Does this frame cross-member break matter?
Yes, I suppose it matters. I was chasing a plumbing issue and discovered this when I opened up the underbelly of the rig. At first I thought it was one of the black tank supports but on closer ins...
Forum Discussion
Cracks and problems are typically near spring hangers due to the high lateral forces which occur when turning. Each set of axles has a different turning radius around a turn and when making a sharp turn, like when turning a street corner or backing into a site, 2 of the 3 axles will get dragged across the ground. This forces the spring hangers to swing left/right and causes a lot of stress to the frame components and structure.
Is that maybe a floor joist? If so, the floor would be under-supported and possibly cause other problems above the floor level. Looks like a fatigue failure from repetitive high stress. Lippert frames are built the least substantial they can make them to save weight and $$ and who knows what a missing connection like that could do. Their welding can be substandard also. Is there anything else nearby that ties the two I-beams together? A piece of 2x2 tubing tying I-beams together is common and *if* there is nearby, at least the I-beams will be held together relative to each other. If the frame is indeed parallelogramming, it's not out of the question that there could be fatigue cracks in the vertical webs of the I-beams in the area around the spring hangers.
If it were me, I'd want to take down all the coroplast and inspect the entire frame. You might consider adding re-enforcement in some locations. Tying the spring hangers togther as mentioned by Lynnmor could help. It looks like that break has been there a while which could have over-stressed other areas of the frame? Not exactly the best time of the year having to deal with something like that but I would take care of it asap as mentioned above. If you were to take all the coroplast down, might be a good idea to take the trailer to a frame shop for an inspection and recommendations if needed, plus they can do the repair (and maybe in a better way than just re-attaching it like it was).
Good luck and it would be nice to see some after photos.
Is that maybe a floor joist? If so, the floor would be under-supported and possibly cause other problems above the floor level. Looks like a fatigue failure from repetitive high stress. Lippert frames are built the least substantial they can make them to save weight and $$ and who knows what a missing connection like that could do. Their welding can be substandard also. Is there anything else nearby that ties the two I-beams together? A piece of 2x2 tubing tying I-beams together is common and *if* there is nearby, at least the I-beams will be held together relative to each other. If the frame is indeed parallelogramming, it's not out of the question that there could be fatigue cracks in the vertical webs of the I-beams in the area around the spring hangers.
If it were me, I'd want to take down all the coroplast and inspect the entire frame. You might consider adding re-enforcement in some locations. Tying the spring hangers togther as mentioned by Lynnmor could help. It looks like that break has been there a while which could have over-stressed other areas of the frame? Not exactly the best time of the year having to deal with something like that but I would take care of it asap as mentioned above. If you were to take all the coroplast down, might be a good idea to take the trailer to a frame shop for an inspection and recommendations if needed, plus they can do the repair (and maybe in a better way than just re-attaching it like it was).
Good luck and it would be nice to see some after photos.
