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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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.
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
Now that the weather is cooler, I'll spend some time under our 21BHS and will report my findings.
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
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
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?
Pics[attachment id="1755" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="1753" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="1754" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="1756" thumbnail="1"][attachment id="1757" thumbnail="1"]
What did Livin Lite or your dealer have to say about that mess?
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.
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.
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.
Powder Hound,
Man I hate this for you! Makes me sick looking at your pictures! Glad you found them before a complete failure! Best to you with getting LL to make it right!
Regards,
Galen
[font size="3"]With these reports I crawled under and checked the welds on my 2014 RBS, built 10/13. I only found one questionable weld and it was not in a high stress structural location. I'll keep an eye on it, but it seems OK for now. I have over 30K miles on the trailer so apparently I drew a decent welder. I wonder if Thor dumped all the experienced welders and hired cheap labor. Welding is more an art than a science, especially on aluminum.
[/font]
I also looked under my 2015 13qbb built around june 2014 I i think and all weld look good
While winterizing my '12 13QBB today I also took a close look at as many of the welds I could see and all looked good. But definitely something I will check more often now.
Graham
I didn't mention in my earlier reply, but my trailer (VRV, bought May 2016, MY2015) has a hairline crack in a weld by the A-frame in the main center beam. I noticed this the day after I got it home. I specifically checked the welds because I'm aware of how tricky aluminum welding can be. To me it looked like the welds were rushed (the weld pass speed isn't consistent...weldor formed a puddle then jumped too far forward not carrying the puddle). I also see craters at the end of some welds and that does result in a weak point.
Some of the other posts got me thinking: would members be willing to post up a picture of a representative frame weld (not the best, not the worst), MY date, MF date, model, miles, and if they've ever had issues? I'm just curious. It seems like stuff built pre-late 2014/2015+ hasn't generated any complaints so I'm curious to see what those welds look like compared to mine.
Hello,
Well, repairs are done...at least I can now tow with a better conscience. From the repairs (see photo) I think this trailor will have to go to a shop and left for a few weeks and have things done a little better. I can't ask for perfection when I am parked on a friend's front lawn in a small mountain town. I really did not want to tow seven hours through the Rockies knowing what was behind me. Hopefully this will give me some time. Now, I will be checking everything on the frame on a regular basis.
Oh the joy, the phrase that I keep thinking about, The Good The Bad and The Ugly.
I did get an email off to LL. We will see.
As usual great comments and information from fellow owners.
Thank you,
[attachment id="1764" thumbnail="1"]
That repair probably was as good as you could do at the time and with your limitations, but it is far from a good repair. It looks to me that the welder just daubed weldment over the crack. The real problem and I must say probably because the only way to know for sure is an x-ray, is lack of penetration in the original weld. The repair probably did not penetrate (the original weldment was in the way) and only covered the crack.
Lack of penetration is probably the most common weld failure. It looks like the original welder just daubed a layer of weldment on and did not let the molten puddle penetrate the base metal. If done right the puddle goes almost through to the other side of the welded member and the joint has the total strength of the base member plus the strength of the filet.
It won't be easy to fix it right. You would need to grind out all of that weldment and maybe taper the joint so that it will be easier to reach the bottom. That can't easily be done given the location and with adjacent members in the way.
I would have a serious conversation with someone at LL, a real executive with the authority and knowledge to fix it right. What you have done looks like it has no more strength than the original weld. I would expect it to crack again.
David
Hi David,
Very good information and comments. We did try and grind out the old welds but access was just too bad. Maybe a smaller pneumatic type grinder would work rather than the standard angle grinder. Lying on your back on the ground with limited space and near freezing temperatures are not optimal for welding any material, just my opinion. One day of my time was spent on just trying to clean the old failures the best I could.
Yes, a discussion with the correct individual at LL will be required.
Thank you for you input.
