Possible Frame Flex ??
- Thread starter Tundra2084
- Start date
Tundra2084
Well-known member
Not sure where to post this but in last post I acknowledged that we did indeed have Water intrusion as suggested by Heartland.
Now we have come into another problem, possible Frame Flex. Frank did caulking when we were in Florida this March, not the best looking job but at least he did it Now we have area's where the caulking is pulled away leaving exposed seams. Contacted heartland today and sent pictures to Dave and will be waiting to hear back from them as to the next step.
Has anyone else watched their pin when traveling down the road and seen the trailer go up and down but the pin box (MorRyde) not move? This is what concerns us as well as the wavy area beside the front storage compartment and being able to see the seam of the sidewall behind the caulking thats now loose.
Side Seam above pin area 
Front Cap pulling away in seam 
Warping by Storage Compartment
Door side hooked up to truck .
Now we have come into another problem, possible Frame Flex. Frank did caulking when we were in Florida this March, not the best looking job but at least he did it Now we have area's where the caulking is pulled away leaving exposed seams. Contacted heartland today and sent pictures to Dave and will be waiting to hear back from them as to the next step.
Has anyone else watched their pin when traveling down the road and seen the trailer go up and down but the pin box (MorRyde) not move? This is what concerns us as well as the wavy area beside the front storage compartment and being able to see the seam of the sidewall behind the caulking thats now loose.
Side Seam above pin area Front Cap pulling away in seam Warping by Storage Compartment Door side hooked up to truck .
danemayer
Well-known member
Re: De-lamination WAS caused by water
If you have or can borrow a tripod, set it up for a side view with the trailer hitched up and landing gear slightly off the ground. Take a picture like that and another with the landing gear lifting the trailer to take weight off the hitch. That'll show how much movement takes place and where. If someone holds a yardstick next to the pinbox and another where you have separation, you'll also be able to show the measured difference.
If you have or can borrow a tripod, set it up for a side view with the trailer hitched up and landing gear slightly off the ground. Take a picture like that and another with the landing gear lifting the trailer to take weight off the hitch. That'll show how much movement takes place and where. If someone holds a yardstick next to the pinbox and another where you have separation, you'll also be able to show the measured difference.
wdk450
Well-known member
Re: De-lamination WAS caused by water
My independent RV repairer did this measurement using his facility's forklift and a measuring tape. One measurement from pin to ground with the trailer's weight on the landing gear, another measurement with the forklift just lifting the trailer's weight off of the landing gear. If you do this yourself, do it safely!!!
Heartland Service has been repairing this problem free for units out of original warranty, but you must get the rig to Elkhart, and wait the week while they fix it.
I thought that by your 2012 model production Heartland had made construction changes to eliminate pinbox frame flex.
My independent RV repairer did this measurement using his facility's forklift and a measuring tape. One measurement from pin to ground with the trailer's weight on the landing gear, another measurement with the forklift just lifting the trailer's weight off of the landing gear. If you do this yourself, do it safely!!!
Heartland Service has been repairing this problem free for units out of original warranty, but you must get the rig to Elkhart, and wait the week while they fix it.
I thought that by your 2012 model production Heartland had made construction changes to eliminate pinbox frame flex.
Re: De-lamination WAS caused by water
Our 2013 Big Country (manufactured July 2012) has the frame flex issue and will be in Elkhart at Heartlands new service facility Aug 31 for repairs. We contacted Heartland just prior to the Goshen rally this year and sent pictures hitched and unhitched showing the areas of concern. We then followed up with a trip to the service centre on our way home from Goshen and there they confirmed what the photos showed and scheduled our slot for repairs. The folks at customer service and at the service facility were excellent.
Our 2013 Big Country (manufactured July 2012) has the frame flex issue and will be in Elkhart at Heartlands new service facility Aug 31 for repairs. We contacted Heartland just prior to the Goshen rally this year and sent pictures hitched and unhitched showing the areas of concern. We then followed up with a trip to the service centre on our way home from Goshen and there they confirmed what the photos showed and scheduled our slot for repairs. The folks at customer service and at the service facility were excellent.
