Lippert Axle/brake Components

rvxtc42

rvxtc42

Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
22
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Originally Seattle Area, Winter in Apache Junction
Around 10000 miles on our 369RL never greased didn't need to with that little mileage. Well today I had Mechanic come out to replace with Forward Self Adjusting brakes and here is what we found. 2 of the four wheels had leaking grease seals and the inside of the drum and brakes were coated. 1 of the magnets was loose and laying on the bottom of the drum. All 4 of the castle nuts were loose with no preload on the bearing. Needless to say this is not a Grand Design issue but is a Lippert Component Inc responsibility. I have filed a complaint with the NHTSA as There are several other GD owners that have had the same issues with leaking grease seals. The NHTSA also wrote a letter in April 2014 to Lippert for the same issue but on another brand of trailer. 20150321_072222.jpg20150321_072511.jpg
 
Yes, it is pretty common in the industry, also on Dexter axles.

A lot of times it was because grease was forced into the "easy lube" fitting and never packed into the bearings correctly.

Should actually be Lippert warranty covered item if it was the seal failure.
 
My wife picked this up on GD facebook and asked me about it. Looked like a case of owner over greasing to me. I learned the hard way years ago and had to replace 6 seals and 12 brake shoes. Magnets loose ( no idea ) . Axle nut adjustment is done at the same time as yearly brake adjustment and very easy to pick up on. If wheel is lose unloaded check it. Brake shoes should grind slightly.
I have several 16,000 equipment trailers that have not need service in 10 years other than brake adjustment. It is a very simple proven design that requires almost no servicing .
Boat trailers are a different story.
 
After reading quite a few complaints about this on RV.net, there were quite a few suggested theories on how this happens. In many cases, the owners have never used the Zerk fittings to inject grease into the bearings. One theory was that the grease seals are defective. Another was that the delivery drivers may be greasing the fittings before they take off. In my case, all four seals failed, and I never injected any grease. I contacted GD, and they paid to replace the seals and the brakes.

Jim
 
I was never happy with the brake performance on my 303 so I investigated the problem a couple weeks ago. What I found was that all four drums had grease inside, to varying degrees. Mine looked pretty much like the pictures we have seen on this site and others. One wasn't too bad, two were bad and the third was really bad. The seals on the three worst ones were not seated in the hub properly, which may or may not have been a factor. I had never added any grease and there did not seem to be an excessive amount inside the hub. I cleaned all of the hubs, bearings, etc., completely removing all traces of the original grease, then repacked and re-greased everything with good quality grease (Sta-Lube Marine grease). I of course replaced all of the seals and seated them properly. I have not been able to test the brakes yet, but all *should* be well now. My brake shoes were in good shape and not contaminated with grease, and I thoroughly cleaned all of the magnets since they were covered with grease. If I find that my brake performance is still not up to par after testing I will replace the magnets and shoes. I felt like they were well cleaned and should be fine. Just wanted to relate my experience since it seems to be an ongoing problem for others.
 
One issue is that not all Grand Design trailers have self adjusting brakes. It should be mandatory that travel trailers and fifth wheels be equipped with self adjusting electric brakes.
 
Agree with Bamaman . . . self adjusting brakes became common place in the 60s on cars and trucks. Why are RVs using 50 year old technology ??

Rob
 
I may have been wrong about over greasing. It seems like several people have had this problem, concerns me enough to pull apart 2014 with few miles to inspect it. Does anyone have a updated Lippert part # for new seal that fixes problem ? I also buy into delivery drivers injecting to much grease into hubs.
 
What I really wanted to do was install a disc brake system but the cost was just more than I wanted to spend right now, and probably overkill. But it would be cool.
 
Cate&Rob said:
Agree with Bamaman . . . self adjusting brakes became common place in the 60s on cars and trucks. Why are RVs using 50 year old technology ??

Rob
Click to expand...

