You never know what might break on an RV, and during our RV travels back in 2015, going from Arizona to Nova Scotia and back, we faced four major repairs on our then 8 year old fifth wheel trailer, all in four short months. Ouch.
The last breakdown — the failure of our fifth wheel trailer’s suspension — ended up being the most expensive repair of them all, because the entire trailer suspension had to be replaced. We were so miserable about the whole situation as it unfolded last fall in Phoenix, Arizona, that the last thing I wanted to do was to write about it on this blog.
So, the story has waited five months until now when our spirits are high and we’re camped near a stunning lake in the Canadian Rockies!
Repairs aside, this is why we RV!
2015 was a phenomenal year of travel for us, but it could have been a financial disaster.
$7,420
That was the scary total cost of all our RV repairs in 2015. Yikes!!
Fortunately, our out of pocket cost was just $1,045, because we had an extended RV warranty for our trailer.
| Cost of Warranty | $1,904 |
| Total Cost of Repairs we've had done | $7,834 |
| Total Out of Pocket Costs for those repairs | $1,145 |
| Repair Reimbursements: | |
| Trailer Axle Replacement | $1,036 |
| RV Refrigerator Replacement | $1,647 |
| Plumbing Issues & Window Leak | $1,142 |
| Suspension Replacement | $2,550 |
| RV Toilet Replacement | $314 |
| Total Repair Reimbursements | $6,689 |
Our trailer warranty has paid for itself 3.5 times over!
Confused about the nitty gritty fine print buried in RV Extended Warranties? Here's an excellent detailed explanation!!
As reflected on our RV budget and expenses analysis page, our combined maintenance and repair costs on our truck and trailer averaged $106 per month for our full-time travels between May, 2007, and August, 2015.
Life was good back then. Maintenance was easy and the unexpected repairs were small and manageable. Anything that went wrong was something Mark could fix (he’s an extremely gifted mechanic).
But 2015 unfolded very differently than prior years. This was mostly due to our trailer now being eight years old and also because we spent a month spent driving the rough back roads of Nova Scotia.
We weren’t sure at first, but after 4 expensive repairs in 4 months in 2015, we now know the answer is YES!!!
So, how did this all transpire?
When we were in Nova Scotia, we bent a spindle on the rear axle of our trailer. We limped to Bangor, Maine, and got a new axle installed.
We had to replace a trailer axle after driving the rough back roads in Nova Scotia
Besides damaging a trailer axle while we were in Nova Scotia, we also sprang leaks in both our fresh water tank and in our big rear window. The underbelly compartment of our trailer was filling with water whenever we filled our fresh water tank, and our rear window was leaking water all over our living room carpet whenever it rained (and it rains a lot in the northeast). Ugh!
Sadly, large fresh water tanks are not a commodity item, because they come in all shapes and sizes.
So, rather than waiting for two months for a new fresh water tank to come to the repair shop in Maine, we decided to do both of these water-related repairs (as well as a bunch of other smaller repairs) in Chanute, Kansas, at NuWa Industries, the factory repair facility where our trailer was originally manufactured.
NuWa claimed to have a fresh water tank for our trailer model in stock (this proved not to be the case, but that is another story), and they had an appointment available in two months (and no sooner!).
We could live with the leaks and other small problems, so this gave us two months to get from Maine to Kansas. We moseyed west and enjoyed a fabulous stay in Maysville, Kentucky.
Unfortunately, within 24 hours of leaving there, our RV refrigerator died. Good grief — While en route from a trailer axle repair in Maine to a bunch of plumbing related repairs in Kansas, we had to get a new RV fridge somewhere near western Kentucky. Not many places stock 8 cubic foot Dometic RV refrigerators! We scrambled and got our RV refrigerator replaced outside Indianapolis.
We had to replace our RV refrigerator after 8 years (the typical lifespan for a fridge, we found out!)
Luckily, the refrigerator replacement at Camping World went really well.
Once we got to Chanute, Kansas for our new fresh water tank, window repair, toilet repair, faucet replacement and a few other things, our buggy had to stay in the shop for three days!!
