2016 Solstice 5th wheel frame failure

[kuba122]

Wow! I’m so sorry to hear this, especially the part about no word from Starcraft. I hope they do contact you and do what I perceive to be the right thing.

[Willi1travel]

Well the Lippert service tech checked the frame and said it was not sagging.. Starcraft would not do any more for me. Lippert said they would repair the slide out if I took it to their plant in Goshen Ind. I took it there on Nov. 20, they repaired it on Nov 21, They aligned the upright beams with the sides of the slide-out and replaced the vee rollers etc. The bill was $ 912.60, the service man said this was a build error. I informed Starcraft but received no reply. The empty frame is built with an arch - like a canoe, when weight is added the frame straightens out -( if it is supported by the axles. )
The frame beams consists of thin I beam sections . The hangers are welded to the sides of the I beam. All side torque is transfered from the hangers to
twist the rail. 3 pcs of 1 1/2 "square tubing was welded between the hangers.( repair authorized by Starcraft ) This stops the sideways bending. I strongly recommend this to all large RV's with thin frames.

[GaryG]

I hope the dealer, or manufacturer's warranty comes through for you. Bummer

[pawpaw]

Wow! Sorry to hear about your troubles. Please keep us informed with your progress.

[Willi1travel]

On our trip to Nova Scotia in July 2016 pulled into a campsite and noticed the trailer wheels were 6" towards the driver side . The equalizer and hangers had twisted the bottom frame rail and were at 45 degrees and the springs were twisted. The campground owner recommended a repair shop 30 miles away. Starcraft authorized the repair under warranty. The mechanic straightened the lower rail as best he could, welded a plate from the inside top of the rail to the lower outside rail, also welded a pipe between the equalizer hangers from one side to the other to prevent side sway. This seemed to be a good fix until I could not retract the main slide in August 2017 ( now out of warranty ) The slide opening is now not square by 2 1/2 " ( trapezoid ) and this is jamming the slide. The rear bumper had to be jacked up 2 1/4 " to get the slide opening square. Presently the trailer is awaiting a Lippert tech to determine if the failure is their problem or mine. PS I took the trailer to my local dealer when I got back from N.S. and he replaced axles, springs, equalizers and welded square tubing between the spring hangers to prevent them swaying sideways. The bottom rail of the I beam frame is 1/8" thick x 2"wide. with the hangers welded to each side of the rail. GVWR of this trailer is 14,950 lbs. I can't believe Lippert expected this frame to stand up.