Last April we were enroute to the Lake Mead area when our truck engine failed as we were towing out of Laughlin NV, ended up spending a month in the area waiting for an engine replacement. Ironically, Friday night, while we were enroute to the Grand Canyon our wheel bearing failed on the 5th wheel and we ended up getting towed to a service center in the same area, again.
When we left here last spring we both said we really didn't feel a desire to ever return to this area, but here we are. And this time, instead of being in an RV Park we're in very noisy service center that is open 6 days a week, right off the highway, near the hospital so we have constant repair/service noise, road noise, sirens, etc, etc. We've just found out it's going to be at least 2-3 weeks before parts will be here and our RV is not movable right now. Damage was done in the towing process that also needs to be fixed so after we finish with the axle / bearing replacement, we'll have 2 other repair shops to visit.
And unlike last time, we do have some time constraints and plans on the schedule related to work and a family visit so we are feeling more stressed knowing we have to be in certain places at certain times.
jrzygrl64 said
04:05 PM Oct 26, 2015
Sorry you are going through this - can only imagine how frustrating it must be. Good news is it sounds like all is fixable and in time (hopefully with some to spare for your commitments) you will be on your way.
Maybe there is something you missed when you were there last time that you could do to make your time go by more quickly and enjoyably (not sure that's a real word - lol!)
NWescapee said
09:04 AM Oct 27, 2015
Thanks Kelly. I'm sure we'll figure something out, yesterday I was just having a self pity party. Waking up in a repair yard when we were supposed to be on vacation in the Grand Canyon and then finding out how long it was going to take really discouraged me. But as a very wise woman reminded me, it's just part of this life. Things happen and then we go on.
Yesterday the guys at the shop came up with a way to chain up our axle and helped us move 0.6 miles down the road to an RV park so we can have FHU for the next 2-3 weeks while waiting. The guys at the shop have been great to work with and we're thankful they were able to help us get off their lot until the parts are in. We're lucky we're in a part of the country with lots of RV parks, cheap monthly rates and service centers that see a lot of RV's.
Still not sure what we'll do on the weekends but I'm sure we'll figure something out that we haven't done before.
As we were talking to the owner of the shop yesterday and he was looking at the required repair he remarked about how lucky we were that Dale was able to pull over so quickly and then proceeded to tell us horror stories of other RVs that hadn't pulled over in time. Rigs that had ended up on their sides or RVs undercarriages that were destroyed because it was drug down the highway. So, while we're not where we want to be, when we take a step back and put it into perspective, we have to be thankful the damage wasn't way worse.
The Bear II said
09:23 AM Oct 27, 2015
Unfortunately it seems there is a cycle to RV problems. In the 50 plus years that I have been around RVs (my parents) or owned RVs there will be a bad year (lots of repairs major & minor) and then about 5 good years (a few minor repairs).
Knock on wood we are about 3 years into one of the 5 year periods right now.
You're headed for 5 years of good RV'ing.
PIEERE said
09:31 AM Oct 27, 2015
Dale and Ruth: I eliminated my Two Cents! Think I will just say hello from now on! Pleased to hear that you are not injured as this could be devastating; and it wasn't your tow vehicle.
-- Edited by PIEERE on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 09:33:38 AM
-- Edited by PIEERE on Thursday 29th of October 2015 09:20:38 AM
TRAILERKING said
10:08 AM Oct 27, 2015
PIEERE wrote:
Dale and Ruth: when they get the axle in; have them pull all the wheels and check the bearing and pack the bearings with marine high temperature (water resistant) grease. I have seen this happen on many 5th wheels. I don't believe the load bearing capacity of the axles are heavy duty enough for the gross weight capacity. Either that or the manufacturer is not putting enough grease in the axles. I also believe that some RVers travel to fast; tire pressures to low and running at maximum GVCWR that cause excessive heat buildup and tire and bearing failure Pleased to hear that you are not injured as this could be devastating; and it wasn't your tow vehicle.
