I need HELP!!!: Help needed in Ocala

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Help needed in Ocala - PLEASE

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Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15402
Printed Date: 08 Jun 2025 at 7:46am
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Topic: Help needed in Ocala - PLEASE

Posted By: Giernan
Subject: Help needed in Ocala - PLEASE
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2022 at 7:10pm

This is kind of a Hail Mary pass.

I need to find someone near Ocala that’s capable of fixing the axle on my 192. I’m supposed to leave tomorrow and I don’t have anyone to leave my camper with for repair.

I hit a freaking cement post with the outside 2” of my wheel and now the bottom of the wheel is at a 10 degree angle to the camper. I assume there’s some kind of connector between the axle and the wheel that’s broken but nothing looks wrong underneath (except the obvious, I mean).

I’m at the Florida Horse park. I can move the camper very slowly and carefully a limited distance but I can’t drive all over trying to find someplace and so far all the places I’ve tried to call are either out of business or only insured to repair things “above the chassis”.

Does anyone have any advice? Or can you point me to a schematic that shows how the axle / wheel is constructed so I don’t sound so dumb when I’m talking to people??

Replies:

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2022 at 10:38am

Can't help you with anyone in that area but I can give you some axle nomenclature.

Rpods have a torsion axle with drum brakes. The torsion axle has a long square tube set at a 45 degrees angle running from side to side. Inside the ends of that tube are rubber inserts. Running inside the rubber inserts are steel parts which extend out the ends of the tube and then turn and extend rearward and then outward again to become the spindles the bearings run on. The portion extending rearward is called the torsion arm. The rubber flexes allowing the torsion arms to swing up and down when you go over bumps.

Likely its the spindle/torsion arm that's bent in your case. Unfortunately it's not possible to just replace the torsion arm/spindle because it's permanently embedded in the rubber. You have to either straighten it or if it's too badly bent you have to replace the whole axle.

The axle needs to be ordered because the tube length, frame mounting spacing, and the takeoff angle the torsion arms come off at are all specific to your trailer There is a serial number on the axle label which you can get under and take a picture of that specifies all that stuff.

So bottom line is, see if you can find a trailer or frane repair shop that will straighten it for you, at least to get you through your trip. Otherwise you'll most likely be waiting for a new axle for awhile. You can use your existing brake assemblies on the new axle if they're ok, so you don't necessarily need to order new brakes and hubs.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2022 at 10:50am

Giernan, you may also want to check with the company that insures your trailer. Since the damage amounts to collision damage (kind of like running into a telephone pole with your car), you may have insurance coverage, less your deductible. The insurance company's adjuster may also be able to help you find a repair shop to fix or replace the axle.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: Giernan
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2022 at 11:49am

Ok - I’m on hold with a trailer / hitch company right now to see if they can straighten it…. Which of course they can’t because of the rubber inside. Ok but I asked them if $1800 for the replacement axle sounds logical (what the RV place quoted me, not including shipping or labor) and he scoffed and told me to call a trailer place.

I looked for lippert 3500lb tortion axle online and it looks like they’re around 2-300$. Am I looking at totally the wrong thing or is $1800 actually insane?

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2022 at 12:17pm

That seems to be a low price from the last time I had to have an axle replaced. Just the labor alone was $583.56. That did not include the freight shipping from Lippert. Before you can use the price you saw on Lippert, you need to know that it is the same as the one that needs to be replaced. You need to get the information from the label on the axle to make sure it is the correct one. I expect that the $1800 is closer than the $200-$300 range. The prices I saw for an equivalent axle ranged from around $500 to over $700 before tax and shipping.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2022 at 6:28pm

You can often straighten these axles if it's the tube that has been bent and it's not too bad. If you have to buy a new one I agree with StephenH, the $500-700 dollar-ish range (less brake assemblies and shipping) is about right.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Giernan
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2022 at 8:01am

Thank you everyone! I managed to get it towed to an RV shop and they will be replacing the axle. Not the most creative outcome, and I am worried about the camper being on some lot in Ocala for two months, but it’s resolved.

FYI - it’s a good thing I supervised the loading of the camper on the flatbed or my septic lines would have been toast. When they started to pull the camper onto the bed it was angled so high the black and gray water outlet pipes were on the ground and would have been snapped off if I hadn’t started yelling.

Posted By: David and Danette
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 9:17am

Happy you are able to get your axle fixed sorry about the accident you had damaging the axle.

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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019)
2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014)
Middle Tn
2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 02 Aug 2022 at 10:29am

Hopefully you will be back on the road in a couple weeks. Did they give a time frame on how long before you are back on the road?

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."