This was our 2013 Jayco Flight Swift 198 RD

THIS WAS OUR 2013 JAYCO FLIGHT SWIFT 198RD, PARKED AT THE TOMBSTONE TERRITORIES RV PARK IN ARIZONA



Thursday 28 March 2019

Where have we been since my last update?

Where are we now?
At Home, Leamington, Ontario, Canada


I’ve seen a wolf, a bear and a herd of deer among other interesting things since leaving Amarillo. Besides some live ducks and fish however, the rest of the menagerie was not real, which I encountered at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri. This particular store was the original and first of the chain of outdoor equipment and it is the largest and most interesting Bass Pro Shop I have ever visited. In addition to the fantastic decorations inside and its mammoth square footage, it also houses a Museum and Restaurant. We were there early in the morning and the Museum was not open yet so unfortunately we did not get to visit it. Next-door is the famous Aquarium, which we also had to forego because of our timing.  However, should we ever drive though town again, this will be a must see destination for us. Out on the parking lot we noticed an RV that seemed to have parked there overnight. Maybe this is an option as I can see to spend a whole day there.






All the above pictures I took with my iPad

Our goal had been to visit the Grizzly Industrial's huge showroom in Springfield, where Benno’s first lathe was purchased. It is a large store with all kinds of equipment that Benno found most interesting and useful for his little shop at home. I only admired the wooden vases on display.

The Grizzly Store



So to backtrack, after leaving Amarillo, TX, we drove to Joplin, Missouri where we overnighted at a Walmart. Not a great stop as it was a Sunday and the cleaning equipment working overnight on the parking lot turned out to be noisy. 
Next day we took the Rt. 66 to Lincoln, Illinois and this Walmart parking lot was a nice stopover and very quiet. Not much to say about the drives as they were uneventful and the scenery through the Plaines becomes a bit monotonous after a while. Next morning, after a good breakfast we packed up and left Lincoln, IL, following the I-55 or Route 66 to Chicago and then turned into the I-80/90, which is a toll road. On our plate was a visit to the Jayco RV factory’s service center in Middlebury, Indiana.

In front of the Jayco Service Centre parked for the night

Why were we going there? Well, in Amarillo, TX, Benno noticed we had an extreme tire-edging problem on our rear axle travel trailer tires. If you recall, in January on our way south we had a tire blowout on our curbside rear axle tire. Benno suspected it was caused by a slight bend or bow in the rear axle, forcing the tire to run on an edge wearing the rubber down to the ply and causing as well extreme wear on the rear roadside tire. I had posted in January that we had purchased and changed all the trailer tires in Yuma, Arizona.

Experiencing a tire blowout on an extreme busy Interstate is very dangerous, including changing the tire on the Interstate shoulder. Knowing that our trailer is not overloaded, we had the urge to talk to someone at the Jayco Service Center to discuss our spring and axle problem and for them to decide how to solve this axle problem.  Jayco’s plant is slightly south of the I-80/90 in Middlebury, IN and not a real detour for us on our trip home to Canada. At the service center we explained our problem and Jayco decided that this is a problem of the trailer’s frame and axle manufacturer, Lippert Components in Goshen, IN, actually only a few miles down the road from Jayco. 


We were given a contact number at Lippert and Jayco let use me one of their phones from were I made some phone calls to Lippert to find the right person to speak to but it was getting close to their closing time and we could not get much progress accomplished. Jayco offered us to stay overnight in front of their office for the night that we gratefully accepted. They had electricity and water for our trailer and a dump station at the parking lot in addition to free wifi for our use. This gesture was very nice and we appreciated it.

Our travel trailer inside Lippert's Shop

Next morning we decided to drive to the Lippert Axle Customer Centre instead of making more phone calls. Right away the expert was crawling under our trailer. When he came back up he shook his head and consulted with the manager. We were told to unhook the trailer so they could take the trailer into the shop for further inspection. In the shop the trailer was moved onto the weight scale sensors for the tongue jack and each tire. The sensors are hooked to a special portable computer with printer, which printed out the weight values on each tire and the tongue jack.

The waiting room at Lippert, complete with TV, fireplace,
Magazines, comfy recliners, Coffee bar and dog treats
and a friendly staff!

Our Jayco 24ft White Hawk trailer has two 3,000 lbs. axles and the Lippert Axle Service Centre discovered that our trailer’s weight on the axles and jack was below the limit. Therefore the manager decided to change our two axles at no cost to us, right there and then in the shop. But, they had no new 3,000 lbs. axles in stock, so it was decided to fit two new 4,400 lbs. axles, including new springs, brakes, new style pins with grease nipples and associated hardware under our trailer free of charge. WOW! We didn’t expect that but we were on cloud nine and are so relieved.

A couple of new tires are on order to replace the new, but already worn rear axle tires out so we are ready to go when we get the hitch itch again.

Although no immediate travels are planned, stay tuned what we might be into here at home. Thanks for visiting and we hope everyone underway home has a safe trip home.

11 comments:

  1. Now that is true service. Good for Jayco. Now you cam really load up the trailer next trip :)

    Welcome home. Hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a good feeling knowing that we were not overweight with our contents. However, I was thinking of eliminating all the stuff we didn't use.

      Delete
  2. That is so great to have the trailer axles replaced free of charge and to the right weight capacity. Good to see you you have arrived home safely. Hope to see you this summer at the Ridge. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We feel so much better knowing that the issue has been taken care of. You bet we'll show up at the Ridge :)

      Delete
  3. You have made good time getting back home. Nice that you got your axles replaced and free of charge. awesome service.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that was awesome for them to help us out. It made our day!

      Delete
  4. Glad that Lippert stands behind their products. Too bad they didn't pay for the Tires as well.
    It must feel good to be Home once again.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even doing all those replacements were fantastic. The tires would be a Jayco thing as they now equip all their trailers with the ones we bought. But you know, once out of warranty, you are on your own.

      Delete
  5. Bass Pro (and Cabela's) typically allow overnight parking for RV's we seek them out on most of our travels as it is an experience just walking around inside. We usually spend more in the store than we would have at a park but it is still worth it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a good tip! We like Bass Pro too and have purchased many things there over time. That one in Springfield, MO topped all of their stores I've ever been to. It's huge.

      Delete