-- Edited by PIEERE on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 09:33:38 AM
Right there......If and when pull the new hubs off the new axles, don't be surprised if there's some Cheap Chinesium knock-off bearings in there(not to mention poorly packed). I do lots of service up here on Bobcat and equipment trailers that carry some heavy loads. A lot of times (right from new) we'll pull the hubs off a brand new unit and upgrade to good quality American made bearing (not Chinesium made and American packaged either). A lot of these manufacturers are doing this, building their "American Made" & "Canadian Made" products with Chinesium parts inside. Their competitive edge................
cherylbrv said
12:27 PM Oct 27, 2015
Can't offer much advice except that you have been my inspiration from the start, especially when I'm sitting on the pity pot. Keep your chin up; things WILL go right again soon.
ticat900 said
12:35 PM Oct 27, 2015
I personally think people attack china products because they still believe there made the way china use to make products
Just like we use to hammer Japanese products when I was growing up. I have bought lots of made in china products that are as good as any other out there
like sink taps, shower systems,porcelain Floor tile, light fixtures etc.
Iam heavily involved in a cargo trailer and commercial landscape trailers etc sales and also a large TT sales business and we sell a ton of trailers every year and we don't experience any abnormal bearing failures.
The one thing we did experience was a few years back when they started making trailer tires.Now they were junk ,but again in the last couple years there way way better
TRAILERKING said
01:24 PM Oct 27, 2015
ticat900 wrote:
I personally think people attack china products because they still believe there made the way china use to make products
Just like we use to hammer Japanese products when I was growing up.
Made in Japan and China are two total different scenarios.
The one thing we did experience was a few years back when they started making trailer tires.Now they were junk ,but again in the last couple years there way way better
Don't you think if they have a POOR quality control on rubber tires, that they would do any better on extreme close tolerance and highly precision made parts like a bearing?
jrzygrl64 said
01:33 PM Oct 27, 2015
Ruth - we are all allowed a pity-party once in a while. As long as they pass quickly and we allow ourselves to move past it. I've been sitting on my own pity-pot here lately, but I think I'm ready to get up! I'm glad to hear you have moved to a CG - I'm sure that will help a lot!
ticat900 said
03:02 PM Oct 27, 2015
TRAILERKING wrote:
ticat900 wrote:
I personally think people attack china products because they still believe there made the way china use to make products
Just like we use to hammer Japanese products when I was growing up.
Made in Japan and China are two total different scenarios.
The one thing we did experience was a few years back when they started making trailer tires.Now they were junk ,but again in the last couple years there way way better
Don't you think if they have a POOR quality control on rubber tires, that they would do any better on extreme close tolerance and highly precision made parts like a bearing?
your quoting out of context here and your also incorrect. I said very clearly Japan products where considered totally inferior when I was growing up and are now considered totally acceptable
I feel as I already opined that chinese made products have made leaps and bounds in the same direction over the last few years also just like what Japan had gone through
why are they two different senerios in your opinion? as that's all it is on both sides. I also said they use to have poor quality tires I am starting to see some real good tires come out of china
Making wheel bearings and making tires are done by different people in different factorys using different materials and methods
Good example is I bought a set of solid brass bathroom taps. The fit,finish,quality was as good as or better than any usa made taps that I could find and at 89$ veres 389$
Like elsewhere lots of junk from China but also see lots of quality product coming from there now.My callaway clubs look feel and work and are lasting just like the ones that use to be made in the usa
maybe they send all the good bearing to Canada(haha) as said we experience little to no wheel bearing problems on the hundreds of trailers we sell and have sold over the last few years
-- Edited by ticat900 on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 03:05:01 PM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 03:06:32 PM
tincanman said
05:59 PM Oct 27, 2015
FYI: China uses slave labor to make their products!
TRAILERKING said
07:22 PM Oct 27, 2015
tincanman wrote:
FYI: China uses slave labor to make their products!
Yes tincanman........And takes jobs away from America.
Terry and Jo said
07:58 AM Oct 28, 2015
How about getting back on topic instead of arguing?
Ruth,
Your bearings should be the Never-Lube bearings since your trailer is the same year and model number as ours. I doubt seriously that they can be repacked. If I remember right, in your other thread, you might have mentioned that you were also getting new axles. If so, they will probably have new bearings on them. I don't know if you looked at what kind of bearings they would have, but here's hoping that they are coming with bearings that are inner and outer configuration. Those are much easier to remove, check, and repack if needed. They may even be easier to replace if needed.
Terry
PD CFK said
05:37 PM Oct 28, 2015
Thanks, Terry
Judy L said
07:39 PM Oct 28, 2015
Ditto.
cherylbrv said
08:00 AM Oct 29, 2015
Not knowing the first thing about these mechanics, what can we (by we I mean Mitch!) do to check the axles and bearings? First step is to identify what/where they are. Then... what do we look for?