We had to replace our fresh water tank and do many other plumbing and leak-related repairs.
We were not allowed to stay in our rig while it was in the shop in Kansas. Fortunately, the trailer warranty reimbursement for those three days of repairs included our two nights at a motel. Thank goodness for that warranty once again!
Back on the road after our plumbing and water leak repairs were completed in Kanses, we ventured onward to Phoenix, Arizona.
Sadly, our saga of trailer repairs was not over yet.
TRAILER SUSPENSION FAILURE
Since we had left Maine (where we had gotten our new trailer axle installed), we had watched with alarm as the two wheels on our trailer’s tandem axles had gotten progressively closer and closer together. The frame of our trailer, built by Lippert Components, had always had very narrow spacing between the two wheels.
When we had upgraded from the factory installed E-rated (10 ply) tires to the higher profile G-rated (14 ply) tires a few years prior, I could squeeze two fingers between the tires. After our trailer axle replacement and new tire purchase in Maine, I verified that this was still the case.
Spacing between the wheels is two finger widths.
However, by the time we got to Phoenix, I could barely get the tip of my pinky finger between them and I could not slide my whole pinky in.
My pinky finger can squeeze only partway in between the tires!
The spacing was down to less than 1/4 inch.
Sagging suspension made our wheels dangerously close together.
Something was very wrong.
We took the trailer to Straight Line Suspension in Mesa, Arizona, a repair shop that had a newly outfitted facility that does a lot of contract suspension maintenance work on fleets of school buses and commercial trucks.
After careful inspection, their consensus was that we needed to revamp the trailer’s suspension completely. Something was failing, and whether the culprit was the leaf springs, or the equalizer between the springs or the axles themselves, no one could determine exactly.
Our buggy goes into the repair shop for a new suspension.
And this is where we were glad not just to have any old extended warranty contract on our trailer but to have one purchased through Wholesale Warranties.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING AN ALLY
Unlike most RV warranty brokers, Wholesale Warranties is heavily invested in the relationship between their clients and the warranty providers they represent. They want to be sure that their customers’ claims are properly handled by the warranty companies. So, they are more than happy to get involved in their clients’ claims to facilitate and make sure there are no misunderstandings.
This level of commitment to their products and belief in them is truly astonishing. And it makes all the difference in the world.
When the service provider (Straight Line Suspension) first called our warranty provider (Portfolio Protection), the warranty company was understandably reluctant to cover the repair without knowing the root cause of the failure. They pressed the shop to determine which specific part had caused the failure. Was it the shocks? The leaf springs? The axles? They wanted to replace only the component(s) that failed and nothing more. That makes sense!
However, the suspension experts had no idea which part had failed, and they said there was no easy way to figure that out. So, we called Wholesale Warranties and had a long conversation with John Wise. We described to him the gradual failure we had witnessed and the difficulty of pin-pointing exactly which component(s) had failed and in what order the failure(s) had occurred.
I emailed him photos of our wheel spacing both before and after the failure. Thank goodness I take so many photos and had both “before” and “after” photos to send him!
He then called our warranty company, Portfolio Protection, and reviewed the photos with them. He explained that the suspension mechanics were not sure exactly what had caused the failure but that the suspension was not functioning properly and needed to be replaced.
In the end, Portfolio Protection agreed to replace the springs, equalizers and shocks and also to correct the insufficient spacing between the leaf spring hangers, placing them further apart so that even if some components failed or sagged in the future, there would no risk that the wheels would touch.
If it weren’t for Wholesale Warranties coming to our aid to act as a liaison and facilitator and to help explain our breakdown in a way that the warranty provider could understand, this vital repair would not have been covered.
Of course, the role of Wholesale Warranties is strictly as a facilitator. They can’t force the provider to reimburse a repair that is not covered by the contract. We have called Wholesale Warranties for liaison assistance several times now, and they have been very up front when our repair was outside the limits of our contract.
