Knight Cracked Frame

[GOLDWINGER2]

Originally Posted by uwhawkman

It's currently in storage in Duarte. I've sent an email to a few repair facilities nearby. Waiting to hear back.

Check these guys out also.
Los Angeles Big Rig Frame Repair: San Fernando Commercial Truck Collision Repair
J

[Shadowcatche]

I worked in QC and nondestructive testing for 30+ years, on everything from the space shuttle to logging equipment. I have also done my share of automotive related inspections.
There has been in the US automotive industry the attitude that you make it only as good as it has to be, and fortunately the Japanese forced them to make it better.
There is NEVER any reason to accept shoddy materials and poor design.
I do not buy the inspectors fatigue failure for a second, unless it is related to a design failure some place in the system. If a bolt failed and it was a cascade of failures then it was the wrong bolt. If the nut came off of the bolt it was not tensioned properly...

[Twomed]

I truly hope you are calling truck frame repair shops. There are very few, probably zero RV dealers or shops that are qualified to do the kind of repair you need. An extra tow may be involved, but think of the safety of your family and liability to others if a bad repair comes apart again. You were luck once...

[Chuck 1935]

Originally Posted by timdriver

They are made by humans.

That speak a forigen language

[GOLDWINGER2]

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

That speak a forigen language

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!
J

[womps]

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

That speak a forigen language

You mean like the trouble free Norcold refer., oh wait, they are made in the U.S.A.!

[uwhawkman]

Originally Posted by GOLDWINGER2

Check these guys out also.
Los Angeles Big Rig Frame Repair: San Fernando Commercial Truck Collision Repair
J

Yes, those were one of the shops I contacted.

Yes, I am only contacting shops that deal with Heavy Duty trucks and RVs.

I spoke to Kevin at C3collision, and he says it shouldn't be a problem to fix. He said he's seen worse. He's had RVs come in that rolled 2-3 times, and he's fixed them. He's thinking approximately 8 hrs work. He told me he'll work with my insurance and let them know his opinion on whether or not it should be considered wear and tear.

[Renipladlo]

Geico, Progressive, Allstate, and all insurance companies want the easy way out. Don't let them get it, if necessary sue them to cover the repair, and any other costs you have plus the attorney's fees, only when they have to dig deep into their pockets will they get the message to cover our claims like they advertise.

[gg]

My 2 cents

The pictures depict a rear suspension/axle seperation not a frame problem.

The seperation thru the flat plate areas would take a huge impact. The loss of the bolt would effect the suspension tracking but not the seperation shown.

The metal displaced (raised lip on the flat plate) indicate this happened some miles ago.

I am amazed the design of this suspension was such that the vehicle could still be driven over rough roads at highway speeds and not effect the steering, braking and tire rub on the coach body. I think the remaining mounts have seen overstressing.

If this is Normal wear and Tear We all better pull off the road now.

[SteveJordan]

I have a 98 Monaco Signature and had problems with the tag axle. The axle almost came off completely.
I took my RV to a metal fabricator who was a certified welder and also did truck repair.
He disassembled the tag andVeed out the cracks and added some gussets to beef the unit.
I believe the failure was from not lifting my tags when turning.
I believe it would pay for owners with tag axles to have the tags inspected periodically . The repair was not hard to do but a certified welder who does careful work is important.

[JMonroe]

Originally Posted by Renipladlo

Geico, Progressive, Allstate, and all insurance companies want the easy way out. Don't let them get it, if necessary sue them to cover the repair, and any other costs you have plus the attorney's fees, only when they have to dig deep into their pockets will they get the message to cover our claims like they advertise.

Hmmm. I don't see any evidence of an impact. Any road hazard impact hard enough to have caused this would have destroyed a wheel and/or would have done some serious damage to other suspension components. Another potential problem: If this happened before you bought the rig, you didn't have insurance at the time of the 'accident'.

If you get any coverage from your insurance company, count your blessings. Insurance is intended to cover "sudden and accidental" damage. It does not cover mechanical damage, damage due to wear, tear or metal fatique or damage incurred before you owned the vehicle.

Good luck.

[sjholt]

Here in my take on what happened:
After examining my motorhome suspension(the same), that low airbag pressure and severe bumps made the Panhard bar hit the frame and broke the suspension bar and then snapped the panhard bolt and resulted in the rest of the damage.
If one were to look at the frame above the panhard bar- there would be some marks there. I can see something in the pictures. Then the side to side movement because the broken panhard arm cause the plates tied to the differential to break.
JMHO

[uwhawkman]

Just to provide an update. The assessor for Geico marked it down as Wear and Tear. I called Geico to contest. They provided me with the assessor's supervisor. I called him and told him what the assessor didn't see, and didn't do. The supe agreed to take a look and arranged to have it towed to C3 Collision. The supe met with Kevin at C3 and was told the RV took a big hit, created a break and in time the other structures failed. Right now C3 is looking for a donor suspension so that they can cut out what they need and weld it back in place. I guess they couldn't go in and fix things the way they were. Geico is waiting to hear back from C3 as to repair costs. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[JohnRR]

Thank you for the update, at least it sounds like a step in the right direction.