Chassis (frames) mfg??

Me Again wrote:

webslave wrote:


As for Lippert? For the amount of frames that the company produces, they would, statistically, have a higher failure rate. They are, by far, the largest producer of frames, not only for RVs, but, other towables as well. I don't worry about whether the frame I'm pulling is Lippert or not. You can get a bad frame from anyone.

I think you are confusing failure rate (a percentage) with failure number! If they have a higher failure rate, shame on them. If they have a higher failure number, that is understandable.

Chris

Yep...my mistake :o Meant higher number. Percentage (rate) would still be low given the number of units manufactured. Type faster, at my age, than the brain synapses fire.

Any company that makes a higher quantity of a product should have a lower failure rate than small quantity makers because they should know more about how to make a higher quality product. However, that doesn't seem to be Lippert's or their customer's primary objective. In my observation it appears to me their primary objective is to reduce costs not improve quality. And they get away with it because we RV buyers accept low quality!

maybe my point should have been if a welder can make it look good why not do it.


Kinda like having PRIDE doing a good job.
For years I have heard welders say they were the best. My father in-law had lots of welder working for him but that was the old days of doing a good job meant you had a job.

chevman

webslave wrote:


As for Lippert? For the amount of frames that the company produces, they would, statistically, have a higher failure rate. They are, by far, the largest producer of frames, not only for RVs, but, other towables as well. I don't worry about whether the frame I'm pulling is Lippert or not. You can get a bad frame from anyone.

I think you are confusing failure rate (a percentage) with failure number! If they have a higher failure rate, shame on them. If they have a higher failure number, that is understandable.

Chris

Merely looking at a weld cannot tell you how good the weld is. My little sister is a welder, I'm not. I asked her one time if there was a way to tell a good weld from a bad weld...her reply was "No, not without x-ray or magnafluxing the weld seam. She explained that it was possible to lay down a perfectly smooth bead and not have penetrated the metal at all (in effect, no weld at all) and that a really ugly weld could have perfect penetration and good flow, just lousy technique. No real way to tell how good the weld is by looking at it. A professional can do a better job "eyeballing" a seam, but, to the layman or casual welder there is no "visual" way to ascertain for certain. You can get a better idea if you can see both sides, that will at least let you know if the seam was adequately penetrated, but, if you can only see one side, you are kind of lost. That's why for high pressure pipelines or critical applications, they use machines to check and verify the welds as opposed to a purely visual inspection. That's how she explained it to me and I, while looking at a weld, can determine if the weld is "pretty" or not, I withhold judgment on the durability of the weld. I've seen (and done, I have a welder for my farm equipment and "ugly" is my welding ability) plenty of "ugly" welds in my lifetime that have held up better than the "prettiest" of them.

As for Lippert? For the amount of frames that the company produces, they would, statistically, have a higher failure rate. They are, by far, the largest producer of frames, not only for RVs, but, other towables as well. I don't worry about whether the frame I'm pulling is Lippert or not. You can get a bad frame from anyone.

Ooops... Should read "have higher number of failures", not a higher failure rate...see what happens when you get old! Fast fingers, slower brain. Thanks for picking up on that for me. :C

I was a construction worker all od my working like but not a welder. I looked under a big horn that was on display at our winter's rv resort. Looking under it I saw poor welding so a friend was a welder for his work and he looked and agreed with me. Shoddy welding . So does this mean the welds are bad or just ugly. I have seen great looking welds and always thought that is the way they should look.
chevman

I know as said that Excel, New Horizon and Lifestyle make their own frames. All are very strong. DRV frames are Lippert but they are massive and heavy. Lifestyle is the only one that advertises not only making their own frames but using USA made steel. If you look at some of the Lippert products you will see the old Made in China. So maybe it was not an attempt at humor. Anyway good luck.

By the way does aanaayone know if KZ 5th wheels use the Lippert frame,

Yes they do use Lippert.

Lippert I have read somewhere makes over 60 % of all Rv frames and has the most reported on forum problems. I have never seen any documentation that indicates the % of frame failures vs the number of frames built for Lippert.
Of course if yours failed that is one to many.

Ok thanks, I used to be a very short time member of Heartland forum until I guess I asked too many questions about the Lippert frames they were using. Their mod said I was a "trouble maker" and wouldn't let me post anymore. Seems like all I read was how the frames were cracking around the king pin....just amazes me how they can continue to sell this junk.

And "pressure welder" I know exactly what you mean about the shoddy welds, very scary to look up under one of the new rigs. By the way does aanaayone know if KZ 5th wheels use the Lippert frame, can't get the factory to return my calls so they are just about out of the game because of that.....thank again for the info.....Dave