However, being able to call them and describe the problem and get their input is extremely helpful. This is particularly true in cases like our trailer axle repair where both our RV insurance plan AND our RV warranty contract could be used to pay for the repair, but one was financially preferable to the other due to differing deductibles and different kinds of coverage.
FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER SUSPENSION REPLACEMENT
The first step in our trailer suspension replacement was to jack up the trailer and remove the two axles. We had just done a fabulous trailer disc brake conversion eight months earlier, and this was the THIRD time the hydraulic lines had been tampered with due to removing the axles or the belly pan from the frame. How frustrating!
The trailer axles are removed from the trailer.
Once the axles were off the trailer, the next step was to remove the leaf spring hangers.
The hangers must be cut off the frame.
The sparks flew like mad as each of the six hangers was cut off the frame using a torch.
Sparks fly as the old trailer leaf spring hangers are cut off
.
The mechanics wanted to ensure the new springs were strong enough, so they chose 8,000 lb. American made springs from Rockwell American, even though we had just 7,000 lb. axles and only 11,250 lbs. sitting on the pair of axles (as of our most recent RV weighing by the Escapees Smartweigh program).
New 8000 lb American made leaf springs from Rockwell American
They pointed out to us the difference between Chinese made springs and American made springs. Chinese steel is notorious for being inferior to American steel, and the overall fabrication quality of the springs, especially at the eye, was not as good.
The eye of the American made leaf springs looks clean and well made.
Not so much for the Chinese made leaf springs
Our trailer’s original Chinese springs had come with nylon bushings inside the eye, but they had been upgraded to brass bushings. When the old springs were removed from the trailer, we saw the brass bushings inside were worn out. The curvature of the spring from the eye was also flat, an indication that the spring itself was worn out.
Worn out bushings and the spring is flat — no curvature left!
(compare to above pics!)
The mechanics fabricated a new leaf spring hanger system that had three hangers welded onto a bar. These hangers would space the axles further apart than they originally had been.
New custom trailer leaf spring hangers
The bar was then welded onto the underside of the trailer frame.
The new trailer leaf spring hanger bar is positioned so it can be welded onto the frame.
After welding on the new hanger bar, new equalizers were bolted onto each center hangers.
.
Then the leaf springs were bolted onto the outer hangers.
Springs and equalizers in place — all set to reinstall the axles.
The axles were installed using new U-bolts. The mechanics also made a brace to span the width of the trailer between the two hanger bars to add some rigidity to the suspension system.
A brace running across the width of the trailer makes the system stronger and more sturdy.
.
Then they welded new shock mounts on the frame and installed new Monroe Gas-Magnum RV shock absorbers.
.
The final result — our wheels were a fist’s width apart!!
The trailer axles are spaced a lot better now.
SUSPENSION REPAIR COST BREAKDOWN
Here are the costs for the suspension replacement and our out of pocket costs as a result of our extended trailer warranty:
| Parts: | $1,119.83 |
| Labor: | $1,440.00 |
| Tax: | $90.15 |
| Total: | $2,649.98 |
| Reimbursement: | $2,549.98 |
| Out of Pocket (deductible): | $100.00 |
COMPLICATIONS
Unfortunately, in the world of repairs, sometimes fixing one thing breaks another.
After our trailer suspension replacement was completed, we towed our trailer out into the parking lot and went inside to get organized to leave for our next destination.
As always, we were not connected to electrical hookups, so we turned on our new Exeltech XPX 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter that we had installed as part of our overall RV electrical system overhaul so we could generate 120 volt AC power from our batteries and run our microwave and computers.
Instantly an alarm went off.
What???
We flew to turn off the inverter and then began troubleshooting segments of our AC wiring to try to figure out the problem.
Suddenly, we heard a huge loud POP. And that was the end of the inverter.
Good heavenly days.
Luckily, the inverter was still under its manufacturer’s warranty. Exeltech is phenomenal about caring for their equipment out in the field. They provide inverters to NASA and their equipment is on both the American and Russian sides of the International Space Station. They take great pride in their equipment and have an excellent warranty repair process.
