Midwest folks will go above and beyond for you man. I was really surprised to see the work ethic of people in the midwest when I moved out here. Great people, do the best they can.
Hey Buddy , I carry extra and try to get one extra leaf added to the pack… I have had leafs break on both rigs. 7k axals are necessary. Bridge crossings and pot holes are disaster waiting to happen. It is called a RV for a reason, “Repair Vehicle” !!!!
Welcome to Des Moines! I'm a Hoosier native but I've lived in Des Moines for about 33 years, it's a great place to live. I'm glad you found Merrill Axle, those guys are great, I've done business with them, on and off, since 1989 and they've always been great to work with. I'm glad you got to see the sculpture park, it is one of the hidden gems of the city.
Glad you enjoyed your time in Des Moines. It's actually a very wonderful place to live and AMAZING food everywhere. You heard of farm to table, yeah we live that everyday.
The machinist visits the art museum...... "that was plasma cut, that was torch cut then welded" lol I feel ya bro, I'm the same way! :) Glad you got fixed up and on your way quickly. Safe travels
Merrill Axle is the best place around my grandpa worked with them since they opened. They can handle almost anything you have a problem with. Awesome to see you guys were in my town.
Adam & Abby - learning now of your appreciation of steel & art, when you DO return to central Iowa, you MUST check out the High Trestle Trail, and the amazing bridge that gives the trail its name. It's just 25 miles north of Des Moines, and is a converted railroad line that is one of the most popular and has the most spectacular attractions of any trail in the Midwest. It is a 130' high bridge that crosses the Des Moines river in the heart of Iowa's old coal mining country. They have created an abstract steel beam structure over the center of the span that harkens back to going down a coal mine shaft, and the lighting at night - especially with a full moon reflecting in the ribbon of water far below it - is simply a surreal experience. People walk and ride their bikes on it, and nobody comes away unimpressed. I'll see if I can add a link.
Merril does great work, I recommend them to all of my customers for nearly 10 years now! Hopefully you got to see American Dream machines! Amazing vehicles!!
Curious if Kodiak has commented? Semi trucks weighing 80,000 lbs bounce up and down the highways 24/7 - It amazes me they can't engineer a little camper to hold up
I must say even in times of trouble you are a great team. The happiness I see with your relationship with Abby is great and wonderful. Keep up the great work and safe travel.
The building in the background at 15:11 is the Kum & Go (gas station) headquarters. It was designed my renowned architect Renzo Piano who designed the London Shard and the French Centre Pompidou amongst other famous buildings.
Made me think of Lucy and Desi and the Long Long Trailer movie. Don't collect too many rocks. Glad you found a reliable shop that had parts to help you on your way!
Adam & Abby, if you got to Des Moines via I-35 from Missouri, right over the border you passed my beloved alma mater Graceland University. Hope you two found the people in southwest Iowa as wonderful as I remember them!
The multicolored man metal sculpture... serendipity is when you go looking for one thing and find something much better along the way. That's what that is. And now Mr. Abom knows his girlie would love a mini version for her desk in the new shop.
When you get back to your shop go ahead and fab up some air-bag mounts to take some of the shock load off the leaf springs. Air ride bags will smooth out your ride too.
Having a repair shop selling you what you need instead of what they can possibly sell you is a plus. Being treated that way has to give you a warm fuzzy.
Welcome to the land of RV'rs. We have to be on the constant look out for major problems. It was great that Merrill Axle was able to get you up and running so fast.
Good Eye Adam!.... good thing you noticed that. Great that Merrill Axle and Wheel Service had exactly what you needed...Job well done!... Cheers, Blessings!
So I know it was a few weeks back but something I found esp if you're going to be towing a lot. Dexter makes a heavy duty shackle and equalizer kit. It replaces all the nylon bushings with bronze and every pivot gets a grease fitting, Really made an improvement on my trailer. Most trailer axles have a slight camber, a hump in the middle so that when loaded its almost flat across. I have seen axles installed upsidedown before and causing huge tire wear.
To art lovers they’re sculptures. To heavy machinists and fabricators they’re steel plate. The artist designs the object but requires the skills of a machinist or fabricator to build it.
Hey guys, When you travel back thru Des Moines there is a great BBQ place called Jethro's BBQ and Steak in Altoona which is off of 80 east just after you get off if 35 or there is a hand cut steak house called Big Steer at the north end of the horse track at Prairie Meadows Casino. Both places are excellent!!!
