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Old 01-15-2019, 12:23 PM   #1
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What do you do when you're on the side of the road?

Last year I had an incident where I fried a wheel bearing on my TT. I was in the middle of rural Iowa and really wondered what to do. I don't have Good Sam or similar, but I have towing on my TV insurance. But I didn't really need towing. I finally asked Siri on my phone and she gave me the number of the nearest RV repair and they referred me to a truck axle place and we were back on the road in a couple of hours. I feel I was quite fortunate, [it was also a Friday afternoon] but I was wondering what do others do in a similar situations. Are there a websites that list RV repair, and if so, are they any good? There must be a better solution than asking Siri.
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Old 01-15-2019, 02:55 PM   #2
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Actually using your phone was a good idea. You could invest in a Truckers Atlas and that would work in cases where you don't have cell service.

Most of the things that are going to keep you on the side of the road RV wise can be handled by truck repair or utility trailer places, and possibly a good fab & welding shop. It's most likely going to have to do with running gear. About anything else you can tow it to a safe place to have it worked on.
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Old 01-15-2019, 02:59 PM   #3
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Once, I had a wheel issue with my trailer but lacked the tool needed to fix it. I unhooked, left the trailer (and my wife) on the side of the hwy and ran of to buy the needed tool. Came back, fixed the issue, rehooked and was on our way.
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Old 01-15-2019, 04:39 PM   #4
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I keep an extra two sets of bearings, grease, and all the tools to fix in my tt front storage. Have I ever had a bearing failure on my tt? No. But I want to be able to take care of it quickly when/if it happens so it doesn't ruin our trip.
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Old 01-15-2019, 04:45 PM   #5
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Not panicking is no. 1. I'm very handy therefore I try to carry everything I would need to repair anything that might leave the TT stranded. When trailering you tend to go through some very rural areas and I hate the idea of relying on cell service. I keep a bearing, grease bottle jack, and jack stand for this reason.
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Old 01-15-2019, 06:29 PM   #6
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After reading this thread, it looks like I need to add a few more things to my, Just In Case kit.
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Old 01-15-2019, 08:15 PM   #7
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I carry an extra set of bearings as well, but my case was beyond that. When a trucker warned me of the smoke, I immediately pulled over and went for the fire extinguisher. Fortunately, I didn't have to use it, but I thought I might have to. The only parts of the bearing left were the races. So I was beyond a roadside repair. When pulled apart, the brake linings were completely gone. The technician theorized that the brakes failed to release and heated the drums, causing the bearing grease to melt leaving the bearing dry. He said he had seen it several times before. Checking when I got home, the other wheels were fine. Where I was doubly lucky was that I didn't trash the axle. And I do grease my wheel bearings regularly.
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Old 01-15-2019, 09:17 PM   #8
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I had a bearing failure on the road a few years back. Fortunately I had the parts and basic hand tools that I keep in the truck and trailer.

One thing I forgot to put in my parts box was grease. I used some of the old grease And fully replaced the bearings and races when I got home a couple hours later.

I noticed One or two individual bearings had scoring the last time I inspected them. I wasn’t sure how bad the bearing had to be before replacing it...now I know.

To make things easier next time I pre-grease the bearings and use my vacuum sealer from the kitchen. This keeps them from rusting and they are ready to install on the side of the road.

I encourage all of you to carry extra bearings with you. They are inexpensive. Even if you don’t know how to install them. The chances of you finding somebody who knows how to install them is much greater than you finding the bearings you need in some rural location.
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Old 01-16-2019, 12:16 AM   #9
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I’m not handy, so I’m reliant upon others for anything beyond a tire change. I carry Good Sam Roadside coverage for just this occasion.

Last year they helped me find a mobile repair tech on a Sunday in Florida to replace a broken leaf spring. Took a quite a good hour or more for them to find someone and even longer for the guy to get there. I was appreciative no matter what as we were coming up empty at finding someone on our own. We called a dozen or more places and couldn’t find anyone. The only good thing is it wasn’t roadside and we were actually at a Walmart.
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Old 01-16-2019, 12:47 AM   #10
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I had a wheel bearing burnout while passing through Phoenix, AZ for years ago this month on my way to Quartzsite.

By the time a passing motorist alerted me to pull over...I had to use the fire extinguisher to put out the flames.

I used the POI's on my Rand McNally GPS device to find a local repair shop (Sun City RV) to be one mile away, so I limped my way there and stayed over night in the RV park next door...had my TT parked right in front of their door when they opened the next morning and they patched me up by cutting my axle in half and welding a good half (spindle, brakes and all) back on.

The next evening at sunset and $1000 later I was on my way to finish the trip and the repair got me back to Denver, Colorado a few days later.

Got the TT fixed ($4000 total) by upgrading both axles, heavier duty springs, new wheels and tires and a bunch of other stuff that got burned up, then one week after getting it fixed I traded it off for my current 5'ver!

Trailer had barely 4000 miles on it when this happened...

