Bearing question

[Dave&Ginny]

Legal height is 13'6 however a tow truck can travel at a higher height with great caution. Most highway bridges are 15'. When being put on a lowboy trailer, they sometimes remove the tires.

[sinder]

So we have GoodSams roadside assist. It took them 5 hrs to find a tow service and a service garage to take the RW.

I wanted them to send out a mobile service, but no one wanted to service it without first looking at it.

So Big Al's towing service shows up with a low boy trailer. Now the fun begins. We battled with to tie up the axle with the brake assem hanging on the ground and no real place to attach a chain or strap over the frame because it is inclosed on top. So we removed the backing plate and brakes, cut the wires and through it away in a nearby dumpster. This allowed us to get the axle of the ground enough to limp the rig.

The first idea he had was to have me back up the RV onto the trailer. However that was not going to work because of the low clearance and length of the RV. So he decided to winch it up onto the trailer by pulling it from the pin. We brought the edge of the trailer right up to the front jack bases and then placed cribbing under the front frame of the RV. Next we brought up the jacks and he backed the trailer further under until we could drop the front jacks on the back of the trailer. Then began slow process of pulling the RV up the bed of the trailer. Note the front jacks were retracted almost the entire why so we could minimize the risk of damaging them.

Once loaded this entire rig was strapped down and I lowered all the jacks. I looked overwhelming huge on the trailer. In fact I was sick to my stomach knowing I had to follow this setup for 150 miles at night. Yes we did not get into Cheyenne until 1:00pm. I made my 1st call to Good Sam at 9:00am.

So we pull out and within 6 blocks we had to stop at a port of entry. The truck driver spent 15 min in there talking with DOT on the 16.4 ft height they had measured. They wanted him to have a special permit, but eventually they let him travel. The good thing was the driver was a local and knew which towns to avoid due to low power lines and traffic lights. We took a lot of back roads. When we get near Cheyenne the driver calls us and says he has had someone on the phone trying to figure out how best to get to the shop without height issues. We could not go on I25 because one bridge was to low, so we end up going the long way around the city at night to get to the shop which is at 80 and 25 intersection.

The driver told me after we arrived that he had not trailered a 5er before and there were some banked curves on the back roads he did not like because of the lean in the rig.

It's been a nightmare to say the least. I had to put my wife in the truck away from the load and unload as it was very unsettling. We still are parked in a truck stop awaiting parts as nothing was open over the weekend. They provided us with 120 electricity and I filled our water tank. I'm 100% certain we are moving on to a different setup in the near future as we fulltime.

[Rick and Mindy]

What I would like to know, would an extended service contract with Good Sam or some other extended "warranty" cover this type of failure?

[Rick and Mindy]

If an extended "warranty" will not cover it, will your RV insurance cover it or will they try and tell you that it's a manufacturer defect so they will not cover it?

[sinder]

I'm not sure about the coverage on an extended warranty. We do not have an extended warranty plan. Our coach insurance does not cover repairs.

I'm not worried so much about the cost at this point as I am about getting parts shipped to Cheyenne. It looks like the soonest we will see parts is Wed this week. The Lippert axles are not commonly stocked out this way. They have tried all over the Denver area for parts.

[Jim & Mary]

Dean

It may not help you but there is a Keystone manufacturing plant in Pendleton OR and next to it is LCI facility (Lippert) . They usually have many frames and axles outside. Just a suggestion if you run out of time or options.

[Colorado]

Really sorry to hear about your problem. Do you know what caused this? Also, how did all the parts come off if the wheel was still on? Trying to learn all I can to prevent the same. Thanks.

