More KARAVAN trailer failures

[tarheelracer]

In a continuation to this thread http://seadooforum.com/showthread.php?t=23069&page=2&highlight=karavan

I now have spotted more major structural failures on the trailer. My trailer just got recalled for improperly bled brakes. Because of this I inspected my trailer and noticed some brake fluid just aft of the tongue area. I inspected it further and noticed at least 4 areas with large cracks that go all the way through the frame of the trailer. These are the best pics I could get. I can't seem to take close ups well.

Here you can clearly see a crack that goes all the way around the bolt hole for the swing away tongue lock point.

Here there is a crack in the corner/weld area which is hard to see in the picture

There is a crack where the bolt point for the swing away tongue joint meets the trailer frame

This is a larger view so you can get your bearings

This is the worst cracking. This is the underside of the frame where the bolt that locks down the swingaway tongue goes. There are cracks all the way around the bolt hole that are spidering outward and the metal is starting the warp in the area of the cracks

What should I do? I know Sea Doo is going to tell me to call Karavan and Karavan is going to tell me that they can't do anything. The only way to fix this now would be to replace the entire trailer. I understand light going out, and bearings needing replaced, but the frame of a trailer is not supposed to crack. That is a major structural failure, and the brakes are leaking fluid. I only have 60 hours on my boat and for all of those hours the boat wasn't trailered but stored in a Marina. I've probably put about 4000 miles total on this trailer.

 

[RFoster130]

That is crazy for a 3 yeard old trailer. I would understand if it was older, but that shouldnt happen. I would deal with Karavan. I would guess Sea Doo would do Nothing to help.

 

[unclejay]

$ 40

I wouldnt panic this is a $ 40 repair at any trailer shop. You might consider replacing the swing away with a straight tongue and a nice UFP coupler to boot.
UFP is the same company that makes Bearing Buddies.

 

[seadooya]

i'd sand/grind lightly, at the "cracks", to remove the galv. coating, to see, in fact they are cracks, or just excess "coating" from being dipped in zinc.

 

[Craigmri]

Zach,

Get your camera into a Macro mode setting and get some better photos to submit to Karavan ASAP.

Craig

 

[tarheelracer]

No, they're cracks, I can shine a light through them. I sent photos to Karavan so hopefully they make it right.

 

[tarheelracer]

After 10 DAYS!!!! I got this response....I can tell this is going to go bad....

"Hello Zach,
We talked about your pictures and feel that the bolts of the swing will need to be tightened and re-torque.
This is something that should be done as normal maintenance.
This should take of the issue."


So I responded

"Diana, that is simply an unacceptable solution. That bolt that
"needed" to be retightened sheared in half last fall. I replaced that
bolt with a quality grade 8 bolt and torqued it to approximately 125
ft/lbs and I would be more than willing to further tighten it to a
torque spec that you guys would recommend. However, the problem is
that the frame of the trailer is cracked all the way through that is
what the pictures were intended to show. What the trailer really
needs is a trailer repair company to weld in a squared steel sleeve to
support the understrengthed steel frame that is failing. I find it
absurd that you expect me to put a trailer back on the road that has
your name on it when there are cracks that go all the way through the
frame. So much so that I can shine a flashlight into the crack and
see it come out the other side. It clearly states in your warranty
that the frame has a limited lifetime warranty. I expect your company
to honor this. I have already replaced a failed frame piece on my own
time back in the fall that your company would not take responsibility
for. Cracks in the frame of the metal of a trailer that has been used
in accordance with the manufacturers instructions have no other
explanation than fatigued metal due to manufacturing or design defect.
I would appreciate a prompter response to this email. Taking 10 days
to tell me to tighten a bolt is unnacceptable. I expect companies I
deal with to stand behind the quality of their product, but telling me
to tighten a bolt when there are other issues is not standing behind
your product. For example, Sea Doo repaired the damage to my boat
that was caused by the failure of YOUR trailer under warranty, no
questions asked. So far this is the second time I have had dealt with
the Karavan customer service, and so far I have been dissatisfied both
times. I Cc'd this to the only Sea Doo email I could find at the
moment. Also attached is links to seadooforum.com where I have been
telling other potential customers about the quality of Karavan
trailers."

 

[tarheelracer]

Karavan is backing their warranty and is going to make me a new trailer.:hurray: I'll let y'all know when I get the new trailer.

"Good Morning,
I had the opportunity to discuss your trailer issue more in depth with the owner of Karavan.
He has instructed me to place a new trailer on order for you.
What I need to know is the boat model that you have on this trailer.

We have a distributor in Washington that we hope to go through on this.
I am sorry things got to the point where you felt it was necessary to throw Karavan under the bus.
We are a good, outstanding company. We have always worked through the issues at hand by communication. Sometime the immediate answers given are not the end solution. Having been given the chance to talk this through with you before you entered the blogs would have been a good gesture.

"We literally have 100's of thousands of trailers in circulation all over the world. The quality of our product as a whole is excellent. Of course every manufacturer has things that go wrong and have dissatisfied customers. We are no exception to this.
We do pride ourselves on our customer service, after all you are the reason we are where we are today after 26 years.
We are a private owned company and work very hard to stay in the industry.

Please get back to me as soon as you can so that I can get the trailer order entered into our system.
Please know that the new trailer, due to logistics and the fact that Karavan's manufacturing operations are shut down for 2 weeks, may take some time to get to you."

 

[bo799]

I am glad that karavan is taking care of you. I bolted my tongue together. Mine had a good bit of slop in it with the pin in the hole.