Forum Discussion

24tucson's avatar
24tucson
Explorer
Sep 02, 2015

Lippert Frame Failures

I have a 37 ft 2005 Keystone Copper Canyon Sprinter. The part of the trailer frame that the pin box bolts to is breaking away from the rest of the trailer frame. The frame is manufactured by Lippert. We noticed a buckle in the floor of the end cap wardrobe closet after returning home from a trip. In looking for the source of the problem, I shined a light up into the area where the pin box is attached to the frame and saw that 4 welds, each about 4 inches long, were broken. Obviously a very serious problem. I searched the forum for similar incidences of this occurring. I was hoping to find some information on what other 5er owners did to address the problem.

What I found, much to my dismay, is bickering among posters about the possible cause, bumpy highways, etc, etc. The real cause is poor design, engineering and/or workmanship.

This is a major safety hazard! In searching various forums, I found bits and pieces of information but it's difficult to pull all the info together. I believe this problem may be larger than meets the eye. How many people shine a light up into the pin box area (if you can even get at it) and inspect the welds?

Anybody got any suggestions?
  • WyoTraveler's avatar
    WyoTraveler
    Explorer
    Sep 02, 2015
    Did you purchase new or used? Reason I ask is some of the problems are caused by using goose neck hitches i.e. adapters instead of a 5er hitch. See it a lot more rural where owners have both a 5er and goose neck horse or stock trailer. I'm not saying that was the cause of your problem but you may want to search in that area of the forum for info. If you bought used could be PO used a goose neck adapter.
  • RedRam's avatar
    RedRam
    Explorer
    Sep 02, 2015
    24tucson,several years ago there was a place in the Dallas,Tx area that fixed that problem for less then 1K dollars.I went through basically the same thing but my RV manufacturer fixed it for me.I pulled it to Elkart to their factory and let them do the repairs under warranty.While it was in the shop they fixed anything else we wern't happy with.
    You might give Lippert a call and see what they suggest as a starter.
  • n7bsn's avatar
    n7bsn
    Explorer
    Sep 02, 2015
    A couple years ago Lippert made a big deal about them getting "all" their welders certified.
    My response was EH? The firms that built their own frames all use certified welders.
    Think there is a reason?
    Honestly there were way too many failures in Lippert frames, and almost none from the other makers.
    From what I heard the firms selling rigs with Lippert frames were also getting tired of customer complaining about failed welds

    Recently (last two three years) it appears Lippert has their process "under control"
  • slomark's avatar
    slomark
    Explorer
    Sep 03, 2015
    My 30' sundance xlt, was showing almost .375" of flex on one side, despite this flex being within Lippert's standards, I decided to investigate further and removed the plastic flex on the underside of the bulkhead providing access to the entire area. Yep the welds are fast and hot, but after 20k miles everything appeared okay.

    You might consider removing the plastic, and arranging for a mobile welder to reweld and insert gussets.

    When reattaching the plastic I increased the number of screws by 3x. A box of finish washer painted white with a clear coat, and they blend in somewhat better.

    I determined the flex was also due in part to the plastic flex not being properly attached.

    The tech support at Heartland was immensely helpful, and it was their suggestion to instal an air pin box, went with the try-glide, and it has removed much of the stress on the equipment when towing on rough roads.
  • laknox's avatar
    laknox
    Nomad
    Sep 03, 2015
    24tucson wrote:
    I have a 37 ft 2005 Keystone Copper Canyon Sprinter. The part of the trailer frame that the pin box bolts to is breaking away from the rest of the trailer frame. The frame is manufactured by Lippert. We noticed a buckle in the floor of the end cap wardrobe closet after returning home from a trip. In looking for the source of the problem, I shined a light up into the area where the pin box is attached to the frame and saw that 4 welds, each about 4 inches long, were broken. Obviously a very serious problem. I searched the forum for similar incidences of this occurring. I was hoping to find some information on what other 5er owners did to address the problem.

    What I found, much to my dismay, is bickering among posters about the possible cause, bumpy highways, etc, etc. The real cause is poor design, engineering and/or workmanship.

    This is a major safety hazard! In searching various forums, I found bits and pieces of information but it's difficult to pull all the info together. I believe this problem may be larger than meets the eye. How many people shine a light up into the pin box area (if you can even get at it) and inspect the welds?

    Anybody got any suggestions?


    Lippert frames in that time frame were noted for problems. There are usually 3 issues, IMO; 1) Lippert's horrendous build quality. Nice-looking welds that had little to no penetration, just plain lousy welds and welds too short. 2) Mfrs not bothering to check the frames as they come in and correcting, or rejecting, poorly built frames. 3) Lippert building to a deficient spec by the mfr, then building it badly. From my reading here the past few years, repairs have run from a few hundred to a couple thousand, depending on how bad the breaks were and how much damage had been done.

    Lyle
  • B_O__Plenty's avatar
    B_O__Plenty
    Explorer II
    Sep 03, 2015
    Last I heard Lippert was fixing that problem on any frames they built for Heartland in that period, no charge. I know of one that was just fixed recently. Can't speak for the other manufacturers.

    B.O.
  • Mile_High's avatar
    Mile_High
    Explorer
    Sep 03, 2015
    Most likely neither Keystone or Lippert will stand behind you because of the age, but worth a shot.

    You aren't the first with the issue by a long shot. Don't blame the roads, the hitch, the driver.....it was a bad design with poor workmanship.

About Fifth Wheel Group

19,006 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 13, 2025