Busted hanger

[Beachcamper]

Only 300 miles from home and lucky to be safe at a campground along the way. Noticed equaflex was not looking normal and then discovered the hanger bolt sheared off busting the hanger. How do these things happen? I am super cautious took it to Lippert in July for a suspension check and also to do annual bearing maintenance. Last month at Dixie RV when in Florida for annual general maintenance check for warranty forever. Not to mention I check every 100 miles at rest stops and check torque, grease fittings and weighed rig before trip. So, how can I improve this setup before we do next years western US trip? God forbid this happens those on one of those mountain passes out west


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[TucsonJim]

That is an interesting failure. I'm wondering if the hanger weld broke and the forces broke the bolt, or vice versa? Have you located anyone to get you going again? I'd suggest you call Lippert at 574-537-8900 to see if they can help you. They supposedly have a 24 hour emergency help line.

Jim

[Beachcamper]

Lippert was contacted and consensus was bolt sheared off and plate broke off. They will help with a portion of cost but I worry about what and how to prevent this from happening again.

RV mobile techs in area do not have mobile welding tools. I found a heavy trailer repair facility that deals with semi trucks fleets. They will be here tomorrow to weld a new hanger and replace spring and bolts.

[Cate&Rob]

Beachcamper
The sheared bolt is a new failure mode. The torn hanger has been documented many times over on this and “another” forum. The fix to the flexing hanger is the “V Clip” insert reinforcement.

Rob

[Yoda]

Rob
Do you have a picture of the V-clip reinforcement? I have not looked at the other place yet.
Cate&Rob

[Beachcamper]

Yoda, I read an entire post of at least 35 pages on the other forum. Search for V Clip but easier if Rob posted a pic of it.

Rob, you were so lucky it happened to you at the rally! I am lucky too it was not on the road I was on to get here. Highway I 75 in this area is so busy with traffic and big semi and all the snowbirds coming down lately. Curious about this happening to so many 303 units from reading those posts. Obviously, GD should incorporate this reinforcement in their design spec of the hangers.

The V Clíp is of interest but I still think boxing it in with a piece of retangular metal would help keep it together. The forces that make the hanger bracket make the side to side movement would also loosen that square tubing they are welded to won’t it? I have no access to Lippert here in Florida to do any of that but I will ask the welder coming over for opinion on boxing it in. Maybe he has come across this in many of their repairs here.

With this happening, not excited for my future travels in this or any other trailer.

[Cate&Rob]

Yoda, I read an entire post of at least 35 pages on the other forum. Search for V Clip but easier if Rob posted a pic of it . . . The V Clíp is of interest but I still think boxing it in with a piece of retangular metal would help keep it together.

Beachcamper (and others)
For those who don't want to read through hours of wandering discussion on the why & how of reinforcing spring hangers, I thought that I would provide the "abridged version" here. Most of the pictures in the attached are mine, but I have borrowed a few from others to to help illustrate the story. Included are some things to remember if you want to "box" the hangers, what a "V Clip" is all about and some other alternative solutions.

Rob

[howson]

For those looking for the MORryde IS discussion that was originally in this thread, go to https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...-option-to-oem

[TucsonJim]

Cate&Rob - I don't believe that Beachcamper's rig had the Correct Track hangers. Can you tell from looking at the photos is this was the "long" or "short" hanger as identified in your pdf file?

Most of the broken hangers I've seen were welded onto the 2" square tubing to lift the frame such as on your 303. Beachcamper might very well have a new failure mode we've not seen before.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

TucsonJim Hi Jim,

Beachcamper definitely has the "long" hangers, but does not appear to have Correct Track . . . probably Dexter suspension?

Canyonlight
For the "short" hangers, see the last picture in my previous attachment. This is Dan's 303 after it was reworked by GDRV/LCI. I have never seen these short hangers on a production unit.
I had the 2" square tube added to my 303 (as did Dan) but they again used the long hangers on mine. Some of this seems backwards, since I run the original 15" tires and Dan has upgraded to 16".

Originally the long hangers were welded directly to the frame rail on early 303s. The addition of the 2" square tube was originally all about getting the 303 high enough to tow level. Current production uses the square tube and the long hangers.

Agreed that the failure mode experience by Beachcamper may be something new. I have never heard of a sheared hanger bolt . . . and, particularly at relatively low mileage. The sheared bolt may have caused what looks to be a break/tear to only one side of the hanger. The fatigue breaks experienced by others usually happen to both sides of the hanger.