NWescapee said
08:54 AM Oct 29, 2015
Cheryl - I had started another thread to understand if there was something preventative we should have done, might find that helpful. http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t61075254/sealed-bearing-failure-preventative-actions/
Terry - thanks for the support and getting this thread back on track.
Bear - I hope you are right about the cycle, I'd really like our 5 year cycle to start now. Just thinking about our history, we've had possession of our RV for 2.5 years. In that time we've had 2 truck issues (7 pin wouldn't work and engine died), 5 issues with the RV (Fridge circuit board had to be replaced, then a few month later the cooling unit, then a repair on the suspension, then an issue with the hydraulics, and now this. We did have a 1 year stretch where we had nothing done other than routine maintenance and solar installation, I would love to have another year or five without any additional repairs. Our budget could really use the break.
manycats said
06:52 PM Oct 29, 2015
Don't know anything about axles, bearings or anything like that but do know a lot about frustrations. We're still working on our mini-house and Murphy is living in it. Last week when I opened the door in the morning there were 3 inches of water on the floor. A pipe joint did not hold and the whole house was flooded. Today the brand new toilet also decided to leak when my DH tested it. Luckily he was standing right there so nothing major happened. I won't say I didn't grind my teeth but DH just said he'll get it fixed or replaced. It's not just RVs that raise you blood pressure...
Camper Chronicles said
12:37 PM Oct 31, 2015
Hi Ruth,
I am starting to think these events come in cycles. Everything is going great then wham every things happen at once.Not that different from Sticks and Bricks though how many times did the washing machine break at the same time as the dishwasher or something like that. The big difference now is when something happens it is both your home and method of transportation. Coupled with an already complicated work schedule and yikes! Know we are thinking of you and as much as possible try to focus on the blessings in a situation. You are both safe, Dale noticed it immediately, nothing structural happened to the rig. I say that as I am waiting to get the engine replaced in my truck and try to keep thinking there are waaaay worse places this could have happened to us. Anyways, we are with you and Dale!!
Last April we were enroute to the Lake Mead area when our truck engine failed as we were towing out of Laughlin NV, ended up spending a month in the area waiting for an engine replacement. Ironically, Friday night, while we were enroute to the Grand Canyon our wheel bearing failed on the 5th wheel and we ended up getting towed to a service center in the same area, again.
When we left here last spring we both said we really didn't feel a desire to ever return to this area, but here we are. And this time, instead of being in an RV Park we're in very noisy service center that is open 6 days a week, right off the highway, near the hospital so we have constant repair/service noise, road noise, sirens, etc, etc. We've just found out it's going to be at least 2-3 weeks before parts will be here and our RV is not movable right now. Damage was done in the towing process that also needs to be fixed so after we finish with the axle / bearing replacement, we'll have 2 other repair shops to visit.
And unlike last time, we do have some time constraints and plans on the schedule related to work and a family visit so we are feeling more stressed knowing we have to be in certain places at certain times.
Maybe there is something you missed when you were there last time that you could do to make your time go by more quickly and enjoyably (not sure that's a real word - lol!)
Yesterday the guys at the shop came up with a way to chain up our axle and helped us move 0.6 miles down the road to an RV park so we can have FHU for the next 2-3 weeks while waiting. The guys at the shop have been great to work with and we're thankful they were able to help us get off their lot until the parts are in. We're lucky we're in a part of the country with lots of RV parks, cheap monthly rates and service centers that see a lot of RV's.
Still not sure what we'll do on the weekends but I'm sure we'll figure something out that we haven't done before.
As we were talking to the owner of the shop yesterday and he was looking at the required repair he remarked about how lucky we were that Dale was able to pull over so quickly and then proceeded to tell us horror stories of other RVs that hadn't pulled over in time. Rigs that had ended up on their sides or RVs undercarriages that were destroyed because it was drug down the highway. So, while we're not where we want to be, when we take a step back and put it into perspective, we have to be thankful the damage wasn't way worse.
Knock on wood we are about 3 years into one of the 5 year periods right now.
You're headed for 5 years of good RV'ing.
Dale and Ruth: I eliminated my Two Cents!
Think I will just say hello from now on!
