Reviews and General Information: Another bad Lippert axle on a R-Pod

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Another bad Lippert axle on a R-Pod

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Topic: Another bad Lippert axle on a R-Pod

Posted By: Happy Tripping
Subject: Another bad Lippert axle on a R-Pod
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2016 at 3:31pm

I've had our 171 for slightly over 2 years, recently at our campsite I found a deflated tire, severe wear on inside tread of both tires. The repair guy says it's the axle. The trailer has been across country twice and many shorter trips, so it's had a fair amount of use, but no abuse I'm aware of. The repair guy says it's probably simplest and cheapest to just replace tires every 2 years, or earlier if one looks like it's about to go, rather than at the standard rate of every 5 years.

I believe the 3500# load limit of the Lippert is just too low for the R-Pod. An internet search for 'Lippert axle problems' reveals MANY reports. I am afraid that, much as I like our R-Pod, I cannot recommend that ANYONE purchase one if it has the Lippert axle.

Question - Do the recent R-Pod 'look-alikes' avoid Lippert axles? If so, it's a good reason to buy one of them.

Replies:

Posted By: Podster
Date Posted: 29 Aug 2016 at 10:42pm

Whenever the word "axle" is used along with the word "bad" people usually experience an immediate panic attack sometimes accompanied by chest pains. But the bottom line is that on a single axle camp trailer, it's just not THAT big of a deal. Sure it's not good, but nothing like the expense and trouble of an automobile.

The axles are not that expensive and relatively easy to replace.

If I were in your shoes, I would document substantively and include pictures with a concise, not an overly emotional or unnecessarily long response, and send it to Forest River. Make sure you tell them what you expect to make things right, without demanding.

You have gotten a fair amount of good use out of it the way it is, maybe consider meeting them half way?

It doesn't matter that you are out of warranty. You can make a case that you have a factory defect on an axle that was overlooked and hidden until the tires began to show the wear that led to the problem today. FR are reasonable people and if it looks like you got short changed on one of their units, I believe they will take reasonable action to make it right. You never know until you try.

What do you have to lose? Good luck and do come back and let us know how things work out.

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Cliff & Raelynn
Ranger 4.0/178
(1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)

Posted By: Happy Tripping
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2016 at 6:48pm

Originally posted by Podster

What do you have to lose? Good luck and do come back and let us know how things work out.

I contacted them, FR response -

Good Afternoon,

With you being out of warranty there isn't much Forest River can do for you. If you would like I can provide you with Lippert's phone number, they are your axle manufacture, and you can talk with them to see if there are any options for you.

Thank you-
Danielle Beber
Surveyor/Rpod
Warranty Claims & Part Returns
(574) 642-3119 ext 275
mailto:dbeber@forestriverinc.com - dbeber@forestriverinc.com

-------------------

Sounds pretty definitive - NO!

Why don't they just make an arbitrary 1 day warranty period on everything and stop pretending that they care about their products or customers??

Posted By: Podster
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2016 at 10:33pm

Ok, well don't let that stop you from contact Lippert.

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Cliff & Raelynn
Ranger 4.0/178
(1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)

Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 01 Sep 2016 at 6:47pm

Sounds pretty definitive - NO!

Why don't they just make an arbitrary 1 day warranty period on everything and stop pretending that they care about their products or customers??

[/QUOTE]

It doesn't take much looking to find LOTS of stories about good warranty results on Pod problems. When you are out of warranty you are on your own. Not only with rpods.

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Keith-N-Dar
Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers)
2011 R-Pod 177
2010 Ford F-150

Posted By: Happy Tripping
Date Posted: 02 Sep 2016 at 8:04am

"It doesn't take much looking to find LOTS of stories about good warranty results on Pod problems. When you are out of warranty you are on your own. Not only with rpods."

I don't do back-and-forths.

My only response is, yes you are correct.

It's an unfortunate fact that a company can sell a product that is fundamentally flawed (3500 pound limit) and guaranteed to fail after a period of of use, and can then hide behind the excuse "Well my arbitrary warranty period, that I set to protect myself from buyers like you, has been exceeded - so tough."

It's not just FR.

Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 02 Sep 2016 at 8:45am

A 1 year, or two year warranty is the standard for EVERYTHING sold.

The axle had a 3500 pound rating on it when you bought the camper. If you now need or choose to carry more then that, then you should have bought a camper with more axle rating. There are millions of campers out there with Lippert axles, so yes there will be some that are bad.. but n my expereince most failures are due to abuse or accident.

I don't understand the back-and-forths comment.. You mean, a company you contacted said they can't help you because you are out of warranty, but "the actual builder of the part might, contact them".. but you won't?

I see no way a weight limit is a fundamental flaw.. Your truck has a weight limit, your car.. hell even the floor and roof of your house. Are they fundamentally flawed because if you decide to turn your living room into a disco and have 85 people in there and the floor joists fail?

You will find that every TT manufacturer builds to both price and weight points, because that's how people decide what they can tow.

BTW, by axle rating, our pod can carry more "cargo" than our Airstream, which has double the GVWR. So I would say, since 'stream is the gold standard of towables.. FR is doing OK in the weight allowed dept.

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Posted By: Gregm
Date Posted: 02 Sep 2016 at 2:10pm

I wonder if the 3500# W/L may be overrated? I know that I have not reached that limit when going on a trip unless my dry weight is grossly misstated by FR yet my axle has bent and I have not hit any road hazards

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Gregm
2014 171
2015 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner