I guess I could put this in the travel trailers as well but since I have a hybrid, I will post it here. I have a 2006 Thor 182dt (with a WD hitch).
- I noticed a few years ago, when I walked back to the car from afar at a gas station, that the front of the frame was flexing and/or bending up when weighted on the ball. I have towed boats my whole life but this is the first RV with a WD hitch so I thought maybe it was just the force on the front of the trailer frame.
- A year or so ago, I noticed the front panel of the trailer separating from the side panel a little toward the bottom where it meets the trailer and figured that since I take it off-road often, that it might just be the whole thing flexing on dirt roads and didn't think much of it. I don't overload the trailer and especially don't put all the weight all in the front.
- The other weekend I went on a trip and was particularly loaded out (still well within limits) but had a lot of stuff in the back of the truck and thought I would adjust the WD hitch one more link up on the chain (mine have chains on the end of the bars) and this time I notice that the front of the frame was flexing a LOT, a very noticeable bend in the front (from the front of the trailer to the ball) and thought it was the extra pull on the WD hitch.
- This last weekend I was getting ready to move it around the property, 90% empty and dry. Where I keep it is very flat and I keep it on the levelers and the hitch stand when I know I'm not going to use it for a while to take some of the weight off the tires (I have 4 heavy scissor jacks) and as I went to lift the front and put weight on the tongue, the frame bending up was rather noticeable. I even noticed the bottom diamond plate rock strip start to bow noticeably, (hence the aforementioned front separating from the sides...). It probably move 2+ inches when weight is on the tongue.
The frame is an enclosed box (rectangular tube, not a c-channel) and I don't see any visible cracks or damage. It goes back to flat when the weight is off the tongue.
This isn't normal is it??
Could it just be getting "tired" and starting to bend with age?
Can I reinforce it? Possibly by welding plates to each side of the frame tube?
