# pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)



## rznkane2hunt (Jun 18, 2009)

I have a 2007 Forest River Wildcat with a Lippert/zemar frame. The pin box tore almost completly away from the frame luckily I noticed as the area is for the most part concealed from view. Forest River wouldnt speak to me at all in regards to this matter but did give me Lipperts email. My children our dog and I were stranded in a parking lot for a week in 105 degree weather with no generator (no AC). Lippert finally sent someone out to do a temporary fix. At that time I also showed them the cracks in the frame above the axles and spring hangers (you could see all the way through the frame) they said oh you will make it home (1,306 miles). As a result of them welding the pin box back on and strengthening it so well the frame is now buckled above the hitch. It is comon when you strengthen something for it to come apart somewhere else. This could have been prevented. The welds were an inch above the edge on the square tubing on a weak point the strong point would have been the edge. They only ran one pass this creates a hard spot in the metal leaving the weld prone to breaking, if a second pass would have been ran and the metal properly anealed and there would have been no hard spot to break. The tubing used for the frame was 1/8 inch steel a bit light for a 34.5 foot 5th wheel with a GVWR of 13,000 pounds. This is a design flaw and it will happen again.  As for the permanent fix it has not happened. The only offer was to have someone instruct me how to fix it myself I find this unacceptable because it is not my fault their design was defective. As for now I continue to get the runaround this has been ongoing since mid april.  Please inspect your 5th wheels this is verry dangerous especially because the emergency braking system would not have been activated due to where it is mounted. I will try to post pictures but am more than willing to email more if requested.


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## Grandview Trailer Sa (Jun 18, 2009)

Re: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)

I would like to wish you luck at getting your problem fixed, but Forest River is not well known for handling warranty very well.  I don't sell them any more for this reason, all I can say is good luck to you.  Lippert does make good frames, but they make them to manufactures specs.  For your trailer to be fixed, the body would have to be lifted off the frame and frame replaced.  It can be done, but they will have to me made to do it.

I would like to ask, were you towing a trailer behind you?


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## rznkane2hunt (Jun 18, 2009)

Re: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)

No I was not . I have never towed behind my 5th wheel.


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## Grandview Trailer Sa (Jun 18, 2009)

Re: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)

That is good for your case, you should have some sort of warranty, but again.....good luck.


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## DL Rupper (Jun 19, 2009)

Re: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)

Good luck and thanks for the info.


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## motec (Jul 1, 2009)

RE: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)

a friend of mine had his frame crack out just like yours   there are class action law suits pending on these guys   I've been a fabricator for years so he brought his over to me and we repaired it the first thing I did was shorten the spring purches by half to take the mechanical advatage out of them... when you turn the trailer they twist the lower frame beam thats what cracks them .....get rid of the 1 x2 rectagle tubing off the bottom of the frame and replace it with a 2 x 6 x 3/16ths rectagle tube frame that spans both sides so we're talking a frame that's roughly 4 feet by 6 feet ,that the spring purches attach to ....then weld the hole assymbly to the bottom of the frame that takes all the twist out of the frame and puts it in the  sub assymbly it's a lot of work but if you want to keep the trailer thats the only way it will be safe to tow there are a lot of good fab shops out there and the thing you have to remeber is if they just weld the cracks in the existing frame you're just welding junk to junk it will never be any good...it really surprises me that the dot lets them keep making junk that can hurt you, your family, or the poor people that are right behind you going 75 mph....


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## H2H1 (Jul 1, 2009)

Re: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)

Good point Gary. I hope the law suit prevails in the favor of the owners. And the DoT is included  so they will more aware of what is going on.


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## H2H1 (Jul 1, 2009)

Re: pin box tore away from frame (welds broke)



> H2H1 - 7/1/2009  4:44 PM  Good point Gary. I hope the law suit prevails in the favor of the owners. And the DoT is included  so they will more aware of what is going on.


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