Conqueror Companion A-Frame Failure!!

[Soundadv]

This is definitely not good for Conqueror.

I dont want to sound stupid here, but can one actually overload a well rigged caravan or trailer?
My trailer is not close to in the same league as this,but fully loaded it does not come close to the max. There is just not
enough space to overload it. My trailer has got at least 280 kg left after im done including 60L of water.

The other thing that bothers me is the fact that there is a issue with the fact that it is a rental. Surly they must design these things to take hammering
constantly. Not only 30 days in a year. I do understand that the fact that you have no idea where the rental went or how it got there but if the trailer or caravan got there
the tow vehicle must also get there. Dont think there is people that will bust his 4x4 just to see what the caravan can do.

I might be wrong but i think there is obviously a problem and they must come to the party with regards to the repair.

[4ePajero]

So after 15min thought, personally, my solution is to get the hole out the tension flange. A crush tube through the box on the neutral axis and an angle iron bracket on the box would probably do it for about R250 worth of labour and materials. Added to this a soft toe on the box that's bolted on would be a good idea.

I agree with you. Don't fiddle with the primary stress components.

[Stranger]

As with most things I see this as a cost versus quality issue. Any manufacturer has to make money somewhere and their design team have come up with a design and materials that produce enough profit to make the production viable.

This obviously works with the weekender and once a year trips, but not with a rental company that the unit sees more use.

[BruceHun]

As with most things I see this as a cost versus quality issue. Any manufacturer has to make money somewhere and their design team have come up with a design and materials that produce enough profit to make the production viable.

This obviously works with the weekender and once a year trips, but not with a rental company that the unit sees more use.

Yes, but they advertise in mags about Van Zyl's pass etc. so show how tough and robust their vans are....this should therefore not occur if proper R&D is carried out. If a weakness surfaces then they should take responsibility and repair at no charge. Even if trailer is abused or overloaded, these factors should be taken into consideration by Engineering...

[BruceB]

Yes, but they advertise in mags about Van Zyl's pass etc. so show how tough and robust their vans are....this should therefore not occur if proper R&D is carried out. If a weakness surfaces then they should take responsibility and repair at no charge. Even if trailer is abused or overloaded, these factors should be taken into consideration by Engineering...

I do agree, but can they? I mean and remain open?

[JLK]

Inspection of the A frame at that point should be done regular I would say, to avoid a failure. It takes some time for a complete failure.

Strengthening by welding a flens on a the chassis is type of standard.

But I would reckon one failure should have alerted the manufacturer. A cheap adjustment can make it much stronger.

[Grant1]

This issue needs to be resolvedbetween Owner and Conqueror. Go andargue with their engineers on the strength of the design.Very unfair thread as even you do not knowhow the caravan was being used at the time of the failure. Just because there was a failure, does notmean the design was substandard. You know full well, in Africa there are onlytwo things that cannot be broken.Not sure if you all know but theystarted by building kitchen trailers for the Army. I was in the infantry andthese trailers were bullet proof, so I would say they have some credentials.

[Congo]

Very unfair until it is you standing next to the road with a broken a-frame........lets hope nobody gets hurt in the process.

[Congo]

Jannie's Companion broke in precisely the same spot as mine, I too have found cracks on my other units.

[4ePajero]

Anybody who understands the basics of stresses in a chassis rail will tell you that it is a 'stupid' design.
History shows that a number of those chassis have failed (in exactly that spot).
More will.

How can you defend it?

[Congo]

By shifting blame to you as the consumer.........

[4ePajero]

OK, make money out of it.

Develop a add-on solution to strengthen the rail and sell it to Conqueror owners.

Advertise everywhere where you can - that should get their attention!

Get the outdoor magazines to do editorials on the solution to "a problem that does not exist", with photographs and testimonials - that should get their attention too!

[Congo]

I am currently stripping the Companion, will start with a proper fix this week.

[Soundadv]

I am currently stripping the Companion, will start with a proper fix this week.

What about the other unit that shows stress marks, will they consider looking at them?

Will you be changing insurance company or what is your plan. It seems to me you are looking at some serious damage bound to
happen some time in the near future. This could set you back a bit. It could also put your customers in a life threatening position.

I would still try knocking on there door hard and constantly. We except the BS they feed us to easily.

Hope you get some support.

[BruceHun]

[QUOTE=Grant1;3581460]This issue needs to be resolvedbetween Owner and Conqueror. Go andargue with their engineers on the strength of the design.Very unfair thread as even you do not knowhow the caravan was being used at the time of the failure. Just because there was a failure, does notmean the design was substandard. You know full well, in Africa there are onlytwo things that cannot be broken.Not sure if you all know but theystarted by building kitchen trailers for the Army. I was in the infantry andthese trailers were bullet prooif, so I would say they have some credentials.
[/QUOT

Grant, blind loyalty is not a good trait to have. Building kitchen trailers for the army does not make them all powerful. Often suppliers to the military cut corners to increase margins. I was in SADF as well, 63 mech infantry, and saw lots of various failures of equipment.

