Who manufactures Redwood drum brakes

[robkathybat]

Getting ready to adjust the braes on the Redwood and the manual says "Full procedures are outlined in the component manufacturer’s guide" So who is the component manufacturer and does anyone have the "guide"?

[r time soon]

For our 2012 36RL, the axles are by Lippert. Can you see a tag or sticker on the axles? Usually on the tubes themselves.

[travelin' texans]

I would recommend that it you've ever pumped grease into the EZ lube zerks on the spindles to remove all wheels/drums to be sure the drums aren't full of grease.
Mine had less than 6k miles when I discovered all 4 full of grease contaminating the brakes that adjusting would not cure.
If you find this situation don't attempt to the clean the brakes, buy complete brake backing plates (Dexter & LCI both make them), they come with new shoes, magnets & 5 bolts & done.
Hand pack the bearings before installing, replace seals, adjust brakes, & you're good for about 12k miles, or annually if you prefer.
My recommendation is NEVER use the EZ lube zerks, hand pack ONLY!

[robkathybat]

I found the manual. I was able to adjust star wheel from outside on 3 of the 4 wheels. Will have to pull the 4th to see whats going on. No indication of grease, but I will probably pull all 4 to check. What else do I have to do. I couldn't attach the file...exceeds 3.0 MB. this is the link to the pdf file






https://support.lci1.com/documents/e...service-manual

[markw]

For any one who has pull the drums and correctly repacked the bearings, there's no reason to do this again for 4 to 5 years. As long as they haven't been under water. Front wheel bearings on cars were never repacked annually since tapered roller bearings came along. Our trailers are no different.
Mark

[travelin' texans]

Originally Posted by markw

For any one who has pull the drums and correctly repacked the bearings, there's no reason to do this again for 4 to 5 years. As long as they haven't been under water. Front wheel bearings on cars were never repacked annually since tapered roller bearings came along. Our trailers are no different.
Mark

Comparing apples to oranges!
Automotive bearings for the past several years are sealed bearings that if they have an issue the entire hub is replaced, no periodic maintenance required or possible.
Yes I agree rv bearings are tapered, but do require periodic maintenance. If I recall it's recommended at about 12k miles or annually depending on use.
Whether YOU choose not to pack bearings is absolutely up to you, but that's poor advice recommending to not do so for 4-5 years to others.

[RWJSIM2003]

Done Correctly is the key words there. I can tell you the results when they are not done correctly. We almost lost a wheel last year because of faulty service. I normally do the work myself but was busy so had the dealer repack. That was my mistake trusting someone else to do it correctly. Not fun to Limp back 25 miles on three tires with axel chained up but we made it.

[markw]

Originally Posted by travelin' texans

Comparing apples to oranges!
Automotive bearings for the past several years are sealed bearings that if they have an issue the entire hub is replaced, no periodic maintenance required or possible.
Yes I agree rv bearings are tapered, but do require periodic maintenance. If I recall it's recommended at about 12k miles or annually depending on use.
Whether YOU choose not to pack bearings is absolutely up to you, but that's poor advice recommending to not do so for 4-5 years to others.

I'm comparing apples to apples. I'm not talking about sealed bearings. Virtually no one used to repack the front wheel bearings every 12000 miles. They did them maybe, when they needed new brakes. Which could be 30,000 or miles and possibly several years.

Most people never get near 12k miles a year on their trailer. So 4 or 5 isn't too many for a lot of trailers. Even the Chinese bearings rarely fail when properly greased. The only trailer I've ever done annually was my boat trailer.
Mark

[travelin' texans]

Originally Posted by markw

I'm comparing apples to apples. I'm not talking about sealed bearings. Virtually no one used to repack the front wheel bearings every 12000 miles. They did them maybe, when they needed new brakes. Which could be 30,000 or miles and possibly several years.

Most people never get near 12k miles a year on their trailer. So 4 or 5 isn't too many for a lot of trailers. Even the Chinese bearings rarely fail when properly greased. The only trailer I've ever done annually was my boat trailer.
Mark

Thank you!
We will have to agree to disagree!
Grease is cheap, my time is even cheaper & I've got no time to spend sitting on the side of the road, so for me it's inspected & hand packed, which as you mentioned is the only way to properly grease them, annually.
Just FYI to any/all RW owners, if you've not had the bearings packed yet I would recommend doing so ASAP. Mine had approximately 6k miles & 8 months old when I removed drums the 1st time to find that either the factory or the dealer had used the EZ lube zerks & filled all 4 drums full of grease due to cheap OEM grease seals. Was reimbursed by RW for parts as a fellow RWer & I replaced all with new backing plates, packed bearings, replaced with quality seals, adjusted brakes & upgraded to MorRyde heavy shackles with wet bolts at the same due the OEM shackles had already worn the holes out of shape. None of this would've been found & most likely would've been broke down along the highway if I'd of waited 4-5 years.
These RW axles, suspension & bearings are carrying more weight than the front of 90% of the vehicles (other than semis) on the road, they are having extreme sideway pressures placed on them every time you back into a site that vehicles don't have which in my opinion warrants regular inspection.
So please make up your own mind as to what bearing maintenance that you are happy with whether by you or you've paid someone.

[garylk0826]

Lippert has an app "MyLCI". Has all the info on adjusting breaks. Great info for all LCI products. Has a lot of good videos.