brake problems

[sbrabham]

Good Morning,

We bought a 2023 376THS Momentum, we had very high hopes with this unit, well we was wrong and want to give people a heads up.Grand Design installed all three axles backwards, this translated into the breaks over adjusting and therefore it burnt the linings right off the shoes, all of this in just 350 miles, so if you have bought one of these units make darn sure the axles are installed correctly, re: left on left and right on right. if by chance you have a unit with the same situation please let me know
kind regards and safe travels

[Country Campers]

This is the first that I have heard of an issue like this. The Manufacture of the axels may be at fault here. The axels are provided to Grand Design fully assembled with the brakes and springs installed. I would contact the axel manufacture, their name should be on a sticker that is in the center of the axel tube, this also should be located on the rear of the axel towards the rear of the RV.

Sorry for your troubles and I hope you can get it sorted out.

Brian

[NoPeeking]

I'm with Brian, the first I've heard of axles being installed backwards. I would have guessed a faulty breakaway switch, over adjustment, or something else.

Mike

[Cate&Rob]

Auto adjusters on RV brakes work in the forward direction . . . not in reverse as is common on automotive drum brakes. If your axles were installed backwards, the brakes would never adjust except on the rare occasion that you were backing the RV. The only way to confirm this for sure (other than the label which is supposed to be on the back side of the axle tube, as mentioned earlier) is to pull a drum and take a picture of the auto adjuster mechanism.

Rob

[TedS]

The self adjusting brake cannot over adjust. It only adjusts if the shoe-to-drum clearance is too much. If the linings are bonded(glued) to the shoes, the bond may have failed. I had that happen on my boat trailer. The rear shoe lining came loose and wedged between the front shoe and drum, locking up the wheel.

[TedS]

However, if the install is backwards, the shoes will self-actuate as the magnet activates them. With the rear shoe forward, the non-pivoting edge will be dragged into the drum rotation causing higher than normal brake loading.

[Yoda]

On my new Dexter axles the holes the wire runs through should be point to the back. Also the self adjusting brakes have a unique placement where the spring is visible on one side if installed correctly. The brake wires also exit the back of the backing plate to the rear. 6 K axles 12x2 https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Bra...3-458-459.html 7K axles 12x2 https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Bra...3-464-465.html If you look at all of the pictures you can determine where the spring should be and wires exit the backing plate.

sbrabham Could you please post some pictures of your axles as installed showing the tube and the back side of the backing plate. This would help us help you BTW my axles tags are also on the back side of the axle tube Hopefully you have contacted GD and have a case number and also contacted the axle manufacturer. BTW please post a picture of the axle tag if you would. That information would also help.

Keith

Safe travels

[sbrabham]

good morning,

yes GD was notified they already admitted the axles were installed backwards, my problem with that is where was quality control and how many of these did they do, THIS IS THERE PRIDE AND JOY UNIT as the sticker says luxury unit no compromise LOL this unit is junk.( plenty of other issues also) that is why the attorney general has been notified along with the national transportation and safety council. Six break systems are ground down to nothing only bare shoes and springs left on them. i assumed it was do to over tightening but i stand corrected, not sure why nor do i care why they got ground down, all others have less then 10 percent pad on them and drums are heat cracked and burnt. so GD and lazy days are going to pay the fiddler. I was told by the service manager when this all started its the metallic pads making that noise LOL, I know what metal on metal sounds like I am a retired ase certified tech in brakes suspension and drive train i do understand things dont treat me like an idiot. number one responsibility in manufacturing RV's is public safety in there units and they failed miserably on this one and i want to know how many others. all they want is the unit sold

[sbrabham]

as you can tell I am ****** I paid 200k for there top of the line and if I didn't know better I would say the secretarial staff built this unit, a spider web of wiring all lays on top of my converter rubbing on metal frame members etc this things is a death trap, oh and the floor in the kitchen has came completely loose from the floor joists, and the list goes on, oh and did I mention the floor had separated before I bought it, when I went to pick it up and walked in there was a huge buckle in the floor and nobody ever seen it, so that tells me there was literally never an inspection on the unit its not about fixing it its about there total disregard to quality control and safety concerns

[Jkwilson]

good morning,

yes GD was notified they already admitted the axles were installed backwards, my problem with that is where was quality control and how many of these did they do, THIS IS THERE PRIDE AND JOY UNIT as the sticker says luxury unit no compromise LOL this unit is junk.( plenty of other issues also) that is why the attorney general has been notified along with the national transportation and safety council and my attorney has started litigation on there disregard to public safety in the manufacturing process two of the six break systems are ground down to nothing only bare shoes and springs left on them. i assumed it was do to over tightening but i stand corrected, not sure why nor do i care why they got ground down, all others have less then 10 percent pad on them and drums are heat cracked and burnt. so GD and lazy days are going to pay the fiddler. I was told by the service manager when this all started its the metallic pads making that noise LOL, I know what metal on metal sounds like I am a retired ase certified tech in brakes suspension and drive train i do understand things dont treat me like an idiot. number one responsibility in manufacturing RV's is public safety in there units and they failed miserably on this one and i want to know how many others. all they want is the unit sold

“The National Transportation and Safety Council” doesn’t exist. I suspect you are as accurate with the idea of the axles being backwards as you are with this imaginary entity.

[Yoda]

good morning,

yes GD was notified they already admitted the axles were installed backwards, my problem with that is where was quality control and how many of these did they do, THIS IS THERE PRIDE AND JOY UNIT as the sticker says luxury unit no compromise LOL this unit is junk.( plenty of other issues also) that is why the attorney general has been notified along with the national transportation and safety council and my attorney has started litigation on there disregard to public safety in the manufacturing process two of the six break systems are ground down to nothing only bare shoes and springs left on them. i assumed it was do to over tightening but i stand corrected, not sure why nor do i care why they got ground down, all others have less then 10 percent pad on them and drums are heat cracked and burnt. so GD and lazy days are going to pay the fiddler. I was told by the service manager when this all started its the metallic pads making that noise LOL, I know what metal on metal sounds like I am a retired ase certified tech in brakes suspension and drive train i do understand things dont treat me like an idiot. number one responsibility in manufacturing RV's is public safety in there units and they failed miserably on this one and i want to know how many others. all they want is the unit sold

Pictures would be a great help as mentioned before. That way folks can look before they buy. Reversed axles should be easy to spot if the have a photo to look at. Otherwise I am on the fence on this being factual. The engineer in me says....well ....something is just not adding up right.

Hope you get everything worked out to your satisfaction.

[sbrabham]

jkwilson your to funny grand design has over 40 pics of this trailer. it has been gone thru by two different rv techs with over 60 yrs experience and yes i have the email of them admitting they are left on right and right on left. oops my bad

[howson]

Thread closed at moderator's discretion--topic does not meet the intent of this forum.

Howard

[sbrabham]

I want to apologize and clarify, I am not bad mouthing GD i have owned other GD units they where your regular rv they have quirks we all know that, but I am ****** over this one primarily jeopardizing the safety of the public, yes you can say it was this vendor or that vendor but bottom line GD put it together and put it out there and i bought it, they did not do proper safety inspections and there definitely was no quality control. all i was wanting to do is give people heads up that have this unit

and for my miss spelling earlier its the nhtsa re national highway transportation administration.

[sbrabham]

“The National Transportation and Safety Council” doesn’t exist. I suspect you are as accurate with the idea of the axles being backwards as you are with this imaginary entity.

its the, national highway transportation safety administration