Bad Workmanship

[dkstraub]

Why do I have to put up with shoddy workmanship on my fifth wheel? From what I understand from talking with users and mechanics, we have problems that should not be occurring. An example is that I had a problem with the suspension of my rig. The mechanic needed to cut the suspension from the original pick-up points because the wheels would not align. This mechanic told me that it was common for trailers to be mad that way. Brand new, the suspension is set in the wrong places. Why do I have to put up with that? If I buy an automobile, I would have a recourse if this type of problem occurred. It seems that nobody takes the people who buy and use these trailers seriously. Where is the Ralph Nader of campers?

Some of these are safety issues. One of those problems was loosing three tires in a two week period. All tires were less than a year old, had less than 7,000 miles on them, and all failed with tread separation. When one spends 40,000 to 50,000 on a fifth wheel, what would an extra $200 impact me in order to get decent, safe tires?

I love traveling, camping and the wonderful people I meet along the way. It is problems like this that take away a lot of the pleasure.

[mayo30]

Oasisbob wrote:
Quality in the RV industry is sorely lacking overall and will continue as long as we keep buying. Some spend their life savings on an Rv while others actually finance. And this forum is example after example of poor quality. The RV industry whould be ashamed. It is not always design but the line worker being pushed for production numbers rather than quality and pride of workmanship.Go ahead and tell me I am wrong. This board is full of evidence supporting my thoughts on this. Sad but true

You are so correct in your comments,but sadly so many owners let pride and lack of information cloud the truth.Who wants to admit he paid too much for a poor item.

[Oasisbob]

Quality in the RV industry is sorely lacking overall and will continue as long as we keep buying. Some spend their life savings on an Rv while others actually finance. And this forum is example after example of poor quality. The RV industry whould be ashamed. It is not always design but the line worker being pushed for production numbers rather than quality and pride of workmanship.Go ahead and tell me I am wrong. This board is full of evidence supporting my thoughts on this. Sad but true

[mileshuff]

bgum wrote:
What kind of house would you get in California for 40 to 50 grand? One with all appliances and can go down the road at 70+ mph. One that runs over holes and other objects on the road. One that has a 2 year warrante. Yep we are getting what we pay for.

Quite a bit of house actually. A 250-300sf house with 2" thick walls wouldn't cost much at all. It's the land it sits on that you pay for.

[MrVan]

Management is the issue here folks!

[tratterboy1]

Don't blame "workmanship",blame "engineeringship" an"managementship".The people have no say in how a piece of equipment is made.They are told"here are the parts,shutup and put them together".Been there,done that.

[richfaa]

Those Mexicans in Goshen and Elkhart have disguised themselves as Amish,,,Very clever.

[LoneStar1]

calamus wrote:
They build them as fast as they can and hire the cheapest labor(Mexicans). What needs to happen is what happened with pontoon boats a new player came in in 1997 Bennington building High quality boats and last year they had 50% of the market share. I would start the company myself if I had the start up money! SKILLED LABOR ISNT CHEAP! CHEAP LABOR ISNT SKILLED end of story!

Mexicans? Really? And here I thought they used the Amish to build the trailers. I guess the companies must have hired Amish actors for the trailer construction videos I have seen.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

calamus wrote:
They build them as fast as they can and hire the cheapest labor(Mexicans). What needs to happen is what happened with pontoon boats a new player came in in 1997 Bennington building High quality boats and last year they had 50% of the market share. I would start the company myself if I had the start up money! SKILLED LABOR ISNT CHEAP! CHEAP LABOR ISNT SKILLED end of story!

Amish Mexicans????...:R..:?

Most of the RV industry assembly folks are piece workers, not hourly.

BTW - "Mexicans" assembled my 2005 Dodge in Sautillo, Mexico.
Excellent fit, finish, etc. - no complaints.
Only thing that has failed on that one is my USA mfg 48RE at under 80K miles..:R

Maybe we need Bennington *House Boats* on trailers!
Camp in 'em on land and/or water.

Oh yeah - have had several TTs and one fifth wheel.
Never any suspension problems - although I broke a spring once on a 24' (1975) Terry Travel Trailer. (Easy fix!)
And....that was probably due to me putting LT tires on that trailer back in about 1978 - ride was a bit harsher.
It went all over the USA, border to border - *never* a flat or tire failure.

*My* mechanic was me, no "trick" stuff, just common sense & learning from other's experiences..;)


~

[FrankShore]

calamus wrote:
They build them as fast as they can and hire the cheapest labor(Mexicans). What needs to happen is what happened with pontoon boats a new player came in in 1997 Bennington building High quality boats and last year they had 50% of the market share. I would start the company myself if I had the start up money! SKILLED LABOR ISNT CHEAP! CHEAP LABOR ISNT SKILLED end of story!

This is about one of the most racist statement's I've ever read on RV.net before! First, get your facts straight, about 87% of RV's are built in Indiana by Jack Amish, not "Mexicans"

And to the original OP, there are plenty of quality builders making RV's out there, seems like you didn't do you research!

By the way, I pilot a 1994 Beneteau Oceanis 400, so I also know my yacht construction as well!

[mayo30]

K Charles wrote:
If you want quality workmanship you need to spend over then $40,000 to $50,000 for a 5th wheel.

Sorry to disagree,if you think big money buys better workmanship,you have never researched or visited any manufactures.The same people work on the different units as they come down the line,same pay no matter what you are putting that same screw into,$25000.00 or $50000.00.Nice dealer sales pitch.Some days the screw goes where it is supposed to some days it doesn't. Glitz sells more then workmanship then quality,glitz is slanted toward the ladies eyes and they usually have the major say.Having said all that there probably is a small slant to be said about a high end custom style unit.

[DutchmenSport]

calamus wrote:
They build them as fast as they can and hire the cheapest labor(Mexicans). What needs to happen is what happened with pontoon boats a new player came in in 1997 Bennington building High quality boats and last year they had 50% of the market share. I would start the company myself if I had the start up money! SKILLED LABOR ISNT CHEAP! CHEAP LABOR ISNT SKILLED end of story!

I see you have a Sundance RV. Do you know who the manufacturer of Sundance is? It's Hartland. Do you know where Hartland is located? Well, here it is:

Mailing Address
1001 All Pro Drive
Elkhart, IN. 46514

Shipping Address
2900 Dexter Drive
Elkhart, IN 46514

Physical Address
2912 Dexter Drive
Elkhart, IN 46514

Have you ever been to Elkhart, Indiana? Do you know who works in almost every RV manufacturer plant in Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury Shipshawana, Napanee Indiana? They are not Mexicans.... they are Amish!

[donn0128]

You must have bought a really really cheap trailer? Our 9 year old fiver has been great. Issues? Yea a few but all in all it has been really bullet proof. Maybe you should look beyond the glitz and glitter next time and choose based on build quality

[K_Charles]

If you want quality workmanship you need to spend over then $40,000 to $50,000 for a 5th wheel.

[kennethwooster]

I suspect you have a trailer with a Lippert frame. I had one with similar problems. It was repaired by Lippert repaired it but only did half of the job. 'after about 2 years I found tires wearing wrong, and then they would not help me. I will not buy a trailer with a Lippert frame.There are trailers out there that will not have as many problems. They are just built better. Course more money.

[We_Cant_Wait]

Before EVERYONE jumps on the band wagon and starts bashing RV makers, get the info straight. Except for a very few High End 5th wheels, they all use a frame made by Lipper, and it comes complete with running gear. It's the same way everyone's always bashing all the stuff that's wrong with the new RV they picked up and 80% of the items that have issues are not made by the RV maker but parts/appliances that come from an independent supplier.