poor frame design on travel trailer

Huntindog wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Huntindog wrote:

mountainkowboy wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
With that type of A-frame/trailer frame I would be more concerned with 'failure'

Saw that and tight away thought of Lippert components.

Lippert builds ****, I've seen 12 year olds that can weld better than them.

I have had 3 different TTs with 3 different frame makers. My present one is Lippert. It is by far the best.
Very heavy duty and top notch welds. I am a welder, so I know a little about the subject.

Having said that, I think a lot of the credit goes to the TT builder as to what they spec in a frame... As for the welds... Why is everyone buying these TTs that have bad welds?
They are usually pretty easy to spot on a TT. Even when new.

A good weld, generally looks good, even to the untrained eye. Bad welds, (like my first well used TT) are just the opposite. That first of mine had terrible welds. It never caused any trouble, probably because it was way heavier than needed. I guess in 1973, using very heavy metal was the solution.

Today, like everything else, most builders buy JUST ENOUGH to barely do the job.

You must have recieved a fluke from Lippert. From what I have seen on every Lippert frame I have owned (3), or have seen that were owned by others or at dealers and shows, the welding looks like donkey dung. I have a little experience with welding from 30+ years in commercial and Industrial construction management.

We bought a 2013 Keystone based on seeing a friend's 2012 which was the same model. His 2012 was on a frame made by Dexter. Our 2013 had a Lippert frame as Lippert had acquired Dexters axle division. What a difference.

What brand and model trailer has this great Lippert frame? I am seriously curious.

An RV manufacturer specs the frame as to overall dimensions, weight of trailer, and other design considerations but Lippert does the actual design and engineering and are the ones backing the frame from a warranty perspective. Good luck with that fight if you ever need that warranty. The RV manufacturer is looking for the cheapest price and Lippert will provide. What they save on the frame is used on the cheap eye candy which helps sales (also mostly supplied by Lippert) without affecting bottom line.

Some of the welding and more importantly reinforcement were so questionable on our 2017 Rockwood, within the first month of ownership I was adding additional reinforcement as well as fabricating water tank supports.

My TT is a Palomino Sabre 30BHDS.

It has a real I beam frame. 10" tall and 1/4" thick. It is more stout than most TTs of it's size.

Sabre is a FR company, but they let it run as a seperate entity.
It is noticeable in the floor plans and features. They are different from the other FR brands.

As for Lippert, I had an axle problem out of warranty.
Lippert could have easily weasled on me. But they stood up and treated me right. I wrote about that here on this forum at the time.

I consider Lippert a stand up company That tries to do the right thing.

In as much as I live 60 miles from the factory (Palomino), I've been there numerous time and I've never seen a 'I' beam anywhere on the property except as part of the building structure.

No one that I know of, not even shanty builders use I' beams. They are all fabricated (welded) hot rolled steel, usually the cheapest stuff they can get.

I've never said they screw everybody. They do however screw a fair number.

There is a huge labor issue in north central Indiana so in a dried up labor pool, if it has a pulse and can pass a pee test, you hire it.... and that shows in spades in RV's and not just FR products either.

I always get a chuckle out of the 'Amish Craftsmen' line. Having dealt with the Amish for many years, I'm here to tell you they don't give a darn about craftsmanship, they are just there to collect a paycheck. Having said that, I'm sure there are some good ones who do care but, for the most part, they are just a clock number.

Until supply outpaces demand nothing will change. When that happens (and it will), the overall build quality will improve. Until then, it will always be a crapshoot.