Grand Design

DKRITTER wrote:
How has GD changed if any since the were bought out by Winnebago?

They haven't.

They are still working as an individual entity.

How has GD changed if any since the were bought out by Winnebago?

I wonder why it seems like there's more Grand Design built trailers having this issue. I read a couple other RV brand forums as well and hardly see the problem compared to GD. Is GD asking for something different?

Leaking hubs on GD RV's has been an ongoing problem since 2014. Lippert says they are changing the process for greasing the bearings during assembly, yet 2017 built RV's continue to have issues.
Other than that, GD built RV's are pretty solid.

I bought a 303 asked the dealer to pull hubs ,said he would , after I got the unit home got to thinking better check. Guess what he lied. But called G D they are going to fix. Asked if I wanted to take it to my dealer. No he had his chance, going to get a local shop to fix it

We bought a Grand Design 27 RL Reflection last October and have been very pleased with it. The customer support is superb. Ours was part of the leaky grease seal issue Lippert has caused and Grand Design immediately took care of our problem with no questions ask. You will find most brands of RV trailers have Lippert frames and axles. They build so many that like anything mass produced you will occasionally get something bad. Anyone with a new trailer of any brand should check their brakes for grease!!

We purchased a GD Solitude 384GK-R last month. At our POI I went over everything with a fine tooth comb... one of the most solid well built brands out there. I've looked at other brands that cost much more that simply looked like monkeys put them together. Take a look at GD...some of the best customer support in the business and a well built product. A lot of the grease issues had to do with over greased bearings. Just need to monitor them.

We are thinking of replacing our 12 year old Montana this year. We just my take a long hard look at the Grand Design line based on the discussion here. Just need to find a dealer reasonably close to me.

wilber1 wrote:
Make sure the dealer pulls all the hubs and checks for leaking seals before you take delivery, this is a Lippert production problem as I understand the frames come from Lippert with axles installed. Once the bearings are repacked properly, they don't seem to be an issue. In twelve years I never had an axle problem with my old 5th and its Dexter axles. It seems Lippert is struggling to make a 100 year old technology work and has been in no rush to figure it out.

I find it astonishing that they continue to deliver axles with seals they know are likely already leaking.

On edit:

battleshipbud

I wouldn't worry about an axle or bearing failure, just grease covered brakes. One of the issues is far too much grease in the hubs and the thickness of the grease used, not dry bearings. We are half way through our third trip from Canada to So Cal and back plus all the other RV'ing we do and although we did have grease covered brakes, the bearings were fine. Just make sure you get any problem rectified before you accept the unit.

Funny story...last 3 grease seals we pulled on Lippert axles had Dexter seals on them. All leaked.

We are on our second Grand Design, started with an Imagine travel trailer and now a Momentum 350M 5th wheel toy hauler. As said above, Lippert axle seals have been a problem, and I have had that problem on the Momentum. Other than that I haven't had any real problems with either one. And I can tell you first hand that their customer service is second to none. Everything that I have called about they have provided me with answers needed. I also needed some parts for the Momentum due to an incident that was my fault, they sent them at no charge. I have talked to several people on the phone and in person, including Don Clark the President/CEO, everyone has been friendly and helpful. As far as the frame, I accidentally lifted the rear of my RAM dually off the ground with the 5th wheel pushing the wrong button in the dark. No damage to the pin, frame, or even the hydraulic legs. So I think the undercarriage and components are strong enough, but I don't recommend putting them to that kind of test!!