caution caution caution

[Mac rv]

Please do us all a favour and check the wheel to wheel well clearance on your tt. My 2013 rockwood 3008w had insufficient clearance and wore through the liner and into the floor. It also damaged the tires and they had to be replaced. This is a very dagerous condition. Could explain some of the tire problems? My dealer in Gormely Ont. couln't care less. This was missed on the PDI. The factory despite the fact that the warranty ran out while it was at the dealer for almost 2 months waiting for parts and repair denied my warranty claim. Sheila McGee did agree to supply me with an axle lift kit and 4 new tires but would not pay for the labour. I have installed the kit and repaired the damaged tire and all is good. Now I know how Warren makes his money.lol I believe the factory is aware of this and should be having a recall. I think Ont. MOT and Canada DOT might be interested in this. This is a serious safety issue. PLEASE CHECK THE WHEEL CLEARANCE. Serge

[Mkayers]

I'm curious because I have little clearance also, what size tires were on your Rockwood?

[Mac rv]

Hello Mkayers. The 3008w Rockwood Windjammer uses 15in. tires. You shoul have 2.5 to 3 in. clearance. I could barely put my fingers between the tire and the wheel wells. The lift kit is a good and easy fix. The factory should ensure this clearance is correct. From what I can tell the factory uses 2 models of the Dexter axles which have different angles. Quality assurance needs to be more vigilant. So much for a good dealer PDI. Serge PS keep me posted.

[Timex]

Since this is about the 6th thread on this subject, it's got me concerned about my Vlite. The street side has so little clearance I can barely squeeze my hand over the tire. Very little clearance between the bottom of the slide out and the top of the tire. This side has the dinette slide and the bedroom slide.

Would the extra weight of the slides have a bearing on the clearance of the tire?

I am also curious of the lift kit; is this something anybody can add or is this a specialized skill?

I may go measure the height of the roofline on both sides to see if there is a difference. I see no signs of the tire rubbing anything, yet. And I don't know if this issue is getting worse or this is how it was originally since this is the first time I have paid attention and have become aware of it.

[Mkayers]

I think mine is how it originally came. I live in Michigan and we've been 5000 miles or so including to NC and back and VA and back and no rubbing even with the low clearance. I'm not sure if I should be worried or not.

[Mac rv]

Hello Timex and Mkayers. I would call your dealer and ask them about the close clearance of your tires. The axle manufacturer Dexter recommends 3 inches of clearance. All I know was that my tires had rubbed into the plywood flooring. Forest River sent me a lift kit and new tires. I installed the kit myself. I have the tools and the experience to do this properly. I would not recomend this unless you know what you are doing. Serge

[Timex]

Got a trip next month. I'll take some measurements before we go and do some comparisons. HOPEFULLY, there won't be a problem. And I won't know what I'm doing so I won't be doing it myself. Unless there is a video somewhere that will show how to do it.

[Mac rv]

I'v filed a safety related complaint regarding insufficient wheel to wheel well clearance with NHTSA Canada. All affecter trailer owners should do the same. Will keep you posted. Serge

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Mac rv

Hello Mkayers. The 3008w Rockwood Windjammer uses 15in. tires. You shoul have 2.5 to 3 in. clearance. I could barely put my fingers between the tire and the wheel wells. The lift kit is a good and easy fix. The factory should ensure this clearance is correct. From what I can tell the factory uses 2 models of the Dexter axles which have different angles. Quality assurance needs to be more vigilant. So much for a good dealer PDI. Serge PS keep me posted.

After reading these post, I checked my 2014 3008w today. On the door side, I could put two fingers between the top of the tire and the plastic of the wheel housing. On the street side, I could only get one finger in there. Understandable, since this is the side with both slides.

I called the dealer. His service department was aware of the problem and the "fix" - adding a spacer kit between the axles and the frame. They say it is about a two hour job. I explained that we are leaving St Louis in 10 days for a month in Texas and asked if they could get it done before we leave. I'm supposed to get a call from the service writer in the morning letting me know, but I have a feeling they'll somehow get it scheduled and completed. They say there is no problem getting parts from Rockwood, and Rockwood is, in fact, aware of the problem.

I didn't see any evidence of scuffing on the wheel housing, and I didn't look at the tires as they were covered today (and it is near 100 degrees here). We've towed the trailer somewhere north of 6,500 miles since we got it in late March, including the FR rally in Goshen.

