Suspension

[zolie]

The suspension on my 2015 Nash 22H needed to be completely replaced.

The equalizers were cracked, the shackle bolt holes were oval, the spring bushings were worn out, the bolts showed wear patterns on one side and the springs were almost flat.

I was 500 miles from home in Needles, California and was concerned with total failure as I was heading down the road.

This rig has about 10,000 miles on it and has never been down a dirt road.

I was expecting a little more quality in the Nash because of their off road claims; such as certified off-road chassis.

I did contact Northwood and was told to call the axel manufacture!!!

I really believe the suspension should last for a much longer time.

I would like to be reimbursed for the parts and labor.

How should I handle it?

Thank you.

[stufarmer]

I misread the OP's original statement and would like retract my comment

[Downwindtracke1]

"Off-road" that is pure bull dung. Even the North American camping trailers are too dainty. We have a OutdoorRV with a Northwood frame under it. Ours is used on gravel, we had a bent 3500# axel but no serious wear,when I replaced the axels with 5200# and added wet bolts. We had more and rougher mileage on ours when I redid it.

My utility trailer is poster child for suspension wear.

[zolie]

Lynnmor,

I just replied to your PM.

Thanks for your heads-up.

[Lynnmor]

zolie wrote:
How do I tell Dexter from Al-Ko?

If I do have Al-Ko what do I need to upgrade?

Thanks

I sent you a PM several days ago, but you never read it.
Here is a photo of the brakes:


You might want to go thru my entire library for more ideas.
Photos

[myredracer]

zolie wrote:
How do I tell Dexter from Al-Ko?

If I do have Al-Ko what do I need to upgrade?

Thanks

Should be a tag on the axles. Alko is no longer around and is now part of Dexter. Our 2014 TT came with Alko axles, Dexter seals and Chinese made Axletek brakes. The only American thing in them is probably just the assembly.

What are you planning to upgrade? Complete axle assemblies, brakes, springs or?

[myredracer]

Lynnmor wrote:

hohenwald48 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
10k RV miles is a lot for a TT...in one year!

I replaced my worn out Equalizers and bushings with the Dexter EZ Flex system at 10k miles. My TT is an 07 so it was 8 years old.

10,000 miles is one year is not a lot for some of us. Not everybody just goes the state park down the road. Some of us actually travel with our travel trailers.

I put on over 10,000 miles this year. Right now I am replacing all the failing Chinese wheel bearings that were new at the beginning of the year. The bearings were supplied with the new Dexter drums and brakes that replaced the Al-Ko junk. I ordered Timken bearings, and hopefully they will be better quality. I am also turning the brake drums and armature faces.

If you actually want to travel with these "travel" trailers, you have plenty of work to do if you want this junk to work.

Concur...

When we bought our first TT, a simple & straightforward 20 footer, we thought all you did was hook up to the truck and drive off into the sunset to camp happily ever after. 🙂 How naive we were... Three years after that purchase, we ended up on our 3rd TT. One of them had horrendous problems that most would never think possible. Am now a seasoned, hardened and cynical RV owner. 😞

[zolie]

How do I tell Dexter from Al-Ko?

If I do have Al-Ko what do I need to upgrade?

Thanks

[Lynnmor]

hohenwald48 wrote:

dodge guy wrote:
10k RV miles is a lot for a TT...in one year!

I replaced my worn out Equalizers and bushings with the Dexter EZ Flex system at 10k miles. My TT is an 07 so it was 8 years old.

10,000 miles is one year is not a lot for some of us. Not everybody just goes the state park down the road. Some of us actually travel with our travel trailers.

I put on over 10,000 miles this year. Right now I am replacing all the failing Chinese wheel bearings that were new at the beginning of the year. The bearings were supplied with the new Dexter drums and brakes that replaced the Al-Ko junk. I ordered Timken bearings, and hopefully they will be better quality. I am also turning the brake drums and armature faces.

If you actually want to travel with these "travel" trailers, you have plenty of work to do if you want this junk to work.

[hohenwald48]

dodge guy wrote:
10k RV miles is a lot for a TT...in one year!

I replaced my worn out Equalizers and bushings with the Dexter EZ Flex system at 10k miles. My TT is an 07 so it was 8 years old.

10,000 miles is one year is not a lot for some of us. Not everybody just goes the state park down the road. Some of us actually travel with our travel trailers.

[zolie]

One year, yes! That's why I call it a travel trailer;-) If it wasn't 10,000 miles then the it was even worst.

I did it from September 15 through December 15.

I was on my annual bird hunting odyssey from California to Wyoming, to the High Line in Montana, to Weiser, Idaho, to Hells Canyon on the Oregon side, to Nevada back to central California then down to Patagonia, AZ.

All by the way of La Grande, Oregon to have a generator installed by Thunder Valley RV. I can't say enough good things about Thunder Valley RV. Very professional quality service. Nice people. Fair prices. Long way to drive from central California but I am very happy I did.

This is my third TT and have done my share of repairs. I just expected much more from my new Nash.

BTW Ron Nash suffered a stroke some time back. Northwood is now run by Ward King. I hope to talk to him soon.

[dodge_guy]

10k RV miles is a lot for a TT...in one year!

I replaced my worn out Equalizers and bushings with the Dexter EZ Flex system at 10k miles. My TT is an 07 so it was 8 years old.

[zolie]

Once again: The suspension system was completely worn out. shackles, bolts, springs, equalizer.

All were replaced with E-Z Flex, wet bolts, bronze bushings, 4 leaf springs, because I was on the road and a long way from home...............

The 2015 Nash 22H had 10,000 paved road miles and no dirt or off road miles.

Northwood advertises this trailer as: "Northwood built/certified/off-road chassis"; therefore if 10,000 paved road miles is all it gets then I find it not acceptable. It seems I have no recourse.

Thank you to those who tried to help.

[spoon059]

OP, you bought a great product in the Northwoods 22H. Our first trailer was a 1998 Nash 22H. What a GREAT product it was! We just sold it last year after the birth of our second child. It was too tight in there for FOUR of us, especially because we do a decent amount of extended trips each year and it gets crowded with very little room for a toddler, an infant, 3 doggies and 2 adults!

Its a shame that you had such problems early on. As you have found though, the RV industry isn't like the car industry. The parts are warrantied by the manufacturer of the part, not the maker of the trailer. Its a little off-putting that you had to contact Dexter, rather than simply go through the manufacturer.

That being said, you bought from a company that prides itself on customer satisfaction. You found that out when you called on Christmas Eve and talked with someone! I am sure that they will rectify the situation for you. Hopefully your NEW suspension lasts longer, but the longest term solution is a wet bolt kit.

Good luck and get home safe!

[gmw_photos]

Lynnmor wrote:
.....snip

Those with no mechanical ability fail to see it as junk when it is right there in front of them.

If you are referring to me specifically as someone "with no mechanical ability", then you obviously don't know me.

I'll just let it go at that.

Back to the original point of the thread, to the OP, if you would honestly like some help from some of the folks here who have worked on a lot of trailers, take your camera ( or your phone ) out to your trailer, get some close up pictures of the problem areas of your trailer and post them up here. Perhaps we can help you in the diagnosis and make some suggestions for upgrades or fixes.
Scale tickets will help you in determining whether there is an overload problem that needs to be addressed. Using a CAT scale is quick and inexpensive.