Why So Many Broken Springs??

[CGDG93]

It is just amazing the amount of broken springs. I get it that you guys buy new springs, axels, align hangers parallel to the frame, replace and go on down the road. It is just mind boggling that GD and other manufacturers ignore the problem. When these problems occur what is the response when GD is brought into the pic? Do they recognize there might be a problem and take responsibility. If not GD problem it must be a Lippert or Dexter problem. It is not like you are asking for something you didn't pay for. You paid a fair price and should expect that it is engineered and constructed correctly.

This is why I say if I make widgets and I am very profitable what has to happen that forces me to examine and upgrade my processes and make a better widget??

This is not directed towards GD as I see many of the same issues across the industry.

[TucsonJim]

Here is my opinion:

1. Wrong size springs selected for the application - Grand Design (and others) have a process they use for selecting the axles (including springs) in their towable products. After these units have been on the road for a period of time, we start seeing problems if the axle/spring combination is not up to snuff. If enough of these occur, Grand Design has been known to increase the size of springs on a particular model.

2. Failing to take into account side to side loading - Some of the units are quite heavier on one side vs. the other. Typically, we see weight differences of 400-600 pounds on some units. This is due to the construction of the RV. When you have the kitchen, refrigerator, pantry and other heavy items on one side, that side tends to be much heavier and put a larger load on the springs.

3. Owner overloading - Few owners take the time to have their rigs weighed on a truck scale. Even fewer go out of their way to obtain an accurate weight for each individual wheel position. This can be very important when there is already a weight bias as noted in the paragraph above. Owner's who overload their rigs are just as culpable as the manufacturers.

4. Inferior materials - Over the years, LCI and Dexter have been the axle/spring suppliers. They don't have a reputation or documented history of always using the best materials available. Over time, inferior steel can fatigue and fracture.

5. Failure or delay in applying lessons learned - We have seen many times where there is a trend for a failure that is impacting owners. Items like broken springs, greasy brakes, peeling tires and others have impacted many of our owners. The typical response is to just provide a replacement part, but the root cause is never fixed or takes years to address. And speaking of replacement parts., I'll bet GDRV is thrilled when an owner elects to perform the work themselves. It saves GDRV the expense of a dealer or mobile technician's labor.

Jim

[CGDG93]

So at what point do owners stand up and say enough is enough!! The buyer deserves what they paid for and stop letting the (RV Man.) off the hook. If something is improperly engineered I don't care how long ago that is not the fault of the buyer it needs to be fixed. They know a RV is not balanced with equal weight when they design them and b4 leaving the plant. If not every engineer should go back to school. This is exactly why they will not make a better widget, we keep buying it and are satisfied with par. The line from Animal House comes to mind, "Thank you sir may I have another" while receiving a severe butt paddling at Frat initiation. They keep producing par or sub par and we rush practically in a frenzy to get another.

Just another example of INSANITY!! Not them, but us the consumer.