Just in case, does anybody know the name and phone number of the Rockwood warranty person at FR?

Thanks in advance. I'll keep you posted on what I find out about the "fix".

[Mac rv]

Hello Capt. Mike
I just installed the Dexter lift kit on my 2013 3008w and I now have 3 in. clearance. I'm not sure if this is the proper fix because the torsion arms are not at the recommended angles. I'm waiting to hear from Dexter Axles. David Switalski is the warranty contact at Dexter. Email
dswitalski@dexteraxle.com. Dexter PH# 574 296 7314. I also recommend that you send a complaint to the NHTSA. Your contact at FR is Sheila McGee. Good luck. Serge

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Mac rv

Hello Capt. Mike
I just installed the Dexter lift kit on my 2013 3008w and I now have 3 in. clearance. I'm not sure if this is the proper fix because the torsion arms are not at the recommended angles. I'm waiting to hear from Dexter Axles. David Switalski is the warranty contact at Dexter. Email
dswitalski@dexteraxle.com. Dexter PH# 574 296 7314. I also recommend that you send a complaint to the NHTSA. Your contact at FR is Sheila McGee. Good luck. Serge

Thanks for the info, Serge. Please post if/when and what you hear from David Switalski. I'm wondering if the lift kit is just a temporary bandaid, and the real answer is to replace the axles, given that the torsion arms are so far off the proper angle after the "fix".

Mike

[Mac rv]

Mike. Hopefully I will find out today what Dexter thinks about this and will post it. Serge

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Mac rv

Mike. Hopefully I will find out today what Dexter thinks about this and will post it. Serge

Serge, I sent an email to David at Dexter last night and posed these six questions:
1) Did Rockwood use the incorrect axles on a number of Windjammer trailers?
2) Would complete replacement of the axles be preferable to a “fix” that involved spacers between the frame and axle?
3) Does dropping the axle (or raising the frame) by 2” have any detrimental effect on the axles performance, tracking, longevity, tire wear, or overall safety of the trailer and tow vehicle?
4) Does the “pad” or “spacer” that is being installed come from Dexter or Rockwood, and, if from Rockwood, have the engineers at Dexter approved this modification to the product?
5) Is the warranty on the axles still valid? Has the warranty period been extended or otherwise changed?
6) Are you aware of whether the FR warranty has changed in any way vis-à-vis the axles?
His answer arrived just a few minutes ago. Two sentences.
"Thank you for your email. You will have to contact Forest River for your questions."

There may have been some questions (#1 and #6) that properly ought to be addressed to Rockwood (and were, BTW), but #3, #4, and #5 rightfully should be answered by Dexter.

Will keep you updated.

[Mac rv]

Mike. I called David this morning and he told me that there was no decision yet as to what will happen. He told me that I should have an answer today. It kind of looks like the cat is now very well out of the bag. I can only hope that the NHTSA will get involved but remember who owns this outfit. Serge

[Patches]

I don't have tire clearance problem, but I did have a power cord rubbing on the top of the tire. One of the clips that hold the 120v ac cord up had broken allowing the cord to fall. As I was traveling down the highway, the tire rubbed the insulation off the power cord, and exposed the copper wires. After a stop one evening when I plugged into the shore power, I started tripping breakers. This area under my slide out was the last place I looked for the problem. The fix of installing a new power cord run took about an hour. Got rid of those plastic clips too, and went with insulated metal clips. Now before I get ready to hit the road, I check a lot more areas to prevent issues like this.

[Mac rv]

Hello Patches. I think it should almost be like flying. Good to do a thorough check before you depart. Check check check and check again.LOL Serge

[mike54]

I will have to check the tire clearance on my Rockwood I know there is not much space between the tire and wheel well but I don't think the tires are rubbing

[skitibby]

I have filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and would encourage anyone else that has this issue, report it too. The website is https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/Vehicl...nt/index.xhtml and is very easy to use. I have done a lot of research on this issue and there are a lot of people out there with this very issue. The more people that report it, the more likely Forest River will do something to change it. The representative that contacted me from NHTSA said the same thing.

[Mac rv]

Hi Mike 54. There is more to this than tire clearance. The torsion arms also have to cushion the road shock. The proper travel of the arms are very important. Serge

[Prothos]

Checked mine i have just a bit over 3" with 15" tires on the TT