I have a early 2015 21 RBS model, I would think that it was manufactured in 2014...... Well what do you know, I just checked and ALL the welds on the body supports, (out board of the frame) are cracked or just plain missing. This is ridicules, Its no wonder the previous owners sold out, dump it before somebody starts a class action lawsuit. I will get somebody to repair this mess and then sell it. I overlooked a lot of poor quality control issues, but this is structural and potentially dangerous! I can not believe that they aren't aware of these issues.
Quote from: @sandroad" source="/post/25051/thread" timestamp="1475280775...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.
I agree..anyone with structural weld issues should report the issue to NHTSA at safercar.gov. I haven't tried it myself, but it looks like you can put in a VIN to test to make sure it's recognized.
Graham
[quote source="/post/25183/thread" author="@pjcd" timestamp="1475691245"]I have a early 2015 21 RBS model, I would think that it was manufactured in 2014...... Well what do you know, I just checked and ALL the welds on the body supports, (out board of the frame) are cracked or just plain missing. This is ridicules, Its no wonder the previous owners sold out, dump it before somebody starts a class action lawsuit. I will get somebody to repair this mess and then sell it. I overlooked a lot of poor quality control issues, but this is structural and potentially dangerous! I can not believe that they aren't aware of these issues.[/quote]Epic fail. Again, what a mess. I won't be able to check mine for a couple weeks but now I'm even more worried for my '15. LL was going through major line production changes when they were building the '15s, as we saw when we visited the factory in the fall of '14. The build dates are on the frame stickers and those with weld issues may want to include that info in posts.
Hello,
I have been in contact with LL regarding the frame failure welds. So far they have verbally confirmed to my reinbursment of the weld repairs and have agreed to a frame inspection by a certified welder...also they say they will repair the frame as required. With our "new" frame welds, we have done all we can...we will still use our trailer but I will be crawling under every week to check what has happened to the frame. Any further failures and this unit will become one hell of an expensive lawn ornament.
Regards,
[quote timestamp="1475617527" source="/post/25163/thread" author="@canuck"]Hello,
Well, repairs are done...at least I can now tow with a better conscience. From the repairs (see photo) I think this trailor will have to go to a shop and left for a few weeks and have things done a little better. I can't ask for perfection when I am parked on a friend's front lawn in a small mountain town. I really did not want to tow seven hours through the Rockies knowing what was behind me. Hopefully this will give me some time. Now, I will be checking everything on the frame on a regular basis.
[/quote]
I'm not sure I understand which welds failed - these are the east-west floor supports outboard of the longitudinal frame rails? If so, is the frame flexing more than the body, or vis-versa?
Quote from: @keeena" timestamp="1475607452" source="/post/25156/threadI didn't mention in my earlier reply, but my trailer (VRV, bought May 2016, MY2015) has a hairline crack in a weld by the A-frame in the main center beam. I noticed this the day after I got it home. I specifically checked the welds because I'm aware of how tricky aluminum welding can be. To me it looked like the welds were rushed (the weld pass speed isn't consistent...weldor formed a puddle then jumped too far forward not carrying the puddle). I also see craters at the end of some welds and that does result in a weak point.
I had a couple of issues with welds. The original front end of my late 2011 (2102 model) 16BHB had the side frame rails brought up to the center beam about half-way between the trailer front and the ball, like the 13' and 11' models. That didn't last very long - after a few hundred miles I had cracked welds, cracked trim and popped screws where the center beam supported the trailer front. I think that single beam design allowed the side rails to flex more than the center beam, so the east-west cross piece as the front of the trailer was flexing up and down a lot (perhaps).
LL came and got it and build a new front end that brings the side rails all the way up to the ball like the 21's. (I think most 16's had the newer design after spring 2012.) That design also had cracks in the welds where the center beam attached to the side rails and crosspiece up by the ball. I had a local shop re-weld those.
FWIW - I noticed that most of the pre-Thor brand new 16 & 21's sitting dealers lots had cracked welds that same spot. I saw at least a handful like that.
I also had a bent/misaligned axle from the factory. One tire worn out after 1000 miles. LL put a new axle on for me.