Mark undid the really nice inverter installation job he’d done for our Exeltech, boxed it up, and shipped it to Exeltech’s Ft. Worth, Texas, facility.
Geez… Our beautiful inverter (the suspended black box) had been working flawlessly!
(To keep the inverter cool and well clear of the batteries, yet still close, it is securely suspended above)
In the meantime, we spent a day troubleshooting our wiring to try to understand what had gone wrong. It wasn’t clear to us how the trailer suspension replacement might have impacted our trailer wiring, and the mechanics were certain that the two were unrelated.
After many hours of crawling under the trailer, and removing the belly pan section by section, and running our fingers along the frame and shining a flashlight into the unreachable depths, we found a spot where the AC trunk line was resting on the frame.
Well, it wasn’t exactly resting any more. The heat from the cutting and welding torches had melted the cable’s insulation onto the frame!
Mark carefully incised the casing, separated the hot and neutral lines, re-wrapped them in new insulation and affixed the cable firmly to the underside of the plywood flooring well away from the frame.
How had this happened?
Sadly, Straight Line Suspension did not check the frame sufficiently in the areas where they would be welding before they started torching the hangers off of it and welding on the new hanger system. Of course, this is a difficult thing to do because a plastic corrugated sheeting covers the entire underbelly of the trailer, protecting the tanks and wiring from road grime.
In order to inspect the frame before taking a torch to it, this corrugated sheeting must be removed, and any wiring in the area where the welding will take place must be located to ensure that it is not touching the frame.
RV manufacturers should enclose all wiring in conduit, or at least tack it to the underside of the plywood flooring, rather running it along the I-beams. However, that was not the case in our trailer. The wiring was tacked up to the flooring in some places, but there were extensive gaps that sagged, and this one portion sagged enough to be touching the frame right where the cutting and welding took place.
We live off the grid in our RV on solar power, so our inverter is our sole source of AC power. Losing it was a huge inconvenience!
While we waited for ten days or so for our inverter to make it to Ft. Worth, undergo diagnosis and repair then be shipped back to Phoenix, Mark installed our old Exeltech XP 1100 inverter in its place. Thank goodness we hung onto it after our upgrade from the 1100 watt to the 2000 watt version of the inverter!!
Straight Line Suspension paid for the expedited shipping and insurance for our inverter, and eventually, the happy day came when our inverter arrived and Mark got it put back in place.
For folks who want to get work done on their trailer in the Arizona area, we had our trailer suspension further upgraded with a MORryde SRE 4000 equalizer that was installed by the excellent mechanics at Rucker Trailer Works in Mesa, Arizona. Their workmanship was top notch and the MORryde has made a huge difference. Read our blog post about that installation here.
The Exeltech XPX 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter has been repaired and is ready to be reinstalled.
Needless to say, this was an ordeal that was not fun to live through and one that I waited a long time to write about. However, it is an amazing illustration of just how valuable an RV warranty can be, especially if you get one from a broker that stands behind their customers during the claims process. It’s also an important reminder that if someone is going to take a torch to your RV frame, they should check the nearby wiring first!
We weren’t sure just how worthwhile an RV Warranty would be when we got ours, but 2015 would have been an extremely expensive year for us without it. It’s bad enough to be stuck on the side of the road. But having to pay through the nose for the nasty surprise of a major repair makes the ordeal even worse.
What’s worse than being dead on the side of the road? Knowing it’s gonna cost ya!
Wholesale Warranties loves our repair stories, and they have offered our readers a $50 discount on their RV warranty (for a trailer or motorhome) if you mention our website, Roads Less Traveled, when you set it up. The discount will come off the quoted price at the time of purchase (remind them before you sign if you don’t see it — it’s not automated!!). Here is the link to get a quote for a warranty on your particular RV:
Wholesale Warranties Quote Page
Or you can call them at (800) 939-2806 and ask for our contact, Missi Emmett, or email her at missi@wholesalewarranties.com.
FURTHER READING:
Articles Related to Finances in the RV Lifestyle:
- RV Costs, Expenses and Budget Analysis Over 8 Years of Full-time Travel
- What is an RV Warranty and Do You Need One?
