5th Wheel Hitch Overhang Fiberglass Delamination

[TravelTiger]

Bill, They will remove it for the repairs. They completely replaced ours, even though ours really wasn't sagging. Looks like a different material altogether and looks good and solid.
New bulkhead


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[dalspot]

Ours never was that tight! I just thought it normal, now this year, it appears to be sagging even more.

Is this just a warranty replacement that Heartland is doing?

Bill, They will remove it for the repairs. They completely replaced ours, even though ours really wasn't sagging. Looks like a different material altogether and looks good and solid.

Karen

 

[TravelTiger]

Ours never was that tight! I just thought it normal, now this year, it appears to be sagging even more.

Is this just a warranty replacement that Heartland is doing?



Karen

Karen, take pics. And send to HL to see what they say. Ours was replaced when other repairs were done at the factory.


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[ParkIt]

Knew I'd seen this post somewhere but couldn't find it on search after our cap landed in and on the bed of a transport company truck. I sent a ton of pictures to our insurance company, they called back Friday and said they had seen more damage than ours took - it now sags like yours from the cap delaminating from the jolt of it dropping in the truck. Since I'm not a fan of just screwing the cap back up to the frame I talked to the repair shop and they order entire front and rear caps if there is no frame damage other than the front cap so its sealed properly from the roof to the front edges, it will be a couple of weeks before they can get it into the shop before we know the full extent of the damage. The hard part is we are moving out of the house (what is left) and that is bedroom stuff so I know I'll have to keep it boxed up since they will have to take the cap off and bedroom slide off.

I can find out what the general cost is if you like, not sure I'd feel comfortable with the entire cap sagging like that. There is also an aluminum rail just behind the hitch that runs length wise that might have bent at some point causing everything to drop down, hopefully you didn't find any frame damage or stress fractures to the rest or it will keep 'dropping' downward. Did this also cause the roof to separate along the cap line? Make sure to check up there as well and if you don't see any gap in the caulk line, its most likely the lighter aluminum bar that has bent or fractured causing the delamination. You would want that replaced so you don't end up with stress fractures in the frame itself.

Good luck and hope you've gotten it fix by now.

 

[wdk450]

ParkIt:
If your last post was specifically addressed to me, the original poster on this thread, I am going to P.M. you.

 

[cgcampbell07]

hey, dont want to steal this thread but i also notice the same thing in my 2009 bighorn 3600rl, and also a crack has apeared above the bed room slide

In the first pic, the small piece that goes that is right under the bed room slide when too apart the whole siding right there i notice that the actual wood is uneven it drops about 2 inches lower pass that point. I am not sure if this is normal or not.

 

[ParkIt]

That wouldn't be "normal" and could be due to frame flex. Contact Heart Land so you can email them the pictures, they've been good about helping other owners with frame flex problems (it's a Lippert failure, not HL).

 

[olcoon]

FWIW, our 2011 Elk Ridge came from the factory with (I think) 2 screws & fender washers holding the underneath of the overhang up.

 

[ParkIt]

FWIW, our 2011 Elk Ridge came from the factory with (I think) 2 screws & fender washers holding the underneath of the overhang up.

Personally I wouldn't have taken delivery of it if it looked like that, it could have happened in transit to the dealer who saw the delamination and tried to fix it themselves. Heart Land should have been notified, have you called with your VIN to find out when it was fastened up?

 

[TravelTiger]

Personally I wouldn't have taken delivery of it if it looked like that, it could have happened in transit to the dealer who saw the delamination and tried to fix it themselves. Heart Land should have been notified, have you called with your VIN to find out when it was fastened up?

No, I think this is correct. The two screws and fender washers were added to ours at the factory when they did the repair and replaced the bulkhead material.


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[cgcampbell07]

That wouldn't be "normal" and could be due to frame flex. Contact Heart Land so you can email them the pictures, they've been good about helping other owners with frame flex problems (it's a Lippert failure, not HL).

Thanks i sent them an email with some pictures so we will see what they say. This is my first trailer i ever owned and i live in it full time.

 

[ParkIt]

Looks like I'll have to contact Heart Land in the morning about the cap and delamination...the shop that is repairing it said it was "normal" to see sag like that but I know they haven't put any hitch weight pressure on it or even inspected the top of the cap where it separated.
Maybe its "normal" in other SOB's but not Heart Land, especially one that has less that 5k miles and only been out a total of 3 months. It will be interesting to see what Heart Land has to say and get that to the insurance company, my guess is the service manager isn't really big on fixing our unit because we didn't buy it there.
(We bought it in Texas and they delivered it, too far to tow it to them)

Edit: we don't have the w/d option up front and have never had it fully loaded, the mattress was swapped for a Select Comfort so we actually lost weight in the front, not added any.

