Seam separation when hitched....

[EdJ]

The repair they did on our HH looks great ; it's hard to tell anything was done.
Mike and his service department staff deserve a lot credit for the support and
service they give us as Nu-Wa owners.
We couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

Paul

What did they find as the problem?

[Ron & Lois]

Ditto to that what Paul said about NuWa and all there people. They a great job and in a timely manner. Paul and I both had ours done at the same time and what a job they done. Mike you can be proud of your people there they do good work.

[PAAU]

What did they find as the problem?

As suspected it was a broken weld on the bottom of a stud.
We didn't get to see much of the repair; didn't want to get in the way of the guys working.

Paul

Edited to fix "Quote" box.  -Gary-

[Wally2]

We're glad that you had the repair done.

 We were at the factory in the fall of 08 and they looked at ours and just re-caulked it as did our dealer in Oregon. Next time that we head east we'll get the repair done too. Thank you for all of the information!

Bill & Elysa

[Donr827]

Is there a list of trailers that might develop this problem due to the broken weld.  We have a 08 that was manufactured in December of 07.  If they made a change in design when did the change occur?
Don

[harley]

I thought i fixed a bad seam of caulk on the trailer and realized when hitched the side wall just forward of the bedroom slide moves upward when hitched. What would cause this?

[Jeff Collingwood]

Frame flexing?
...Jeff...

[motovet]

Good to know the fix is working for those that have had it done. I have talked with service at NuWa, and my unit is in need of the same repair. One thing that needs resolved yet is how I get the trailer there as i still work, and Kansas is too far for me to go...but  I'm sure something can be worked out. My only concern now is I have yet to find a calk that can take that much movement. Every time I use the trailer my seam is compromised. I have a new bead of pro flex on there now that may hold up.

[homenomore]

We want to thank Daryl and his service folks for a great job they did on our seam separation fix and thank you Nu-Wa for the great customer service and product you provide.

[cdrcos]

We don't have the seam and caulking so ours is cracking from both ends of the bottom of the bedroom slide - more every time we are out with it.

But - we also have an appointment at Chanute October 18 to get to the bottom of the problem and get it fixed.  I know it takes a long time to fix, so we have reservations for 4 nights in Branson.  Probably won't even miss the ol' HitchHiker for that time...

[Wally2]

We had the repair completed while we were at the factory, May 17 - 19. Here is what ours looked like. They did such a great job. If you didn't know it was done you'd never know.  Very impressive!
Bill & Elysa

[Larry Barnhart]

My question is were all the frexling frame problems on Lippert frames?  I am not a fan of this company.
chevman

[Fred A.]

We have one corner of our bedroom slide split even on our Young's frame. Probably four years ago, NuWa put a strip over it to cosmeticall fix it. There has been no evidence of a problem since. These RVs must flex a lot. (It reminds me of a house doorway where the drywall was cut too tight.)

Fred

[mmitc100]

All 5th wheels flex.  If you drove a frame down the road by itself, you would be surprised at how much it moves like a diving board.  In many respects the structure of the trailer supports the frame.  Think of it like a suspension bridge.  The upper portion provides much of the structural integrity.  That's why NuWa's method of sitting sidewalls on top of the frame and bolting them to outriggers is so important.  On many Elkhart brands the sidewalls are fasted to the outside of the floor with no support under them, thus little help to the frame.   In the really old days before glide rooms, I noticed flex at entrance doors.  On the truck the door would close properly and off the truck it would bind.  Or vice versa.   That meant the frame was flexing up and down.   Then when laminated sidewalls came along I observed many SOB's with splits right above the jack leg area.   And then with glide rooms came splits starting near glide rooms.   And I see the separation issue mentioned here on many of the SOB's we take in trade.   My point is that flex does and will always occur.  It twists and stresses and pounds and seeks any weak area, especially a large opening in the sidewall or a joint.   Given time it can stress crack the fiberglass, which is typically a cosmetic issue.  In some cases the structure of the sidewall or frame needs to be reinforced to take the stress.  Over many years we have learned how to adapt our designs to this natural stress, but it's a moving target and we continue to learn as we go.   MIKE

[jamvir]

Mike,  thanks for the great explanation.  I figured the frames flexed some, but had no idea they flexed that much.  I now have a greater appreciation about the engineering of a great RV.

Jim