RV makers spent $80 million less on Lippert parts this summer than they did a year ago. Factories shipped fewer trailers, and a larger share of those shipped were single-axle campers.
A large toy hauler can leave the factory with up to $15,000 in Lippert equipment, according to former CEO Jason Lippert. A small single-axle trailer needs far less. In its November 5 earnings report, Lippert said that shift helped explain why its sales to RV builders fell 17%.
How far trailer sales fell
Sales of parts for travel trailers and fifth wheels fell by $74.6 million from July through September compared with the same three months last year. The other $5.6 million of the decline came from motorhome parts.
| July through September | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lippert parts sales to RV makers | $470.1 million | $389.9 million | Down 17% |
| Travel trailers and fifth wheels shipped to North American dealers | 65,700 | 57,400 | Down 13% |
| Estimated North American retail sales of those trailers | 90,700 | 75,600 | Down 17% |
Dealers sold about 18,200 more travel trailers and fifth wheels than manufacturers shipped during the quarter, according to Lippert’s figures. Even with retail sales down, dealers were still selling through the trailers they already had on their lots.
Will the shift to single-axle campers last?
In the summer of 2025, a shift toward fifth wheels equipped with more Lippert parts helped push the company’s sales to RV makers up 11% compared with the year before.
On Thursday’s earnings call, interim CEO Johnny Sirpilla said he expects the shift toward single-axle trailers to continue into 2027. Lippert didn’t give a unit count for single-axle models.
The earnings call came less than two weeks before shareholders vote November 18 on a proposed merger with Patrick Industries. One analyst asked which of Lippert’s three equipment tiers, good, better, or best, builders favored as they planned their 2028 models.
“It is in the good range,” Sirpilla replied. He said builders were looking for ways to keep those campers affordable.
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