Excessive frame/undercarriage rust 2014 bullet premier

ozkamper · 07-13-2014, 06:55 PM

Hi,

Wondering if anyone else took delivery of a new trailer that has rust that makes it look like it was sitting in a field for 20 plus years. Ours was delivered to the dealer in February, delayed due to a storm. Dealer didn't wash it off.

We have will ask the dealer this week to submit it to the factory, to be sandblasted and re-painted. If they refuse then we will file a complaint to the attorney general.

This is not our first trailer, we've had several over 35 years. The rust is so bad that at times we have trouble hitching up, too much rust under the hitch.

Anybody else have the same trouble? Was it resolved?

**JRTJH** · 07-13-2014, 07:06 PM

There are several threads about rusting frames and undercarriages. Do a forum search for "RUST" and you should find them. Good Luck with Keystone and your dealer, but based on the threads you'll find with that search, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.....

GaryWT · 07-13-2014, 07:42 PM

I have rust on my gas line but the frame does not seem to be an issue. Good luck, hope they help you.

SAD · 07-14-2014, 02:12 AM

Dawt10characters

rweis · 07-14-2014, 07:32 AM

I bought a 2014 Laredo 314 RE in January 2014 that had a lot of undercarriage rust but only on the street side like it had been close to a street that was salted.

The scissor jacks were all about 2 or 3 years old.

I had bearings repacked June 2014 and they inspected running gear. ALL spring packs had 1 or 2 broken springs and the curb side front spring was FLAT with no arch and 2 broken springs. Like it had hit a MAJOR pothole and TOTALLY UNSAFE to move.

Cost $2,000 for 4 new heavier (6 spring) spring packs and 2 heavier axles (5,200#).

gearhead · 07-14-2014, 10:45 AM

I just washed my undercarriage with Salt-Away and touched up some with Rustoleum. I'll spray the bare steel suspension components with Corrosion-X. Mine has a manufacture date of Dec 2013. I imagine it was towed in early spring on salted roads. I suppose it could beeworse, but we don't salt roads in our area very often so it was "off my radar".

superdog404 · 07-15-2014, 06:20 AM

We picked up our 2013 Cougar the first part of November 2013 in Michigan. The undercarriage was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. The coroplast was straight and clean and No rust anywhere. We then went to Ontario to visit relatives. We didn't leave Ontario until December 1. Hooked up with I80 and the streets and freeway's had salt on them. Got home and what a mess. That salt away is almost useless as far as I could see. As a matter of fact I had a commercial truck wash in Utah spray the undercarriage but I think it was to late by then. I took some of the coroplast down in the back area and above it was pretty clean. I spray painted some of the rust on the frame but it sure doesn't look like it did when new.
I learnt my lessons - 1 never will move back home to the east coast. Even though I have thought about it. I was 15 when we moved to so. California.
2 never buy anything new from the east in the winter. We saw a lot of trailer's being moved by the commercial howler's on our way home. There are a lot of screwed up underbelly's around the western state's.

powerstrokedub · 07-21-2014, 05:22 PM

My 387 went through a storm on its way to me in early March of this year, the first thing I did was spend 3 hours with the pressure washer cleaning the coach when I received it. I took immediate delivery of the coach and did my own PDI so this was no fault of my dealers as I didn't have the time to let them do all of the work before I left for my trip. I am anal about keeping things clean of rust and it was slightly frustrating to already see my suspension components (the equal-flex hangers in specific) looking like crap with less than 24 hours on the coach since its departure from the factory floor. I will be replacing all of the equa-flex components next spring though.

Annual · 07-26-2014, 11:03 PM

Recently purchased a Raptor with manufacture date in Dec 2013. Very excessive rust for a brand new trailer. Toy lock was so bad we had to cut it off. Bolts next to rear door have rust under paint and paint is now flaking off. Then we hear rumor that some Keystone trailers were flood damaged at factory but still sold as "new." Not sure what is going on here. What did your dealer say?

Hoojs12840 · 07-27-2014, 04:07 AM

I've been to the keystone factory. Nothing flooding that place that wouldn't have been all over CNN.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**JRTJH** · 07-27-2014, 06:36 AM

As flat as that part of Indiana is, if any flooding occurred that would get up 2' at the Keystone plant, there would be MAJOR flooding from Elkhart to Ft Wayne. I don't think the news networks would suppress reports of that kind of flooding so Keystone could "dump trailers on the unsuspecting public". I'd have to call that one a myth.

All Raptors are built in Indiana, so if you took delivery in December, it was probably towed from Goshen to Oregon across some pretty icy roads. Any idea how much salt was used on the roads while your Raptor was in transit? Any idea how your dealer cleaned (or didn't clean) the chassis after he received the trailer?

You, along with many other owners may be a "victim" of tow company/dealership issues, not a Keystone or Lippert defective corrosion control issue.

powerstrokedub · 07-27-2014, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

As flat as that part of Indiana is, if any flooding occurred that would get up 2' at the Keystone plant, there would be MAJOR flooding from Elkhart to Ft Wayne. I don't think the news networks would suppress reports of that kind of flooding so Keystone could "dump trailers on the unsuspecting public". I'd have to call that one a myth.

All Raptors are built in Indiana, so if you took delivery in December, it was probably towed from Goshen to Oregon across some pretty icy roads. Any idea how much salt was used on the roads while your Raptor was in transit? Any idea how your dealer cleaned (or didn't clean) the chassis after he received the trailer?

You, along with many other owners may be a "victim" of tow company/dealership issues, not a Keystone or Lippert defective corrosion control issue.

I believe this is a big part of it, cleaning the coach upon arrival after winter time transport. I have cleaned mine multiple times and I'm still finding road salt in various areas when I get under the coach. If the dealer didn't thoroughly clean the coach upon delivery I'd imagine the rusting could get pretty severe as the paint on the underbody isn't extremely good.

Hoojs12840 · 07-27-2014, 04:28 PM

Expecting them not to show surface rust is pretty unrealistic. If it can't handle one run in salt/snow then none of us should buy them. I have never washed the underside of my RV's and I tow a lot and on some pretty rough roads for a non-full timer. My last rv had exposed underbelly and never had any issue.

If your concerned about the appearance get it Rhino Lined.

SAD · 07-28-2014, 02:50 AM

Dawt10characters

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