Pleased to hear that you are not injured as this could be devastating; and it wasn't your tow vehicle.
-- Edited by PIEERE on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 09:33:38 AM
-- Edited by PIEERE on Thursday 29th of October 2015 09:20:38 AM
Right there......If and when pull the new hubs off the new axles, don't be surprised if there's some Cheap Chinesium knock-off bearings in there(not to mention poorly packed). I do lots of service up here on Bobcat and equipment trailers that carry some heavy loads. A lot of times (right from new) we'll pull the hubs off a brand new unit and upgrade to good quality American made bearing (not Chinesium made and American packaged either). A lot of these manufacturers are doing this, building their "American Made" & "Canadian Made" products with Chinesium parts inside. Their competitive edge................
Just like we use to hammer Japanese products when I was growing up. I have bought lots of made in china products that are as good as any other out there
like sink taps, shower systems,porcelain Floor tile, light fixtures etc.
Iam heavily involved in a cargo trailer and commercial landscape trailers etc sales and also a large TT sales business and we sell a ton of trailers every year and we don't experience any abnormal bearing failures.
The one thing we did experience was a few years back when they started making trailer tires.Now they were junk ,but again in the last couple years there way way better
Made in Japan and China are two total different scenarios.
Don't you think if they have a POOR quality control on rubber tires, that they would do any better on extreme close tolerance and highly precision made parts like a bearing?
your quoting out of context here and your also incorrect. I said very clearly Japan products where considered totally inferior when I was growing up and are now considered totally acceptable
I feel as I already opined that chinese made products have made leaps and bounds in the same direction over the last few years also just like what Japan had gone through
why are they two different senerios in your opinion? as that's all it is on both sides. I also said they use to have poor quality tires I am starting to see some real good tires come out of china
Making wheel bearings and making tires are done by different people in different factorys using different materials and methods
Good example is I bought a set of solid brass bathroom taps. The fit,finish,quality was as good as or better than any usa made taps that I could find and at 89$ veres 389$
Like elsewhere lots of junk from China but also see lots of quality product coming from there now.My callaway clubs look feel and work and are lasting just like the ones that use to be made in the usa
maybe they send all the good bearing to Canada(haha) as said we experience little to no wheel bearing problems on the hundreds of trailers we sell and have sold over the last few years
-- Edited by ticat900 on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 03:05:01 PM
-- Edited by ticat900 on Tuesday 27th of October 2015 03:06:32 PM
Yes tincanman........And takes jobs away from America.
How about getting back on topic instead of arguing?
Ruth,
Your bearings should be the Never-Lube bearings since your trailer is the same year and model number as ours. I doubt seriously that they can be repacked. If I remember right, in your other thread, you might have mentioned that you were also getting new axles. If so, they will probably have new bearings on them. I don't know if you looked at what kind of bearings they would have, but here's hoping that they are coming with bearings that are inner and outer configuration. Those are much easier to remove, check, and repack if needed. They may even be easier to replace if needed.
Terry
Ditto.
Cheryl - I had started another thread to understand if there was something preventative we should have done, might find that helpful.
http://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t61075254/sealed-bearing-failure-preventative-actions/
Terry - thanks for the support and getting this thread back on track.
Bear - I hope you are right about the cycle, I'd really like our 5 year cycle to start now. Just thinking about our history, we've had possession of our RV for 2.5 years. In that time we've had 2 truck issues (7 pin wouldn't work and engine died), 5 issues with the RV (Fridge circuit board had to be replaced, then a few month later the cooling unit, then a repair on the suspension, then an issue with the hydraulics, and now this. We did have a 1 year stretch where we had nothing done other than routine maintenance and solar installation, I would love to have another year or five without any additional repairs. Our budget could really use the break.
I am starting to think these events come in cycles. Everything is going great then wham every things happen at once.Not that different from Sticks and Bricks though how many times did the washing machine break at the same time as the dishwasher or something like that. The big difference now is when something happens it is both your home and method of transportation. Coupled with an already complicated work schedule and yikes! Know we are thinking of you and as much as possible try to focus on the blessings in a situation. You are both safe, Dale noticed it immediately, nothing structural happened to the rig. I say that as I am waiting to get the engine replaced in my truck and try to keep thinking there are waaaay worse places this could have happened to us. Anyways, we are with you and Dale!!
Trace