Forum Discussion

Cougarnewbie's avatar
Cougarnewbie
Explorer
Nov 14, 2016

Removing 5th wheel front cap/ broken weld?

I have posted before that I have a flex on my upper deck side wall that shows up when I unhitch. The flex closes up when hitched. I am at the point of removing the cap to expose the welds around the king pin. Camping World is talking about $5000. I don't have it and the trailer isn't worth it. So the cap is coming off in the driveway. I contacted Lippert and Keystone. No help offered. On a previous repair I have removed the side and bottom trim strips so I have some experience. My fear is the trim holding the leading edge of the rubber roof.
I am planning on removing the marker lights and all screws all the way around and lowering the landing legs to let the cap rest on the bed rails of the pick up with a line from the roof and a line from the cab of the truck to prevent tipping. I really don't want to damage the rubber roof or the cap itself! I am also concerned about anything I can't see behind the front wall of the bedroom. Any step by step, or any advice is really appreciated. All opinions welcome.
2006 Keystone Cougar 309EFS.
Wish me luck
AL
  • stripit's avatar
    stripit
    Explorer
    Nov 15, 2016
    Helped a fellow remove his front cap for broken welds in a rv park years ago. It was him, a helper and me.I suggested we get some of those large suction cup puck things that glass installers use, he bought two at Harbor Freigh for about $25. Those really helped us in giving us a couple of handles to support the cap when we removed it from the trailer. It was much easier to handle and we were able to set it down on the grass without issue. The helper knew how to weld like an expert, added new supports and strengthend the cracked areas, there were 4 that split and caused the flexing. He worked the rest of the day welding and making the pieces needed. The next day we reinstalled the cap. The owner recaulked and sealed the unit back up. Actually not a bad or really hard job with a couple of helpers.
  • Endricken's avatar
    Endricken
    Explorer
    Nov 15, 2016
    To fix my broken front crossbeam that supports the Pinbox, the front cap was removed along with the front overhang panel. That provided the access/room for the welder to work.
    LOTS of screws removed under the trim that holds the front cap on. One small benefit is the new trim molding isn't all moldy like the original.
    Replacing the front crossbeam box tube with a stronger one and ancillary welding and support plus removing and replacing the Front cap, etc. cost almost $10K 2 years ago (mobile RV Repair and mobile welder, plus Body Shop overhead).
    Since the damage was caused by a horrific pothole encounter on I-10, and revealed in the days after that, it was considered a Collision by my Insurance which paid for most of it.
    Took 3 weeks for investigation, repair planing and estimates, approvals and actual repairs, although the actual repairs/putting it all back together took less than 2 days.

    Hopefully with my upgraded front end, my RV is less susceptible to anymore "Lippert frame failure".

    Good Luck!
  • mbrower's avatar
    mbrower
    Explorer
    Nov 15, 2016
    I removed the front cap on my previous Jayco designer. I had to remove the trim around the perimeter of the cap first. This was the longest tedious part of the job. once the trim was removed, my cap was held onto the frame with about 6 large head screws located in various locations around the cap. I removed all the lights and housings and pushed the wires back through the openings so they wouldn't snag. Work from the bottom to the top removing the screws and have help ready. My cap literally fell off when I took the last screw out. Caught us by surprise and we ended up cracking the bottom of the cap when the top let loose and the bottom got hung up.

    Removing the cap looks much harder than it is. Had my off within a hour and that included removing the eternabond tape sealing the roof trim.
  • Cougarnewbie's avatar
    Cougarnewbie
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2016
    This problem was discovered mid summer. We took down the plastic around the king pin and found that the "plate" that runs front to rear that the side wall rests on was ripped. The plate is a piece of bar stock welded to the box frame that the side wall rests on with 3 inch screws shot up into the wood of the side wall. A local welder came and welded and stiffened the plate. The frame members that we could see looked pristine, but we could not see the front of the beams. After the plate was welded the problem returned immediately, leading me to think something else is broken to allow the flex.
    There are pictures on here from that repair. I will try to post them here.
    Larry, your idea sounds very promising. Thanks
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Nov 14, 2016
    Before removing FRONT CAP .....

    Remove the overhang panel around pin box......that will expose the pin box structure, sidewall frames and cross struts/bracing.

    Most broken welds/support pieces are visible and repairable with panel off

    I'd do that FIRST
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2016
    Ya, Lippert is a big help with cracked 5th wheel frames:M

    Have you actually seen where your failure is? That would be my first step.

    Anyways I would go about it differently. I would seek out a mobile welder that has been around for many years. I would pay for him to come over and both of you discuss what needs to be done. Obviously he is going to need access to see area he needs to fix. Maybe you won't need to remove the cap. You won't know until you see what needs to be done.
  • Dayle1's avatar
    Dayle1
    Explorer II
    Nov 14, 2016
    The link in my sig has some pics of my repair. As you will see, dealer didn't remove the front cap, just propped it up with a 2x4 off the pin box. The upper screws and trim was removed, but I think the caulk was left as a 'hinge' and then re-caulked. The front bedroom wall and floor is not attached to the cap, it is only secured by the perimeter screws.

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