[sinder]

I'm not sure what caused the breakdown of the bearings. They were greased 12 months ago at the dealer I purchased the unit from. When the bearings go your wheel hub is now spinning directly on the axle. This creates heat and an out-of-round spinning wheel, which in turn tears up your brake shoes and caliber on a drum brake system. The wheel hub opening is enlarged and the bearing outer race is damaged enough that the wheel is capable of falling off once it makes it way over the bearing/axle nut. In my case the outer bearing ring welded itself to the axle. I had just checked my wheels 100 miles prior at my last stop. Although I was not carrying a thermo gun (which is a good suggestion from other posts) I do physically touch the tires and hub for a heat check. I'm certain the event happened fairly quick, as I rear view mirror check the rig/tires very often while driving and did not see any signs of wheel wobble or smoke.

Personally to prevent this type of event occurring in the future I would recommend replacing the original bearings with Timkens and repack them annually or more often if you put on a lot of miles during that timeframe.

I would also look to replace the drum brakes with disc brakes to help reduce any chances of overheating the bearing seals.

Lastly I personally believe the standard Lippert suspension system places additional wear on all the under carriage components on these heavy RV's. This is where a Moryde system would reduce the harshness/wear of your suspension components, and it would smooth out the ride of your items in the coach.

[Radio_Flyer]

I was less than 6 months on a repacking of my wheels. Just before heading to Maine, repacked my bearings, inspected everything, put it all back together and adjusted the brakes. Coming back from Maine, I was really using my truck to slow down, the brakes on the RW weren't doing a darn thing, not that they were ever really good. I use a thermal tester as well and nothing was up on the hubs. Took one more trip to Tenn and the truck was doing almost all of the stopping. A call to Ron when I got back for his brake package. Doing the install, the cause of the braking was apparent. The seals on two of the hub, front left side and right back side, were pretty much shot. Grease everywhere. The bearings showed some heat damage as well. I re-packed every spring since owning it. Guessing maybe a little over 20k miles. I think one more trip and I would have lost possibly two wheels. I think the bearings and seals are as cheap as you get. I only run the 7k axles as well, and not full timers.

[piper guy]

When I bought my Redwood in the fall of 2012 it was the first Fifth wheel I had ever owned or pulled. I had pulled many large trailers with cars in them, but they were all bumper pull. The first day pulling it home, after the first bridge joint and nearly going through the roof with the chucking, I was ready to take it BACK !!


I also was very upset about the braking, or rather lack there of. Took the unit back to the dealer, they checked the brakes, made sure everything was adjusted correctly and then one of their techs drove the rig and said "yep, working the way it should. You just have to plan further ahead" . We also weren't happy about how much stuff was moving around and falling over.


From the forum, I came to realize from Dave that Disc brakes made a difference and then from Michelle I heard about the MOR Ryde IS system. Looked at both and priced doing it from MOR Ryde. Came to a total of about $6k. Didn't really want to spend that, and in fact, didn't really have it at that time.


After the second time I blew through an intersection because I couldn't get the rig stopped (I was not speeding and all brake settings were where they should be), we decided time had come. Made an appointment with Gary at MOR Ryde for early spring to take advantage of his 10% off during the winter. Talked to Gary at length and he assured me that the IS and discs would not disappoint. He was/is right.


I now have a coach that rides great, very little moves inside, and stops as good as the truck does if not better. I also have no worries about breaking a spring or a hanger and when we changed to discs we also did Timken bearings. My G Goodyears have probably another 15k miles in them, at that time I will go to H's through Ron. My ongoing quest now, is to get rid of as much "chucking" as possible and also get the ride of the Dually the best I can.


Mods so far ~ AirBags and onboard compressor, not needed for weight or sagging but used for suspension control.
Sulastic rubber cushion spring hangers, used for unloaded ride on the Dually. Truck now rides like a F150. No longer cringe at cement joints when empty. These are also available for SRW trucks.
Bilstein 5100 Steering Stabilizer ~ If you have a Ford or Dodge with a straight front axle, get rid of the factory Stabilizer and replace it with this even if truck brand new. Will be the best $100 you will spend for better steering control.


Next will be getting rid of the Tri Glide, I don't trust it and there are better alternatives. Considered going to the Flex Air but have decided to do it right and go with MOR Ryde Pinbox and a Comfortride Hitch. Nice Reese Elite 25k Ford hitch will be for sale.
Will probably add Helwig Swaybars to the Dually. Had them on my SRW F350 and difference in handling was significant.