Way to go staying positive about what neat things you can find even in the middle of having to deal with things that aint right and under time constraints. It's mighty easy to get bogged down in times like this.
If you are using an equalizer hitch they are are notorious for bending trailer axles and collapsing springs. Especially on roads with lots of of dips. We have a lot of frost heaves in Alaska and it's a well known problem here.
Back in the late 60's and early 70's our family would drive from CT to visit our aunt in Virginia. On the way home the muffler and exhaust pipe fell off of the station wagon just as we pasted over the Delaware Memorial Bridge. This was back in the day when there was only 1 of the 2 bridge there. The next year we went to visit our aunt. On the way back the muffler and exhaust pipe fell off again as we pasted over the same bridge.
What a great find in that shop to have the parts you needed and the time to do it not to derail your trip. Very lucky. When you revisit the axles give a look to upgrading your equalizer to something like the CRE3000 or road armor equalizer with the heavy duty shackle straps and greasable wet bolts. They aren’t expensive and well worth it.
You sure lucked out in Des Moines, a great stop. That park was so good I looked it up and found, "The Pappajohns’ contribution of more than two dozen works for the park is the most significant donation of artwork ever made to the Des Moines Art Center at 1330 Grand Avenue."
Sure glad you found a great place that could fix your trailer axles and springs and get you on to your destination. Great folks you ran into in Des Moine . Stay safe. Fred. 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋
Even as much as you prepare for trips something will come up cool thing you found a place able to help you out and the sight seeing while you had the trailer fixed was cool
Burritos in Iowa..... Sounds pretty sketchy!! Cheers to Abbie... For being such a positive and encouraging partner! Safe travels to you both!! Love this series of videos!!...
Holy moly...😵 Back in the mid 80s ,,that building that you stopped at that had the I beam crane coming out of a second story indeed used to be a machine shop a manufacturing shop my father was friends with the man that owned it and he had bought a Brown and Sharp #2 vertical grinder from them... We had a one ton Chevrolet truck and we drove it up from St Louis to there, picked it and loaded it using that exact crane, strapped it down and then drove up to our summer home in northern Minnesota I stayed for 2 weeks left the grinder in the truck and then drove back down to St Louis with that grinder in the back of the truck... So I know exactly where you are at... That's flipping awesome.... What is The coincidence of that that you would point that out and be in that area... I'm glad they got you fixed up...
I've always found in my travels that when something goes wrong it only adds interest to the trip and makes for even more memories So if it happens to you on your trip embrace it it's all part of traveling ,it's great how you guys handled a bit of a breakdown
If you are interested YT here has a program on the first guy to ever drive a car from coast to coast of the USA. Breakdowns were almost every other day it seems,this was done at a time when tires were lucky to last 5000 miles,it was a journey the man never stopped talking about for the rest of his life. The program did a really good recreation using footage of an identical vehicle. Cheers.
That was really nice in that park with all the different things I'm so sorry your actual had problems in your leaf springs I hope you have a good time and enjoy yourself my friend God bless🙏👍
When you get back to town check out Rocky’s Trailer near the Alabama Florida line. He’s the best I’ve ever dealt with on trailer stuff. He can probably hook you up with some upgrades that’ll make that camper bullet proof.
I can sympathize. On our first trip with our camper, two weeks ago, we were in Waterloo, IA when we discovered our hitch receiver had rusted out from the inside, and it wasn't safe to continue towing. Thankfully, helpful people at a few great places found us a replacement receiver from a salvage yard and got it installed for us. Better the delay than a disaster. Glad you were also able to get help before you had a disaster.
A lot of people have started running 10 ply, light truck tires, on their camper. They last longer than trailer tires and you have fewer problems. When my camper tires are worn out, that's what I will run.
My uncle has the same RV he also had to changed out both axles but insted of buying a third set of the bigger axles he just got (2) 4" 1/4" wall box tubes bolted them on with 4 U-bolts on top of both axles. For much less.
That is wild corn sprouted from the previous years crop. Glad you found a place that could get you fixed up in a hurry! Guess you will need to upgrade to a bigger heavier trailer next and that just leads into needing a dual my to pull it with. It never ends! 🤠
Yea I’ll be upgrading the axles. I’ll check to see if I can get these in a heavy duty version with a heavier wall thickness so I can still use my hubs and wheels.
