Axels and rust

[nscaler2]

Was just under my 3055RL putting caps on the overflow lines and discovered this on the front axel of the trailer. It appears to be a patina of rust water that has come out of the axel where the brake wires exit. It then ran on or was sprayed on the back of the wheel. There also appears to be a small crack in a weld bead that I have pointed out in the photo. My last four of VIN are 4064 This axel serial number is 145929 manufactured on 3/22/2006. There is another number above it that is: LC160-5B-86.5-68.5-SPOB-OS-L-865-7226. Is this something that I should be concerned about? The nearest dealer to me is 200miles away. Please help!!

 

[khd995]

Just checked and one of mine looks exactly the same. I would love to hear what's going on with this.

 

[Scott]

I have forwarded this to the engineers for review and will get back with you as soon as I get an answer.
FYI
ST

 

[Scott]

They told me that to have you get ahold of Lippert Components because you are right, that is not supposed to look like that. It may be an issue with a weld on the hub or something - but we can't be sure. This is one that is going to need to be answered by LCI - so skipping the dealer will save you time and energy. Their phone number for customer service is: 1.866.524.7821

 

[duallyjim3500]

Scott, is the axle covered under Heartland warranty or do you need to go to the axle company for resolution? Where would you go to get it fixed?

 

[Scott]

Yes, it is covered under warranty - and the answer to your question is - both Heartland and Lippert Components are able to help with this. Our guys will work with Lippert, or you can work with Lippert directly by the calling their 800# found in your unit and owner's manual.

Depending on the issue, they may come to you, or they may have you go to the nearest repair facility. Either way - it will be taken care of.

The traditional way for any coach to be serviced, under warranty or not, is to go through your purchasing dealer and let them handle it (working with Heartland and/or Lippert) - that way you don't have to do anything yourself. However, if you want to be right in the middle of it, you can work with our customer service dept. at 574.262.8030.

ST

 

[Forrest Fetherolf]

khd995, nscaler2,

My first thought after reading your posts, is moisture and rust inside the axle tube. You live in wet country and have been hammered with a lot of rain this last year. The other clue is, if the rust is only on the door side, that would make sense, because roads are crowned and slant to the door side. If you have pulled in wet conditions, water will enter the axle tube through welds, brake wire penetrations, etc.

If so, I would use use a silicone or epoxy sealer around all welds and axle tube penetrations to prevent water infiltration.

Forrest

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I was just under our 3400 and we have the same thing on the forward axle on the curb (door) side. I cleaned it off and next time we go somewhere when it's wet and rainy, I'll check it out. The axle tube to spindle weld looked ok.

 

[khd995]

Has anyone heard anything on this problem. Going on two weeks and I haven't heard a thing from Lippert.

 

[jpmorgan37]

I think that Forrest hit the nail on the head. The axles are painted on the outside but not on the inside. From the amount of rain that we've had in some areas of the country, water is going to get in to the axles through the brake wiring ports and will create surface rust, which will cover a lot of area when mixed with water and air turbulance. Seal the wiring ports with silicone rubber or RTV and that should resolve the spraying rust problem. If you suspect a crack in a weld joint, that needs to be inspected by your dealer or a repair facility.

John

 

[nscaler2]

What should I do

They told me that to have you get ahold of Lippert Components because you are right, that is not supposed to look like that. It may be an issue with a weld on the hub or something - but we can't be sure. This is one that is going to need to be answered by LCI - so skipping the dealer will save you time and energy. Their phone number for customer service is: 1.866.524.7821

Scott,
The dealer I took it to seems to think that this is NORMAL, obviously, you do not. I pulled my unit 200 miles to them, they nearest dealer, to find this out. The dealer that sold it to us is out of business. At this point what should I do. I have a situation that in your words "that is not supposed to look like that" but the dealer doesn't think so. I have already sent photos to Heartland and Lippert. What now, I am afraid to pull this trailer? It might not be safe.

 

[FennerJ]

I have been working with the dealer and Lippert on this issue. As for the rust, Lippert advised taking silicone and filling the holes to prevent any water from entering. The weld on the axle may sometimes have an appearance of a crack but in fact it is either the wire feed on the welder left a little piece of wire behind, or the welds are over-lapping giving it the appearance of a crack. In this case though I had the dealer check and they found some excess wire left behind by the welder which looked very similar to a cracked weld. Good catch, and I am glad we had it inspected.