trucks coming in from China ??
because I have seen no cheap ones here in So Calif

is that truly the American way
"I will just sell them what they think they can afford"
"it may fall apart before long"
"oh well"
"they get only what they paid for"
"they should have known better"
"now back to my own thoughts"
"our family wants a RV trailer"
"where the heck am I going to find one" ??

"just giving them what they want"


not sure about that
Mountainman

[crocus]

What I meant was people do not want to spend the money on a proper towing vehicle, nor do they want to spend what it takes to buy a weel-made camper.
But of course you already knew that.