WTH ?

Lynmor, I'm sorry your choice of trailer didn't work out for you. However, I think you are wrong to discount the idea that some folks have bought trailers that they are happy with and it's not blind luck. I reviewed your list of complaints and my trailer has not suffered from any of those issues in the 4 years I've owned it. Well, the tires (Goodyear) were made in China but served me well until I replaced them last year due to age. When shopping, you have to prioritize what you want, do research and recognize that you may have to pay a premium for some level of quality. My trailer is a small 17' fiberglass Casita. For the same $20,000, I might have bought a 25' with slide out and space to sleep 6, rather than 2. I chose quality of construction, low maintenance and depreciation over size. It was a trade off, but right for me.

myredracer wrote:
O gawd, frame quality? Don't get me started... It's shameful what many of the TT manufacturers do.

Gil, I guess we both bought the "wrong" trailer. In a previous post was a fellow that knows how to buy the right trailer. Yea, right, there is no right trailer with all the poor quality frames, suspension parts and brakes. If/when I buy another it will be a Northwood Mfg. unit with at least a real frame, and upgrade things like the stupid plastic bushings.

I was at an RV show on Saturday and looked under a new S261RK. They now have a frame about the same as your improved model and they added a leveling system. I am sure the original junk frame would not have handled the stresses of leveling behind the axles.

goducks10 wrote:
As for the springs, look at the cargo carrying capacity. It should be as high as you can get. Stay away from trailers that have 900-1500lbs of CCC. By the time you load up with gear and maybe water you'll be pushing the limits.

This statement needs qualification. CCC is also dependent on the size of the TT. Mine only has about 1300 pounds, but it tops out at 5500 max, and it really doesn't have the space to carry more anyway. Max load is 23% of the max weight, and almost 31% of the dry weight, which I would consider pretty good.

I can't imagine a typical TT at 3500 dry weight with a ton or more of cargo capacity.

Once you buy an RV you will not need another hobby.

Yes over 12 years I have replaced springs(sagging causing alingnment issues), suspension(worn and was replacing springs), upgraded tires(blow out, lost tread), new wheels(pin hole in the steel), and soon to install disk brakes :B
Axles themselves are still original(knocks on wood) and frame is also holding fine.

And that is just suspension. But again that is over time well spent enjoying the trailer.

O gawd, frame quality? Don't get me started... It's shameful what many of the TT manufacturers do.

Before buying, look at the axle rating and load capacity rating of the tires. Some manufacturers load them right up to their ratings. Take 12-13 percent off the GVWR for the tongue weight removed from the axles. (Tongue weight can be up near 15 percent sometimes tho.) You want at least 10-15 percent reserve load capacity in the tires and more is better. In some cases tires are loaded right up and the manufacturer has not accounted for a TT weighing more on one side due to slides, kitchens, etc. Maxed out tires invites blowouts and maxed out axles invites bent axles. Some manufacturers offer optional tires with higher load rating.

Avoid buying a TT that has a frame made from 3 pieces of sheet steel welded together and *look* like like a regular I-beam. They flex a LOT and can cause serious issues including damage to the superstructure like aluminum framing in the photo. We took a TT with the flexible frame to a frame & axle shop with in days from buying it new and they said it was the worst frame they had EVER seen. They said much of the welding was very substandard.

Get a TT that has a higher CCC rating. Some are down around 1500 lbs and some are up around 3000 lbs. Some CCC figures cannot be trusted and actual dry weight can be higher than the factory dry weight figure. Ours is 190 lbs higher than what the sticker says it was when it left the factory. Low CCC can sometimes result in overloading. If we were to travel with one full holding tank, we'd be over the GVWR.

Brakes, brake wiring, bearings, bushings and even the springs can be a problem. Frames & components have a minimal coating of paint and if your TT was delivered in the winter with salt on the road, you can end up with rust everywhere. The enclosed underbellies are mostly there to hide bad workmanship (being facetious but there is some truth to this). Holding tanks can be poorly secured to the frame and on occasion will drop out. "Heat underbelly"? Want your furnace to heat the great outdoors? They just run a duct or two under the frame without a return.

