OUR COMPANY PURCHASED THIS TRAILER USED FROM THE MANUFACTURER IN NOVEMBER OF 2013. THE TRAILER IS TITLED / REGISTERED AS A 2010 MODEL YEAR BUT WAS BUILT IN MARCH OF 2009. OUR CONCERN IS THAT, DESPITE HAVING BEEN IN SERVICE FOR ONLY FIVE YEARS, THE UNIT HAS DEVELOPED NUMEROUS CRACKS / BREAKS IN THE CROSS MEMBERS BETWEEN THE FRAME RAILS OF THE REAR SUB FRAME.THIS IS THE FRAME THAT ALL OF THE REAR SUSPENSION / THREE AXLES ARE MOUNTED TO. IT ALSO HAS ATTACHED TO IT THE UPPER LOAD BEARING MAIN BODY CROSS MEMEBERS THAT TRANSFER THE LOAD FROM THE OUTER BODY TO THE SUBFRAME. THERE ARE SIX CROSS MEMBERS PLACED INTERNALLY BETWEEN THE FRAME RAILS OF THE SUB FRAME STRUCTURE. THREE OF THE SIX CROSS MEMBERS CONSIST OF A 3 X 6 X 3/16 RECTANGULAR STEEL TUBE STANDING VERTICALLY. THESE PIECES ARE LOCATED ABOVE THE UPPER ATTACHEMENT POINT FOR THE SUSPENSION AIR SPRINGS. THE OTHER THREE CROSS MEMEBERS ARE A FORMED STEEL SQUARE MEMBER HAVING BEEN MADE FROM 3/16" THICK STEEL. THESE MEMBERS ARE LOCATED IN THE FRAME ABOVE THE MAIN ATTACHMENT POINTS FOR THE AIR SUSPENSION TOWERS THAT THE MAIN TRAILING SWING ARMS ATTACH TO. ALL TOTALED THERE ARE TWENTY (20) CRACKS AND BREAKS AT VARIOUS STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AND SEVERITY SPREAD OUT AMONG THE SIX MEMBERS.TWO OF THE THREEE RECTANGULAR TUBE MEMEBERS ARE CRACKED ACROSS THE BOTTOM 3" FACE. ONE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED AND ONE IS NOW BEING REPLACED. ALL THREE OF THE FORMED STEEL MEMBERS HAVE CRACKS STARTING AT THE TOP RUNNING DOWNWARD ON THE FORWARD AND AFT VERTICAL FACES WHERE THEY ARE WELDED TO THE SIDE RAILS. THEY ALSO HAVE PARTIAL TO FULL WIDTH TRANSVERSE CRACKS ON BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES OF THEIR AFT REARWARD FACING 3" WIDE LOWER HORIZONTAL FLANGE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO WILSON TRAILER. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED TO ME THAT A DESIGN FLAW EXISTED AND HAVE CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE SUBFRAME. THEY OFFERED NO HELP WITH THE DEFECTS. I HAVE PHOTOS.
- NHTSA ID
- 10761225
- Incident
- Nov 13, 2013