Our Personal Case History of RV Warranty Repairs:
-
1. Trailer Axle Repair Under an Extended Trailer Warranty ($1,036 Savings)
2. RV Refrigerator Replacement Under An Extended Trailer Warranty ($1,654 Savings)
3. Brief Overview of Plumbing Repairs Under An Extended Trailer Warranty ($1,142 Savings)
4. Suspension Repair Under An Extended Trailer Warranty ($2,550 Savings)
5. RV Toilet Replacement under an Extended Trailer Warranty ($314 Savings)
More blog posts about our fifth wheel trailer suspension:
- MORryde SRE 4000 Installation & Review – Smooth Trailer Towing 03/23/18
- Trailer Suspension Nuts & Bolts – RV Blues on Rough Roads! 06/24/17
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Wow, what an awesome post, Mark! Thanks so much for detailing the repairs that you had to do. It’s so important to show everyone that they need to be prepared to get down and dirty when things get tough.
Thanks, Rob. Mark has a big happy smile right now because he did not write this post or any of the others on this website! Emily is the writer in the family! It may seem funny that a gal would write so many technical blog posts and magazine articles about trucks and disc brake conversions and solar power and batteries and engine tuners and fifth wheel hitch installations, but I get a kick out of it!!
I was convinced that an RV Warranty was something we would invest in when we buy our RV since the consensus is to go a few years old and let someone else pay the biggest part of the depreciation as well as work out some of the new RV bugs. Still, I was waiting for this blog and to see your experiences. That’s a lot of savings. Thanks for sharing.
It is a lot of savings, Chris — a whole lot more than I ever would have expected. Going used on an expensive RV makes sense — we sure did that with our sailboat — and even if all the new RV bugs aren’t worked out, at least you’ve saved on that initial depreciation hit. Thanks for your patience waiting for this blog post. I have so many things I want to write about, and every day still has only 24 hours in it!!!
Wow sorrowful but awesome post. I think I would require the gentle embrace of a very neat adult beverage while authoring such an article and reliving all this.
But as always a wonderful and very very informational post. I never heard of Wholesale Warranties, the only other warranty is Good Sam that I was aware of but these folks sound to be the ticket. And the Straight Line Suspension folks seem to be on the up and up. But the hard part I think is finding a reputable place that CAN do the repairs… these guys seemed to want to do a great job in earnest and workmanlike manner.
Well, if you RV long enough, big repairs are going to become a part of the picture at some point. We were spared for so many years, I think that’s why we got ’em all at once!!
And you’re right, finding a good repair shop is extremely difficult. I didn’t mention it in the post, but Wholesale Warranties has taken their commitment to their customers one step further by maintaining a website of RV repair shop reviews called RV Repair Direct. We didn’t use it for these repairs (we didn’t know about it then), but we have used it since (and will be writing more about THAT soon… sigh!). I’m really glad this post was helpful for you. Thank you for reading!
Extremely informative post! There is a lot to be learned here…..from the warranty information to all the repair info….apparently it’s not all unicorns and rainbows out on the road…you guys kicked some butt and got it done!
Thanks again for sharing. …
All in all, it’s a wine-and-roses lifestyle, but life is life, and there are bleak moments no matter who you are or what you do, and sometimes bad things come in threes…or fours or fives. But the sun always comes out eventually! Thanks for reading!!
Mark, Emily:
We bought a 4 year, $200 deductible warranty from Wholesale Warranties for our 5th wheel trailer. In the last 2 months we have had a problem with our hydraulic slides and our air conditioner just broke last week. Just like you we are very glad we had the warranty. That warranty is starting to pay for itself and we still have 3 1/2 years to go. Great write up by the way. The suspension shop sounds like a very good place to have work done.
How great to hear that you’ve had a good warranty experience too. It would be nicer if you didn’t have to have any repairs, but it sure is a good feeling when you see the warranty paying for itself!!
