Lippert Frame? - Coachmen Apex
Through reading a number of topics here I find more people not a fan of Lippert frames than those that are. We narrowed down the RV to a Coachmen Apex and the sales rep stated they use a Lippert f...
Forum Discussion
When I went out to SunnyBrook a few years back, I had frame complaints about spring hanger mounting. Very poor accuracy of location and welds were not acceptable. I was directed by the folks at Sunnybrook to the local facility where the frame was made, and hoping to get a tour and talk to someone there about quality, I called the factory. I did manage to talk to the facility manager, and though he was sorry about my troubles, he told me they are not set up to give tours, so that wasn't going to happen. During our talk on the phone, he described in detail the manufacturing process whereby they inaccurately weld the spring hangers on, and that told me everything I needed to know about why quality was so poor. He also admitted he doesn't own a trailer and doesn't give much attention to the subject of camping/towing!
That said, the newer Lippert frames I saw during our Sunnybrook tour actually looked very good. Apparently, they all make junk at various points in their process to one degree or another. Might pay to look at the actual unit you're going to buy beforehand if at all possible. First you have to know what you're looking at, and not everybody does. Lots of people have no issues with Lippert frames. I was not one of them. It cost me over $400 to align the trailer by moving spring hangers that they should have gotten right at the factory. Lesson learned.
That said, the newer Lippert frames I saw during our Sunnybrook tour actually looked very good. Apparently, they all make junk at various points in their process to one degree or another. Might pay to look at the actual unit you're going to buy beforehand if at all possible. First you have to know what you're looking at, and not everybody does. Lots of people have no issues with Lippert frames. I was not one of them. It cost me over $400 to align the trailer by moving spring hangers that they should have gotten right at the factory. Lesson learned.