I all else fails, I'll have a new aluminum frame made and set the old camper on top of the new frame. It'll sit a bit taller, but I need a bit more ground clearance anyway. :)
I've now towed at least 20,000 miles.
--Mike
Quote from: @keeena" source="/post/25156/thread" timestamp="1475607452
Some of the other posts got me thinking: would members be willing to post up a picture of a representative frame weld (not the best, not the worst), MY date, MF date, model, miles, and if they've ever had issues? I'm just curious. It seems like stuff built pre-late 2014/2015+ hasn't generated any complaints so I'm curious to see what those welds look like compared to mine.
Mine are generally good welds - the failures I had were likely design related.
Hi Micheal,
Yes, the failures were in the locations that you described. The slide side was worse than the door side. I think it is a weld issue and a design issue. With more use the condition just gets worse. The perimeter defiantly requires additional east west supports and better quality welds. The sides must be flexing a lot more than the middle. Flexing, vibrations, design, materials, poor welding...who knows?
Sounds like you have yours under control. Very frustrating.
Regards,
Did a thorough inspection underneath our 21BHS today and found no problems with any of the welds. Our trailer was manufactured in November 2015 at their new plant, so maybe they had different welding people by then. All of the welds looked good. We have about 5,000 miles on our trailer already, so hopefully we won't have any problems.
I looked under the front of my 16TBS yesterday and even though the welds were rather gnarly I didn't see any cracks. Mine was built in the winter of 2012/13 in the old plant under Scott Tuttle's ownership.
These welds wouldn't begin to pass inspection in the refining and petrochemical industry. One look at them by a foreman and the welder would be sent home and the weld ground out and redone.
It probably only takes an hour or so of actual welding time to weld up the frame on a LL. How many units does LL build in a day? Should only take a couple of trained aluminum welders to do it right and another guy who knows what he is looking for to inspect and sign off on them.
Frame integrity is at the heart of what LL is selling. How could they not get this right?
David
I have posted a lot of quality control issues with my trailer, I was willing to over look a lot of sloppy work. This issue with the frame is just another example of poor quality control, apparently they were more interested in pumping out trailers then safety. But, then again, why should I be surprised, the RV industry in general has a low threshold for quality.
Hi,
Reflecting, I am very happy I did not decide to add a layer of spray foam insulation under the frame body. That would have hidden all of my weld issues and would have been downright catastrophic! I am curious if any owners have added some spray foam insulation or if the factory Lizard Skin spray option has covered things up. The spray foam insulation is becoming very popular, at least in here in Alberta.
I asked Mr. Dan Miller, an LL employee who monitors this forum to comment on the frame welds. Here is his response:
Hi David,
I follow the forum daily. But they keep me pretty busy. Yes, it would be a case by case thing if out of warranty. Thank goodness it has been very isolated however. I make sure production is made aware of any issues like these.
Tom our plant manager does a good job of following up. I am sure they are watching very closely! I am keeping track of them.
Dan
I feel better that this is a very isolated problem, but I was a little disappointed about his somewhat casual statement that "Tom our plant manager does a good job of following up." I would have thought that LL had someone dedicated to welding quality. I understand the consequences are a little different, but the power, petrochemical and refining industry has a whole different approach to weld quality. Welders are tested, x-rays are made of a percentage of welds and weld records kept. If a welder busts too many welds, he is gone.
If it is an isolated problem as he says, well I guess I can accept their approach. Like I said above, my welds are gnarly and wouldn't meet that industry's standard of quality, but they haven't cracked.
I would point out to Mr. Miller that aluminum frame welds are much more critical than steel frame welds. You need to achieve a much higher percentage of perfection in an aluminum weld than a steel one for it to be effective. I think it takes a different approach to quality to get it right.
David
I find it hard to believe this is as "isolated" as he would make it sound. I would think that there are units out there that the owners aren't even aware of a potential problem, and just as many who don't report it when found. Even with that said, is it customary to only weld one side of the support or just tack it on others?
