By Cheri Sicard
Many RV shoppers hear the same line: “Every rig is slapped together with Lippert parts in Indiana.” After a decade following the industry, Jason Epperson of RV Miles discovered that the picture is far more complex. He shares those findings in the video at the end of this post. Lippert is big, sure, but it is one of many suppliers. Brands like Dometic and MORryde are not owned by Lippert, and manufacturers mix parts based on cost, performance, and install time.
Jason’s video looks at the major component suppliers that most RV builders use. It skips niche players like Gen-Y Hitches or motorhome chassis makers such as Spartan. The focus is on the big groups that feed frames, appliances, furniture, and systems into most RVs.
Manufacturers have real choices. They can spec different vendors for frames, HVAC, furniture, and more. That flexibility shapes price, features, and quality.
Lippert components at a glance
LCI Industries, known as Lippert, is a public company with more than 12,000 employees and about 140 facilities across North America, Africa, and Europe. Lippert supplies RVs, autos, watercraft, and prefab housing. They offer an enormous product range, including windows and doors, slide mechanisms, electrical parts, mattresses, locks, furniture, jacks and leveling, axles, and appliances.
Key Lippert subsidiaries
- CURT, which builds hitches, pin boxes, and suspensions like independent suspension and touring coil
- Furrion, Lippert’s appliance arm, covering air conditioners, refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, fireplaces, and camera systems. Everchill fridges and Greystone appliances fall under Furrion.
- Lippert also produces Thomas Payne furniture, Solera awnings, Girard water heaters, and HappiJac sofas. A rig could be mostly Lippert, and many are close.
- Lippert dominates trailer frames across travel trailers and fifth wheels. Some builders, like Outdoors RV and Oliver, build their own, but most do not.
A growing frame alternative
Norco Industries supplies the RV space through its BAL® group. BAL’s NXG frames use riveted rolled steel instead of welded beams. More manufacturers are choosing NXG, and the RV Miles’ Sabre fifth wheel collaboration rides on one. BAL also offers jacks, suspensions, and slide systems. Builders often mix brands, so a BAL frame might still get Lippert slides or jacks.
Dometic’s wide footprint
Dometic, based in Sweden, employs around 8,000 people worldwide. The RV lineup includes toilets, water heaters, furnaces, vents, fridges, cooktops, sinks, lights, blinds, and awnings. Like Lippert, Dometic also sells aftermarket gear like camp chairs, tables, and coolers.
Airxcel and its family of brands
Airxcel is a supplier group with well-known names: Coleman-Mach air conditioners, Aqua-Hot hydronic heating, Maxxair fans, MCD shades, Suburban appliances, and more. Cleer Vision makes RV glass, including windows and shower doors. Vixen Composites builds front caps. Dicor covers sealants and also offers electrical panels and components.
Patrick Industries’ role
Patrick Industries focuses heavily on RVs, supplying flooring, wall panels, hardware, solar components, faucets, sinks, countertops, and cabinet doors.
More big suppliers to know
- Thetford makes toilets, portable waste tanks, and refrigerators. The company just acquired Dave Carter and Associates, a major distributor of RV electrical parts, plumbing supplies, outlets, ceiling fans, detectors, and more, with 11 distribution centers that reach builders and dealers nationwide.
- MORryde supplies steps, suspensions, pin boxes, TV mounts, and toy hauler ramp doors.
- Truma offers water heaters, heating systems, air conditioners, and refrigeration.
- Dexter builds axles, brake assemblies, wheels, and fenders.
Countless smaller companies provide flooring, screws, adhesives, TVs, and tank valves.
How manufacturers choose parts
Builders mix brands based on price, install time, and performance. A single RV might pair a Thetford toilet with a Furrion air conditioner and a Suburban furnace. There is no single recipe.
Why so much happens in Elkhart, Indiana
About 80 percent of RVs are built in northern Indiana because it keeps freight and coordination in check. Shipping frames or dozens of A/C units across the country gets expensive. When a builder wants a new idea, like a folding patio, they often partner with a supplier. The builder may get it exclusively for a year, then it spreads as suppliers sell it to others.
Quality depends on what a builder specs, how well parts are installed, and how brands stand behind them. Location or a single logo on a component does not tell the whole story.
The takeaway is simple. RVs are built from a wide mix of parts, chosen for a balance of cost, time, and performance. Shop the rig as a whole, and look for companies that support their products.
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RVDT2761
Your new RV’s Owner’s Manual is typically very generic. The real ‘meat’ is all the supplemental manuals for the products installed in your RV. And that stack of manuals probably doesn’t cover the specifics for a multitude of parts used to construct your specific RV. I swear half the battle of RV repair is finding who made what part and how to contact them. The automotive industry is required to stock compatible parts for at least 10 years. Not so the RV industry. Several times I have found who made something only to find that specific part is no longer available and I have to figure out how to get a different part installed that is both functionally and esthetically compatible.
Hi Jim…..finding parts for older Rv’s or their installed equipment is indeed challenging. Even if you find the mfgr. you find the parts are no longer available. I have found one of the best sources, although you may have to wait, is EBay. Some sellers buy out closed Rv or supplier companies entire old stock of parts and make it available there. I have been looking for a couple special screws for my crank out windows – to no avail – yet! 8-32 x 5″ or more; sounds like a common part – not so much!
Have you checked with ACE Hardware for your screws? They carry many sizes and lengths.
Hi Don: Yes I have – I went thru virtually every bin and cabinet they have – which is everything – except that one!! A great stock for everything else tho. Thanks for tho’t! Appreciate it.