This is the perfect forum for people to make other's aware of issues that affect any manufacturer of any products. The fact is that this seems to be a problem and the OP did address this with Conqueror.

Conqueror products are very good and they should back this up with great service, especially that this affects a small percentage of trailers.

BL had an issue with bolts on leaf spring iirc and they were more than happy to upgrade without any denial.

My first 2002 Echo 3 had rust problems that they told me were common on that model and they sorted it out.

Manufacturers don't like admitting to design flaws, look at LR,Ford,Toyota etc. It is the way they handle it that sets them apart.

[Congo]

I am happy with my insurance company and won't change.

Conqueror have no intention of changing their design.

I have my Engineering design team on the job and will replace the a-frames with an improved design that should be much stronger. The price of the parts from Conqueror is far above what anybody in their wright mind would pay. Replacing the current frame with one that will in time fail in the same place is silly.

We will replace our Companions with another brand in due coarse.

[divvie]

I am not sure why some of the forum guys are thrashing the good name of a reputable supplier? Or am I missing something.....

from what I have read since the 1st post is that up and until yesterday, there were no concerns as to the reliability of the companion and more so on issues with the a frame.

Now that one person, who did not load or towed the unit himself, had a failure on the unit, now suddenly a number of people perceive this to be a known problem.

how many units had similar problems that we know of? Seemingly only two .... And that is two out of huge number manufactured as from around 2009. And from the two units, we still do not know if they were serviced regularly and whether they were abused or not.

As the saying goes in Afrikaans .... Een swaeltjie maak nie n somer nie.

i personally know a number of happy companion owners who actually have towed the companions over van Zyl and up to the Serengeti ... Without structural problems.

@Congo, seeing that you are making the averments regarding this "known issue" and generalizing, I trust that you can give the facts on similar cases and how they were maintained .... If not, it can be risky to keep on your current path bad mouthing a supplier on open forum.

[Partyranger]

Divvie,

i also have no idea how just a few ford kuga's that started burning could have any effect on market value of the vehicle.
More the fact that just a few of them started burning is cause for worry because you did not see how that person drives.

Toyota also had an issue not too long ago with apparent brake failure. Well I'll be darned that there could be so many drivers on the road that does not know how a brake pedal works.
And then have the audacity to force Toyota into a world wide recal.

Once again, it's awesome that your friends towed their trailers / companions to van Zyl's and Zambia and Serengeti. I hope they don't experience a failure like this in Serengeti cause I can tell you now who is going to fit the bill for recovery out of Tanzania.

The info on here is use don't use it. If another vehicle fails will you turn around and say "well this issue has been raised before, you should have known"??

[Partyranger]

And also,
if no one ever raised any issues or problems with any vehicles / trailers / camping gadgets etc then nothing would change.
Nothing would advance and no new products would have seen the light.

Heck if everyone had just not mentioned the short comings of the ox wagon and camp fire then we would not have had traffic jams and electricity.

Dont always see everything as negative and trying rip the other brands off.
I am sure Congo purchased the companion because he had faith in the product and it was a good investment due to very few known issues.

hopefully something positive comes out of this topic.
If 1 forum member reads this, goes outside to check his new 2'nd hand purchase and finds cracks which he can resolve before a catastrophic failure on a trip. Would this member not have gained?

[furpile]

I am not sure why some of the forum guys are thrashing the good name of a reputable supplier? Or am I missing something.....

from what I have read since the 1st post is that up and until yesterday, there were no concerns as to the reliability of the companion and more so on issues with the a frame.

Now that one person, who did not load or towed the unit himself, had a failure on the unit, now suddenly a number of people perceive this to be a known problem.

how many units had similar problems that we know of? Seemingly only two .... And that is two out of huge number manufactured as from around 2009. And from the two units, we still do not know if they were serviced regularly and whether they were abused or not.

As the saying goes in Afrikaans .... Een swaeltjie maak nie n somer nie.

i personally know a number of happy companion owners who actually have towed the companions over van Zyl and up to the Serengeti ... Without structural problems.

@Congo, seeing that you are making the averments regarding this "known issue" and generalizing, I trust that you can give the facts on similar cases and how they were maintained .... If not, it can be risky to keep on your current path bad mouthing a supplier on open forum.

Structural problems have nothing to do with servicing your trailer. A few mechanically minded members have already pointed out the very basic flaw in this design. That is enough to make anybody worry about the long term health of this trailer. As a mechanical engineer, I agree with them that cutting a big hole in the part of the beam that carries all the load is a very bad idea. Even the assessor for the insurance agreed on this. Thus it is not a case of one failure trying to tarnish a brand. Two different companies have had failures on their rentals, and cracks developing on other trailers. Yes, they are rentals so we don't know how they were loaded or used. But if you have one of these trailers and have a bit too much weight on the front yours could crack as well. Maybe just some usefull info to keep in mind for owners.