My point in all this is that not everyone needs the full blown setup that I have (we've already towed 20k miles and are leaving for a 2-3k trip in a week or so), but the base coach should and could be built much better suspension wise.
I hesitate to use a competitor as an example, but Augusta RV's Ambition line, which is priced comparably to Redwood, has a standard suspension of 8k Dexter axles, Kodiak Disc brakes, MOR Ryde SRE4000 Equalizer and a Joy Rider Shock system. The IS is a factory option. I'm finding it hard to understand how a much smaller builder can offer this as standard and still compete at the same price point and make money. Either they aren't making much or Redwood is making a BUNCH.


For those who sit most of the time, the axles and buggy springs are probably ok. For those of us that travel a lot, for the peace of mind, handling, control & stopping ~ do the IS and Disc Brakes. You won't regret it. And yes, I know some makes have the IS standard, but not at the Redwood price point. As it was said before, buy the RW, add in what you need, and you'll still be below the upper end brands in price.


Just my opinion. As it's said, your mileage may vary.

[bergeman]

Vaughan,
I have upgraded the tires, got the disk brakes but have been on the fence with the IS. From all the recent posts, there are no reliable fixes other then the IS. Even if you replace bushings, bearings then you read about broken springs.

My trips are long and fast. I don't have time to be broken down.

Redwood should at least offer a bullet proof, over engineered under carriage as an option. They could call it there "Off road Option" or "Alaska Package". But it seems obvious the undercarriage is their weakest link in the system but the most critical. There are not that many people on this site to have as many problems as described without it being a design flaw.

[mhs4771]

Vaughan, my guess is that Redwood/Thor are making tons of money. Thor just released their record earnings figure, so what does that tell you.

[spindrift]

It's a heck of a position to be in, really. Not knowing how much longer we'll be in the RW, I'm torn over how much we should be investing in the current coach. Me thinks that you'll see zero return on the "investment" at resale time. OTOH, the piece of mind that comes with travelling long distances knowing you won't have problems is priceless.

[piper guy]

Michelle ~ I think that just answered my question .............


Look forward to meeting you and Ann at the Rally

[piper guy]

Tom ~ I think if you're selling privately you may have a chance to recoop some of it. If trading ~ highly doubtful. Although I did have one dealer up the trade-in the $6k I paid for the IS and Discs as he said he could sell the coach immediately because of that. 'course that could be smoke up %^#& too ........


In my case, now that I'm basically retired, I don't see another coach in my future so I'm going to make this one the best it can be.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by piper guy

When I bought my Redwood in the fall of 2012 it was the first Fifth wheel I had ever owned or pulled. I had pulled many large trailers with cars in them, but they were all bumper pull. The first day pulling it home, after the first bridge joint and nearly going through the roof with the chucking, I was ready to take it BACK !!


I also was very upset about the braking, or rather lack there of. Took the unit back to the dealer, they checked the brakes, made sure everything was adjusted correctly and then one of their techs drove the rig and said "yep, working the way it should. You just have to plan further ahead" . We also weren't happy about how much stuff was moving around and falling over.

From the forum, I came to realize from Dave that Disc brakes made a difference and then from Michelle I heard about the MOR Ryde IS system. Looked at both and priced doing it from MOR Ryde. Came to a total of about $6k. Didn't really want to spend that, and in fact, didn't really have it at that time.


After the second time I blew through an intersection because I couldn't get the rig stopped (I was not speeding and all brake settings were where they should be), we decided time had come. Made an appointment with Gary at MOR Ryde for early spring to take advantage of his 10% off during the winter. Talked to Gary at length and he assured me that the IS and discs would not disappoint. He was/is right.