Great post! Thanks for sharing those “painful” moments. All of your posts are so interesting and informative. We are getting a true picture of both the fantastic and not-so-fantastic aspect of full-time life on the road. A valuable tutelage for us as plan our own adventure, which we’ve dubbed “The Big Leap”. We’ve added an RV warranty as a “must have” to our list. Thanks for the wonderful weekly posts, Emily!
You are welcome!! It’s a beautiful life that is so worthwhile giving a try, but of course there are bumps in the road too. “The Big Leap” is a great name for it, as that’s exactly what it is at the start. But if you spend the rest of your life standing on the edge watching other people who’ve done it, you’ll always wonder what it’s really like, and you’ll probably regret not having had the faith to leap!!
M&M, you keep on truckin and providing us with your travel adventures, beautiful photography, and extensive technical articles about repairs, and calamities on the road. Not only do we follow your travels for your adventures, but pay close attention to your technical stuff, which saves us a lot of grief, headache, and other palpitations when we hear “strange noises” on the road. Naturally, your referrals are priceless! So keep it up. And Emily, your technical articles are very well written, understandable, AND very valuable …. Happy Trails….from Bette & Glen Horsmann in Sun City, AZ
Wow! Thank you so much, Bette & Glen. It means so much to know that our various travel stories and technical postings are helpful and inspiring!!
Hi Mark. I too read the whole piece having earlier read about the disc conversion. I do trailer repairs and enjoy everything RV.
Was it ever a consideration during this ordeal to convert to Torsion Axels. They ride smooth and certainly would never get closer together.
Wayne, as we saw our problem developing, we researched and considered every suspension system out there and talked to lots of manufacturers about their products. In the end, the MorRyde suspension was something we might have pursued, but the installation is done by the manufacturer in Indiana, and by the time we realized our problem was truly severe, we were in Arizona and winter was around the corner, and we felt the trailer was unsafe to drive that kind of distance. Getting a replacement suspension that solved our problem for $100 under warranty made more sense than getting an upgrade that would cost $3k or more. -Emily
Just read the whole post on the suspension replacement. What an ordeal that must have been! We’ve been full timing nearly a month now in our new 2017 Jayco Noth Point 377RLBH. We love it! However, I noticed the spacing between the two tires is similar to yours previously, about an inch and a quarter. It has the Moryde 3000 equalizer system, but no shock absorbers. I’m wondering how your original shocks came to be on your NuWa? We’re they factory installed? Our 42′ 7″ 5ver bounces a lot over the uneven roads and I’m curious to ask how your 5er reacts with shocks on same roads? Do you know the model# of those Monroes? I’m itching to get some installed on my trailer to cure this bouncing problem, that is, if they truly can be installed.
I really love reading your posts to guide me, especially the disc brake conversion. We had them installed in Elkhart… At Elkhart Sales & Service a week after delivery. Boy, what a difference! The factory drum brakes were not even engaging at all after leaving the dealership on Memorial Day weekend. So scary to be driving around a 15K trailer without brakes. Elkhart Sales there took us in immediately (they had work backed up 4 weeks) as I had all the parts up front ahead of time. They did a great job and went out of their way to fabricate missing parts in the kit. Kudos to their staff for a fine job. They were tested 10 days ago as a lady turned out of a church into our path about an 1/8th mi ahead of us on a quiet Sunday afternoon on a divided highway going 60 mph… and narrowly avoiding a head on collision! All four tires smoked on the camper and she crossed our path to the outside miraculously missing us altogether. Anyways I hope you guys never have to face a serious situation as that ever! Divine intervention protected us that day and we’re forever grateful we put those disc brakes on when we did. No telling what would’ve happened with the stock brakes, if they were functioning correctly.
Anyways, looking forward to the future of full timing and your articles as they post and hoping my camper can get a serious upgrade of good shocks.
I’m glad our posts have been helpful for you, Darin. Thanks for the enthusiastic feedback!
The shocks we installed are the strong>Monroe Gas-Magnum RV Shock Absorbers. Our trailer came with cheaper quality shocks, a basic equalizer and springs that were all installed at the factory.
how did you know you bent an axle and what were the road conditions like to cause such a bend?