We bought a Forest River Cherokee new and tires started rubbing the bottom of trailer about 4k miles. Found a shop near me with a side business of TT suspension upgrades, even took our old parts in on trade. Took 3500 lb axles off and installed Dexter 5200 lb axles, springs, brakes, 6 lug wheels and larger tires. Raised the trailer about 2". Now have more brake capacity on the trailer than on the truck. Very happy with it.
The warranty was 1 year and this showed up near end of 2nd year. we left it at the dealer for 6 weeks and they took measurements and pix and made a good faith effort. Forest River didn't answer any of emails, phone calls, nor snail mail. Last summer I hit a curb and bent the spring hangers and the web of the I-beam frame. Local shop was well aware of the tendency for lippert frames to bend like this. Lippert even has a video on how to repair and reinforce. Trailer now 8.5 yrs old and has 18k miles. It is an inexpensive entry unit but everything else has held up surprisingly well (and you can find a RUclips video on how to fix any problem).
I am so glad that you caught that. Last year I broke a leaf spring on my 32' 5th wheel. The rear wheel locked up with the front wheel on that side. I was dragging rubber. Bad bad bad.
Thank you Abbie for sharing art by Keith Haring. Thanks too to Adam for trusting a strange shop with your trailer repairs. I know you'd have done it yourself at home.
My guess is the spring steel wasn't tempered right causing the suspension to bottom out easily and in turn caused bent axle. Lucky you caught it before something worse happened. Glad you're both ok and enjoying your trip. Living History Farms near DM is a fun place to visit, but you're probably back on the road by now.
Adam, like the guy in the movie armageddon says........ 250,000 moving parts all built by the cheapest bidders!!!! It's up to us to fix their cheap junk! Goodstuff
My husband and I recently found your channel and love it! You guys are so relatable. When Abby found a cookie dough shop my husband said she’s my spirit animal. 😂 Looking forward to your next video.
I loved this video. Turn a bad situation into a good one. And the dynamic between you two is lovely. Art meets fabrication. Safe travels and continue you’re adventure. Super fun to watch!
Thanks for the positive comments on my state capital town. I broke a camper axle years ago in Montana late afternoon on a Friday. Somebody let me borrow their welder to fix the axle (I am an amateur welder - would have preferred a professional but none were found). I needed a couple of new U-bolts and found a old fashion wood wagon/wheel repairer/manufacturer who threaded and bent some steel rods to make new ones. However I was glad it broke on Friday since Saturday we entered Yellowstone via the north access - switchback road - and it started to snow half way up the pass. I must have done a good job welding as it was still good when I sold the camper 5 years later.
I have always thought RV trailer wheels, tires, and suspensions look way under rated. You proved that to be true. I agree with others that you should weigh that rig to see what you’ve got. See about adding a third axle and wheels 😳
Sorry about your trailer issues, but looks like a quick resolution without incident. Thanks for the tour, we are beginning our RV experiences and hope to see you at some time.
Yes cast “Iron Tree Trunk” (2015) a life-sized cast of a tree found in the Jiangxi Province of Weiwei’s native China, unites individual pieces of iron into a whole structure. Its size comes matched by small nuances, down to tree rings around the base and weathered cracks in the bark. This massive cast of a tree references both the cultural tradition of finding poetry and contemplation in natural phenomena. It also alludes to the challenges inherent in China’s rush to industrialization. Cool!
I go to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL I go walk up and down the beach and I ALWAYS take a trash sack with me and pick up peoples trash that they leave. I was always taught to always leave anyplace better than I found it! On the beach you should ONLY LEAVE FOOTPRINTS that’s it!
Best in Des Moines for your needs
Glad we could get you back on the road brother! If you’re ever back in Des Moines stop in and see us! Safe travels man!
-all of us at Merrill Axle 🤟
I’m glad y’all got a chance to check out the video! Amazing service y’all provided for us! Thank you once again! 👍🏻🇺🇸
Folks totally underestimate the importance of the little guy shops always ready to go the extra mile and get folks back on the road.
Breakdown: Bad. Breaking down in nice weather, in a place with parts, who can do the work the same day: Amazing!
And having the money lol, I’m usually broke when something goes bad.
