All,Looking at new 5th wheels and I wanted to ask about the frames. I know that Lippert frames have all kinds of issues on travel trailers but what about 5th wheels? Are they in that market and if so, any manufacturers out there that don't use Lippert? Thanks!

Yes, Lippert is in the 5th wheel frame arena. I believe they pretty much dominate it.Northwood has frames built to their own spec....beefy.There may be others that don't use Lippert, so hopefully those in the know will chime in.

Mike E. wrote:Yes, Lippert is in the 5th wheel frame arena. I believe they pretty much dominate it.Northwood has frames built to their own spec....beefy.There may be others that don't use Lippert, so hopefully those in the know will chime in.Most of the brands under the Forest River or Thor umbrellas use Lippert frames. Some Jayco models were, or were,using Norco frames. Grand Design uses Lippert frames. It sure is easier to list brands that do not use Lippert and any brand can change without notice, so Caveat Emptor. Lippert bought out frame divisions, such as Dexter, and by lowballing/undercutting put many smaller fabricators out of business.

Northwood in house frames. One reason i am ordering one this fall for next year. 2 years for retierment. Had frame flexing on my Forest River Sandpiper. Never own another.

Northwood/Outdoor RV, Spacecraft, New Horizon and Forks. That's it for in house frames.

Smart to bypass the glitz and look at the frames with all the issues out there. As a buddy who is a home builder says, the most important part is the foundation it sits on. His homes don't travel at 65mph either.

5th Wheel Frames | Good Sam Community

N-Trouble
Explorer
Jul 12, 2017
My Lippert frame developed large foot long horizontal cracks between the wheels. This occurred after <2yrs of buying shortly after I did a spring over axle flip. Lippert covered the repairs and beefed up the frame/added crossmembers. I also have more flex than I like at the pinbox and the mounts for the pinbox were not welded on level making the pinbox lean to one side when the trailer is level.

You can say I'm not impressed with Lippert...
laknox
Nomad
Jul 13, 2017
N-Trouble wrote:
My Lippert frame developed large foot long horizontal cracks between the wheels. This occurred after <2yrs of buying shortly after I did a spring over axle flip. Lippert covered the repairs and beefed up the frame/added crossmembers. I also have more flex than I like at the pinbox and the mounts for the pinbox were not welded on level making the pinbox lean to one side when the trailer is level.

You can say I'm not impressed with Lippert...

And let's not forget the one guy with a recent model FW that was having tire issues and decided to have his FW aligned at a truck shop. Found that the king pin was a full 3/4" off-center. Yeah, that's =real= quality...

Lyle
Learjet
Explorer
Jul 13, 2017
I got luck, my signature rig has a BAL frame. I really like it, but Wildcat went back to Lippert to save cost.
N-Trouble
Explorer
Jul 13, 2017
This is a good example of what lack of competitiom in the market gets you.
Ralph_Cramden
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2017
n7bsn wrote:
About three years ago Lippert made big deal about how now all their frame welders were certified and all welds were inspected.

Of course that implies before, they weren't.

Since that time the number of complaints about new rigs having frame failures has seriously decreased.

Certified by whom? Captain Kangaroo, Barney, SpongeBob Squarepants? LOL

A year or two ago I happened upon an LCI help wanted ad at some Indiana newspapers website for welders. $12.50 an hour, no experience necessary, will train.

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