Fuzion 301 A Frame Movement / Bend

[isosceles]

Hi all;

First of all I am loving my new Fuzion 301, with the monster package.

My old trailer was a 2000 27' Terry trailer, which fully loader was only 7000lbs. The new 2013 301 is much heavier at a max GVWR of 13,000lbs (so much so that in BC / Canada, I had to get a special heavy trailer endorsement on my drivers license to tow it).

My family and I have not yet camped in the unit, but we have taken 3 trips in it so far (purchase trip from dealer, trip to local RV shop to have solar panels and inverter installed, and to have the generator looked at as it would not stay running).

Anyway, I notice that when the trailer is parked and has the stabilizer jacks out, if I let off the weight on the front power jack (our unit has a powered jack) there is movement in the A-Frame assembly (the hitch area where the batteries and propane tanks are).

When I put the weight of the trailer back on the front power jack the A-Frame assembly moves enough that is causes the aluminum checker plate on the front of the trailer to slightly scrape along the A-Frame.

The RV service tech that put in the solar and such, also noticed this when he moved the trailer with his fork lift.



SO...... I am wondering if anyone has noticed this on their Fuzion 301 or similar model trailer? (I am hoping this is what I think it is....... part of the function/design of the frame to simply flex a bit under load.)

Let me know, and thanks for your input!



Also some points to note:

- I do not see any movement in the frame once it has all the weight of the trailer on it, or when I am towing.

- I do not have ANY extra weight in the trailer yet (no water, supplies, ATVs, etc).

- I don't take all of the weight off of the power jack, I just like to take a turn or two off of the jack when I park a trailer long term to balance the load on the jacks, and I find it helps stabilize the trailer more.

[jsmith948]

Have you tried doing a forum search? One of the members had a problem with his TH that sounded similar to yours. His tongue actually bent. Good luck -hope everything works out

[isosceles]

Yes, I read that entire thread.

Thanks for your reply.

[Festus2]

If you were to put a load in the rear of the Fuzion (ATV, water, whatever...) is there any possibility of this additional weight lessening the load/weight on the hitch and preventing this flex in the A Frame? I am likening this situation to a fulcrum and thinking that by transferring the weight to the rear of the unit, it would decrease the weight/load/stress at the front. Just a thought.

[Escs36]

All I can say is LCI strikes again. Lippert Components Inc. makes our chassis' for the 301's and thousands of others on the road. I am curious if our trailers have any overlapping build dates, chassis dates etc. If you get a chance pull your VIN and the chassis manufacturing date. The sticker on mine was door side near the front. I am thinking LCI could possibly have a national recall happening. Mine bent and if you see flex then it will absolutely bend in no time. This is an absolute safety hazard to general public. I filed a complaint with NHSTA and I highly recommend you do the same.

[Dogman]

Just went out and looked at mine it flexs also.

[Escs36]

I think there is a major problem and safety hazard happening here. I am curious if my rebuilt A-Frame has flex. I am going to experiment and look for flex. In the mean time I think we should all compare chassis numbers and dates. This problem could be isolated or it could be a massive problem. I would imagine the Raptor TT would have the same chassis.

[Escs36]

My A-Frame was re-fabricated by LCI and it has the same flex as described above. With stabilizer jacks down and weight removed from tongue jack clearly shows the flex in the frame. Hard to believe they engineered this much flex in a static condition. I can only imagine the flex at 55 mph.

Frame Posting Date is 08/29/12 with s/n 019-000528867

[IdahoSRT10]

I was looking for a new Fuzion 300 or 301 and have stop my search. I found a new Fuzion 301 at the local dealer, it already had a bend up at the A-frame sitting on the lot.:confused:

[Escs36]

That is just plain crazy. I am pretty sure mine left the lot intact, but I could be wrong.

It is such a shame because the 300/301 is exactly what I want and meets my needs. I have been too busy to take mine out since it was repaired. I am genuinely scared it will happen again especially now that I see the flex it has. I bought the extended warranty for a reason and I never buy extended warranties but thought RV's are such junk these days that it was critical. This is the exact reason why I posted my experience to make consumers like yourself aware of the potential safety hazard. Shame on Lippert Components and shame on the RV manufacturers to continue using LCI as a supplier.