Cool, my Dad started Merrill Axle back in the 50’s.. They are a great bunch of people to work with.
They still do have to ask charlie about you
Midwest folks will go above and beyond for you man. I was really surprised to see the work ethic of people in the midwest when I moved out here. Great people, do the best they can.
Charlie at Merrill axle is the man when it comes to springs, axles and much more.
Charlie is a legend...
@@stayonit8026damn right the best 16:50
Merrill is a great company, I have used them many times, your in good hands.
As you were checking the lug nuts, I half expected you to start indicating the wheels!!! Ha!
Hey Buddy , I carry extra and try to get one extra leaf added to the pack… I have had leafs break on both rigs. 7k axals are necessary. Bridge crossings and pot holes are disaster waiting to happen. It is called a RV for a reason, “Repair Vehicle” !!!!
Welcome to Des Moines! I'm a Hoosier native but I've lived in Des Moines for about 33 years, it's a great place to live. I'm glad you found Merrill Axle, those guys are great, I've done business with them, on and off, since 1989 and they've always been great to work with. I'm glad you got to see the sculpture park, it is one of the hidden gems of the city.
Seems like a real nice city! 👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed your time in Des Moines. It's actually a very wonderful place to live and AMAZING food everywhere. You heard of farm to table, yeah we live that everyday.
So glad you enjoyed put sculpture park!
The machinist visits the art museum...... "that was plasma cut, that was torch cut then welded" lol I feel ya bro, I'm the same way! :) Glad you got fixed up and on your way quickly. Safe travels
Merrill Axle is the best place around my grandpa worked with them since they opened. They can handle almost anything you have a problem with. Awesome to see you guys were in my town.
As someone that misses my home state of Iowa, it sure is great seeing a youtuber I follow show it in a beautiful way.
Adam & Abby - learning now of your appreciation of steel & art, when you DO return to central Iowa, you MUST check out the High Trestle Trail, and the amazing bridge that gives the trail its name. It's just 25 miles north of Des Moines, and is a converted railroad line that is one of the most popular and has the most spectacular attractions of any trail in the Midwest. It is a 130' high bridge that crosses the Des Moines river in the heart of Iowa's old coal mining country. They have created an abstract steel beam structure over the center of the span that harkens back to going down a coal mine shaft, and the lighting at night - especially with a full moon reflecting in the ribbon of water far below it - is simply a surreal experience. People walk and ride their bikes on it, and nobody comes away unimpressed. I'll see if I can add a link.
Merril does great work, I recommend them to all of my customers for nearly 10 years now! Hopefully you got to see American Dream machines! Amazing vehicles!!
Know this shop,been around a long time,great people,they do great work,
You guys are the nicest people.... so happy no matter what the issue, at least on camera... :) thank you for taking use along.
Curious if Kodiak has commented? Semi trucks weighing 80,000 lbs bounce up and down the highways 24/7 - It amazes me they can't engineer a little camper to hold up
Glad they got you all fixed up. And good to know there are people out there willing to go out of their way to help out.
I must say even in times of trouble you are a great team. The happiness I see with your relationship with Abby is great and wonderful. Keep up the great work and safe travel.
The building in the background at 15:11 is the Kum & Go (gas station) headquarters. It was designed my renowned architect Renzo Piano who designed the London Shard and the French Centre Pompidou amongst other famous buildings.
Cool info!
Yes, that’s a really 😎 building!
Made me think of Lucy and Desi and the Long Long Trailer movie. Don't collect too many rocks. Glad you found a reliable shop that had parts to help you on your way!
Adam & Abby, if you got to Des Moines via I-35 from Missouri, right over the border you passed my beloved alma mater Graceland University. Hope you two found the people in southwest Iowa as wonderful as I remember them!
Sorry for your breakdown but always happy to see folks enjoying our fine city!
I live in down town Des Moines! You should’ve stopped at Crows Nest RV resort my parents work and own part of it!
When ya said broke down I thought for sure it was the Dodge not the camper..lol
"Oh, there's a golf ball", my favorite part of the video. Thank you for making my day Abby.
Your predicament reminds me of your "Hey Man..." videos. It happens to the best of us.
Breakdowns on a trip suck, but you found the right shop! As others have said, you two make such a wonderful team.
I admire your spirit and resiliency!