On a side note, I've been riding aluminum bikes for twenty years, I know that for the most part these are custom builds, but the quality of the welds are night and day compared to the sloppy welds on LL trailers.
Aluminum bikes require almost perfect welds. While LL can probably get by with a weld 50% as strong as possible, an aluminum bike sees incredible stresses at the welded joints. Those welds need to be near 100%. The bike manufacturer's know this and put emphasis on doing high quality welds, otherwise their product will fall apart in the field. A weld on a bike like I saw on my LL wouldn't get out of the factory and the welder wouldn't have a job.
David
[quote source="/post/25331/thread" timestamp="1476364081" author="@david"]I looked under the front of my 16TBS yesterday and even though the welds were rather gnarly I didn't see any cracks. Mine was built in the winter of 2012/13 in the old plant under Scott Tuttle's ownership.
These welds wouldn't begin to pass inspection in the refining and petrochemical industry. One look at them by a foreman and the welder would be sent home and the weld ground out and redone.
It probably only takes an hour or so of actual welding time to weld up the frame on a LL. How many units does LL build in a day? Should only take a couple of trained aluminum welders to do it right and another guy who knows what he is looking for to inspect and sign off on them.
Frame integrity is at the heart of what LL is selling. How could they not get this right?
David[/quote]I checked our 16TBS too (September, 2014 build) and found them like those on David's. Sloppy and partial with lots of burning and tacks, except for the highly visible welds on the top of the tongue and top of the rear bumper, which appear perfect. No obvious cracks, however. It's something I'll look at more carefully at with a mag glass and bright light before our trip east next summer.
This is just the slide side of the trailer, I didn't get all the welds, but you can get the idea.
and some more,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I don't know much about weld but mine look in no way bad like that!
Some of mine do look like those. No tack welds and no cracks, at least in the front where I looked.
David
Yep, they don't look pretty.
Pjcd,
Unfortunate that we are in the same situation but at least now you can get the welds and non-welds repaired.
David has posted some good information regarding LL's awareness of the condition as well.
Good luck!
Quote from: @graham" source="/post/25185/thread" timestamp="1475694202[quote timestamp="1475280775" source="/post/25051/thread" author="@sandroad"]...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.
I agree..anyone with structural weld issues should report the issue to NHTSA at safercar.gov. I haven't tried it myself, but it looks like you can put in a VIN to test to make sure it's recognized.
Graham[/quote]If anyone is interested in the number to lodge a compliant to NHTSA, 1-888-327-4236
Hi Folks, I have a 2016 13QBB. (March 2015 Build). I just checked all/most of the welds today and found no cracks, they all look pretty solid and neat thankfully. Trailer has about 1500 miles on it, only used this summer.
Just returned from a trip to Galveston.... My 21RBS welds have no cracks. I guess mine had a good welder on the day it was built.
Camplite 16TBS 2015 build 10/2014 about 12,000 miles on it. Check frame welds today they all looked good and all tank bolts were tight.
Same here. Camped and winterized my 2015 13BHB last Saturday and found no cracks... but welds were not perfect. Also, I was curious to see if my magnet would stick to walls and it didn't.
I appreciate this thread and so I got under my 2014 14DB "Offroad" version to take a look. Although I am no expert, I think the welds are generally ok. I did however, have some concerns about the welding work at the axle brackets. I have attached a typical picture of those welds and was wonderning if anyone has any thoughts about whether these appear adequate. It appears as if the brackets have three areas of weld on each side of the bracket as opposed to a continous bead of welding down the entire length of the bracket. Since this bracket holds the entire axle in place, needless to say, I am somewhat concerned about the integrity of this weld.
I took the trailer on a 12000 mile trip in 2014 through the Rockies from Florida. I had several "quality control" issues which have been resolved (cabinets not screwed into walls, cable tv coaxial not connected to outside etc), but didn't even think about inspecting the welds.
So the queston is, should I have these inspected by an expert or I am neelessly worrying about nothing?
