Failed Frame Welds

[canuck]

Hello,

Thought I would share what I discovered yesterday. Most of the failures are in front and behind the axles on the east/west supports. Both sides are effected. Not happy at all! Rig is 21 months old!



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[fasteddieb]

Wow! That's horrible.

I guess it's a good idea to inspect on a regular basis.

1) I hope LivinLite stands by their work, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

2) I don't think repairing/reinforcing those areas will be enormously expensive.

Still sucks, though.

[canuck]

Yes I would REGULARLY inspect and check all the welds, I have found seven failures so far and that was in a five minutes! My objective is first to get them fixed then I will attempt to negotiate with LL. Frankly I don't think LL would even care. Agreed, it should be a low cost repair.

Also, I would be checking the screws that hold all the brackets for the holding tanks. Six of those screws were loose! I did not have a good day! Imagine loosing a holding tank on the highway! Other concern with the loose tank fasteners is that it appears that the screw heads are pulling through the brackets. 

My my new regime with all the other basic safety checks will be to inspect frame for failures and make sure the holding tanks don't come off! 

Derek

[fasteddieb]

Now that the weather is cooler, I'll spend some time under our 21BHS and will report my findings.

[david]

I think that LL has a serious problem. This is much worse than plywood in the door, steel brackets in the top structure, etc. Weld quality is fundamental to the integrity of the rig. If this is widespread, it will tank the LL brand. I too will check my frame and report what I find.

David

[daplumbr]

Oh no!!!  Weld failure again (not the only time reported on the forum)!!  And tank bracket failure too!!! As an owner of a '15, I'll check all welds and brackets. Frankly, if I find anything that bad on mine, we may consider repairing and selling. Basic structural integrity is a deal-breaker. 

My wife said the frame weld failure needs to be reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admininstration through www.safercar.gov. If widespread, LL may have to conduct a recall. 

[whoofit]

Welcome to the club. I had a cracked hitch weld and more recently a crack develop on the axle mounting L-bracket. I had my trailer repaired and inspected last summer by a certified welder. I only happened upon the L-bracket crack while doing the brakes last month.

Makes every haul an adventure.

[keeena]

Ouch, that's not good. Aluminum is a sensitive metal to weld and attention to detail is very important when working with it.

Is the warranty on the frame only 1 year?

[canuck]

Well we have a welder coming to our location on Monday. Today we are cleaning and prepping the failures for new welds and some added reinforcement. Will post some more pics when things are completed. Looks like I will have to remove the tires as well. Cost is going to be about five hundred CAD.

Any potential new owners reading this thread be warned, this could be your future as well. I really thought LL built a quality unit. I defienatly have buyers remorse after this latest escapade. All the OTHER issues that we as owners have endured this is the final straw.

I will say it now.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT

Please go to the new LL website and read their opening statements, then go back and look at my pictures.

[nailbender]

Hi all. It's been a long while since I've been on this forum. After reading about the Camplite trailers weld joints I decided to take a look under my trailer. Yes I did notice a couple hairline cracks in a couple joints the way it's assembled I feel it's not a huge issue and can be fairly easily repaired. I have been in a lot of campers that are the same age as mine and it makes me so happy I bought a Camplite. My camper looks the same inside and outside as the day I bought it. Those other campers are in need of a lot of repairs. Weld joints or not I so glad I found the Camplite trailer

[canuck]

Hello,

Every exterior perimeter  east/west support frame has issues. Except for the stabilizer jack supports. The welds that intersect the outside perimeter frame are intact but where those support brackets meet the main north south frame on both sides of the trailer have either, completely failed, started to fail, only tacked welded in place or have not even been welded. There are eleven welds that kneed to be redone and several areas with no welds at all.

I am not even going to try and fix the welds on both sides of the wheels. Too much undercoating would have to be removed. Oh ya, cause any time it rains we have to mop the floor because so much water comes in! I would have to do that in a shop for sure. We are currently on the road and that makes this situation even more frustrating.

Based on my pictures some welding companies and individuals declined getting involved. Dog's Breakfast perhaps?

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[daplumbr]

What did Livin Lite or your dealer have to say about that mess?  

[djsamuel]

After seeing these pictures I just did a very thorough inspection of all welds on my 2013 21BHS. There is not one failed weld at all. That is after 8000 miles of towing, including some rough roads. However, the welds on my camper look NOTHING like those pictured here. These pictures show what is obviously substandard workmanship. Livinlite needs to do what is right and fix this.

[canuck]

My dealer oh yes. Once Thor took LL over they stopped selling the brand. The Thor product competed with their other main brands. When my one year warranty ended they just stopped doing anything for me, even though I had to drive three hours two and from. I had to make two separate trips to get some warranty work done. New counter top, new microwave, leaks, bad propane regulator, kinked water lines etc. The usual stuff that I expected to happen. Also, currently I am eleven hours away. I think that trying to get them involved would be even more frustration.

I am getting a mobile welder out tomorrow. After that I will start the discussion with LL. I sure am learning a lot about weld qualities and it turns my stomach when I look at mine.

Glad to here your unit is ok! I bet for sure there are some rigs like mine out there. But who would even think to crawl under and look at the frame. Maybe now they will.

[bobbie56]

I feel your pain, my rig is in (for the 3rd time now in 2 months) getting the slide out fixed. But since I live in the same area as you, I best get under mine when I get it back and take a look too.

Yes, starting to feel a bit like this may not be living up to the levels that I expected of them.

Thanks for the heads up.