2010 Edge M21 Bent Frame & Cracks?

We discovered a little over one week after purchasing our new M21 which also happened to be our first trip, that it had a potential problem! It took several months (a long story), however, to later confirm by a local frame shop that the right rail has a sway of 1/2" while the left rail has a sway of 5/8". Both sways peak at the axles and push to the left.

Our first signal of a problem surfaced when we tried putting on our vinyl wheel protective covers. The one piece cover for the left wheels was very difficult to put on as the tires were nearly touching the fender skirt. The spacing between the tires and the fender skirt on the right side was much greater. We also noticed that when making sharper turns into gas stations that the left tires would actually rub against the fender skirt. This fender skirt was later filed down by an authorized Heartland dealership to prevent this from happening but unfortunately, they missed detecting the sway & cracks in the frame rails.

The frame shop also discovered that there were 5 cracks in the frame. Four of the cracks are in the welds while the fifth crack appears at one of the stamped out triangular holes in the left rail behind the rear axle. Two of the cracks in the welds are at each end of the cross member piece over the rear axle where it is attaches to the frame. Two other cracks in the welds are at the body support outriggers on the left side near the rear. This is a Lippert stamped out I-Beam steel frame. On my trailer there are only two cross member pieces, one at the rear axle and the other near the fresh water tank.

Just wondering if any other owners have experienced any similar problems with their Edge frame?

This is very difficult to notice unless you know what to look for. First, examine very closely the spacing between the tires and the fender skirt on both sides of your trailer to see if there is any difference. Secondly, you have to crawl under your trailer to check the welds at each end of the cross member piece over the rear axle. I suspect that the cracks in the welds here, might be the first signs of a potential problem before any sway in the rails actually start to appear.

Thanks

I would take your coach to your dealer and call Heartland right away.

The spacing on your wheels/axles will vary from side to side in relationship with the weight placed on the springs. As the spring flatens it gets longer and the spacing increases.
The sway or arch in your frame could be called normal, welding the spring supports to the bottom of the frame will cause the arch you discribed. 1/8" differiance from side to side is nothing.
If you truly do have cracks in the welds they can be fixed easily.

westxsrt10 said:

The spacing on your wheels/axles will vary from side to side in relationship with the weight placed on the springs. As the spring flatens it gets longer and the spacing increases.
The sway or arch in your frame could be called normal, welding the spring supports to the bottom of the frame will cause the arch you described. 1/8" differiance from side to side is nothing.
If you truly do have cracks in the welds they can be fixed easily.

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Westxsrt10: The local frame shop did verify the cracks to be actual and not just cracks in the paint. They reported that it would not be sufficient to just repair the cracks. If this is the only repair done, they state it will be "absolutely high risk" for further cracks to develop, either at the same locations or at other points in the frame. Their reasons for stating this is because of the pressure that is present at both axles when making sharper right turns in my case since the sway in both rails pushes to the left. This forces the axles/wheels to move to the left. The left axle/wheels could start to separate further than the 1/8" present now. The drag will eventually force them to separate more, causing further issues with aliment, tire wear etc., even though our trailer currently still tows straight without any issues. They say you have to ask what caused the sway and cracks to occur in the first place and then fix the problem. They feel any sway/arch over 1/4" is too much. A frame will flex but it should not have a permanent sway to the extent we have in our trailer. The actual cause for the problem with my frame has never been determined. The frame shop feels the frame was made too light but they also added that maybe it received a batch of bad steel!

Their "minimum" recommendation in addition to repairing the cracks, is to also straighten the sway in both side rails and to add one extra cross member piece near the front axle. This would help in making the frame more rigid. Another local axle shop with expertise in RV's who examined this frame earlier, made the same recommendation.

Lippert's position is that they will only cover the cost of repairing the cracks under warranty. Heartland's position is very simple; they support what ever Lippert recommends. Neither, Lippert or Heartland have ever disputed the local frame shop's assessment above.

It was only recently, after a Lippert supervisor got involved, that they made the following statement: "Regarding what would help with any alleged sway in the trailer frame; the addition of extra cross members and tube installed hanger to hanger typically assists with sway issues." They go on to say that "it is unfortunate the unit is in Canada; we would be able to assist and assess much more completely if the unit were able to come to one of our facilities". It would be about a 4 day trip one way for us to deliver this trailer to the nearest Lippert plant, so unfortunately for us, this is not practical. Regarding any "alleged sway". The local frame shop uses a tram gauge to measure sway which they report to be very accurate. The sway in the left rail of 5/8" was first determined by the axle shop (they also found some of the cracks) which was later confirmed by the frame shop who in addition found a 1/2" sway in the right rail.

Appreciate any expertise advice that is able to be provided with regards to any of the above statements.

Are these cracks in the weld itself or are the cracks in the parent metal beside the weld?

dgoy said:

Are these cracks in the weld itself or are the cracks in the parent metal beside the weld?

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dgoy: Four of the cracks are actually in the welds and not in the metal beside the weld. Only one of the cracks is in the metal itself.

UPDATE: We ended up taking our EDGE M21 to the Lippert plant in McMinnville, Oregon for this warranty repair in early January 2011. They squared the frame within 1/8th. of an inch, fixed all cracks in the welds/frame (total of 5) and added three steel tubular cross member supports (2X2 inch square). One was placed near the original cross member piece at the rear axle, the second was placed near the front axle and the third was placed near the only other original cross member support which is close to the back area of the fresh water tank. We are very pleased with the work done and now have a lot more confidence in the strength of this chassis/frame. As a matter of fact, it is felt that our frame would now be stronger than it was new. My personal opinion after experiencing our problem is that the Edge M21 model with only two cross members support pieces is not sufficient. We are now much happier campers!

BW07, Sorry to hear of your unfortunate problem. I am glad to see you updated your thread and that you are satisfied and happy with the outcome. Happy camping to you and your family!

So happy that you are "happier campers" spring will soon be here so enjoy your Edge!

Glad I read this. I am happy that you now have a "better than new" frame.. and feel safe. But this should never have happened. Until now.. I had seriously considered an EDGE (M21 or M22).. but will most like stick with a quality built unit.. and not be swayed by the "good looks" of the EDGE. The safety of my family and others on the road is far more important than owning a cool camper.

chuck9997 said:

Glad I read this. I am happy that you now have a "better than new" frame.. and feel safe. But this should never have happened. Until now.. I had seriously considered an EDGE (M21 or M22).. but will most like stick with a quality built unit.. and not be swayed by the "good looks" of the EDGE. The safety of my family and others on the road is far more important than owning a cool camper.

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Chuck9997, as Lippert makes frames not only for Heartland but other RV manufacturers as well, you could find that problem anywhere.
I guess the important part of this thread is that Lippert did make it right.

Peace
Dave

Chuck, Forums like this are a lightning rod for customer's problems. For every complaint there are hundreds of more than satisfied owners who would gladly purchase the same brand over again. We have an M-22 and have not had a single problem with it. All I ever ask of a manufacturer of anything... car, boat or RV is that if it isn't right, please make it right. I do agree that it is in a manufacturer's best interest to fix problems before they get to the forums, as one negative post will most certainly prevent 10 new sales. Before we purchased our Edge I visited many forums from other manufacturers, and I can honestly say that I felt there were much fewer unresolved issues with Heartland that most other manufacturers. My personal opinion based on my personal experience is that Heartland is as good as they get!! Best of luck in shopping for your RV, and please remember that there is lots of information and help available to you at this forum.