Use of sumosprings voids frame warranty

[kenmason11]

This post is to inform the community of my personal experience. Early this summer while pulling my 2020 303RLS Reflection 5th wheel, I noticed it was pulling differently and seemed to "bump forward" when coming to a stop. I pulled over and checked underneath and found that the back leaf spring hanger brackets had broken off on both sides. I immediately towed it to a nearby Camping World where they repaired the brackets over a two month period. I have no issue with Camping World, they did a great job and actually finished before the promised date. The cost to repair the brackets was $3859. This doesn't include the money I lost on nonrefundable reservations and having to rent an RV for a long planned family trip. In the end I was probably out $6000. I had an extended warranty but the claim was denied. After finding other posts on this site about people having the same problem, I reached out to Lippert. After exchanging emails and sending pictures, their response was "we will have to respectfully deny this claim due to use of an aftermarket modification to the suspension" with the aftermarket modification being the SumoSprings. I sent an email to SuperSprings, who produce the SumoSprings, a couple of weeks ago but have not heard back. Because other people had the same problem but did not have SumoSprings or a modified suspension, I felt this was a safety issue and filed a complaint with the NHTSA. I have not heard back from the NHTSA on whether they plan an investigation of the Lippert frames. So the takeaway from this is SumoSprings on your Lippert frame voids the warranty. Sorry about the pictures being upside down, couldn't figure out how to rotate them.

 

[NB Canada]

What was the reason for them to have it for 2 months and charge that much money?

Wasn’t it a simple reweld?

If I ever have frame issues I am calling a mobile welder first
And yes ,any modifications will void the warranty on that item
Hitches,soft starts on ACs etc etc

 

[mwdilday]

What [MENTION=18726]NB Canada[/MENTION] said.

 

[triplethreat]

This thread has been moved to Axles, Brakes, Suspension area.

 

[jsm180]

$3850 to replace 2 spring hangars, is that a typo?

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Wow. Camping world is pricey. I would expect to pay under $500 for welding two hangers. Did they do other work?

Well the post is appreciated though. If I ever have to send a suspension pic to lippert, I'll omit, or remove the sumo spring.
I agree with NB Canada, RV manufacturers will use any excuse to not warranty an item, whether it had a hand in the failure or not.

 

[kenmason11]

By the time you get in line for repair, order the parts, do the replacement and have the axles aligned it took two months. After inspecting the other hanger brackets, there was concern that they also showed some signs of fatigue so they replaced the entire part on both sides. I should have made it clear in the first post that they did way more then just weld the brackets, sorry. The tech showed me the areas where paint had popped of at the bends of the hanger brackets suggesting stress. The bare edges of the brackets that had broken looked like cheap cast metal. I will also add that I have never overloaded the RV and check the weight on truck scales a couple of times a year.

 

[SGT ROC]

By the time you get in line for repair, order the parts, do the replacement and have the axles aligned it took two months. After inspecting the other hanger brackets, there was concern that they also showed some signs of fatigue so they replaced the entire part on both sides. I should have made it clear in the first post that they did way more then just weld the brackets, sorry. The tech showed me the areas where paint had popped of at the bends of the hanger brackets suggesting stress. The bare edges of the brackets that had broken looked like cheap cast metal. I will also add that I have never overloaded the RV and check the weight on truck scales a couple of times a year.

Even with all that you say they did, that price is high. I had to replace an axle, put two new hangers on and replace the sheet metal on the road side of a previous trailer, plus a new matching wheel and 4 tires for just under $5000. I also actually had an emergency repair done so we could get home, which consisted of re-welding one hanger and straitening out (as much as possible) the spindle, plus 2 spare tires and a set of wheel bearings which added about $600 more. The emergency repair was done in Myrtle Beach an Auto Repair shop, and they worked to get me safely back on the road for over 4 hours.

 

[goducks14]

Considering how many issues GD has with suspension parts made and assembled by Lippert it's pretty obvious that the Summo springs didn't cause the issue. Or did they? My guess is they probably delayed the inevitable. Summo springs take the stress off the springs but put in on the spindle and tires. Similar to airbags on a truck.

 

[NB Canada]

By the time you get in line for repair, order the parts, do the replacement and have the axles aligned it took two months. After inspecting the other hanger brackets, there was concern that they also showed some signs of fatigue so they replaced the entire part on both sides. I should have made it clear in the first post that they did way more then just weld the brackets, sorry. The tech showed me the areas where paint had popped of at the bends of the hanger brackets suggesting stress. The bare edges of the brackets that had broken looked like cheap cast metal. I will also add that I have never overloaded the RV and check the weight on truck scales a couple of times a year.