Rob - What was really odd to me was that it was more money for me to get replacement brakes (manual adjusting) from Lippert, than it was to purchase "forward adjusting brakes" from Camping World! Before I changed them, I was obsessive about crawling under the FW every 3K miles and adjusting them. Even with them adjusted, the braking was not up to my expectations. On my Ford controller, I'd have to set it to 8 or 9 (out of 10) to get adequate braking. Now, with the grease free foward adjusting brakes installed, I can lock up the brakes if I set the controller to 5 or 6. And the braking is outstanding.
 
Hi Jim,

As you know, I am new to RVs, and am amazed at the archaic technology of the OEM braking system. Obviously there is better hardware out there. Lippert OEM product design logic is a bit of a mystery to me.

I am not new to vehicle dynamics and keep my trailer brakes set to the "rolling" side of lock-up under heavy braking. The last thing I want is a sliding trailer back there ! Many of the 18 wheelers now have ABS on their trailer brakes . . . is this technology out there for 5th wheel RVs ?

I have not adjusted my brakes and am up to 6.5 at 4000 miles. Started at 5.5. I will adjust them when I get home at about 6000 miles. Probably be up to 7 or 7.5 on the controller by then.

Rob
 
TucsonJim said:
What was really odd to me was that it was more money for me to get replacement brakes (manual adjusting) from Lippert, than it was to purchase "forward adjusting brakes" from Camping World!
Click to expand...

Hey Jim...were the forward-adjusting brakes you purchased from Camping World made by LCI or Dexter?

Dave
 
Dave,

They were manufactured by Mobile Outfitters, which is owned by Lippert. For the 337, here's the part numbers:

LH - 00063695 - 2 Each. $72.93 each
RH - 00063696 - 2 Each. $72.93 each

Our Tucson Camping World had them in stock. Here's a link to each:
http://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...ake-assemblies-for-towable-rvs-left-12-/63695
http://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...ke-assemblies-for-towable-rvs-right-12-/63696

Here's a link to the seals I purchased from e-Trailer They come two to a package, so I ordered two:
http://www.etrailer.com/p-RG06-070.html

BTW, I found it really odd that the original seals were from Dexter.

Jim
 
First of all I'm not a fan of "easy lube" set ups for wheel bearings and can't figure out why they would have to be lined when delivered from the factory it the bearings were packed properly to begin with. Personally to me the only way to do it properly is to beak down the assembly clean and repack. As far as the seals being bad why doesn't GD randomly pull one off the line before the axle assembly is installed and check them.Believe me I've rebuilt enough axles to know when a seal has been damaged before the tire gets bolted on and it touches the ground.
As far as the brakes go I've had a vehicle that had manually drum brakes and even when I had them adjusted good I still didn't care for them. I do like the idea of self adjusting and really like the idea of a disc conversion. Cost was around 600 for a 4wheel drive I have but it sure feels nice knowing you can stop on a dime.
 
Certainly looks like prudent insurance to repack bearings and change the seals. Grease and brake shoes make for a bad combo. Better safe than sorry.
 
TucsonJim said:
Dave,

They were manufactured by Mobile Outfitters, which is owned by Lippert. For the 337, here's the part numbers:

LH - 00063695 - 2 Each. $72.93 each
RH - 00063696 - 2 Each. $72.93 each

Our Tucson Camping World had them in stock. Here's a link to each:
http://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...ake-assemblies-for-towable-rvs-left-12-/63695
http://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...ke-assemblies-for-towable-rvs-right-12-/63696

Here's a link to the seals I purchased from e-Trailer They come two to a package, so I ordered two:
http://www.etrailer.com/p-RG06-070.html

BTW, I found it really odd that the original seals were from Dexter.

Jim
Click to expand...

I know that this is an old thread but I need to replace my brakes and seals on my 337RLS. Shopping around, I see basically the same self adjusting brake assembly for around $75 for each wheel at Lippert, RVUpgrade, Amazon and Camping World. However, eTrailer has a 12" self adjusting assembly for less than $50 each. Anyone used these? The low price kinda concerns me.
 
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