Tundra2084
Well-known member
Dave from Heartland called today and they are going to repair the frame. Was told that it may take some time to get it fixed and able to be picked up. Dave was very quick to respond to our problem. After reading of others with frame problems and what was asked for them to submit we had already taken pictures hooked and unhooked of the areas in question. When contacting Heartland we had Vin in hand as well as many pictures and when asked to submit them via email I had them sent within a half hour of our conversation. That was Tuesday late afternoon and by Wednesday afternoon we had a call from Dave at Heartland saying that they would indeed fix the problem, and will be in contact with us to schedule a time when we can get it to the facility for repair.
THANK YOU HEARTLAND FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FAST RESPONSE
Please remember to take pictures and have as much info as possible to send if requested if you have a problem and Heartland will do their best to quickly address your concerns.
THANK YOU HEARTLAND FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FAST RESPONSE
Please remember to take pictures and have as much info as possible to send if requested if you have a problem and Heartland will do their best to quickly address your concerns.
Last edited:
Tundra2084
Well-known member
They did a great job on ours. Like yourself we dropped off and picked it up the following month. You cannot find where they worked on it except for the new caulking where the seams were reattached.
We had frame flex and took it back to the factory this past April. HL did a great job. Since I traveled to IN from VA, I elected to stay in a local hotel the HL recommended and was able to go to the factory the end of each day to see the work they had performed. I can honestly say I feel I have a better camper after the repairs than when it was new.
justafordguy
Well-known member
Do they still have this issue with the newer units?
Tundra2084
Well-known member
Not sure if they are still having problems with frame flex on the newer units. Reading the forum it seems that most of the units with this problem are before the 2013 models. Ours being a 2012.
Bobby3670, what year is your 3670? It seems that the earlier models had some issues. Not all, but some.
There are a couple of signs of the frame flex.
One is that you will see the caulking separate when you hitch up at the bottom side of the front overhang.
Another sign is cracking of the sidewall near the area of the bedroom slide.
And you may see some movement of the woodwork in the front closet.
If you look in the hydraulic compartment and look toward the front you will see some of the steel framing. I have seen broken welds there.
There may be other signs, but these are probably the most common.
Is it a danger? Depends on how bad it gets. I have seen some of what I thought were pretty bad and there was no problem towing from Canada to Indiana.
Peace
Dave
There are a couple of signs of the frame flex.
One is that you will see the caulking separate when you hitch up at the bottom side of the front overhang.
Another sign is cracking of the sidewall near the area of the bedroom slide.
And you may see some movement of the woodwork in the front closet.
If you look in the hydraulic compartment and look toward the front you will see some of the steel framing. I have seen broken welds there.
There may be other signs, but these are probably the most common.
Is it a danger? Depends on how bad it gets. I have seen some of what I thought were pretty bad and there was no problem towing from Canada to Indiana.
Peace
Dave
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
Another early indicator may be a noticeable ridge under the bedroom carpeting and the floor squeaks loudly near the bed. Ours did that the first summer we had it. Took it to the dealer and they did the work under warranty. The work order shows extensive deconstruction of the front end to improve the welds. Fortunately there was little evidence of the problem manifested on the exterior walls since it didn't see a lot of miles towing.
Tundra2084
Well-known member
Our flex was noticed when hooked up to the truck. Along the seams, where the overhang and the bottom of the front pin area meet at the sidewalls the caulking would separate from the trim and the sidewall. It in our case got to the point that when hooked up to the truck you would see a space open up between the wall and underside of the front. Another sign was watching the pin box going up and down slightly when moving.
GO to the first post and you can see what I am talking about in the pictures and I circled the areas of concern.
GO to the first post and you can see what I am talking about in the pictures and I circled the areas of concern.
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