As long as you are happy with the bill but I am sure there was almost 3000 thrown into the wind over what a mobile welder would have charged and would have taken an afternoon not 60 days

 

[goducks14]

As long as you are happy with the bill but I am sure there was almost 3000 thrown into the wind over what a mobile welder would have charged and would have taken an afternoon not 60 days

Exactly but I would venture more like a good solid day to remove all the spring hangers and reweld new ones. That means jacking it up on all 4's and removing the axles and springs. New U bolts and retorquing everything. Not a simple 3-4 hour job for one tech. To add for that price the OP should've got wet bolts and a CRE3000 with shocks along with vertical angle supports above each spring hanger.
On the upside he has a solid set of spring hangers.

 

[kenmason11]

In the end I could have probably found a cheaper solution but I work full time+ and that was the simplest and safest way to have it repaired at that time. I originally bought the RV from McClain's RV in Oklahoma City and had called them first before going to CW. McClain's basically said, "that sucks, we don't make those kind of repairs, here's the number of a repair shop". I called the repair shop and they said "we don't repair RV's, not sure why McClain's gave you our number". So that's why I went with CW at the time. I just feel blessed I had the money for the repairs and other stuff.

 

[goducks14]

In the end I could have probably found a cheaper solution but I work full time+ and that was the simplest and safest way to have it repaired at that time. I originally bought the RV from McClain's RV in Oklahoma City and had called them first before going to CW. McClain's basically said, "that sucks, we don't make those kind of repairs, here's the number of a repair shop". I called the repair shop and they said "we don't repair RV's, not sure why McClain's gave you our number". So that's why I went with CW at the time. I just feel blessed I had the money for the repairs and other stuff.

Right on. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Redapple63]

In the end I could have probably found a cheaper solution but I work full time+ and that was the simplest and safest way to have it repaired at that time. I originally bought the RV from McClain's RV in Oklahoma City and had called them first before going to CW. McClain's basically said, "that sucks, we don't make those kind of repairs, here's the number of a repair shop". I called the repair shop and they said "we don't repair RV's, not sure why McClain's gave you our number". So that's why I went with CW at the time. I just feel blessed I had the money for the repairs and other stuff.

First, thank you for your post for bringing awareness to the folks here. Great information regarding Lippert and the willingness to warrant their items.

I am also glad you had a good experience with CW. That doesn’t always happen and they generally don’t have a good reputation.

One of the things we always do is look at mobile repair folks in our destinations. At least we have a list ready to go IF anything were to happen.

I am glad you got it squared away. This is a big topic, not just among GD owners, but the industry as a whole. Anything we can to to educate ourselves and prepare is a win.

Bill

 

[roegs01]

In the end I could have probably found a cheaper solution but I work full time+ and that was the simplest and safest way to have it repaired at that time. I originally bought the RV from McClain's RV in Oklahoma City and had called them first before going to CW. McClain's basically said, "that sucks, we don't make those kind of repairs, here's the number of a repair shop". I called the repair shop and they said "we don't repair RV's, not sure why McClain's gave you our number". So that's why I went with CW at the time. I just feel blessed I had the money for the repairs and other stuff.

Well said and a good way to look at it. I'm not sure that I buy the '$3000 thrown into the wind' logic. As goducks14 stated above you had a good amount of work done that basically involved dropping the whole suspension and redoing the mounts. Sounds like you should now be set for many more miles.

 

[Gronk1]

Getting a trailer back in two months for just about any repair from a dealer is pretty good these days.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Getting a trailer back in two months for just about any repair from a dealer is pretty good these days.

Maybe true...but pathetic if it is.

 

[TimtheToolMan]

There is a chance that the Sumo springs increased the stress in the brackets. I could easily be off base, but the bracket stress maybe be highest when turning the camper sharply and the wheels are pushing the axles and brackets sideways. Even if it is not the highest load condition, the welds are in tension so any cracks are more likely to fail than when in compression. One side of each bracket is in compression and the other side in tension. Without Sumo springs, most of the camper weight adds compression force to the bracket so reduces the tensile stress on the tension side of the bracket.

Root cause of failure is not the Sumo springs, though. I would be cautious using Sumo springs with marginal brackets.

 

[ajg617]

Well said and a good way to look at it. I'm not sure that I buy the '$3000 thrown into the wind' logic. As goducks14 stated above you had a good amount of work done that basically involved dropping the whole suspension and redoing the mounts. Sounds like you should now be set for many more miles.

Agreed. But having a GD mobile tech replace two rear hangers, remove and inspect all wet bolts/springs (noting everything needed to be replaced), and make temporary repairs took him a full 12 hours. Then having all the springs and wet bolts replaced added another 3 hours at an independent shop. I was into it for over $3,000 with extended stay, mobile tech (non-GD), and that didn't include the parts GD over nighted (full set of springs, shackles, wet bolts, u-bolts). What the parts cost and the labor for the GD tech was they didn't disclose but I could see it north of $3K also.

 

[robmcqueen]

As long as you are happy with the bill but I am sure there was almost 3000 thrown into the wind over what a mobile welder would have charged and would have taken an afternoon not 60 days

Why do you always criticize people on here. He did what worked for him. Be nice and show some class it will take you a lot further in life.