Confused about proper axels

[ritterjd]

I am confused about what axels should be on my late year 2015 337rls. The other forums are full of people who think they had wrong axels and others who apparently had them replaced. Everyone had different methods to determine if they were correct or not. Certainly GD should know if the proper ones were used or not and I am confused if I need them or not.

So, my 337 reflection has 5200# axels on it. Are these correct?

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[cgoodnight]

Call Grand Design customer service. Be sure you have your VIN number when you call.

It appears some customers do have 5200# axles instead of the specified 6000# ones on the 337. Grand Design usually will want a photo of the label on each axle. If you have not yet done so, crawl under your 337 and take a photo of each label. They are on the back side in the middle of the axle (at least they are on my 337).

[steve gravelle]

John and Jill, wrong axles! What happened with us is that GDRV sent two 6000 lb. axles with springs and complete brake assemblies to the closest dealer to us, Tarpley RV in Durango, CO. Because our rear axle went out of alignment, destroying the inner edges of the tires, they also sent 4 new tires. It took them only 2 days to complete the install. It's a federal (NHTSA) offense that the axles do not match the sticker weight on the LF corner!

[Ciaran1]

Steve is correct, if the Data Plate on the left front of the coach (under and forward of the propane door) states the GVAWR as 6000 lbs, then the axles should be 6000lb axles. GD has no argument for it to be any different.

[ritterjd]

I spoke with Jerry at GD this afternoon. Our 337 should definitely have 6000# axles on it. GD will send replacements as soon as I decide what dealer I will take it to. I'm not to thrilled with the service locally but we do have a local, non-GD dealer that does great service. I've got a call into them to see if they can do it.

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[Bamaman]

If Grand Design sends an axle with brakes, you might want to check to see if they're self adjusting. If not, change'em out to self adjusting.

[steve gravelle]

Bamaman, great idea! They need to be like TucsonJim did, FORWARD self-adjusting. We (at least me) don't back our fifth wheels assertively enough (stop quickly) for rearward self adjusters to even function. IMHO!

[Bamaman]

Oh, yea! Don't forget to change the axle seals to U.S. made--not Chinese OEM's. They're very inexpensive items.

[ritterjd]

Yeah, I was just putting together a mental list of parts needed to replace the brakes and seals. That's why I was checking the axles. So, does anyone who replaced both on the 337, and has the correct 6000# axles, have a list of what parts are needed? I'll probably do this late in the fall when the season is over and before the snow.

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[steve gravelle]

John, I do agree with you this would be a good opportunity to upgrade seals and brakes. And if you can get GDRV or a repair facility to include these operations it would be awesome. But my experience was that Lippert sent 2 complete assembled axles on a pallet to Tarpley RV in Durango. They unbolted and rebolted the axles at the ends of the springs, wired and adjusted the brakes, and they were done. Oversimplified maybe, but pretty accurate. As in an automotive insurance scenario, they are obligated to return your vehicle to pre-accident condition. Unfortunately, that includes manual brakes and seals of unknown quality, hopefully better! As of now, GDRV does not want to pay for checking the alignment- see prior discussion on alignment. I'm glad we got correct axles and tires!