Rob

[Canyonlight]

TucsonJim Hi Jim,

Beachcamper definitely has the "long" hangers, but does not appear to have Correct Track . . . probably Dexter suspension?

Canyonlight
For the "short" hangers, see the last picture in my previous attachment. This is Dan's 303 after it was reworked by GDRV/LCI. I have never seen these short hangers on a production unit.
I had the 2" square tube added to my 303 (as did Dan) but they again used the long hangers on mine. Some of this seems backwards, since I run the original 15" tires and Dan has upgraded to 16".

Originally the long hangers were welded directly to the frame rail on early 303s. The addition of the 2" square tube was originally all about getting the 303 high enough to tow level. Current production uses the square tube and the long hangers.

Agreed that the failure mode experience by Beachcamper may be something new. I have never heard of a sheared hanger bolt . . . and, particularly at relatively low mileage. The sheared bolt may have caused what looks to be a break/tear to only one side of the hanger. The fatigue breaks experienced by others usually happen to both sides of the hanger.

Rob

Rob - could it be that with the addition of the 2" tube to address the level towing issue (along with gaining adequate clearance for 16" tires to not hit the RV "wheel well" floor) that using long hangers would raise the RV even higher resulting in nose high towing conditions in some situations when equipped with 16' tires? Are you certain about the long hangers still being used with the advent of the 2" tube and equipped with 16" tires starting in 2016 or 2017 vs the 15" that many of our early builds (2014- 2015 and maybe 2016) had ?

Do you recall anyone else having the 2' tubes added to our early Reflections ? Gary and Marcy installed 2" blocks as I recall so they could run 16" tires.

Dan

[Country Campers]

Viewing the pictures ,and after Rob has pointed out below, the threaded end of the bolt has broken off, looks like right at the shoulder. I had a really good story on the splined end being the problem but Rob has steered in the right direction , (thanks).

Judging from the picture this is on the street side , the heavy side of the 303, thus compounding the stresses on the hanger after the breaking bolt head.

Unless there is rusting that can be seen at the break in the hanger , the rust would mean the hanger was broke before the bolt , then I would not think the hanger caused this.

Could this happen again ?, it is a possibility , anything on the suspension could break at any time or point of travel.

I am not choosing sides in this discussion there are plenty "failure" points on any brand of any trailer type traveling down the road.

What we need to do is come up with a good fix, the manufactures will not change there ways wo we will have to do it on our own.

Brian

[Cate&Rob]

Are you certain about the long hangers still being used with the advent of the 2" tube

Hi Dan,

In pictures attached to the first post of this discussion, you can see a "long" hanger and also the curved corner of the square tube above it (not the lower flange of the I beam frame). Other recent build 303s that I have looked at all have the 2" square tube and the long hangers. I think the Reflection 150 Series are built this same way. This all goes back to the early discussions that we had with Grand Design about the smaller 5th wheels (primarily 303s at the time) not having a high enough front overhang (I believe it was 59" vs the larger ones with 61") to tow reasonably level with the newer trucks.

I think that Correct Track (which no one used anyway) went away with the transition from LCI to Dexter suspension.

Rob

[Cate&Rob]

Country Campers
Hi Brian,

I agree with your analysis . . . except that the bolt is the other way around. What remains in the inner torn away hanger looks to be the head end of the bolt (probably retained there by the spline). The nut and the grease fitting are on opposite ends of the bolt. The bolt fracture appears to be at the shoulder between the threaded part and the straight shaft of the bolt. This could be from over torquing the nut . . . but there is no way to know this because the nut and its contained end of the bolt are long gone. A close look at the fractured end of the bolt might give us some clues.

Rob

[Country Campers]

Country Campers
Hi Brian,

I agree with your analysis . . . except that the bolt is the other way around. What remains in the inner torn away hanger looks to be the head end of the bolt (probably retained there by the spline). The nut and the grease fitting are on opposite ends of the bolt. The bolt fracture appears to be at the shoulder between the threaded part and the straight shaft of the bolt. This could be from over torquing the nut . . . but there is no way to know this because the nut and its contained end of the bolt are long gone. A close look at the fractured end of the bolt might give us some clues.

Rob

Agree to disagree. All of the other bolts have the grease fitting to the inside of the frame. The part of the hanger that has torn away is on the inside of the frame, thus I deduced that the grease fitting end , also the end that the nut is on, is still attached to the broken part of the hanger.

Brian