Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > TRAVEL TRAILER, 5th WHEEL & TRUCK CAMPER FORUMS > 5th Wheel Discussion
Click Here to Login
Register FilesVendors Registry Blogs FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search Log in
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-13-2013, 07:02 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
hjsdds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 330
Lippert "news" (?)

Interesting.
All Welders at Lippert Motorized Chassis Facility Certified | RV Industry News
Maybe they are feeling the heat. But that's motorized stuff, not mention yet of the "cheap stuff", like fifths frames.
In the meantime Jason Lippert keeps enlarging his sand box.
LCI Acquires Assets of Midstates Tool & Die & Engineering Inc. | RV Industry News

hjs
hjsdds is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 07-13-2013, 07:48 PM   #2
Junior Member
 
Infinityrver's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 26
Quote:
Originally Posted by hjsdds View Post
Interesting.
All Welders at Lippert Motorized Chassis Facility Certified | RV Industry News
Maybe they are feeling the heat. But that's motorized stuff, not mention yet of the "cheap stuff", like fifths frames.
In the meantime Jason Lippert keeps enlarging his sand box.
LCI Acquires Assets of Midstates Tool & Die & Engineering Inc. | RV Industry News

hjs
I've gotta ask, "have you had an issue with the 12" or 10" Lippert I-beam frames?

Thanks for input in advance.
__________________
Dave & Patty
2012 Infinity 3850RL
2011 Ford F-350 4x4 FX-4 Crew cab 6.7 Diesel
Infinityrver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2013, 10:24 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
hjsdds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 330
Not currently, the rig I have now doesn't have anything made or sold by Lippert, but this was my past experience.



The company that made that fifth certainly was buying their frames from somebody, wouldn't be surprised if it was from folks who Lippert owns now. For more "in depth" discussions of Lippert frames there are a couple of quite recent forums.

Another Lippert frame issue - HDT - Escapees Discussion Forum

Yet ANOTHER Lippert Frame Failure - HDT - Escapees Discussion Forum

I posted the topic because what Lippert is doing is actually a good news, somebody at Lippert is "noticing" and reacting. I spent my entire life in product development and manufacturing, large and small companies. I have no doubt that Lippert or the frame building subsidiary they purchased could build outstanding frames. It starts exactly with what they announced, properly training their employees and then have quality control people check on the work going out. And they should do one more thing, fire the idiots in charge of the subsidiary who couldn't think of those two things in the first place and created a public embarrassment about quality of Lippert frames (actually their own) in the marketplace.
From what I have seen the issue with Lippert frames is not the the use of 10" or 12" I-beam frames, the failures are poor welding in general and inadequate design and materials used around the pin box structure under the fifth overhang. Here's an example, although I don't know who made that frame.

There is a lot of stress on that weld where the two tubes come together in the front and the two rear pieces of steel might as well not be there.

Incidentally Lippert acquired their frame building subsidiary Quality Frames (?) in 2002, they had plenty of tome to straighten them out and improve quality.

hjs
hjsdds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2013, 08:14 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Ray,IN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,982
LCI is owned by Drew Industries, which also owns Kenro Inc. Jason Lippert is CEO of all three companies. They just moved to Elkhart, IN and added ~500 new jobs.
Certifying their welders completes their end of building a quality frame. Now it's up to the trailer manufacturers to spec a quality frame, beginning with high-quality steel.
IMO, That broken tube in the picture is not a faulty weld, it's cheap steel that became embrittled from the welding process.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA." My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
Ray,IN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2013, 11:04 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
hjsdds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 330
I agree with you wholeheartedly that the crack was a fatigue of an embrittled tubing because of wrong gauge, that stuff was paper thin 12 gauge at the most maybe even 14. The design wasn't bad, basically it was this

and if they went with tubing that was 3/16 wall it would have been plenty strong. The crack was in the rear tube going side to side and where the pin box tube was welded.
The right front corner crack was just a poor weld crack. I think it was either C, E, or G, take your pick.

Heavier tubing and proper welding would have done a trick on this corner.

If they "really wanted to do it right" perhaps something like this,

or this.

Although the last solution probably would get the manufacturing guy fired for wasting time and money.

hjs
hjsdds is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2013, 12:48 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 359
Quote:
Originally Posted by hjsdds View Post
Although the last solution probably would get the manufacturing guy fired for wasting time and money.

hjs
I agree he's wasting time and money with the angle iron, but then I'm not a big fan of angle iron gussets, I'd concentrate on making a good butt weld between the two tubes all the way around (leaving a small hole on the underneath side for drainage) and then adding the two flat gussets just for good measure.
__________________
2007 K-Z 35 Toyhauler, 2006 Chev 2500HD Duramax, 2005 H-D Road King Classic, 2007 Mini-Schnauzer "Scooter"
menoble is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.