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Alan Chavers · 02-18-2018, 03:06 PM

We have had our 2018 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS and F350 for 6 months or so but haven't been very far with it. Just a trip to the scales, another for Goodyear tires, and one three hour trip to a deer camp in Meridian, MS.

When we got back we noticed that there was a bad scraping sound coming from one wheel and it was warmer than the others.

When I pulled off the tire and then the brake drum, four of the 9/16" nuts that hold the hub assembly to the axle fell out on to the concrete.

I was pretty upset for a second or two till I remembered that the big lock nut and cotter pin held the hub and tire and those were just to hold the back plate of the hub assembly to the axle. It was in no danger of coming off.

Still the loose nuts lying in the bottom of the drum could have really messed up the brakes or drum and who knows what else.

I also felt like the bearings had bare minimum grease. When I pulled off the hub, the spindle was shiny clean. I'm not a mechanic but I have done many brake jobs and replaced and packed wheel bearings and things like that. I'm used to seeing more grease in the hub. There was grease in the bearings but that was all and it didn't seem like a lot.

I pulled all the rest of the wheels and hubs off, checked the nuts, and put more wheel bearing grease in the hubs.

I gave away all my good tools to my son when we downsized for apartment and RV living so I guess I need to buy some large deep sockets to check the nuts on the shackles and u-bolts. If Lipperts QC is that bad, I need to check them.

I realize now that if you aren't at least a little handy that living in an RV could be one hassle after another.

plasma800 · 02-18-2018, 03:09 PM

Yikes man

cruzbill · 02-18-2018, 03:13 PM

I would be calling Mr Grand Design and barking my head off at him. Change now to disc brakes. Drum brakes are dumb brakes.

SpiritDoc · 02-18-2018, 03:50 PM

Call John at Grand Design. He is a factory rep. I have a 2018 which was built in Nov-Dec. It has the Dexter Axles.
I am going to the Goodyear tires and disc brakes.

Gray01 · 02-18-2018, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpiritDoc

I am going to the Goodyear tires and disc brakes.

Go with the disc brakes, but investigate Sailun S637 before you go GY.

SpiritDoc · 02-18-2018, 04:19 PM

Haven't been able to find a dealer for them up here. I'm still looking.

MisterT · 02-18-2018, 04:20 PM

reminds me of 1999...

my Dad is a big Airstream fan, buying any he can find at a good price, then flipping them, sometimes shipping them overseas(yeah, wild I know!).

He found a 'good' one out in very Southern Texas, actually right near the Mexican border, and it was a single axle short unit from 1965. He asked me if I wanted to make some money and go retrieve it for him. Sure. I had a older Isuzu Trooper, with a hitch and 2" ball, and said yes. I even took my 7 year-old son for a father-and-son trip...

He said the man had let it sit in his backyard for many years, unused, but that the tires were brand new and had just be installed in order the sell the trailer. I started on the trip and made it to southern Texas, some place I'd never been, within several days from Georgia.
My son and I arrived, found the home located in a very small town, and the owner was a very older gentleman, and looked like he hadn't left his own yard very much lately, much less used his Airstream. This was also one of the first times I had attempted to tow any type of trailer, much less and RV, but it looked pretty easy.

We pulled out slowly, after hooking up, and slowly crept thru town to make sure everything was kosher. Outside of town, we started gaining speed and eventually fell into a nice speed and cadence. Everything was fine, and we headed to San Antonio for the night, hopefully before nightfall.

Well, 50 miles up the road, in the middle of nowhere Texas, with nothing but the road, and a 'ranch' entrance sign(no signs of any ranch though) every several miles to break the flat-land monotony, all of a sudden I felt a tug, then another quick tug, then the vehicle slowed even though I was still in the gas....what???

Something immediately caught my attention in my peripheral left vision... a TIRE going past us, probably 60 miles per hours, in the median between the 4 lanes... ! What!!?

At first, it was something so out of the ordinary that my mind could not comprehend, but then it dawned on me... that was MY tire! Or, a second or two later, found to be the Airstream TIRE!

Now, this Airstream was only a single axle two tire model. What was the axle riding on now?? The undercarriage of the RV! It took a little beating in the time it took me to slow and pull over safely. Wow. We have got to now find that TIRE! or we's ain't goin's NOWHERE!

I cautiously walked over into the median, ran down to the last place I remember seeing the tire 'bound down the median' to, and there it was - a fully intact Wheel and Tire assembly! Yes, thank you Lord!

I rolled in carefully and quickly back to the RV, and then realized the truth: there was not a single nut left on the axle to mount the tire back on! Oh no. no...

God heard. I had just passed the only tiny little 'tire shop' back several hundred yards. A long church was also just next door. He had heard my prayers : )

$20 later and 3 nuts, all the shop had that would fit my axle, and we were back on our way, stopping at the next town with an auto parts store to grab the 2 more that we needed.

The Airstream eventually made it back to Georgia, but OH what a story we had! ; )

[p.s. My Dad had contacted the owner after he heard what happened with the wheel. The old man had original made it sound as if had the tires professionally installed, but come to find out he had done it himself! and forgot that he had never tightened the nuts more than the finger 'tight' he had original given them!]

SpiritDoc · 02-18-2018, 04:31 PM

I'm going to call the TireRack. I'll see if they carry the Sailun or the Goodyear's and them shipped on better wheels. This trailer came with Moreride and it pulls easier than anything we had. It's our fifth rig in the 47 years we've been towing. We are getting ready to head out East to Georgia and Tennessee then back through the upper Midwest.

Yosemite77 · 02-18-2018, 04:46 PM

You can get Sailun tires at Simpletire.com

Newmar2856 · 02-18-2018, 04:48 PM

If you're going to order and have them delivered then consider tratilertiresandwheels.com. I have had good luck using them.

keymastr · 02-18-2018, 05:53 PM

Filling the hubs with grease causes the bearings and hubs to run hotter as the grease does not allow the heat to dissipate. They are all shipped that way now and as long as the bearing is filled no more grease is needed.

gpounder · 02-18-2018, 06:11 PM

I recently had to have the differential rebuilt and chose to also to do both axle bearings too.

I have 2013 E350 and the rear axle is wet which means the wheel bearing get the same oil the diff gets so you may not see heavy grease like a auto.

The days of just hopping in a vehicle are gone when driving a RV. A through walkaround is a must. Unless you have tire pressure sensors you should also be thumping those duallies. A wood bat is a good idea.

When I drove a school bus is was a requirement even to touch every lug nut.

Alan Chavers · 02-18-2018, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keymastr

Filling the hubs with grease causes the bearings and hubs to run hotter as the grease does not allow the heat to dissipate. They are all shipped that way now and as long as the bearing is filled no more grease is needed.

OK, I did not know that. I didn't "fill" the hub as it would probably hold a can by itself. I put most of 1 can in the 4 hubs.

To my untrained eye they looked dry.

I can't imagine that a few scoops of WB grease in each hub would raise the temps enough to cause damage. At least I hope it doesn't as I'm really not up to pulling all that apart and cleaning it out.

Thanks for the info.

lynnmor · 02-19-2018, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Chavers

OK, I did not know that. I didn't "fill" the hub as it would probably hold a can by itself. I put most of 1 can in the 4 hubs.

To my untrained eye they looked dry.

I can't imagine that a few scoops of WB grease in each hub would raise the temps enough to cause damage. At least I hope it doesn't as I'm really not up to pulling all that apart and cleaning it out.

Thanks for the info.

A few scoops of extra grease won't hurt a thing.

On the other hand, I personally would never put a new or used trailer in service till I completely inspected and serviced the brakes and bearings. You were lucky.