Bent frame and suspension issue

WileyCoyote214 wrote:
Long story short...

I have a Cyclone 5w Toy Hauler (1 year old and 11k mileage) that had a tire wear issue. Took it to the local authorized dealer/service shop for alignment who determined the suspension hangers were layed-over in different directions and binding. Also they noted the right frame I-beam was "bent" above both rear axles, in addition to having a cracked weld on the opposite side cross member. In their opinion it was a manufacturer defect and they also would be unable to repair the suspension due to the frame bending (description below). I took it up with Lippert and their reaction was to deny a problem.

After consulting 2 more QUALIFIED shops in the area and hiring a forensic engineering firm (Insurance Company)... the consensus was the same: Manufacturing Defect leading to suspension failure, leading to tire damage. Now Lippert agrees to look at it and they transport the coach to their factory.

HERE IS THE KICKER...

Lippert says the frame has no damage and that the "frame flexing" is "normal". In my case, if one puts a straight edge to the frame I-beam above the tandem rear axles, there is a "wave/bend" in it that measures up to 1/2" from trough to apex.

I have a hard time believing that they manufacture frames that are supposed to bend. In addition I have spoken with 2 authorized dealers, who have over 100 years combined experience in RV sales/service, only to hear that none of them know of any such "flex allowance" in the frame. There is a tolerance for a frame being out of square, however that is not the case with mine.

I have religiously weighed the RV to make sure it's not overloaded and still have the scale receipts. The coach has also not been in any type of collision/road hazard incident, nor has it been turned in excess of 75-80 degrees.

MY QUESTIONS TO YOU ALL:
- Have you heard of such frame damage from NORMAL use?

- Have you heard of an "allowance" for frames to bend/distort due to normal use?

Thank you for your advice and experience in advance!

Welcome to RV.net.:) Sorry you had to search us out because of a serious problem:M
As another poster said "Lippert Strikes again" I;m surprised they did not tell you that the damage was self inflicted as they have with many other unfortunately people.
Go into the fifthwheel forum and search for "Lippert frame bent" and you can read for hours.
In the end you will be forced to find a good trailer welder to straighten and re-inforce the frame and build an X-brace between your frame members and then do the same with your springs hangers.
While you are at it you might as well install heavier axles and get some quality rubber under that trailer.
Good luck trying to get the manufacturer or Lippert to make it right. And no! No noticeable amount of flex is normal.

For your reading displeasure
Boggles my mind that they would even suggest that:R
It also boggles my mind when a manufacturer installs a trim strip at the bottom of a bedroom slideout corner to cover a crack and calls that normal.
This tells me the frame is sagging in relation to the sidewall and stressing the sidewall, trying to pull it apart from the frame.
Build the blankety-blank frames (including the sidewalls) strong enough and weld them well enough that they don't deviate in the first place.
"Soap Box Closed"