Sometimes the welding on frames is so bad that they break in a major way. The 2nd photo is a forum member's TT and the A-frame broke clear off and he had to get a welder to fix it.

IMO, one big contributing factor is the lack of any regulations for frames & suspensions. Manufacturers like Lippert, who own probably around 95+ percent of the market, can and do build frames however they want without repercussion. If there's a problem, they'll say things like "owner overloaded the trailer" or "it's within specs".

Outdoors RV, Nash & Artic Fox use the same in-house built, off-road certified, heavy duty frame. A few manufacturers like Jayco & Lance use the BAL/Norco "Ultra Frame" or "NGX" frame which has no welding on it and uses a type of rivet instead. If we were to ever buy another TT, I'd be looking at any without a Lippert frame like these.

rbpru wrote:
For those who want something different or a cut above the norm, there are companies for that market also. The egg type shells such as Casita and Bigfoot or the tube like Air Stream or the more conventional models such as Lance are often mentioned as being a cut above the rest. This is also reflected in their price.

There are also the modifications made by those who boone dock, winter or desert camp and other such unique camping styles.

I agree that Lance is one of the better manufacturers out there. In fact, their new 2375 is probably my favorite new trailer floor plan. I've toured this floor plan twice in person, but I can't see ever buying a 28 foot total length trailer with only 1,600 pounds cargo capacity and 14" wheels and tires. Fill the fresh water tank and you're already down to a max of 1,200 pounds of cargo before taking into account any options, which isn't all that much. The low profile of the Lances also makes wheel and tire upgrades challenging, and then you're still stuck with lower capacity axles.

If you're into just RV and State parks with full hookups, I'd say the Lances can't be beat, but if you plan on going offroad or boon docking at all, Northwood or Outdoors RV are the two manufacturers I'd be looking at.

Bols2DawaLL,

If one buys a brand new trailer and immediately installs their own upgrades themselves, most dealers will Void factory warranty. Especially when it comes to suspension area upgrades. Try asking your RV dealer if they will install and "provide warranty" on +1 leaf spring pack upgrades, or +1 tire size or etc. etc. Thus, why I wait to AFTER their factory warranty time period has expired.

IMO, there's some things that should be made new factory build code - like much better STAR brake wiring. But, that's a topic for a different post.

From the RV Dealer's view, one doesn't NEED to upgrade suspension items on brand new RV. So, it isn't a concern to them. After all, their product (RV Trailer) meets minimum build specs. Thus, why I "make better myself" AFTER their warranty time period has expired.

This works for me... Especially in our current unfair world....

If you plan to drive good roads with empty tanks to an RV campground, you're probably fine with the trailer as it comes.

If you plan to hit dirt roads to un-improved campsites with a full water tank, you will probably have to beef up the suspension.

If you will be boondocking, you're going to need ground clearance. But, at that point, your average travel trailer will pushed way past the use it was designed for. You will either be spending money to beef the trailer up, or actively shopping for a heavier trailer designed for off road use.

Where a lot of people seem to get into problems is when the trailer has little cargo capacity---meaning the empty weight is close to the axle capacity. Then when you put anything in it, the axles are overloaded. So look for a trailer with a much larger cargo capacity than you think you might need, which translates to a dry weight much lower than the GVWR.

Most trailer tires are not the best quality, although a few brands are OK. If you keep them properly inflated, you should get a couple of years service out of the ones that come on the trailer. At that point, you want to go with a better trailer tire brand, or move to a light truck tire, and possibly a bigger rim.

Bushings wear out, that's the nature of a trailer axle.

Some people do an axle flip, to get more ground clearance.

I dont think there's nearly the problem that there was a few years ago.
My advice is to check the CCC of a new trailer very closely. I want to see a ton or more. This is one of the reasons I bought our current TT, it had nearly two tons of CCC (3900#).