Arctic Wolf Totaled..

[doc73]

Well it's been real fun… But our 2018 Wolf is being totaled. I had been keeping it mostly under wraps as I was hoping to have some assistance with some of this from FR, but not shockingly was ghosted with no returned calls or emails. Sorry long….

Back in August we had a great trip to the OBX. While traveling through VA on 95 we encountered a not so well milled section of highway as it transitioned to a bridge bottoming out the truck and trailer. Shortly after we started to get a lot of movement in the front end of the camper and the marker lamps went out, blowing the truck’s fuse. We stopped for fuel a bit later and when I went inside the trailer I found the entire front wall had literally exploded into the bedroom and shards of aluminum studs were all over the front end of the camper and it cracked the end table counter tops in half.

We manage to limp home hoping to not be stranded far from home but we manage to get home safe. We get the trailer to the shop at the end of August and they think a crossmember of the pin brackets to the frame might have broken so apart the trailer comes. But, the frame is intact, no cracks, no bends so issues. They did find a few things in the pin box that were a bit of movement but not what we were seeing. Turns out FR has 1” holes for the pin to bolt to, but they used ½” grade 5 bolts and because of this gap and bolt type, they all bent upwards into a nice frown face.

Now since the frame is fine we start looking into other things. Shop takes the trailer and lifts the front end with a forklift and the pin starts to sink into the underside of the trailer then the trailer lifts. Turns out the frame and side walls were no longer attached to each other. Further investigation found the floor was also no longer attached to the frame. All three parts are now able to move in different directions. Turns out that bolt (see below) that had been coming loose all that time ago was one of only 2 bolts that actually held the body of the trailer to the frame. Instead the whole thing was held together with a bunch of 2.5” wood screws. Many of which never even hit their mark behind the walls from the frame and those that did all the shanks sheared off since they were not ever intended to support the load of a trailer let alone one driving down a roadway.

Now I fully know this hit on the road transition did not help a thing this started long ago and I think this was just the nail in the trailer’s coffin. Sad that our then 40K trailer was only held with 2.5” screws and no other proper fasters. I am used to the usual crappy build quality, I’ve had a few FR products over the years, but this was shocking.

Normally I would not expect anything from FR but this all is looking like it began back in 2018 the manager for the Wolf line was asked about some bolts I found in the front bedroom that had walked out of the frame / side walls in the bedroom. I was assured it was not an issue but they kept backing out. Later that year and into 2019 the front wall started to come loose and began to crush itself to which in 2019 FR repaired a front wall issue at the International Rally. Lasted about a year before it started to tear itself apart again but now I was out of warranty and on my own. So I made repairs and added brackets to try and save the front wall. But, alas, here we are… So off to a new chapter in our camping book and onto new adventures I guess!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KiQdNoDQ4WiFK39i9

[5picker]

Oh my! What a shame.
Glad you got home and I sure hope somewhere along the line something gets better for your situation.
Insurance I hope?
Did the landing gear hit?

[doc73]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Oh my! What a shame.
Glad you got home and I sure hope somewhere along the line something gets better for your situation.
Insurance I hope?
Did the landing gear hit?

Initially it was going to be on us to deal with but they reversed since the final death blow came from a road impact. No impact from the landing gear into the ground. But everything everything bottomed out, I was shocked I did not loose a tire. Several cars were strewn along the roadside with flats.

[rmac04401]

Pat. As I said when we texted. Sorry to hear about this.

I hope FR may give you some relief after the fact. I am glad that your family was not hurt, or your truck. We can always look on the bright side, but that does not diminish the disappointment in the situation.

Good luck.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by rmac04401

Pat. As I said when we texted. Sorry to hear about this.

I hope FR may give you some relief after the fact. I am glad that your family was not hurt, or your truck. We can always look on the bright side, but that does not diminish the disappointment in the situation.

Good luck.

I agree, I have been doing my best at remaining positive. Once the initial stress of the event was over for us and the insurance was starting to deal with it (a whole other mess, thanks covid) I felt better. But like we had spoken I am disappointed in FR and a few there. But this will allow us a clean slate and get us started over again.. So more mods LOL. But it will clear us of the black cloud that always seemed to follow the wolf from the start. I do not expect FR to ever reach out at this point and, well, we are beyond that now I guess.

[doc73]

Wolf is no more.. Signed over to Sate Farm today and paid out. Sad to see it go but off to a new chapter in life!

[FirstFiver]

VA has the worst road to bridge elevation problems of any state I have traveled.

I was towing a cargo trailer on the 295 loop around Richmond and I thought I was going to lose the trailer. Bounced so high it yanked the cord out of the bumper.

Then up until about a month ago there was a huge pothole right under the overpass by the exit for General RV and I believe it's McGeorge's on the southbound side of 95 before the 95/295 split. I hit that and thought I broke an axle.
I have found that if you veer over when you come to the bridge overpasses and ride the lines for the lanes the impact is not as bad as when you are in the worn tire valleys.