Thanks.
ps I used to deal with Don Neuflelder (sp) at Livin Lite but I guess he is no longer around. I left a voice mail for a Dan with Casey RV as I was informed that they are managing Livin Lite. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best person to contact regarding this issue?
This is a post from Livin Lite's djmiller regarding Dan's replacement:
QuoteThe NEW number is (260) 768-2099. Don is no longer with Livinlite. Brandon Harker has taken his place.
If there is not a Livinlite dealer close to you, you may contact any RV dealer. If they are willing to work on your camper they will contact us for a warranty authorization which they will complete and return for approval. Once approved, the work is completed. If parts are needed they will be shipped directly to them. This procedure is pretty much standard throughout the industry.
This information is in the owners manual however because of our moves, the numbers and contact information is not correct. The new owners manuals have the corrected addresses and contact information.
Thank you for your prompt reply and the information. Since I note that you are in Central Florida (as am I), do you have any suggestions for inspections?. The two in Central Florida that used to sell Livin Lite (Como in Inverness and RV World in Lakeland) are no longer listed as dealers and I have a feeling that they would not be interested.
I should also mention that my written warranty at the time of purchase stated that I had a 3 year strucrtural warranty so in response to a previous post about this issue, I think it is clearly a structural issue that goes beyond the typical 1 year warranty.
[quote timestamp="1479324391" author="@happyhiker" source="/post/25845/thread"]Thank you for your prompt reply and the information. Since I note that you are in Central Florida (as am I), do you have any suggestions for inspections?. The two in Central Florida that used to sell Livin Lite (Como in Inverness and RV World in Lakeland) are no longer listed as dealers and I have a feeling that they would not be interested.
I should also mention that my written warranty at the time of purchase stated that I had a 3 year strucrtural warranty so in response to a previous post about this issue, I think it is clearly a structural issue that goes beyond the typical 1 year warranty.
[/quote]First of all, the welds look fine to me, similar to those in the same area of my 21BHS. Welds do not need to be continuous, and often are not. They just need to be able to bear the forces exerted on it, and intermittent welds are common and often required.
I purchased my 21BHS at RV World at Lakeland, and I've taken it back there for service when my A/C went. I purchased the extended warranty from them and they had no issue working on the Camplite even though they no longer carry them. In fact, the techs were telling me that they miss selling them because they like them so much.
Lazy Days RV near Tampa carries the Camplites and have a large service area. [a href="https://www.lazydays.com/"]Here's their web site.[/a]
Hope this helps!
DJ,
Thanks for the contact information and the thoughts on dealers/service. I did speak with Brandon and Dan with LL (who were both prompt in responding to me) and I understand they are looking it over and will get back with me. I still believe that a continuous bead weld should have been performed at these points, given the ease with which it could have been done and the critical nature of these welds. I certainly welcome any other thoughts on the issue from the knowledgeable owners on this board.
[quote timestamp="1479362402" author="@jlcere" source="/post/25854/thread"]Do you know if the Camplite 32rls fifth wheels has the same issues? I'm currently in negotiation to replace my Camplite 28bhs by that model...
Thanks [/quote][font size="3"]I've not seen anything reported on the 32s or 28s. My guess is it's not a problem because they were built well before the Thor disruption. [/font]
The CL fifth wheel models have a steel frame, so welding is easier and somewhat less critical.
David
Just as a follow up to my prior posts, Dan M. at LL indicated that he spoke with production and production confirmed that the method depicted (three welds across the side and the ends of the bracket welded) is how they are normally done. As DJ suggested in his post, Dan at LL advised that they do not normally place a continuous weld all the way across the bracket.
I also spoke with a local welder who indicated that the method is dependent on the mechanical and load requirements and the shop drawings. The welder stated that a continuous weld could create too much tension which could increase the likelihood of a weld fracture. The local welder also stated that most welders would not want to touch this without more specific instruction from the factory. I am therefore led to conclude that the method is appropriate and free from any structural issue.
