Video Transcript for ABS: Lippert's Innovation in Trailer Brakes

Hello, it's Brad here from Etrailer and today I'm in Indiana at the Lippert facility Plant 45. And we just went through a tour to see the quality that's put into every single step to make sure that you have the best ABS brakes on your RV or trailer. And as curious as I was to see how they we inchesre made and see what all goes into the process, I want share that with you. So let's take a look. Now, I'm here with Tim. And Tim, you're from Lippert, and you know maybe a little bit about axles and hubs.

So what's your background So I've been with Lippert for 15 years, all of it on the axle side, quality control, sales to operations and product support. Brad A lot of RVs are gonna be coming standard with ABS and chances are, if you're on this page, so did yours. So there's a few different ways to first determine if you have an ABS style hub or not. What are those ways So on this display here, this hub is black, but 90% of our ABS drums out there we have in a bright red color. And we wanted that as a visual indicator to someone.

And so when you walk up to a unit, and it's that bright color, it pops. You can see it through the rim. This particular one's black, but all the other ones are red. But then the other indicators here, as long.. If you come around to the back here, the drum, you're gonna see the tone ring is actually machined into the back of the drum right here.

And then on the top of the backing plate on the brake right here we have the sensor. The sensor is monitoring the wheel speed as the drum's spinning around due to the tone ring in the drum. Over countless miles on an RV, you're gonna want to replace it as it is kind of a wear item. Mm-hmm. What are some things that are signs that it's time for a new hub Yeah, so one of the big things we always recommend is actual annual maintenance.

You know, checking your bearings, repacking them along with your brakes. Or 36,000 miles. Those are the kind of the two things that we've put out there as a delta, right But if you're taking this apart to do your annual inspection on it, and you start to see wear, like nicks, scratches, dents, or discoloration on your bearings, that's a good indicator that you're probably due to change your bearings or your entire drum, right Which, you guys, we can get from you guys, right And then on the brakes there, if you start to notice a little weaker braking as you're going down the road, the trailer's not stopping quite as short as it was before and you're having to turn your gain up, that's usually a very good indicator that it's time to replace your brakes. But we actually have a lot of good support documentation out there, and you guys do a great job of supporting us with that as well. That goes through what to look for and how to change that kind of stuff out. Now when it comes time to replace that ABS style hub with that sensor, that adds a little bit more than just a traditional hub change. Correct. So, first off, the hubs do not come with new sensors. Correct. And so when it comes time to get that sensor all in place and everything, is there anything that, you know, they need to be cognizant about to make sure that that sensor's working properly Yeah, and it's actually very simplistic to be honest. So the drum is gonna be a one-for-one replacement. And then on the brake backing plate back here, there's actually a little screw that holds both the sensor and the shim on here. So when you go to replace your ABS brake, if you just remove this screw right here, all this will pull out and there's a machined flat spot right here. So you can get the ABS replacement brakes from Etrailer. What you do is you take your drum off, you unbolt your brake from the spindle flange. Take this out. This will just pop out. You can leave it hanging. Install your new brake, put your sensor back in, screw it back in, put your drum in on over your brake, tighten everything back down, and you're good to go. So. Awesome. So, I mean, through it all, you know, brakes on a trailer, standards on braking really, there really isn't one. But in this back display here, they did some testing. It's pretty wild testing to show, obviously, what ABS does. So what are, you know, some of the added benefits of ABS Tim So the major thing is the safety aspect, right So you have this ability now to not have to worry about your trailer doing something weird behind you when you come into a situation, whether it be panic braking, invasive maneuvers, some hazardous road conditions. Now all you have to focus on is where you're guiding the tow vehicle and knowing, with an ABS-equipped trailer, that the trailer's gonna do exactly what the tow vehicle does, which just gives the added peace of mind. You don't have to worry about it. It's back there doing exactly what you're doing. So it's been, it's been a great add-on to our parts portfolio, and we've had a lot of success with it. We love it. A lot of our customers love it. We're just continuing to see it grow. So we're excited about it. Yeah, and I don't doubt a matter of time before it's kind of the standard for all manufacturers, and I hope that's the case. Yeah. So we're, we love it. Well, and with that being said, so if you're on this page, and you're looking at hubs, if you've ever seen those bright red hubs, now you know exactly why. You know that you have ABS, or whoever has those red painted hubs also as ABS, and they're gonna be a little bit safer out there on the road. So, Tim, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Not a problem. Happy to help.