[jsmith948]

My A-Frame was re-fabricated by LCI and it has the same flex as described above. With stabilizer jacks down and weight removed from tongue jack clearly shows the flex in the frame. Hard to believe they engineered this much flex in a static condition. I can only imagine the flex at 55 mph.

Frame Posting Date is 08/29/12 with s/n 019-000528867

Why do you take the weight off of the tongue jack? Isn't that what it is for?
Not trying to be argumentative - (our rv is a 5er so I don't know about tongue jacks) - just curious:)

[Escs36]

I was merely trying to observe the flex in the A-Frame as described in the original post. I always use the tongue jack as the main weight support and use the scissor jacks as stabilizers. I found nothing argumentative about your question at all and thought it was very logical. I like to think I use everything as they were designed to be used. For example not using scissor jacks to support the entire weight of the trailer. I think you 5er guys have the luxury of not seeing the flex in your 5th wheel sub-frame!

[tmm2good]

Went and looked at mine, does not seem to flex any that I can tell. Mine was built early in 2012. Will be sure to keep an eye on it and this thread.

[jsmith948]

Escs36 - you know, you're probably right. Given that frame members have to flex (at least to certain degree) there is probably movement that isn't noticable in a 5er as long as it doesn't cause the doors to stick or the sides to bulge!
In the never ending quest for lighter trailers at lower costs, the engineers will eventually design a trailer frame that is too light (as in strength) to carry the intended load.:eek:
Good luck with your frame issue. I hope you can get it resolved:)

[Escs36]

That is fascinating that a 2012 frame has no noticeable flex. That certainly helps a lot. It would be interesting to find that the 2012 frames are different than 2013. I wonder if any of the moderators have pull with Keystone to investigate this issue? I highly doubt Keystone would volunteer information like this to a consumer.

[JRTJH]

Escs36,

Unfortunately (or fortunately) none of the moderators have any more pull with Keystone than each member has. The forum is not associated with Keystone and we neither work for nor associate with anyone from Keystone. We have invited them to join or to at least monitor the forum, but to my knowledge, no employee of Keystone monitors or has joined the forum in any official capacity. In fact, I don't know of any Keystone employees that are even members of the forum.

So, our pull with Keystone is the same as yours... Call, get the recording, wait in line, talk to the operator, hopefully get connected to someone who can help.... and, if you don't get past the operator, call again.....

John

[isosceles]

Trailer seems to still be working fine. Nothing has bent majorly as far as I can tell. I will get the serial number/date the next time I am under the unit................ which might not be too long, as my black water flush does not seem to spray any water at all into the tank, and the LED jack light on the main hitch just quit.

Joy Joy.

[isosceles]

All I can say is LCI strikes again. Lippert Components Inc. makes our chassis' for the 301's and thousands of others on the road. I am curious if our trailers have any overlapping build dates, chassis dates etc. If you get a chance pull your VIN and the chassis manufacturing date. The sticker on mine was door side near the front. I am thinking LCI could possibly have a national recall happening. Mine bent and if you see flex then it will absolutely bend in no time. This is an absolute safety hazard to general public. I filed a complaint with NHSTA and I highly recommend you do the same.

Information as requested, please see attached picture for details:

019-255611
LCI S/N: 019-000569161

[isosceles]

Frame still has the flex.

I had my RV tech check the welds, and he saw no air gaps. Nothing has bent/flexed further or went out of alignment in the trailer. So "hopefully" it is just the engineered flex. "crossing fingers".

I make sure to keep the trailer off the road in the winter / early spring where there is any chance of road salt, and I cleaned and oiled the entire frame a few months after I received the trailer. My opinion is, if it flexes like this, I better make sure it is not weakened by rust years from now.

After a season of camping, and installing upgrades (like solar power, pressure tank, an invertor, ETC), the unit seems to be "dialed in".

Only issues left, are that the frame still has flex and it stresses me out (I drive almost walking speed if I end up off road), and I wish the black tank had more capacity.

That is all for this update...... has anyone else actually had a frame bend from this sag yet?