8K axle upgrade

[Bobby A]

I have a 2010 Big Horn 3580, need opinions on doing the 8K axle upgrade by Lippert, is it worth the out of pocket upgrade or is it over kill ?? I would basicially be doing it for peace of mind after my spring/u-bolt problem. I would be getting the spring upgrade as well.

Bobby A

 

[2010augusta]

As long as the 7,000#axles are in good shape, I would just put the 8,000# spring on the old axles, unless you are upgrading the for the never-lube hubs or disc brakes too.

Depending on the cost I would check out an air-ride option before going out-of-pocket on another set of lippert springs and axles.

Trailer flex suspension.

Keldermen air ride trailer

 

[SouthernNights]

Another option, if you are going to spend money anyway, would be MorRyde's IS. Eliminates axles, ubolts, springs, equalizers etc.

Several people on this forum have the IS and can give you an honest assesment of the system.

 

[cjbearden]

Hi Bobby,

We met you at Elkhart Campground last year when we were in Elkhart getting the MorRyde IS upgrade. We went to 8,000 lb equivalent, no lube hubs and disc brakes. Best investment we ever made for piece of mind (next to the Pressure Pro tire monitoring system)! Best wishes on whatever decision you make.

C.J. and J.D.

 

[Bobby A]

Hi Bobby,

We met you at Elkhart Campground last year when we were in Elkhart getting the MorRyde IS upgrade. We went to 8,000 lb equivalent, no lube hubs and disc brakes. Best investment we ever made for piece of mind (next to the Pressure Pro tire monitoring system)! Best wishes on whatever decision you make.

C.J. and J.D.

Yes I do remember you, thanks for your info, I will consider that option also, if you would'nt mind PM me and give me an idea of what that system might cost. I do need piece of mine.
Thanks again,
Bobby A

 

[TXBobcat]

If you have 7,000# axles and 5 leaf springs, that should be good for your trailer if you do not want to spend additional money on it. I believe that 8k axles are more than needed.

If your uncomfortable, I agree about putting Mor/Ryde IS and Disk Brakes on the trailer. Our brakes and hubs are for an 8k system but the trailer is balanced for the weight on each wheel. They adjust it for a specific length of travel also. So they actually don't put in a 7k or 8k system specifically. Each of the parts are added to support the weight of the trailer, so you need to have the trailer loaded as you would normally travel, including a full fresh water tank.

Just an addition bit of information. I have heard that people left a glass with water in it on a cabinet and it never moved when they arrived at their destination. I have not done that because even rolling with uneven surfaces can still cause drawers slide out and such. However the round glass plate in our microwave oven always had to be adjusted because it bounced around. Now we never have had to adjust it, so I know my trailer is riding more smoothly.

FWIW
BC

 

[RoadJunkie]

First, how are you certain the 8K axles will solve your problems and give you the piece of mind you are missing? If I just couldn't live without the piece of mind you seek, I would probably order a new rig to my liking. The inconvenience involved with either of the discussed upgrades and the uncertainty of workmanship during the conversion may become just as great an issue; Although, the 8K upgrade does seem fairly straight forward. Good luck, in either case.

 

[Bobby A]

Thanks to all for your opinions and suggestions, at the present time I'm still weighing my options and balancing my check book !! (lol)

 

[Tankie]

How much is the cost of the upgrade?

 

[ralphpam]

We just got a price from Mor-Ryde this week to have 7,000 lb IS, Disk brakes and never lube bearings put on our 3670 RL for slightly over $5,000. with the biggest expense for the brakes. If you want 8,000 lb IS add $700. We are going to have the work done when we are back there in Sept.

 

[lwmcguir]

If you are going to spend 5K on axles why not upgrade to a Luxury coach? Staying with what you have the 8K axles make sense due to the stability and additional brake drum size. Adding the Center Point air makes the ride much better than the Torsion axle's and I like them as we have several trailers equipped that way. The problem as I see it is if you stick 10% or so of your investment in axles you are never going to get it back. You better plan on having that coach for the next 20 years. Most folks with the torsion axles have been told and it is reality, you have to run them perfectly level or you just lost the entire benefit of going that way in the first place.

 

[Larryheadhunter]

Bobby, my advice is to stick with your 7K axles and for us 6 spring leaf set, that comes with new brakes on the axles, and as I said on the suspension thread, for the price, the Centerpoint Suspension is the poor man's suspension upgrade. I would only consider adding the IS and/or disc brakes if I planned to keep the rig for several years, for depreciation purposes. You might as well just get a new Landmark, make the upgrades, and don't forget the leveling system LOL, as I suspect you will have spent enough on upgrades to your existing rig, to afford the nicer Landmark. For safety purposes, u could upgrade your axles if you felt unsafe, and install the horizontal double air bag Centerpoint Suspension and a double air bag trailersaver hitch for extra comfort and smoother ride.

 

[Bobby A]

Bobby, my advice is to stick with your 7K axles and for us 6 spring leaf set, that comes with new brakes on the axles, and as I said on the suspension thread, for the price, the Centerpoint Suspension is the poor man's suspension upgrade. I would only consider adding the IS and/or disc brakes if I planned to keep the rig for several years, for depreciation purposes. You might as well just get a new Landmark, make the upgrades, and don't forget the leveling system LOL, as I suspect you will have spent enough on upgrades to your existing rig, to afford the nicer Landmark. For safety purposes, u could upgrade your axles if you felt unsafe, and install the horizontal double air bag Centerpoint Suspension and a double air bag trailersaver hitch for extra comfort and smoother ride.

Thanks Larry for your input, I'm nearing a decision and will post back.

 

[wesley1963]

I remember looking at your unit after you had the IS installed. After reading all the problems with the springs, shocks, bolts and bushings it sounds like the IS is the way to go. Have you had any problems with the bushings or brakes?

Hi Bobby,

We met you at Elkhart Campground last year when we were in Elkhart getting the MorRyde IS upgrade. We went to 8,000 lb equivalent, no lube hubs and disc brakes. Best investment we ever made for piece of mind (next to the Pressure Pro tire monitoring system)! Best wishes on whatever decision you make.

C.J. and J.D.

 

[kakampers]

We're having the 8K axles and larger 3" brakes installed tomorrow morning. For us, since we already have Center Point, it makes better sense than upgrading to IS. We are still under weight on the 7K axles, but only by 600 pounds. This will give us a much larger safety margin, even though we still need to stay within the tire ratings...and it's alot cheaper.

We're getting the $600 per axle rally special and the larger brakes are $50 extra per wheel...a total of $1,400. As we do plan on keeping the trailer for at least several more years, it's well worth the investment, in our opinion.

 

[lwmcguir]

The 8K axles have 3.75 inch or so drums. They really do stop the coach very well and the brake linings will last longer as will the drums. We feel we made the right decision on ours by going with the 8K and CP. If we decide to trade down the road we will go with Torsion axles as that is the style we have had the best performance with over the years. We do have 17.5 wheels/Goodyear tires which also have been money well spent as I put the old ones on a FB GN trailer. With the 5Th Airborn as well we are very happy with the towing, stopping and overall handling of the coach. The only drawback if the cost and doing it all over again we might have purchased somthing already equipped similar to that.