The rear axle has broken on my Bison horse trailer - I only bought it (new) last summer.  It looks like they are not willing to fix it under warranty... anyone know of others having axle problems.  Mine is a Trail Express and pulled with a Dodge diesel 4WD.  Any info would be helpful.

Prue

What is "broke"?  All axles are warrantied for at least 1 year and most are 3-5 years.  What brand is the axle?

I think the axle was made by Lippert Components Inc.  They are saying I must have hit a pothole in the road for the type of brake it is - I don't remember doing this.  Yes, the trailer travels level - it's a three horse slant and I generally put the horse in the middle stall.

Prue

Most top manufacturers use Dexter axles because they are widely known as the best in the industry.  Lippert is probably cheaper in price, and that is why Bison uses them.  A quick google search, and I did not find a company website.  This the first thing I found regarding Lippert.

http://www.allworldauto.com/recalls/NHTSA_06E095000_lippert_5200_recall_68960.html 

You might want to read over the recall to see if it applies to your axle.

Bartley Heath
bartley@DoubleDTrailers.com
Buy Factory Direct at DoubleDTrailers.com

Thank you very much - this is very helpful and I'll check it out.

Prue

Here is Lippert's web site. http://www.lci1.com/ You should contact them directly. While they do not appear to be the axle of choice in horse trailers, many RV companies use them.

It has been reported that Bison is not covering the warranty for any trailers built prior to June 1 due to filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/forum/thread-view.asp?threadid=11918

Unfortunately, that is how bankruptcy works and Bison can do what they are doing. Fortunately, Lippert is still functioning. Their warranty is still valid.

Keep in mind that your dealer may be at a loss of what to do or how to handle this also. While most dealers will stand behind the product that they sell and cover the costs of small items, most can not afford to cover all warranties that should have been covered by the manufacturer, especially when it comes to major items.

There is a general rule of thumb, that any product sold has to be "applicable for its intended purpose". If it's an axle sold for a horse trailer, then it should be of sufficient strength, to support that trailer when it's fully loaded. If a manufacturer installs a too light axle under the trailer, then it's their liability. If the axle is rated for that weight, it's on its manufacturer.

Trailers or any vehicle that is expected to be mobile, will encounter a variety of unfavourable conditions including pot holes. If the axles are of adequate strength, the most severe pot hole would result in a shredded tire and bent rim, and no damage to the axle. Even under extreme conditions, such as dropping off the edge of the road, the spindle could be expected to bend, but certainly not completely fail.

Expecting that the trailer will only traverse billiard smooth roads, is laughable at best. You are being given the old two step shuffle. A call to your state's attorney general's office is free, and may result in guidance to the proper legal direction you will need to take. It will also add more strength to your efforts, in effecting a resolve of your situation.

Gard

Still no luck with my Bison trailer.  The dealer hasn't got an axle - the last time he contacted Lippert they hung up the phone on him.  He is now waiting to hear from Bison.  It's been five weeks now and my trailer has been stuck at the dealership all this time - with nothing happening.
I am in Canada - does anyone know who I should contact to file some sort of complaint re the treatment we've had from both Lippert and Bison?

Prue

Does your province have an Attorney General or a consumer fraud dept? You could contact the Better Business Bureau here in the U.S., or the Attorney Genereral in the states where Bison is (was) domiciled. Same for Lippert.

Good luck.

Edited by genebob 2009-07-07 2:33 PM

Does Canada have an equivalent to our states' attorney general's office for each province? You must have some consumer protection bureau, possibly in another name. A call to your barrister might result in the name of the correct agency to contact.

You will receive little satisfaction, by waiting until someone else decides that he might get off his duff and help you. The manufacturers obviously plan to avoid effecting any repairs in a timely manor. You have to become proactive, make calls, and become a royal pain, until they want to fix the problem to get rid of you. If it entails the legal system, then you should embrace it at your earliest convenience. You've lost a great deal of unrecoverable time already.

Gard