HELP! Jayco declined the claim because of the weight distribution

[yishenc]

Originally Posted by White Ox

Sounds to me you are @ a spot in life where you have to weigh how much your camping season means to you in $$. You've already been out of action for what, 5 months? Unacceptable.

A competent welder can install a new reinforced A-frame in short order and it'll be stronger than what came from the factory as mentioned above... and you'll be back to camping in likely less than a week - but this means out of pocket expense to you - and I'm betting it'll cost less than you think.

The sad thing about many "dealers" is they are too money hungry and even if they knew it was a bad idea to install said WD hitch on a particular trailer, they'll do it anyway just to make the sale and do the install. Sad.

I love this forum which is more helpful than I thought. Thanks for the suggestion and I am thinking to do it now.

My situation gets complicated in recent months. I need to sell it by next month since I am relocating cross country because of job and don't have enough time to travel with it. I really like this RV and put some updates into it. Feel sad that I have to sell it.

[garyg23]

No problem towing with Ram 1500. But I got rid of the crap "car tires" they put on half ton trucks at the factory. Put on LT tires; 50 psi and keep trailer tires at max recommended pressure.

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by yishenc

Good that you bought your RV from an honest dealer.
Mine is Gander RV which I didn't know their reputation until I bought it.

My first tt was a 195RB, same frame as the one in the beginning of this thread. After owning for less than four months, decided to WD the hitch. Was pulling with an F-150. Mine was an UltraFab 1000/10,000 cap round bar and chain setup. Used it on both subsequent tts.



Last purchase was from Gander's parent, Camping World. They set up my WD hitch with the tv and tt parked across a drainage dip in their parking lot. I moved the rig to a level spot, went back inside and told them to try again. They drove it to the back, about 40 minutes later it came back out on the parking lot and they parked it across the SAME DIP. "There, it's fixed" they reported. The previous dealer I bought from set up the WD hitch correctly before letting me leave the lot.



It was level as I looked at it, and as I pulled out into N. Broadway I noticed a lot more of the propane tank cover was showing than on the unit I just traded...
Got out to El Reno on I-40 and stopped to check things out. TT was traveling three inches nose high, and they had raised the coupler FOUR HOLES in receiver adapter....and chains were only two over...I had been running four over with lots of tension...there was virtually no tension on the bars. Got home over 200 miles away and lowered the coupler two holes, added washers to get the right angle for the bars and after a couple of hours dealing with the inch and an eighth bolts holding everything together finally got a satisfactory 'level' on the tt and tv.
I have since switched to Andersen WD and it works just fine, with built in sway control and I can now back up without disconnecting sway control.
I no longer trust anyone to set my tv/tt up that I am driving.

[robert9999]

Call your insurance company. If Jayco doesn't fix it they will either put in a claim & have it repaired & than they will sue Jayco for the money or they will declare it totaled & cut you a check.

[Cechardy]

Originally Posted by JB13502

Since no picture means it never happened ...

Aren’t those cars rear wheel drive?

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by Cechardy

Aren’t those cars rear wheel drive?

Nope, the 1966 (original) and newer Oldsmobile Toronado were all FWD, the powertrains were even used in GM motor coaches.

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by yishenc

It's bent upward. I will see if I can find photos from dealer.

Being bent up is an anomaly. First, the ball weight is pushed down by the weight of the trailer (tongue weight). You are actually pulling up on the tv by adjusting the spring bars and transferring only a small portion of the tt weight and tv weight approximately two feet behind the ball downward on the frame. This weight transfer is geometrically equalized between the axles of the tt and axles of the tv. (When correct equalization is achieved, level tt and tv.) The only way to transfer enough force to 'bend' the tongue is if the tt axle fails to compress its suspension sufficiently and the plane line of the three (or more) axles becomes distorted at the weakest point: the tongue.
Have you weighed your trailer fully loaded? Are you under GVW? Check top of axle/bottom of frame for impact. Just driving over a large dip shouldn't bend anything. Whacking the axle against the frame will tear some stuff up, including bent axles and tongues.

[Irondoor]

I hate to say it, but when you get caught in these catch-22's where each of the parties (dealer, Jayco, Insurance co) deny claims, you have to get a good attorney who specializes in these types of claims to sort it out. It does sound like the dealer is responsible, but you'd have to read the fine print on your agreement with him. He could say that he installed it correctly and you didn't use it propertly or something such as that.

[Ira]

My 2007 I purchased used 13months ago now has a bent frame. I have 1 company saying is was the weight distribution system that bent it, and the other company that installed is saying it was fine for an ultra light.