The details about our trailer axle replacement are here: Trailer Axle Replacement
From the pictures, it appears the tires no longer line up with the fender cut-outs. Is that the case or just the angle of the photo? If they do, in fact, no longer line up, has it posed any issues?
I think that’s just an optical illusion in the photos, Wendy. The wheels line up with the fenders just fine.
This post was very helpful for my husband and I, he had the leaf springs in our amazon wish list and knew he needed to replace them, but unfortunately we had an incident on the road (we are all safe), and we ended up with a tire smoking and a trip to an rv shop to replace the leaf springs, my husband was able to have an educated conversation with the shop about parts, etc, thanks!
I’m sorry you had a mishap on the road — and what frustrating timing when you already had the leaf springs waiting in your Amazon wish list!! It sounds like you found a good repair shop and were well taken care of. Good luck in your future travels and thanks for reading our blog!
Great posts. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I just subscribed and look forward to reading future posts.
We have just experienced a complete leaf spring failure on our 2018 coach. Luckily no one got hurt. I am dealing with Lippert to get the repairs covered under warranty. They are saying that our bike rack with 2 bike on the back bumper may have contributed to the leaf spring failure? They will only reimburse my expenses once they have tested the parts I have to send them. If their test indicates defective then they will cover it.
I’m glad no one was hurt in your leaf spring failure, and I hope that you receive a reimbursement for the repair. It would seem to me that a pair of bikes on a bike rack wouldn’t be sufficient weight to cause a leaf spring failure, but who knows. Thank you for subscribing to our blog and have fun in your travels!!
We have the extended warranty with Wholesale and have used a few times and have never gotten away with just the $100 deducible because Wholesale will only honor $80 shop rate plus their allotted time is a little short. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have any regrets buying the warranty from Wholesale but I just don’t see how you get away with cheaper labor.
There are different levels of warranty protection, and each warranty plan offers different coverage. We have a plan that began in 2014 that was the top of the line plan at the time, and there is no limit on the shop rate.
I know what it fells like to have your RV fall apart. Rebuilt the frame on ours after it almost broke in half, 1/4 of separation at the top between the two sets of leaf springs. Designed and had the proper American steel made to new specs at the Washington steel forge. Created a 12 leaf configuration for each leaf spring very close to what you have. Total weight 10,000lbs per. Drove from Washington to pick up the new steel frame than drove to Fresno Calif to pick up new manufactured U-Bolts for the new leaf springs configuration. Finished the job with two new axles manufactured on the spot at TRU-Trailers also in Fresno and installed The MOR/RYDE SRE 4000. Rides nice and dependable now. They don’t make RVS to last as long as they should. Have to replace the micro now and installing new disc brake system from drum.
Holy smokes, what a story! Sounds like you’re making some great improvements, though. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could buy a trailer built like that from the factory?! We just can’t pull the trigger on any of the new trailers we’ve looked at because the foundations are so poorly built, so we keep limping along with our old one. Sigh. Oh well. Enjoy your travels — that’s what it’s all about in the end!!
Hi guys. Been following your blog for quite some time and just love all the info which you provide.
We have been fulltiming in our 2010 NuWa HitchHiker for just over a year. When we arrived at our winter destination here in Florida about 2 weeks ago, I noticed the space between the tires on the driver’s side of the trailer was about a 1/4 inch. I immediately thought about reading this post and just had to refresh my memory.
Fortunately, we will be settled in here for a few months, so I have a good deal of time to research the issue and potential repair facilities. I also have an extended warranty through Wholesale Warranties.
I have a question…. since I really don’t know how long this situation has existed, I’m really wondering how far you think might be a safe distance to travel to seek a repair?
Oh my goodness!! I really don’t know how far a distance is safe and can’t make a recommendation. We traveled several hundred miles with white knuckles and crossed fingers, but it was risky and we were not happy about it. Every trailer is different and I think we got lucky! Lots of shops have the ability to remove the old hangers and weld on new ones a little further apart. Hopefully you can find one nearby! Good luck!!