How to read your Lippert (LCI) axle label

Every Lippert (LCI) spring axle carries a metal ID label, and once you can read it you can order the exact right brakes, bearings, seals, springs, and hubs without guessing or pulling parts off to measure them. The label looks like a jumble of letters and numbers, but it is really just a string of shorthand codes stacked together. Here is how to break it down, in plain terms.

Lippert also builds axles under the CURT name. Those read the same way, except the model code starts with CURT instead of LCI (for example CURT52 in place of LCI52).

What is on the label

Before the long description code, the label spells out a few things on its own:

• Part number or variant number. The number you order by. A part number is a standard build; a variant number (it starts with a V) is a more custom configuration.
• Axle description. The long code we decode below. It packs in everything about the axle.
• Axle capacity. Rated off the lowest-rated component Lippert put on the assembly, and it does not include your tires and wheels. Your trailer's actual GAWR (gross axle weight rating) is set by the trailer manufacturer and printed on the trailer's VIN label, so always defer to that for what the axle is allowed to carry on your trailer.
• Date of manufacture and RPO number (the production run the axle came from).
• CSA/QAI approval. If the axle is certified, a QAI logo sits in the upper right corner of the label.

Reading the axle description code

The whole thing is read left to right, one section at a time. Lippert's own example is a good one to follow:

LCI52-SBSA-86.5-68.5-NOSP-OS-L-65517-7225-30PT

Piece by piece that is: a 5,200 lb model, straight spindle with self-adjusting electric drum brakes, an 86.5" hub face, 68.5" spring centers, no shock plate, springs over the tube, super-lube, a 6-on-5.5" hub for 12" x 2" brakes, 2,600 lb springs, and a 30" wiring pigtail. Below is what each block means.

1. Model and capacity

The first block sets the axle's family and its rated capacity and brake size.

2. Spindle and brake

The second block is the spindle type and what brake (if any) rides on it. "Straight" spindles sit inline; "drop" spindles lower the trailer. "Idler" means no brake at all.

3. Hub face and spring centers

The two numbers after the spindle code are dimensions, in inches. The first is the hub face (also called "hub face to hub face"): the distance between the wheel mounting surfaces on the two hubs. The second is the spring center: the distance between the spring seats. These are customer-specified when the axle is built, so they vary trailer to trailer. A code of NOSS in the spring-center slot means no spring seats were welded on.

4. Tie plate and spring mounting

The tie-plate code tells you how the springs attach and whether shock mounts are welded on.

The next code is how the springs sit relative to the tube:

5. Lubrication

How the bearings are greased or oiled. This matters when you service the hubs.

6. Hub and bolt pattern

This is the block most people actually need, because it is your bolt pattern (how many lug bolts and the circle they sit on) and it tells you which brake or hub the axle uses. The pattern reads as bolts-on-circle: for example 65517 is 6 bolts on a 5.5" circle. A leading C means a CURT hub.

If ABS follows the hub code, the axle has an ABS sensor and tone ring.

7. Leaf springs

Near the end, a spring code sets the spring's rated capacity, length, and number of leaves. Lippert uses a long list of double-eye and slipper spring codes; a few of the common ones:

There are many more spring codes than we can list cleanly here, and slipper springs (used on tandem and heavier setups) have their own set. If your code is not above, bring the tag by and our parts counter can match it exactly.

8. Wiring leads

The last block describes the brake wiring: pigtail length, gauge, and which side it runs on. "Road side" is the left (driver) side; "curb side" is the right.

A few extra notes

• Some tags carry extra descriptors at the very end, such as NO PWDR (no powder coat), CAP-XXXXX (a stated capacity when it is not shown elsewhere), or 24E (an e-commerce axle).
• Capacity on the label is the axle's own rating. What your trailer is rated to carry is on the trailer's VIN label, and that is the number that governs how you load it.

Not sure what you are looking at?

Axle work is one of the things we handle every day, and a worn spindle, dry bearing, or a brake that is dragging is not something you want to guess at before a long haul. If you can read us the description code off your label, or send a photo of the tag, our parts and service team can pull the exact brakes, bearings, seals, springs, or hubs you need, or put it on the schedule and take care of it for you. Reach out through our contact page or give us a call.

Source: this guide is based on Lippert Components' axle label nomenclature quick reference (QR-162 / CCD-0007341). Codes and specifications are Lippert's; for the full factory reference or the latest revision, contact Lippert or our parts department.