GD Rally in Elkart; Meeting with Lippert and other suppliers

[RGMutchler]

We were not able to make the Rally this year but I have been looking for a post dealing with the meetings with GD and the suppliers and if anything was covered reference the grease seals on the axles and other issues that we have been discussing here on the forum. I have been out of pocket so if a summary has been posted would someone let me know where.
Thanks

[LCBoyer]

No one said anything about the grease seals. I spoke with Emily Stahly and she assured me they have changed the way they load the hubs

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Ralph,

It was really curious . . . Lippert was ready for a barrage on greased brakes. They had piles of reference papers available. And, no one brought it up at either LCI session . . . not even once. Emily said that she couldn't sleep the night before, worrying about the potential challenges from GDRV owners on greased brakes. Not a mention.

My take on this . . . we are all tired of listening to LCI "data" on this and how it isn't really happening . . . and don't even want to hear it anymore. They do claim that they will, one day, make production changes to prevent this from happening, but I have talked to very few current production owners who have not found grease on at least some of their brakes.

It amazes me that NHTSA is not all over this.

Some have had their costs covered by LCI or GDRV. Those of us who do this work ourselves have usually just eaten the costs as part of a proper bearing cleaning and repack.

Rob

[RGMutchler]

That's were I am, I did my own, Lippert sent me new seals but I went wasn't sure of the quality so I bought my own. I am surprised that no one asked but I do understand the feeling that no one wanted another fairy story.

[Cate&Rob]

no one wanted another fairy story.

Well . . . . that's the whole story in just six words . . . .

[TomHaycraft]

It was really curious . . . Lippert was ready for a barrage on greased brakes. They had piles of reference papers available. And, no one brought it up at either LCI session . . . not even once. Emily said that she couldn't sleep the night before, worrying about the potential challenges from GDRV owners on greased brakes. Not a mention.

Hi Rob,

Any opportunity to ask about leaf springs and reality of the left side carrying more weight?

Tom

[steve gravelle]

Rob, there have been recent posts from owners with new rigs and very few miles with terrible leakage onto shoes and drums! Klemdotter has pictures posted of 6 drums saturated! He is as disappointed and offended as we USED to be. No problem here, move on! Not! Even Emily knows.

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Rob,

Any opportunity to ask about leaf springs and reality of the left side carrying more weight?

Tom

Hi Tom,

During the LCI "roundtable" discussion, I brought up the concern that some Reflections run down the road noticeably low on the left side because of a significant side-to-side weight difference, yet the springs are the same on both sides.

Their first response was that Correct Track could adjust for this. I clarified that Correct Track could align the axles even if there was a weight difference, but could not be adjusted to carry the coach level. After some discussion, they eventually agreed with this.

Their second response was that they would never build an axle assembly with different springs on each end, because the "industry" always puts matching springs on an axle. I suggested that maybe this might be an opportunity for LCI to do something better than their competitors.

I invited them over to my coach to see what I was talking about. They brought a technician who inspected the springs and agreed that the left side springs were certainly "pounded down" more than the right side. With some reluctance, the LCI managers agreed that stronger springs on the left side might help this and they would install new springs for me. That was on Thursday. By Friday afternoon, I asked about these springs and they stated that they had no 3000 lb springs at their parts warehouse. On Saturday, I asked again and this time they "forgot" to bring the springs.

LCI has promised to send me springs . . . but I am not going to hold my breath expecting these. I don't think their management is able to take even this tiny step "outside the box" to try something different. I recall that I never got any response from them last year on the pictures and theory that I offered about the failed grease seals.

Changing out these springs myself is perhaps preferable anyway. This will allow me to take before-and-after pictures and measurements to add to the database that Pat has created.

Of note, another Reflection owner at this discussion stated that he has been able to even out the side-to-side difference by increasing the spring strength on both sides. This might be because the stronger springs do not deform with miles as the original ones do.

More to follow . . .

Rob

[RGMutchler]

Rob,
Please keep us posted on this so some of the rest of us can follow up after you get yours, of course it might be that they have had a change of heart because of they do it for you they might have a bunch of the rest of us to deal with.

[Cate&Rob]

Rob,
Please keep us posted . . .

Hmmm. . . . That does sound like something that I would be inclined to do !
(I am 2700 posts into this "info sharing" concept)

Pat has built a 303 specific suspension measurement database that Tom and I are providing input to as well.
Once we nail down what measurements to take and exactly how to do this, we will ask others to add their info.
This is beginning to look suspiciously like real engineering !

More to follow . . .

Rob