regan
Regan
Dear Bighorn Owners
I am writing this to let everyone know about a near catastrophic experience I had with the 18K Signature Series RV hitch, by REESE, distributed by CEQUENT.
the hitch is 5 years old, I tow a 3400 RL. I use it recreationally only, it is not over loaded. I use a 2008 Chevy Duramax as my tow vehicle.
The other day, I noticed that my hitch plaste was not acting quite right, as I prepared for a 4 day trip to go duck hunting. Looking at the hitch itself I noticed that it seemed like it was not sitting right. I decided to run down to my RV center, and have them look at it before I towed.
Upon examination, my shop determined that the hitch had a catastrophic failure, the welds coming apart, upon closer examination they determined that the original welds had no penetration, in fact in some areas virtually no penetration. This could have caused the center section to seperate, and I could have had my coach join me in the cab of the truck.
To their credit, CEQUENT, the distributors for REESE, did not deny it was defective, and sent a new center out immediately. (still had to borrow a friends truck to take my trip)
My complaint is that they would not pay the RV shop the $57.00 to repair their defective product, and seemed to have no interest in looking into this matter as it could affect other owners of similar models.
If you look at the picture below it shows how the weld seperated, and if you look at the top, you can actually see the shiny black paint as the weld had never penetrated the steel.
If you are using the REESE hitch, please make sure you do a very good visual inspection.
I am writing this to let everyone know about a near catastrophic experience I had with the 18K Signature Series RV hitch, by REESE, distributed by CEQUENT.
the hitch is 5 years old, I tow a 3400 RL. I use it recreationally only, it is not over loaded. I use a 2008 Chevy Duramax as my tow vehicle.
The other day, I noticed that my hitch plaste was not acting quite right, as I prepared for a 4 day trip to go duck hunting. Looking at the hitch itself I noticed that it seemed like it was not sitting right. I decided to run down to my RV center, and have them look at it before I towed.
Upon examination, my shop determined that the hitch had a catastrophic failure, the welds coming apart, upon closer examination they determined that the original welds had no penetration, in fact in some areas virtually no penetration. This could have caused the center section to seperate, and I could have had my coach join me in the cab of the truck.
To their credit, CEQUENT, the distributors for REESE, did not deny it was defective, and sent a new center out immediately. (still had to borrow a friends truck to take my trip)
My complaint is that they would not pay the RV shop the $57.00 to repair their defective product, and seemed to have no interest in looking into this matter as it could affect other owners of similar models.
If you look at the picture below it shows how the weld seperated, and if you look at the top, you can actually see the shiny black paint as the weld had never penetrated the steel.
If you are using the REESE hitch, please make sure you do a very good visual inspection.
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