Forum Discussion

Whangler's avatar
Whangler
Explorer II
May 04, 2016

Ever had TT frame failure?

Has anyone ever had a trailer frame or aluminum structure fail?
Your expert opinions are always appreciated here on Open Roads. Thanks.
Best Regards,
  • Frame problems?? Don't get me started... :M

    Some TTs have a frame that has I-beams that are 3 pieces of mild steel welded together and look like a "regular" rolled steel I-beam. These are weak and flex a LOT. I'd love to get into details, but I can't. I do not know if R-Vision trailers have them or not. If it does have this type, it will NOT stand up in the long run and I would fix it up and sell it.

    Even if it has a regular I-beam frame, look carefully above the spring hangers and see if there are any cracks in the vertical web. Frames with regular I-beams may not stand up to a lot of rough & bumpy roads. Lippert, which makes the vast majority of TT frames, does not make them all alike and some have more re-enforcing compared to other makes/models. If you want a frame that will stand up to harder usage, Nash and Outdoors RV have an off-road certified frame.

    If a frame flexes too much, the aluminum superstructure can be damaged. This photo is what I found in our last TT with a weak frame and shows a failed weld. The weld is poor to start with. I only accidentally found this while doing a mod in the pass-through storage. This was after only a few months or less of ownership and with few miles. Most mileage (around 2K) was from Indiana to the west coast.

    I would take the trailer to a reputable frame & axle shop with experience in TTs and get their opinion. If you look at other TTs, the welding of the A-frame to I-beams just doesn't look adequate and the weld quality is not that good. The second photo is an A-frame that came complete failed.

    Not surprised to hear that cabinetry failed. They are typically held in place with a handful of screws or staples. I was looking inside our microwave compartment last week and couldn't believe how little there is holding the MW and upper cabinets in place. Added some more screws.

  • B-n-B's avatar
    B-n-B
    Explorer III
    Take a magnet to your frame to see if it's aluminum. As stated above it's prolly just the framing in the walls. Perhaps the frame is doing just fine and the structure around it is being beat to death and failing, or collapsing in a way that gives the appearance of frame failure? Either way I hope it's not catastrophic.
  • On our 5th trailer and never had a frame failure.

    I doubt your "frame" is aluminum. Frames are always steel. You probably have aluminum framing in the walls...and possibly the roof.

    Good luck with it. And sadly, terrible roads are not limited to Calif.