The multicolored man metal sculpture... serendipity is when you go looking for one thing and find something much better along the way.
That's what that is. And now Mr. Abom knows his girlie would love a mini version for her desk in the new shop.
When you get back to your shop go ahead and fab up some air-bag mounts to take some of the shock load off the leaf springs. Air ride bags will smooth out your ride too.
Having a repair shop selling you what you need instead of what they can possibly sell you is a plus. Being treated that way has to give you a warm fuzzy.
Welcome to the land of RV'rs. We have to be on the constant look out for major problems. It was great that Merrill Axle was able to get you up and running so fast.
Good Eye Adam!.... good thing you noticed that. Great that Merrill Axle and Wheel Service had exactly what you needed...Job well done!... Cheers, Blessings!
Des Moines, Iowa is my hometown. Love my Iowa
Adam, have you ever scaled your trailer fully loaded? you may be heavier than you think.
Love the positive attitude! Making the best of it! enjoy your vacation!
Grew up in Des Moines - great place.
Next time you're in town. you will find your old axle in a piece of art.
Thank you both! My wife and I love you all!! NJ
So I know it was a few weeks back but something I found esp if you're going to be towing a lot. Dexter makes a heavy duty shackle and equalizer kit. It replaces all the nylon bushings with bronze and every pivot gets a grease fitting, Really made an improvement on my trailer. Most trailer axles have a slight camber, a hump in the middle so that when loaded its almost flat across. I have seen axles installed upsidedown before and causing huge tire wear.
Come on Adam - admit it - there's a Monarch lathe in the Kodiak you've not told us about :))))))
LOL! And a shaper in the galley. 😁
Might want to check the u bolts also tighten them up also had to my dump trucks after a while just do it to be safe
Can def see Abby rocking some sweet metal art! Can’t wait to see it.
I think she might know a guy who has the tools..
Normal person: "hey, look at these cool sculptures!"
Adam: "hey, look at that steel plate"
To art lovers they’re sculptures. To heavy machinists and fabricators they’re steel plate. The artist designs the object but requires the skills of a machinist or fabricator to build it.
Hey guys,
When you travel back thru Des Moines there is a great BBQ place called Jethro's BBQ and Steak in Altoona which is off of 80 east just after you get off if 35 or there is a hand cut steak house called Big Steer at the north end of the horse track at Prairie Meadows Casino. Both places are excellent!!!
Way to go staying positive about what neat things you can find even in the middle of having to deal with things that aint right and under time constraints. It's mighty easy to get bogged down in times like this.
If you are using an equalizer hitch they are are notorious for bending trailer axles and collapsing springs. Especially on roads with lots of of dips. We have a lot of frost heaves in Alaska and it's a well known problem here.
Back in the late 60's and early 70's our family would drive from CT to visit our aunt in Virginia. On the way home the muffler and exhaust pipe fell off of the station wagon just as we pasted over the Delaware Memorial Bridge. This was back in the day when there was only 1 of the 2 bridge there. The next year we went to visit our aunt. On the way back the muffler and exhaust pipe fell off again as we pasted over the same bridge.
we have the same sculpture at 13.00 mins in the south of France at the entrance to the I.Y.C.A in Antibes
What a great find in that shop to have the parts you needed and the time to do it not to derail your trip. Very lucky. When you revisit the axles give a look to upgrading your equalizer to something like the CRE3000 or road armor equalizer with the heavy duty shackle straps and greasable wet bolts. They aren’t expensive and well worth it.
Good advice.
Praise God that you didn't have a horrible accident.
May this be the last trailer problem.
We are enjoying this road trip of our country. 🇺🇸👍
The joys of owning a travel trailer
You are right Adam. You are blessed for not only finding a place but they had the very parts to make your trip safe. Good luck guys
You sure lucked out in Des Moines, a great stop. That park was so good I looked it up and found, "The Pappajohns’ contribution of more than two dozen works for the park is the most significant donation of artwork ever made to the Des Moines Art Center at 1330 Grand Avenue."
Sure glad you found a great place that could fix your trailer axles and springs and get you on to your destination. Great folks you ran into in Des Moine . Stay safe. Fred. 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋
Even as much as you prepare for trips something will come up cool thing you found a place able to help you out and the sight seeing while you had the trailer fixed was cool
Burritos in Iowa..... Sounds pretty sketchy!!
