Factory incorrect spring hanger spacing

[goldbrick]

I purchased my 2011 Cyclone 3010 in Jan. 2011. The most space I could obtain between the camper and the bed of my 2011 Chevy 3500 DRW was 5.5" due to the increased bed height on the 2011 Chevy's. Also the trailer rode low in the back so I was worried about tail dragging or smashing my truck bed and camper as I do a lot of boondocking off road and rarely stay in a park. I waited until the warranty expired then had a reputable dealer install a 4" subframe lift on my Cyclone. This lift gave me 8" and leveled my trailer so I was quite happy. A couple months later I noticed the rubber equalizer donut on the right side of my Dexter suspension had severely cracked. I called Dexter and spoke to Jackie who informed me that the cracking may be due to improper hanger spacing that happened at the factory. It seems some trailers had the hangers welded on to Lippert's specs but then had Dexter axles and suspensions installed on them when the switch was made to Dexter axles instead of Lippert. So I checked it out and sure enough my Dexter suspension should have hangers spaced 29.5" apart yet they are 30.5" apart.
I contacted Heartland and they referred me to Dusty Bell. I explained the situation and the fact that I had modified the frame but the hangers were exactly below where Heartland had incorrectly installed them in the first place. I felt that Heartland should pay to have the hangers moved to the correct location as it was their mistake in the first place and my modifications had not changed the spacing as it came from the Factory. Dusty asked that I send an email with supporting pics which I did. I received a prompt reply that Heartland would not pay as my unit was out of warranty and had been modified.
Am I wrong to feel that when you purchase a Heartland product that the suspension should be properly installed. I would think that once a manufacturer was aware they had made a mistake that caused suspension components to fail prematurely they would do some research to find which units went out the door like that and issue a recall for those units. You can bet any auto manufacturer would!
Where do I go from here? Do I suck it up and pay for these repairs myself? Is there a contact at Heartland that resolves these kind of issues?
Should I contact the NTSB and report Heartland's cavalier attitude to safety?
Thanks,
Merton

 

[danemayer]

Hi Merton,

Sorry you're having problems. I think every one of us who is outside of warranty hopes when a manufacturing defect shows up, that it will be covered on an exception basis, or as a customer service accommodation. Sometimes Heartland does so. Sometimes not. The general consensus here is that Heartland does more than other manufacturers in this regard. But it's also clear that the warranty does expire, not all defects show up on a timely basis, and they sometimes don't make accommodations.

I called Dexter and spoke to Jackie who informed me that the cracking may be due to improper hanger spacing that happened at the factory. It seems some trailers had the hangers welded on to Lippert's specs but then had Dexter axles and suspensions installed on them when the switch was made to Dexter axles instead of Lippert. So I checked it out and sure enough my Dexter suspension should have hangers spaced 29.5" apart yet they are 30.5" apart.

Interesting that Dexter told you the cracked rubber is due to hanger spacing. I've heard that Dexter shipped some bad rubber. A Dexter rep looked at my suspension last month and when I asked about the cracked rubber, he gave me a kit to replace the suspension and got warranty labor authorized as well.

You might want to call Dexter back and discuss your hanger spacing and what to expect in the future if the hangers are not moved. You could also ask them if they had a materials problem with the rubber. Then I'd suggest calling Heartland to discuss further. It might be fair to ask Heartland if they agree that the hangers were installed incorrectly. If they agree, you might then ask whether they think your mod has worsened the situation in some way. You might be able to go through the issue step by step and persuade them to revisit the decision.

 

[TravelTiger]

I'm confused. How does axle spacing matter when switching from Lippert to Dexter? I've never heard of anyone, including myself, who were told that because the axle hangars were not spaced correctly they should not have Dexter axles installed to replace Lippert OEM axles.

Is this a triple axle problem only, or should all those that have Dexter axles get our tape measures out?

 

[goldbrick]

Hello Danemeyer, thanks for the advice. What blows my mind is the "manufacturing defect". It's not like I purchased the trailer with bent or broken spring hangers or these components failed after use. Heartland shipped this unit out the door with important suspension components not installed to O.E.M. specifications.

 

[cookie]

Tony or E, there was a short period of time, when Heartland went from Lippert suspension to Dexter, that they used the Lippert specs with Dexter products. This was, I believe in mid August of 2010.
My brothers BH was one of them.
Rather than changing the hangers they just replaced the Dexter E-Z Flex with a Lippert Equi-Flex. Problem solved.

Peace
Dave

 

[goldbrick]

Hello Traveltiger, I can not speak to the issue of switching suspension components of different manufacturerers. Just going by what the Dexter Rep. told me about early component failure due to incorrect hanger spacing. Dexter did send me new rubber donuts but I have not installed them as of yet as I would like to get the hanger spacing issue resolved so I don't continue to experience premature failures.
If I owned a Heartland product manufactured in 2010 I would measure to see if I had Dexter axles with hangers spaced at 30.5 inches apart which is not correct.

 

[westxsrt10]

So your RV is out of warrenty, you modified the frame by raising it 8 inches but you want Heartland to fix your issues?
Interesting.