I now have a coach that rides great, very little moves inside, and stops as good as the truck does if not better. I also have no worries about breaking a spring or a hanger and when we changed to discs we also did Timken bearings. My G Goodyears have probably another 15k miles in them, at that time I will go to H's through Ron. My ongoing quest now, is to get rid of as much "chucking" as possible and also get the ride of the Dually the best I can.


Mods so far ~ AirBags and onboard compressor, not needed for weight or sagging but used for suspension control.
Sulastic rubber cushion spring hangers, used for unloaded ride on the Dually. Truck now rides like a F150. No longer cringe at cement joints when empty. These are also available for SRW trucks.
Bilstein 5100 Steering Stabilizer ~ If you have a Ford or Dodge with a straight front axle, get rid of the factory Stabilizer and replace it with this even if truck brand new. Will be the best $100 you will spend for better steering control.


Next will be getting rid of the Tri Glide, I don't trust it and there are better alternatives. Considered going to the Flex Air but have decided to do it right and go with MOR Ryde Pinbox and a Comfortride Hitch. Nice Reese Elite 25k Ford hitch will be for sale.
Will probably add Helwig Swaybars to the Dually. Had them on my SRW F350 and difference in handling was significant.


My point in all this is that not everyone needs the full blown setup that I have (we've already towed 20k miles and are leaving for a 2-3k trip in a week or so), but the base coach should and could be built much better suspension wise.
I hesitate to use a competitor as an example, but Augusta RV's Ambition line, which is priced comparably to Redwood, has a standard suspension of 8k Dexter axles, Kodiak Disc brakes, MOR Ryde SRE4000 Equalizer and a Joy Rider Shock system. The IS is a factory option. I'm finding it hard to understand how a much smaller builder can offer this as standard and still compete at the same price point and make money. Either they aren't making much or Redwood is making a BUNCH.


For those who sit most of the time, the axles and buggy springs are probably ok. For those of us that travel a lot, for the peace of mind, handling, control & stopping ~ do the IS and Disc Brakes. You won't regret it. And yes, I know some makes have the IS standard, but not at the Redwood price point. As it was said before, buy the RW, add in what you need, and you'll still be below the upper end brands in price.


Just my opinion. As it's said, your mileage may vary.

Well stated Vaughn!

[piper guy]

To those on the fence about the IS, might I suggest you stop by at the Rally and look at one. Mine has it, Michelle has it, and I'm sure there will be 4-8 others at the Rally. I know Col. John does and has MANY MANY miles on it.


Each wheel assembly "pod" is massive and solid. I'm not sure exactly what you would have to do to one to break it and I don't think I'd want to be around to find out the force involved.

[spindrift]

Vaughn....count me in, although I'm not at all sure we'll be able to spring for the IS right now. Still paying off those college tuitions.
However, while at the Rally, I'm going to schedule a visit to the MOR/ryde Service Center for a thorough suspension inspection. Last month, I replaced all four leaf springs and installed the SRE 4000 equalizer system with new HD shackles and wet bolts. After a 3000 mile trip over the last week and a half, I'm not sure it made any difference. Hopefully, the MOR/ryde folks can make some recommendations that will put my mind at ease.

[Ford truck guy]

Originally Posted by piper guy

To those on the fence about the IS, might I suggest you stop by at the Rally and look at one. Mine has it, Michelle has it, and I'm sure there will be 4-8 others at the Rally. I know Col. John does and has MANY MANY miles on it.


Each wheel assembly "pod" is massive and solid. I'm not sure exactly what you would have to do to one to break it and I don't think I'd want to be around to find out the force involved.

I know that Jeff ( jeff&karen39mb) posted some pics from his IS install a few months back.. I will be there next week getting mine done, LOOK for some pics in the what did you do today section !!

[piper guy]

Joe ~ say hi to Gary for me if he's there. This time of year he's on the road a lot to the assorted Rallies.


Tom ~ stop over anytime, there will be some variety of adult beverage available. LOL
I'm also curious to talk to you about mods to the truck. Mine is easy to spot, Kodiak Brown Ford with a custom grille and Vietnam license plates.