Hot brake - why?

[Wingedryder]

Originally Posted by Jampcourt

What axles did they use on your units, Wingedryder and StormPeakCO? Perhaps a manufacturing problem if they came from the same company? It is interesting that each of you consulted with folks other than TCS, but no one seems to have found the cause of your problems.
I'm so sorry that your issues have continued and hope that they will be resolved without further frustrations.

....Our axle also turned out to be an "AL-KO" rather than "Dexter" brand as well, and unbeknown to the dealer beforehand. Since we've also compared notes on our 80W solar panels and found they can be of differing brands for the same 2013 year, it seems likely that one cannot count on the same parts being used in the manufacturer of TMs.

And yes, I kinda think TT's manufacturing in general is rather suspect.

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by Wingedryder

....Our axle also turned out to be an "AL-KO" rather than "Dexter" brand as well, and unbeknown to the dealer beforehand. Since we've also compared notes on our 80W solar panels and found they can be of differing brands for the same 2013 year, it seems likely that one cannot count on the same parts being used in the manufacturer of TMs.

And yes, I kinda think TT's manufacturing in general is rather suspect.

Agree. With notable exceptions, the RV industry as a whole, seems to embody the image of Hasbro-Tinker Toys more than the idle Maytag repairman.

AL-KO axle, Artis water pump....it's great when components manufactured off shore work well (say a top end blu-ray player from Oppo) but terribly frustrating when they don't (cheap Artis water pumps that fail on the first use).

Not volkswagen though one can't help but feel that assembly line cost cutting may lead to questionable reliability, reduced durability & less than stellar product endorsement. Everything a struggling company would like to avoid.

[Padgett]

Unfortunately the first three things to go when a company is struggling is R&D, QA, and Marketting. Just when they are needed the most.

[Bill]

Dexter bought the North American part of AL-KO, an Australian company, in Oct 2014. I'm not sure what to conclude from that, since I don't know if AL-KO axles will now be made to Dexter standards, or if future AL-KO axles will be labelled Dexter. But since TM buys axles from Dexter, I'm not surprised to see a TM with an AL-KO label on the axle.

I don't know what the difference is between a Dexter Axle and an AL-KO axle, but given that AL-KO axles are used on Australian trailers (caravans), many of which are more rugged than US trailers, they clearly aren't a cheap Chinese knock-off.

Again, I don't know what to conclude from this.

Bill

[Wingedryder]

So enjoy being the experiment!

Other than those you mention, what other major company attributes are left, Padgett?

[Padgett]

Production and Management.

[Wingedryder]

Originally Posted by Padgett

Production and Management.

Seems rather redundant, to me.

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by stormpeakco

Drove the TM back to Colorado Springs and @ about 15 miles the (tpms) temp difference was about 10, 50-90 miles was 20 (with the brake controller attached the entire time this trip) and at 100 miles the left tpms temp sensor read 124 and the corresponding right one read 75 (again these sensors are threaded on the valve stem and far removed from the wheel, brake drum and axle)....required stopping three times for it to cool down sufficiently (very hot to feel keeping the fingers a couple of inches from the metal surface) and any drops of moisture applied instantly boiled to vapor.
I was told, TCS plans to ship the axle assembly-brakes back to the manufacturer (Alko)...but also was told it may be 3 to 4 wks (pretty much toasts the remainder of the season).

Quality assurance issues (our '15, assembled in summer of '14) are a problem and I only hope our brake issue is solved with one trip (rather than extended 3 trips). When I do pick it up, I hope to drive in the CS area for at least a couple hundred miles with the tpms.

Like wingryder, we love the TM but our frustration exudes and wonder if a Dexter set up would have be better.

____________________________________________
Picked up our repaired TM and towed it the 225 miles home without issue.

The tech folks still aren't exactly sure what was originally wrong but feel the Right brake was set at the factory too tight, Right and Left drum were not homogenously round, left rear brake shoe was 'metal on metal' (not surprising) and both drums were turned, left brake assembly was replaced and bearings were repacked.

On the drive home I was viewing the TPMS like a hawk (more than the rear view camera image) and confirmed by touch the tires, rims, brake drum and axle every 40-60 miles. (FYI-The sun facing tire/sensor was always between 2-8 degrees warmer than the shady side, essentially, freeway driving w/ an ambient temp ~75F).

[RottieMom]

Stormpeakco, thx for mentioning the temp difference on the sun side. On my last trip I noticed one side would get up to about 8 degrees hotter on my TPMS and then it dawned on me that the sun was on that side.

One thing I haven't figured out is why my TPMS shows about 4 to 5 PSI less on each tire than my tire gauge. Do you have this issue with yours?

Glad to hear that it sounds like you've got your problem solved now.

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by RottieMom

Stormpeakco, thx for mentioning the temp difference on the sun side. On my last trip I noticed one side would get up to about 8 degrees hotter on my TPMS and then it dawned on me that the sun was on that side.

One thing I haven't figured out is why my TPMS shows about 4 to 5 PSI less on each tire than my tire gauge. Do you have this issue with yours?

Glad to hear that it sounds like you've got your problem solved now.

RottieMom-We have the TST 507s and the direct pressure numbers taken directly with a gauge are never exactly the same (if I recall correctly, often a little lower than the pressure numbers generated by the tpms) but close enough since we're hoping to identify an asymmetric change (disparity in the two numbers is similar to that w/internal rim mounted sensors on our two vehicles). (Addendum-per some recs-I remove the sensors after each trip to avoid galvanic corrosion of the valve stem).