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Old 03-29-2015, 06:23 PM   #1
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Broke down in Alabama!

We left Florida for home on Thursday, with the intention of making stops in the Florida Panhandle, Memphis, Nashville, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and visiting friends in Ohio. On the way from Milton, FL to Memphis, I was driving the rig on a U.S. Highway 45 just north of Citronelle, Alabama when I saw blue smoke coming from the trailer wheels on the driver's side. I immediately pulled over as much as I could. Right away a guy coming the other way turned around and stopped and offered to help. Another fellow came along, a friend of the first guy.

He suggested we park at a gas station about half a mile south so they could take a look. So we went there. They pulled the wheel off and found the brakes scored and a pin in the wheel broken. The first guy suggested we limp back to Citronelle, park in the shopping center across from a service garage, and catch the mechanic first thing in the morning. Today being Sunday these places are all closed.

We are not sure if the brake seized and caused the problem, or if the wheel itself seized. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

So we are boondocking for the night instead of going to Memphis. You gotta love McDonalds for their free internet! And you gotta love these friendly, helpful people in Alabama!
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Old 03-29-2015, 07:00 PM   #2
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Sending best wishes for a quick solution to your dilemma. Hope you get back on the road in a short time. Don't forget the dollar menu at MickyD's. Anywhere you can save a buck or two.
Good luck.
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Old 03-29-2015, 07:02 PM   #3
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Had a similar problem on our way to FL in October. We broke down in LA. The axle had to be replaced. The only place to get a new one was from Lippert and they don't carry any inventory. It took four days to build and thirteen days to ship it from IN to LA. My insurance covered the cost except for the failed wheel bearing. Good luck with the repairs.
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Old 03-29-2015, 08:30 PM   #4
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Do you hear banjos? (Just kidding!) Hope you get it fixed and back on the road quickly. You might do a quick search and see if you can find any mobile RV mechanics nearby.
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Old 03-30-2015, 06:28 AM   #5
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I HATE to hear about problems while on a trip - I can sympathize !!!

Now you REALLY have to color in Alabama on the map in your signature !!!
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Old 03-30-2015, 06:41 AM   #6
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Good luck getting her fixed. Count your blessings your safe and no one got hurt. A locked hub at high speed could have caused an accident.
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Old 03-30-2015, 07:38 AM   #7
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Had a problem and could not get road service also a Sunday (GoodSam left us on the side of the road). Parked illegally so we called the State Police not only did they check on us periodically they located a mechanic and we were back on the road at 11am. Their courtesy was remarkable.

Keep us posted good luck!
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Old 03-30-2015, 08:09 PM   #8
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The best of luck for you guys, thank god there's still good people out there,
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Old 03-30-2015, 08:38 PM   #9
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We found a mechanic who could fix it, one recommended by our new friends in Alabama. He told us we needed a new wheel hub. We called Crossroads, and they gave us the names of two dealers in Mobile who might have the part. One didn't have it, the other said they did so we went there. It was the wrong part (we had the broken one with us). They sent us to a specialty trailer supply place, who did have the part. The brakes looked scored so we bought that piece as well. $260 at the trailer place and $100 to the mechanic who fixed it, and we were on the road at 2 p.m.

The mechanic said it was a bad bearing which caused the problem. The whole wheel hub cracked.

It's a good thing we have a truck so we could go and get the part. Those driving motor homes without toads are stuck in a situation like that. One lucky thing for us was the fact that the breakdown occurred just a couple of miles out of a town (Citronelle), and not many miles further up the road with nothing around for miles. We were able to limp into town and park in a quiet parking lot across from the mechanic. Of course our new Alabama friends showed us where to park.
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Old 03-30-2015, 08:51 PM   #10
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Glad you are back on your way after the repairs. Good luck for the rest of your journey.
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Old 03-30-2015, 08:59 PM   #11
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Thanks!
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Old 03-31-2015, 05:37 AM   #12
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Glad your safe and back on the road. Any follow-up with Good Sam as to why they left you high and dry? Totally unacceptable IMHO. Was it Good Sam that did you in or was it the company that was dispatched for service? Either way, complain and complain loud. AAA left me stranded twice and the local office waived my membership for a year on each occurrence. No issues since.
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Old 03-31-2015, 06:13 AM   #13
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We do not have Good Sam Roadside assistance.

In hindsight, I think we did better without it. Our new friends in Alabama showed us a safe place to park across from a mechanic who could fix it, and we drove our truck to Mobile for the part. Roadside assistance may have arranged for a tow to Mobile and it may have taken longer overall. We were back on the road in a little over 24 hours, and keep in mind - the breakdown occurred on a Sunday.
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Old 03-31-2015, 07:41 AM   #14
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You say it was caused due to a bad bearing. Did you by any chance have the mechanic raise the other wheels off the ground and give them a spin to see what they sounded like?
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Old 03-31-2015, 08:28 AM   #15
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Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lloyd View Post
You say it was caused due to a bad bearing. Did you by any chance have the mechanic raise the other wheels off the ground and give them a spin to see what they sounded like?
Curious about that as well. You folks have done a lot of traveling do you do bearing maintenance annually or at least 10K miles?
As Lloyd suggested did the other wheels get checked?
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Old 03-31-2015, 08:55 AM   #16
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Quote:
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You say it was caused due to a bad bearing. Did you by any chance have the mechanic raise the other wheels off the ground and give them a spin to see what they sounded like?
Would have been the first thing I said before leaving for parts! Hope the rest of your trip is uneventful.
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Old 03-31-2015, 01:21 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loneoak View Post
We do not have Good Sam Roadside assistance.

In hindsight, I think we did better without it. Our new friends in Alabama showed us a safe place to park across from a mechanic who could fix it, and we drove our truck to Mobile for the part. Roadside assistance may have arranged for a tow to Mobile and it may have taken longer overall. We were back on the road in a little over 24 hours, and keep in mind - the breakdown occurred on a Sunday.

My bad, in haste i misread Socoguy's comment as yours. I guess my post remains relevant as long as I direct it to Socoguy.
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Old 03-31-2015, 03:39 PM   #18
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Yes Mark they compensated us financially except for parts. I emailed Lemois and got a gift cert to CW that actually had an expiration date. He might be Good Sam but he is not that nice.
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Old 04-01-2015, 05:47 AM   #19
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My husband asked the mechanic to re-pack the rest of the hubs, in case the grease was lacking. The guy took the one wheel off and did that, but noticed when he got to the other side that you could just take off something in the center of the hub cap and squirt the grease in, so he did.

Communication with the guy was difficult because of his accent, and he is a man of few words. There were two other repair places in town. Our new friends did not recommend the other two, as one guy will soak you and the other is not that knowledgeable. We will have things checked out better when we get home. One of our neighbors at home is a truck mechanic and former truck driver who we will have him take a look.

Thanks for the heads up.
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Old 04-01-2015, 06:19 AM   #20
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The mfg. have added those grease fitting zerks in the wheel hubs. They are unreliable. You can overkill damage the seal and allow grease into the brakes. The majority of us do not use them. Regular maintenance of bearings is very important. Some do it annually others by mileage. Trailers are different than cars. I would think this may have been the cause of your breakdown.
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