Well again, there is a ton of stuff happening in the industry I’d like to share thoughts on. Before I do that, for those chomping at the bit to read the new May issue, click here to go to our home page where you can click on the front cover and begin reading the May issue.
If my letter’s headline has you confused, let me get right into it and “clear the air.” Some folks may not be aware that Freightliner Custom Chassis is based in Gaffney, South Carolina. By a large margin, the company dominates the OE diesel chassis segment in the RV industry with a 90+ percent market share.
I propose the RV industry pool its collective resources together to cater Freightliner’s daily lunches for an entire year. Now, we don’t want to send them just any food. I propose we specifically send bean and cheese burritos, every… single… day… nonstop.
Why would we do this? Well, here is the funny part. We want Tony Sippel to have gas. Think this through. This could seriously benefit the RV industry. For those who don’t know, Tony is Freightliner’s director of sales and marketing and a key leader on the company’s management team. If we do a daily burrito bomb, the boys in Gaffney will undoubtably get our subtle message.
Still in a cloud (pun intended)? Let me explain why Sippel having gas benefits the industry. Freightliner only makes diesel RV chassis. If the company also offered a gas chassis, the industry would then have two gas engine chassis suppliers. If that were so, we would not be in the conundrum our industry faces today. Sometimes competition is good.
A recent (but temporary) problem with Ford’s F53 gas chassis is crimping the success of certain motorhomes in the RV industry. Ford recently sent a service advisory to RV dealers who sell motorhomes built on the F53 chassis. I suspect a recall is imminent but until that recall is issued, dealers and RV manufacturers have problems with little recourse. Freightliner Custom Chassis could have given RV manufacturers options when a serious “blow out” like this happens.
Ford’s problem has to do with the rear end of the suspension. I’m told they didn’t put enough fluid in with the bearings before they sent them to RV manufacturers. When those motorhomes travel somewhere in the range of 5 miles, the bearings can be seriously damaged. While this only affected a specific number of VINs, a number of dealers with motorhomes on their lot should under no circumstances deliver those RVs to a consumer.
Several RV manufacturers have told me they each have upwards of 50 motorhomes in their shipping yards that cannot be shipped to dealers because they also should not be traveling down the road. Consumers who already have one of these vehicles will potentially put themselves in danger if they are driving them.
Now you might think, “Replace the potentially damaged bearings, end of story.” Not quite. There is a supply chain shortage and these bearings come from China. I’m told a limited supply of replacement bearings were air-freighted to the U.S., but it was not nearly enough to address the problem, let alone keep RV manufacturers producing new units. Getting new bearing and replacing them may not happen anytime soon.
Many years ago, at the very last Louisville trade show, Freightliner debuted a gas engine. It went over like a fart in church, because it was too expensive compared to other gas chassis. The reason: Freightliner is not an engine manufacturer and therefore had to source gas engines from other companies, which drove up the price. Well, Freightliner is owned by Daimler AG.
In Daimler AG’s revised August 2020 articles of incorporation, it states:
Article 2 (§ 2) Purpose (1) The general purpose for which the company is organized is to engage, directly or indirectly, in the business of developing, producing and selling products and providing services, especially in the following lines of business:
• Vehicles, engines and technical drives of all kinds, including their parts, assemblies and accessories.
All I can say is, “Liar, Liar, pants on fire.” See the underlined text above. It says, “engines and technical drives of all kinds.” Well, that doesn’t include an affordable gas chassis. Daimler, we need a competitive, affordable, gas engine for motorhomes. I suspect if you offer one to the RV industry, the industry would snap it up.
In conclusion, I feel bad for my friend Tony after making him “the butt of my joke.” When I see him next, maybe I’ll hand him a roll of Tums for the excessive amount of gas business he now has after the company offers a competitive gas product. If you see him before I do, hand him some Rolaids. Feel free to tell him, “Dana put me up to this. Wanna grab some lunch?”
Dana Nelsen
Very Proud CEO of RV News magazine