Had Trailer winterized by dealer and told them about welds cracking so they reinspected Camplite 16TBS 10/14 found small cracks on tongue area. Dealer call LL was told to have area re welded and send them the bill. You know I was told that this was a life time trailer but now i see this was not true, We love our trailer and paid more then we would have for anther trailer now i think we all have been lied too. Not cool man.
[quote source="/post/26098/thread" author="@redbox15" timestamp="1480227497"]Had Trailer winterized by dealer and told them about welds cracking so they reinspected Camplite 16TBS 10/14 found small cracks on tongue area. Dealer call LL was told to have area re welded and send them the bill. You know I was told that this was a life time trailer but now i see this was not true, We love our trailer and paid more then we would have for anther trailer now i think we all have been lied too. Not cool man.[/quote]I appreciate this follow up. It made me realize I should get ours professionally inspected and not just rely on my semi-educated guess about welds. Especially in the critical tongue area.
Quote from: @sandroad" source="/post/26102/thread" timestamp="1480261519Quote from: @redbox15" source="/post/26098/thread" timestamp="1480227497Had Trailer winterized by dealer and told them about welds cracking so they reinspected Camplite 16TBS 10/14 found small cracks on tongue area. Dealer call LL was told to have area re welded and send them the bill. You know I was told that this was a life time trailer but now i see this was not true, We love our trailer and paid more then we would have for anther trailer now i think we all have been lied too. Not cool man.
I appreciate this follow up. It made me realize I should get ours professionally inspected and not just rely on my semi-educated guess about welds. Especially in the critical tongue area.
There isn't much a "professional inspector" will do other than look for cracks, which you can do as well as he. And don't for a minute think that the average RV mechanic knows anything about aluminum welds.
David
I inspected every one of my welds and took pictures for later reference. I didn't number the photos and the welds so it may be difficult going back and looking at the comparisons, but at least it is a start.
At least Redbox had a dealer that would look at it. Both of the Florida LL dealers in my area dropped the brand and the closest dealer is some distance away, although perhaps other RV dealers would be willing to do so.
I tend to think that it should also be examined by a professional but I hate to incur the cost and I am concerned that he may look it over and tell me how sub par the welds are. Ignorance is bliss. At least I know they aren't fractured. This is definitely going to have to be included as a check list item before any tow of more than a few miles.
[quote source="/post/26103/thread" author="@david" timestamp="1480262436"][quote source="/post/26102/thread" author="@sandroad" timestamp="1480261519"]I appreciate this follow up. It made me realize I should get ours professionally inspected and not just rely on my semi-educated guess about welds. Especially in the critical tongue area. [/quote]There isn't much a "professional inspector" will do other than look for cracks, which you can do as well as he. And don't for a minute think that the average RV mechanic knows anything about aluminum welds.
David
[/quote]Generally I agree. But in my case I know someone who teaches welding as a profession and I trust his looking more than my looking.
Quote from: @sandroad" source="/post/26105/thread" timestamp="1480271260[quote timestamp="1480262436" author="@david" source="/post/26103/thread"]There isn't much a "professional inspector" will do other than look for cracks, which you can do as well as he. And don't for a minute think that the average RV mechanic knows anything about aluminum welds.
David
Generally I agree. But in my case I know someone who teaches welding as a profession and I trust his looking more than my looking. [/quote]So would I. I was probably a bit flippant in my previous post (but not about the RV mechanic). A welding pro can make a general assessment of the strength of a weld even though it hasn't cracked yet. But the only way to really know is a dye penetrant test or an xray.
David
[font size="3"]I agree except when @david said " And don't for a minute think that the average RV mechanic knows anything about aluminum welds." The last three words are superfluous. [/font]
All the info I put on this site I do to help other owners Dave no matter who inspects your trailer it's still more eyes helping to spot bad welds and is much appreciated in my book.
Big Hello,
Before our site is closed down I thought I would let the remaining members know that our repair welds are doing great. We have traveled from Alberta to southern Arizona with no issues so far. Also, Thor has sent us a cheque for our out of pocket expenses.
This forum and all it's members have been fantastic! Look forward to seeing you all on the new site.
Happy Holidays!