Cheers to Abbie... For being such a positive and encouraging partner! Safe travels to you both!! Love this series of videos!!...
Sketchy? wtf?
Don't come a knocking when the caravan is rocking!!. Easy does big bear !! 😂😂
i always spray paint the end of my 4 way wrench that fits my lugs to make it faster
Holy moly...😵 Back in the mid 80s ,,that building that you stopped at that had the I beam crane coming out of a second story indeed used to be a machine shop a manufacturing shop my father was friends with the man that owned it and he had bought a Brown and Sharp #2 vertical grinder from them... We had a one ton Chevrolet truck and we drove it up from St Louis to there, picked it and loaded it using that exact crane, strapped it down and then drove up to our summer home in northern Minnesota I stayed for 2 weeks left the grinder in the truck and then drove back down to St Louis with that grinder in the back of the truck... So I know exactly where you are at... That's flipping awesome.... What is The coincidence of that that you would point that out and be in that area... I'm glad they got you fixed up...
Great story would be much better with pics :) What happened to the grinder?
I've always found in my travels that when something goes wrong it only adds interest to the trip and makes for even more memories So if it happens to you on your trip embrace it it's all part of traveling ,it's great how you guys handled a bit of a breakdown
Yep, that exactly how we approached this day. 👍🏻
If you are interested YT here has a program on the first guy to ever drive a car from coast to coast of the USA. Breakdowns were almost every other day it seems,this was done at a time when tires were lucky to last 5000 miles,it was a journey the man never stopped talking about for the rest of his life. The program did a really good recreation using footage of an identical vehicle.
Cheers.
That was really nice in that park with all the different things I'm so sorry your actual had problems in your leaf springs I hope you have a good time and enjoy yourself my friend God bless🙏👍
When you get back to town check out Rocky’s Trailer near the Alabama Florida line. He’s the best I’ve ever dealt with on trailer stuff. He can probably hook you up with some upgrades that’ll make that camper bullet proof.
I can sympathize. On our first trip with our camper, two weeks ago, we were in Waterloo, IA when we discovered our hitch receiver had rusted out from the inside, and it wasn't safe to continue towing. Thankfully, helpful people at a few great places found us a replacement receiver from a salvage yard and got it installed for us. Better the delay than a disaster. Glad you were also able to get help before you had a disaster.
Your positive attitudes made that entire situation much better. Unlucky break but you made the best of it.
18:00 the sirens to give them that “At Home Feel”. Lol
When in Minnesota be sure to check out Duluth and the Boundry Waters Canoe Ares.
A lot of people have started running 10 ply, light truck tires, on their camper. They last longer than trailer tires and you have fewer problems. When my camper tires are worn out, that's what I will run.
My uncle has the same RV he also had to changed out both axles but insted of buying a third set of the bigger axles he just got (2) 4" 1/4" wall box tubes bolted them on with 4 U-bolts on top of both axles. For much less.
That is wild corn sprouted from the previous years crop. Glad you found a place that could get you fixed up in a hurry! Guess you will need to upgrade to a bigger heavier trailer next and that just leads into needing a dual my to pull it with. It never ends! 🤠
Yea I’ll be upgrading the axles. I’ll check to see if I can get these in a heavy duty version with a heavier wall thickness so I can still use my hubs and wheels.
It's called volunteer when something from the previous crop sprouts.
You guys make a great team. Good thing you found those guys and everything is getting fixed up.
We bought a Forest River Cherokee new and tires started rubbing the bottom of trailer about 4k miles. Found a shop near me with a side business of TT suspension upgrades, even took our old parts in on trade. Took 3500 lb axles off and installed Dexter 5200 lb axles, springs, brakes, 6 lug wheels and larger tires. Raised the trailer about 2". Now have more brake capacity on the trailer than on the truck. Very happy with it.
The RV company didn't do anything about it? 4k miles is fairly new.
The warranty was 1 year and this showed up near end of 2nd year. we left it at the dealer for 6 weeks and they took measurements and pix and made a good faith effort. Forest River didn't answer any of emails, phone calls, nor snail mail.
Last summer I hit a curb and bent the spring hangers and the web of the I-beam frame. Local shop was well aware of the tendency for lippert frames to bend like this. Lippert even has a video on how to repair and reinforce.