 

[jolar3329]

I had mine replaced at the Goshen rally in 2011 on my 2009 Big Horn Heartland paid for the fiberglass and I paid for the labor. I also had them shoot a line of screws across the middle. When I got home I inserted washers with rubber gaskets. I also sealed the openings by the jacks and the hitch. Haven't had a problem since then.

 

[cgcampbell07]

how much did it cost you, i heard back from hearland, they said i have to bring it to them since i am the second owner of the 5th wheel there is no warranty but they are willing to fix the issue for me but have to drive it up to indiana. i am in houston tx

 

[ParkIt]

how much did it cost you, i heard back from hearland, they said i have to bring it to them since i am the second owner of the 5th wheel there is no warranty but they are willing to fix the issue for me but have to drive it up to indiana. i am in houston tx

You're about 1200 miles from the factory, did they say it would be okay to tow it that far? The main reason you would want to take it up there is they can fix it as well as check for any other frame issues - if you have a good shop close by that can do the same for less than the fuel round trip you might want to do that instead. Can't imagine it would be too difficult to get a reference to a good shop there, Explore RV has 3 Heart Land dealerships in Texas not to mention a few others so you're bound to find someone close that has worked on a Heart Land before.

Good luck and hope you can get it fixed soon.

 

[cgcampbell07]

You're about 1200 miles from the factory, did they say it would be okay to tow it that far? The main reason you would want to take it up there is they can fix it as well as check for any other frame issues - if you have a good shop close by that can do the same for less than the fuel round trip you might want to do that instead. Can't imagine it would be too difficult to get a reference to a good shop there, Explore RV has 3 Heart Land dealerships in Texas not to mention a few others so you're bound to find someone close that has worked on a Heart Land before.

Good luck and hope you can get it fixed soon.

Thats what they told me, if i want it fixed for free i would have to take it to them. They said that it does not seem to bad and should be fine. I am going to talk to the person from heartland tomorrow to talk about this more. I dont see why i cant take it to a dealer here in texas. As of right now i was planning a trip to boston(without trailer) in July but if they want me to take it up there i was like well i was going to boston but they wont be free till october and i cant go up there in October nor be with out a trailer for to long since i do live in this thing full time.

Overall they have been super nice and i dont want to push my luck

 

[brlr2000]

I have seen my overhang drooping over the last year..as well. It seems to have accelerated in droopiness. In some places, it has dropped 3-4 inches. To me, it seems like it's the fiberglass that has become delaminated from the frame...or luan. Do you think Heartland would warranty this issue? It's a 2009 model.

 

[danemayer]

I have seen my overhang drooping over the last year..as well. It seems to have accelerated in droopiness. In some places, it has dropped 3-4 inches. To me, it seems like it's the fiberglass that has become delaminated from the frame...or luan. Do you think Heartland would warranty this issue? It's a 2009 model.

Hi Bruce and Linda,

Best thing to do is take pictures and call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready. You can then email the pictures.

I'd recommend a three part discussion. Part one is to ask the Heartland experts what they think caused the problem. Step two is to get their thoughts on what should be done to correct the problem and make sure it doesn't happen again. Step three is a discussion about who should pay.

 

[JohnDar]

Mine was droopy, too. After a closer inspection during our last stay at the rig, I found that that was a deformity of the panel in front of the hydraulic compartment, along the edge. Cut the plastic backing inside and could feel dampness. Looking above that spot, there is some bubbling a couple of feet below the bedroom window. Inspecting the caulking on the top of the window, there was a slight gap between it and the window frame, so I cleaned it and recaulked it.

I suspect that water got in there while in storage and the awning was rolled up since there was no more dampness in the compartment after we set up and it dried, even though we had several days of rain. It's been sitting for 10 days, with the awning rolled, so we'll see if my repair did any good when we go up on Saturday.

As for the overhang droop, some self-tapping hex head screws and fender washers pulled it back up. Other than the latch for the front compartment, there is no attachment to the frame of that panel over most of it's expanse.

 

[Mr.D]

I'm at the Goshen Rally now, but wanted to give some input....I brought my 2010 Big Horn into the plant last week, for the same type of problem, Plus my frame was pulling apart, and the fixed it. Did a really Great Job plus a few things on the side. Can't say enough for the guys their that do the work. They took it all apart, fixed it, and it looks like new again. Work with the plant, they know what their doing.....they have lots of experience!!!!