Grey Wolf 21RB brake part numbers and axle type

[firsthere]

We have a bad grease seal that has smoked the brake shoes on our new trailer. In lieu of sitting out all of August waiting for the dealer to get this fixed I plan to do the repair myself. I'm not sure the axle and brake manufacturer (possibly Lippert) so needing advice on sources and part numbers for replacement seals, shoes, and possibly bearings.

We may need a new drum also but that can wait until the next available warranty repair date. Thanks in advance!

[firsthere]

Well its been over two months, three trips in to dealer, and several e-mails, I finally get a call from the dealer and the guys says "hey is your coach here at the yard, we can't find it", I said no its here at home, "are you sure our paperwork says it still here". Yes,,, its right out back , "oh good"

Two days later he calls back needing the axle tag info for warranty replacement from Lippert (BTW: sticker located on the back of the cross tube), he also asks did we replace the other axle? I said ah noo. He then asks "exactly what is the problem with the brakes".

So two months and nothing done, starting again from scratch. Glad I didn't leave it with them all that time. It might be funny if it were not my problem to deal with along with the driving around on defective brakes situation.

[SilhouettePenny]

Replacement seals & bearings are available at your local NAPA auto parts store. As for the shoes, I would simply replace the entire backing plate assembly from eTrailer.com. They have a great Web site and fast shipping.

There should be an info label on the axles will manufacturer info, but your best bet is to remove the hub/drum and measure the brake shoes, then verify the number of mounting holes for the backing plate. If you are still under warranty have the dealer talk to the manufacturer and they should ship you the parts at no cost. Great opportunity to learn about your suspension & braking systems.

Watch several U-Tube videos subject: trailer suspension repair, and you can accomplish complete refurbish with a handful of common mechanics tools.

[firsthere]

Thanks for the information. I will save this for later on down the road as we are working with a new warranty tech at the dealer right now. Hopefully this will be taken care of soon by FR and or Lippert.

From talking with the brake "specialist" at the dealer the self adjusting feature maybe the culprit here.

When backing down a steep section of roadway (or our driveway as is the case) the self adjusters keep tighten the star gear reducing clearance between the shoe/drum.
Which leads to:

-Overheating the brake shoes, drum and bearings when in travel.

-Turns the grease to fluid and builds pressure inside the bearing cavity.

-The grease seeps out the seals onto the drum/shoes as there is no outside relief port (like used on bearing buddy spring type grease caps.)

- Brakes must work harder when stopping due to friction loss = more heat.

- Eventually causes an initial grabbing effect upon braking due to the gumming effect of the grease/shoe material.
(I added this as it relates to my motorcycle rear brake problems which is subject to oil dripping from the 2 stroke exhaust onto the rotor.)

He said that is why boat trailers don't have SA brakes as they are typically backed down steep ramps.

So we are looking for non-self adjusting replacement brakes from Lippert. If that cannot be done there is the option of cutting the cable that activates the paw at the star gear thus disabling the the SA feature.

In the interim I cleaned the shoes and drums, cleaned and re-greased the bearings, loosened the tight brake assemblies and now disconnect the trailer brakes when backing. Its working ok for now while we wait to hear back from Lippert.

[firsthere]

Lippert sent 4 new backing plates but no drums to the dealer. Lippert will only replace the 4 drums (two have signs of overheating) if all parts are sent to them for analysis. If they determine its a customer issue they wash their hands of it. Kind of a gamble if you ask me and the TT will be in the shop for at least a month (sitting on blocks out in their yard).

After a little negotiating they (Lippert) will supply the dealer with two drums but only 1/2 hour labor to replace everything, backing plates swap bearing races, and the two new drums. The dealer can't do it in 1/2 hour so I told them to just supply the parts and I will take care of it. I will still need bearings and seals on the two problem brakes that ran hot since new but at least this may finally be done with.

One problem is they sent the self adjusting brakes even though we requested manual (as recommended by the brake tech). The tech said just cut the cable on the self adjuster and it will be manual adjust from there on out. Anyone know if this in fact the case?