Trailer now 8.5 yrs old and has 18k miles. It is an inexpensive entry unit but everything else has held up surprisingly well (and you can find a RUclips video on how to fix any problem).
What was the approx. cost for all of the upgrades?
I am so glad that you caught that. Last year I broke a leaf spring on my 32' 5th wheel. The rear wheel locked up with the front wheel on that side. I was dragging rubber. Bad bad bad.
Thank you Abbie for sharing art by Keith Haring. Thanks too to Adam for trusting a strange shop with your trailer repairs. I know you'd have done it yourself at home.
Glad you where able to get up and running you should make a call to where you purchased the trailer you may be under warranty
That is so cool seeing a Keith Haring sculpture there Abby. I got a few goosebumps when it came to view.
Cookie dough makes the trip worthwhile! Glad you found a shop that has parts. I waited 2 1/2 months for 1 hub!
My guess is the spring steel wasn't tempered right causing the suspension to bottom out easily and in turn caused bent axle. Lucky you caught it before something worse happened. Glad you're both ok and enjoying your trip. Living History Farms near DM is a fun place to visit, but you're probably back on the road by now.
Does Moines is my hometown. Glad you enjoyed your stay. Come back soon!
Adam, like the guy in the movie armageddon says........
250,000 moving parts all built by the cheapest bidders!!!!
It's up to us to fix their cheap junk!
Goodstuff
"American components, Russian components.....all made in TAIWAN!!"
@@somethingsomeonesaid6455 priceless!!!!
My husband and I recently found your channel and love it! You guys are so relatable. When Abby found a cookie dough shop my husband said she’s my spirit animal. 😂 Looking forward to your next video.
I loved this video. Turn a bad situation into a good one. And the dynamic between you two is lovely. Art meets fabrication. Safe travels and continue you’re adventure. Super fun to watch!
Welcome to Minnesota. I think you'll enjoy it here. The north shore and woods are the best.
Thanks for the positive comments on my state capital town. I broke a camper axle years ago in Montana late afternoon on a Friday. Somebody let me borrow their welder to fix the axle (I am an amateur welder - would have preferred a professional but none were found). I needed a couple of new U-bolts and found a old fashion wood wagon/wheel repairer/manufacturer who threaded and bent some steel rods to make new ones. However I was glad it broke on Friday since Saturday we entered Yellowstone via the north access - switchback road - and it started to snow half way up the pass. I must have done a good job welding as it was still good when I sold the camper 5 years later.
I loved living in Montana, but if you have a breakdown, it can be 100 miles to the next town!
It Adds to your Adventure.....always check the Bearings and Brakes before heading out also......LOTS of trailer fires ..because of poor Maintenance...
Adam, we’re glad you guys got this taken care of without incident. Stay safe and enjoy the ride!
Sorry you broke down, but glad you had a good visit! Glad my town could take care of you. ;)
I have always thought RV trailer wheels, tires, and suspensions look way under rated. You proved that to be true. I agree with others that you should weigh that rig to see what you’ve got. See about adding a third axle and wheels 😳
Sorry about your trailer issues, but looks like a quick resolution without incident. Thanks for the tour, we are beginning our RV experiences and hope to see you at some time.
That was the best intro to a Richard Serra sculpture I've yet heard 😂
Yes cast “Iron Tree Trunk” (2015) a life-sized cast of a tree found in the Jiangxi Province of Weiwei’s native China, unites individual pieces of iron into a whole structure. Its size comes matched by small nuances, down to tree rings around the base and weathered cracks in the bark. This massive cast of a tree references both the cultural tradition of finding poetry and contemplation in natural phenomena. It also alludes to the challenges inherent in China’s rush to industrialization. Cool!
Cool stuff! 👍🏻
Sorry for your Mishap thank you for sharing your Adventures I am from South Africa
I go to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL I go walk up and down the beach and I ALWAYS take a trash sack with me and pick up peoples trash that they leave. I was always taught to always leave anyplace better than I found it! On the beach you should ONLY LEAVE FOOTPRINTS that’s it!
I hope Des Moines was an enjoyable despite the trailer problems. This comes from a native Iowan.
Adam, you should be very happy with your Dexter axle. They are designed well, and hold up well.
What was on it before?
With all those lights in the ground, i bet those sculptures look great at night.
I love my hometown Des Moines (De Moine) hope you get a chance to come back and see what out city has to offer.