rear of motorhome sinking - behind rear axle

[MoHoGuy]

i'm having this problem where the rear of my motorhome is dropping down. i can see where it's pulling the top of my slide-out frame away from the slide-out but it's still lined up at the bottom. i can also notice my rear windows are at an angle compared to the middle windows. please check out the photos i've posted.

has anyone experienced this? i'm guessing it's due to Fleetwood's "genius" idea to mount ALL the holding tanks and gas tank behind the rear axle. there is so much weight on the rear of these vehicles and because of this, i believe some other problems while driving the coach can occur. (see my other post regard "bouncing dashboard")



you can see where the body and slide-out frame is being pulled away from the slide-out


this is the front part of the slide-out from the inside - this is what CALIFORNIA roads do to your motorhome

[MoHoGuy]

i'm having this problem where the rear of my motorhome is dropping down. i can see where it's pulling the top of my slide-out frame away from the slide-out but it's still lined up at the bottom. i can also notice my rear windows are at an angle compared to the middle windows. please check out the photos i've posted.

has anyone experienced this? i'm guessing it's due to Fleetwood's "genius" idea to mount ALL the holding tanks and gas tank behind the rear axle. there is so much weight on the rear of these vehicles and because of this, i believe some other problems while driving the coach can occur. (see my other post regard "bouncing dashboard")



you can see where the body and slide-out frame is being pulled away from the slide-out


this is the front part of the slide-out from the inside - this is what CALIFORNIA roads do to your motorhome

[Tom N]

You have a very serious problem. If this were my motorhome I'd take it back to the factory.

-Tom

[full-timer]

MoHoGuy,it looks as though the frame was extended and the weld has broken. I've looked at several motorhomes that have had the frame extended and the way they do it is not good. I've extended several truck chassis and used a diamond plate for reinforcement. The motorhome people just butt the ends up and weld.

Joe

[NLOVNIT]

Wow, that IS serious. Have you contacted Fleetwood for advice on what to do? I would be very hesitant to take it anywhere until I had some direction from the factory on what they're going to do for you. It's obviously a manufacturing defect.

Please keep us informed on what your outcome is. Those of us with similar Fleetwood coaches will want to know.


L-

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MoHoGuy:
i'm having this problem where the rear of my motorhome is dropping down. i can see where it's pulling the top of my slide-out frame away from the slide-out but it's still lined up at the bottom. i can also notice my rear windows are at an angle compared to the middle windows. please check out the photos i've posted.

has anyone experienced this? i'm guessing it's due to Fleetwood's "genius" idea to mount ALL the holding tanks and gas tank behind the rear axle. there is so much weight on the rear of these vehicles and because of this, i believe some other problems while driving the coach can occur. (see my other post regard "bouncing dashboard")

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have seen this many times and it has usually been a cracked rear cross member on the coach frame not the chassis. Is there a hump in the floor somewhere above the rear axel? Open the bins in front of and behind the rear wheels and inspect the cross member and you may find that it is cracked where it passes over the chassis frame rails. Also check underneath for broken welds, cracked frames and rot.

Salt damage to the mild steel they use for the bin frames and body supports is many times a contributing factor. We get a lot of these coaches comming in to Florida from the road salt states up north. They polish them up nice inside and out but underneath they are falling apart.

Do not drive the coach except to drop it off at the shop to get it repaired or better yet if you can where you bought it to get a refund.

[MoHoGuy]

hi Neil,

thanks for the response. i purchased it from a private party in NY in '04 then drove it to CA where it's been driving ever since. it's had that characteristic since i've owned it. it's just got a little worse over that time. i take the vehicle all over los angeles (11,000 hard city miles in 4 years) the roads and freeways all over los angeles are the worst you can imagine for a modern city - this thing has taken a beating. i've added sway bar, stabilizer, air bags to deal with it but nothing can fight off the uneven freeway joints and 4"-8" potholes and bumps all over the city streets.

i plan on taking this baby to the Fleetwood facory in Riverside but don't expect much help from them. i will most likely wind up at this frame shop i know of. currently, it's my #1 working vehicle until i get my other one finished up (2000 Pace Arrow).

i will definately be checking all those areas you told me about. i regularly examine the undercarrige for bad spots. there's a lot of rust from being in NY. i'm planning on having it all treated with that rubberized undercoat - any suggestions on that?

thanks!

[Gary RVRoamer]

It's probably too late for undercoat to help. Once the rust has started, it will continue to eat away even if washed down well and covered with the rubber gunk.

[WilleyB]

http://www.rustcheck.com/
Well living in a salt orientated world up here,I started using Rust Check. It is supposed to drive the moisture out and seal (protect). Although the motor home is only out once a month for a run during the winter, it can still rust because of the salt air from the oceans. This is its 3rd year here and no rust can be found incl underneath. I also did the car I bought last Dec. hopefully that will be successful too.
Just another idea to consider.

Cheers Dubya Bee