Lisa,
I am not an expert on this topic, but have owned and pulled trailers for more than 30 years. I think the frame design on the ER is adequate but not "bullet proof". I bought my ER last summer and have studied its construction details with pointed attention. I have also compared its frame to other brands. There are a few frames that are bullet proof, maybe even bomb proof, but in $70K trailers that weigh a bunch more than the ER does.
Now here is the part gleaned from the School of Hard Knocks. Many years ago we pulled our 27 ft TT to L.A. and back. The freeways around L.A. had some of the worst broken concrete I have ever experienced. It beat up my TT badly and did some frame damage from the severe pounding from the busted and worn pavement. That trailer was not the size or quality or weight of your ER. The trailer required some significant fixing when we got back to Minneapolis. The point I'm making is that we can both pull our 5ers for many thousands of miles and probably never have any damage, but a really bad washboarded or chuckholed road can do damage to any trailer or truck (even the semi trucks end up with cracked frames and broken springs). What is our solution?? When encountering really bad road, slow down or take an alternate route. You will also do less damage with a cushioned hitch pin, like the Air Force, or other air bag hitch or the rubber mounted Mor-Ride hitch pin. Both system reduce the chucking motion between truck and trailer, and make for a much more enjoyable ride.
It is possible that the frame manufacturer has created a bad weld that fails and something starts to get loose. Pay attention to the "feel" of your trailer, and if something changes, get it inspected ASAP. Don't let a "bad feeling" progress to the level of catastrophe.
I drove to Alaska and the Yukon in 1968 when the harsh rutted gravel section was about 1700 miles long. That road was very destructive to all kinds of vehicles, but it was an incredibly beautiful trip. I would love to go back, but health issues seem to be my limiting factor now. Most of the road is paved now. Get a copy of the "Milepost" soon and read it carefully ahead of time. Best of Luck in your big adventure!!
Paul_in_MN
