The last thing a good forum needs is no one with a differing opinion. The phrasing may be a bit off sometimes, but having a bunch of people who agree on everything is no good.
Use of sumosprings voids frame warranty
- Thread starter kenmason11
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- mygrandrv
I always try to leave everybody's day a little better than I found it.
robmcqueen
Senior Member
That what i meant by show some class. Different opinions are great but don't be a Donkey about it.
OK, please let's try to keep posts on topic.
Camping world does charge a lot. This same thing happened to us last year. I called a mobile welder, that drove 45 minutes and stopped and bought new spring hangers on the way. 3 hours and $250 and we were good to go. But being an RVer himself, he may have given us a break on the price.
Aside from the unfortunate events the OP faced, this thread has been good for me regarding “costs”. GD just replaced all 3 of my CURT axles under warranty. I took it to a trailer shop in NC that I trust, and they did all the work, all new wet bolts and shackles, all new lug nuts, grease caps, you name it, and the total bill for labor was just under 1000.00 and it took them 6 hours with 2 people. I appreciate hearing others experiences as it helps me be better informed in the future of things. Sharing for awareness on costs only, not hi-jacking and this did not include any welding, but it was substantial work for I think is a very fair price, albeit GD paid for all the parts and all the labor.
Not only one topic but having different opinions is healthy discussion. I'll add that giving thought to what and how things are said can go a long way to avoiding conflict. Nuances get lost in the typed word with out clarifying or even a simple emoticon can make differences.
Grandesigner
Senior Member
So if you add shocks to the suspension it voids the warranty...lol
No way properly installed shocks can do damage...imo
No way properly installed shocks can do damage...imo
It is simply legal for a manufacturer to get out of responsibility
Personally I think it's just a ploy to get out of paying for the damage. But OTOH, there's a pretty big difference between the Sumo Springs and shock absorbers, both mounting points, and the way they actually operate.
OP, was anything done to prevent a future failure? Lippert sells V clips that are welded inside the hangars, cheap and easy to install if you have the equipment.
Beachcamper
Senior Member
I was going to install Sumo Springs on our 2018 303rls prior to this years epic summer trip. We towed Florida to California up coast to Idaho then into Canada this year.After speaking to one of the techs I called to get their opinion on that, I decided against it. Basically, he said the springs put stress on the frame and create other issues. Their suspension is not designed to work with them. Never mentioned the warranty being denied.
Since we are fulltime usually are in the Indiana area to visit family and we use the Lippert service center for yearly bearing and general suspension work. They have always covered any issues while on the road and send us prompt payment. So the notion that they would deny claim just because they will use any excuse is not my experience with them. And believe me, have had hanger failure, bent spindle and of course broken leaf springs. Seven years on the road.
Since we are fulltime usually are in the Indiana area to visit family and we use the Lippert service center for yearly bearing and general suspension work. They have always covered any issues while on the road and send us prompt payment. So the notion that they would deny claim just because they will use any excuse is not my experience with them. And believe me, have had hanger failure, bent spindle and of course broken leaf springs. Seven years on the road.
COGrandDes
Senior Member
I have examined both offerings and went with the Comfort Ride shocks for several reasons on my 303RLS. I actually welded 3/16" plate to the bottom of my spacer tubing that's welded to the frame on my 303 from Grand Design. I talked to the Comfort Ride engineers and told them what I was doing and how I was going to install the frame mounts. They thought it was a great idea and provided additional support and rigidity to the tubing which is welded to the frame. In my install, I didn't have to make any actual holes in my I-beam frame for the bracket install. I have about 3K miles on it so far and love the benefits from the shocks for the roads and highways we travel on when boondocking.
Laurie 1799
Advanced Member
Just my two cents. Have the sumo ‘s love them. I think they take some of the load off the rest of the suspension, and help the springs so they don’t compress too far. Took a trip this summer, northern B.C,Yukon and Alaska, 7200 kilometres 8 weeks, some bad roads and had no issues. I am a bit anal about greasing I think it helps.
kenmason11
Advanced Member
Nothing else was done to prevent future failure but I will have to check in to the V clips. It might just be me but the new hanger springs did seem to be a bit more beefy then the original ones.
kenmason11
Advanced Member
The main reason I posted my experience is to make everyone aware that Lippert will void the frame warranty if they determine that any aftermarket changes have been made to the suspension, SumoSprings or whatever. I found plenty of examples of hanger bracket failure without the use of SumoSprings or any other modification so I feel safe in saying that the Lippert hanger brackets are the problem. Oklahoma has horrible roads and the SumoSprings did help with settling down the movement of the RV while towing. I'm happy with the SumoSprings and plan on keeping them installed. As far as what I paid to get it repaired, I probably did pay too much but it's what worked for me at the time. I liked the discussion from other people on what worked for them and I will keep those ideas in mind if needed down the road. We post these experiences to both inform others and to learn from others so that when traveling down the road, we're traveling with the combined wisdom of the people who contribute positively to the community. Final thought, smart ****** ugly comments are great for comedic relief because we're all laughing at you.
Here are the V clips https://store.lci1.com/ang-3313-x-3313-x-179-l1813-103727 you'll need 6 and they are welded in.
I took a couple hours installing them, only needed to remove the wheels.
I took a couple hours installing them, only needed to remove the wheels.
Scott'n'Wendy
Senior Member
Yup...A while ago I had post(s) deleted because it looked like I was being a ....... But when I was typing I thought I was being funny. Apparently not....
Yeah , we really take no joy in modifying or deleting posts. The simple things do get lost..so use the big list of smileys or we'll flog you with a fish
...........
Scott'n'Wendy
Senior Member
I like fish....
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