 

[rdorsey]

Dexter does have a problem with the rubbers cracking and are trying to track it to a maufacturer and time period. That being said it should have had the axles installed properly from the factory.

 

[brianharrison]

If I owned a Heartland product manufactured in 2010 I would measure to see if I had Dexter axles with hangers spaced at 30.5 inches apart which is not correct.

Interesting - I do own one built in 2010. To clarify, for 7K rated axles at 36" spacing, Dexter axles should have 29.5" hanger spacing and Lippert have 30.5 spacing?. Both have springs with double eyelets at 26"?

Brian

 

[camr]

Something sure sounds fishy from Dexter. Open Range equip trailers with the Dexter rubber suspension as standard equipment, and a number of owners have had the cracking issue with one or both sides. Dexter has looked after the issue, with the explanation that it was a bad batch of rubber "pucks". I can honestly say that I do not remember even one post on the Open Range forum from a member getting a hassle from Dexter.
Perhaps call again and hopefully you will get to speak with some one from "customer service" and NOT "customer abuse".
-Cam

 

[goldbrick]

So your RV is out of warrenty, you modified the frame by raising it 8 inches but you want Heartland to fix your issues?
Interesting.

Hello westxsrt10, I apologize if I did not make my post easily understandable. Yes, my rig is out of warranty. No, I did NOT raise it 8 inches. I raised it 4 inches. It was obvious to me I would have some very expensive repair bills in the future due to contact between my truck bed and the front of my Cyclone because there was only 5.5" of clearance between the two. I rarely stay in RV parks, usually boondock in remote locations and 5.5"of clearance is just not enough if you travel non-paved roads.
Yes, I do think Heartland should pay to have the suspension hangers installed at O.E.M. specified distance.

 

[goldbrick]

Hello Cam, Dexter has been nothing but good to me. As I stated above they did send me new parts. They alerted me to the fact that my suspension may have been installed incorrectly. They did not mention the bad batch of rubber pucks. I felt Jackie at Dexter provided me excellent customer service.

 

[goldbrick]

Interesting - I do own one built in 2010. To clarify, for 7K rated axles at 36" spacing, Dexter axles should have 29.5" hanger spacing and Lippert have 30.5 spacing?. Both have springs with double eyelets at 26"?

Brian

Hello Brian, I can only attest to the fact my Cyclone has hangers spaced at 30.5" which should be 29.5" per Dexter. Sorry but I have no idea of the length (26"?) of Lippert's leaf springs.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Sorry you have a suspension issue.... but the fact remains that Lippert, not HL built the frame. In my mind your issue is with Lippert, not HL. Raising the frame/suspension is now a factor...but Lippert still built the frame and all componets welded to it knowing that there was going to be an axle change. Since Lippert now owns Dexter axles, they should have known that the hanger spacing would be different. BTW, HL just installed the fiberglass box that sits on it. JMHO

 

[FLOYD PHILBROOK]

I have a 2011 landmark with a build date of sept 2010. At the Gillette rally i had mechanic from dexter look at my rubber witch are also cracked. He told me they had a bad batch and he gave me a kit for me to install myself, and threw in wet bolt kit with it at no charge. My spring hangers are at 30.5 also. Floyd

 

[jbeletti]

?..Since Lippert now owns Dexter axles, they should have known that the hanger spacing would be different...

Bob, Lippert bought a frame business unit from Dexter, but not their axle/brake/suspension businesses.

 

[danemayer]

one (1) year warranty under normal use against defects in material and/or workmanship in the construction of the vehicle and its original components. (emphasis added)

This is the warranty. This is what Heartland has promised us. Warranties cover defects. Minor defects. Major defects. Careless defects. Unforeseen defects. Defects that seem outrageous to us are still just defects as mentioned in the warranty. The nature of the defect doesn't change the warranty.

Many of us have or will find ourselves in a situation like this, where there's a major defect, but the warranty has expired. It's not unusual to become distressed and upset and there are lots of different approaches that people take in these situations. My advice, for what it's worth: when you talk to Heartland, keep in mind that while they are not going to extend the warranty, and they don't have to do anything, they may choose to fix your problem in the interest of customer satisfaction or to generate goodwill.

 

[Bob&Patty]

JB, sorry I posted something incorrect. I was told that Lippert had bought just the Dexter axle division or maybe read it on tne forum.

 

[lwmcguir]

The spacing depends on the equalizer of choice. They are not all the same although most are built to the same spacing specs.

 

[TravelTiger]

The spacing depends on the equalizer of choice. They are not all the same although most are built to the same spacing specs.

I think what sparked my radar, is that when we upgraded to Dexter axles (outside of our 1 year warranty), as others have, no-one brought up the fact that Dexter axles needed a different hanger spacing. I 've not heard this discussed on the forum before this thread, either, which is very unusual. If it were critical to the proper operation, wouldn't the installers of the Dexter axles measured and raised this issue??

If the "solution" to this different hanger spacing is using the Lippert Trail-Air suspension with Dexter axles, then we are in the clear... I suppose... because this is what we did... Our reasoning was to keep the frame height the same. (Dexter EZ Flex appeared it might reduce the clearance of the tires.)


Erika