1st shot-note the weld done in Phoenix on the axle
2nd shot-morning of and before final repair in Denver
3rd shot-same evening after final repair was done in Denver
4th shot-in RV park in Phoenix (note the front tire on trailer leaning in at the top of the tire)
5th shot-leaving Sun City RV in Phoenix:
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Old 01-16-2019, 01:00 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by LTDunltd View Post
After reading this thread, it looks like I need to add a few more things to my, Just In Case kit.
Me to. When pulling my TT I'm usually heading to somewhere in the middle of nowhere. While I'm pretty well equiped with extra parts somehow wheel bearings got left out.
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Old 01-16-2019, 04:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mharrel View Post
Last year I had an incident where I fried a wheel bearing on my TT. I was in the middle of rural Iowa and really wondered what to do. I don't have Good Sam or similar, but I have towing on my TV insurance. But I didn't really need towing. I finally asked Siri on my phone and she gave me the number of the nearest RV repair and they referred me to a truck axle place and we were back on the road in a couple of hours. I feel I was quite fortunate, [it was also a Friday afternoon] but I was wondering what do others do in a similar situations. Are there a websites that list RV repair, and if so, are they any good? There must be a better solution than asking Siri.
I broke down just west of Iowa City on our way to North Carolina last summer on a Saturday afternoon. We have AAA, but it was all but useless in Iowa. It took 4 hours for us to get a tow truck after we were told an hour, and a state trooper got the tow for us. The State Police (we dealt with two different officers) explained that AAA has a bad rep in that area of the country. We ended up paying the $426 tow bill ourselves, but got reimbursed about 30 days after we submitted the bill. Fortunately, my daughter lived in the area, so we had a nice visit while repairs were performed.
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Old 01-16-2019, 04:59 PM   #13
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That really makes sense about carrying an extra set of wheel bearings. I lube mine at the beginning of the travel season and have not had any issues so far on our 4y.o. RV. I may be able to find a mechanic easier than wheel bearings. Worst repair I have had travelling is a flat tire on the side of the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago in a Monday morning rush hour. I was lucky that a state road crew stopped, put on their flashing lights and made sure we were out of traffic while installing the new tire. With all the morons texting and driving these days, making a vehicle repair on the side of a busy highway is sometimes worth your life.
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Old 01-16-2019, 05:02 PM   #14
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Side of the Road

I have used Good Sam Roadside assistance many times and they have been great just about every time.
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Old 01-16-2019, 05:58 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by atcbrownie View Post
I keep an extra two sets of bearings, grease, and all the tools to fix in my tt front storage. Have I ever had a bearing failure on my tt? No. But I want to be able to take care of it quickly when/if it happens so it doesn't ruin our trip.
Not a bad idea. Probably one of the most neglected parts on a TT. I too carry a tool box , including basic wheel removal tools. Started a miles log on the tt, so I can clean and repack bearings, hopefully before a trip when the recommended miles nears.
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Old 01-17-2019, 11:02 AM   #16
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The hardest breakdown I had was in the middle of the San Luis Valley in Colorado. Hit a cattle guard too fast and tore one of my spring mounts loose from the frame causing the tires on the right side to move together touching each other and creating a substantial amount of smoke. There was zero cell reception, and the nearest town was 75 miles away. I was able to wedge a piece of 2X4 between the mounts and force the tire back so they wouldn't touch. Drove the rig, (slowly) for over 100 miles to get to a welding shop to have it repaired. You can never anticipate everything, and sometimes you have to be creative to get out of a spot. Maintenance is the name of the game, and regular inspection before you leave is also a must. As we all know s-(stuff)-t happens.
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Old 01-18-2019, 10:35 AM   #17
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The hardest breakdown I had was in the middle of the San Luis Valley in Colorado. Hit a cattle guard too fast and tore one of my spring mounts loose from the frame causing the tires on the right side to move together touching each other and creating a substantial amount of smoke. There was zero cell reception, and the nearest town was 75 miles away. I was able to wedge a piece of 2X4 between the mounts and force the tire back so they wouldn't touch. Drove the rig, (slowly) for over 100 miles to get to a welding shop to have it repaired. You can never anticipate everything, and sometimes you have to be creative to get out of a spot. Maintenance is the name of the game, and regular inspection before you leave is also a must. As we all know s-(stuff)-t happens.
If worse comes to worse, a TT can be towed using only three wheels. I have done it--slowly.
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Old 01-21-2019, 01:08 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by chaps2018 View Post
I had a bearing failure on the road a few years back. Fortunately I had the parts and basic hand tools that I keep in the truck and trailer.

One thing I forgot to put in my parts box was grease. I used some of the old grease And fully replaced the bearings and races when I got home a couple hours later.

I noticed One or two individual bearings had scoring the last time I inspected them. I wasn’t sure how bad the bearing had to be before replacing it...now I know.

To make things easier next time I pre-grease the bearings and use my vacuum sealer from the kitchen. This keeps them from rusting and they are ready to install on the side of the road.

I encourage all of you to carry extra bearings with you. They are inexpensive. Even if you don’t know how to install them. The chances of you finding somebody who knows how to install them is much greater than you finding the bearings you need in some rural location.
The food saver bag tip is one of the best I've read on here. What a great idea! Grease guns are cheap. Grease is cheap. A bearing kit is cheap. I think they should all be in your tool box. Even if you don't know what you're doing, a roadside repair service would have the right parts.
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Old 01-21-2019, 06:14 PM   #19
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The food saver bag tip is one of the best I've read on here. What a great idea! Grease guns are cheap. Grease is cheap. A bearing kit is cheap. I think they should all be in your tool box. Even if you don't know what you're doing, a roadside repair service would have the right parts.
And chances are they would probably have the grease and anything else they might need to do that repair for us.

We can plan for all kinds of stuff to happen to us on the road, but does it really make any sense to carry all kinds of parts for a repair that one would most likely be hiring out the repair since they may not have the skills to do a particular job at hand?
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Old 01-21-2019, 06:36 PM   #20
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Grapehound, X2 on the morons Texting and driving, we just had a officer killed a few days ago by some lame-a**, stupid texting....the guy even drifted 2 lanes over into the breakdown lane! Guess the phone was really really important! The cop left a wife and a 10 month old child. so sad.

Have also vacuum packed 4 sets of bearings greased with the part numbers readily available, and 4 seals. Grease gun with fresh cartridge, misc. metal straps, hangers, etc. We boondock and try to be able to get us out of whatever we get into!
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