Frame / Axle Assembly

[katkens]

Guys is the 3600 supposed to come with the MorRyde system already installed or is it a special order?

I believe at the present time they are using the new Equa-Flex by TrailAir system. Mine has the MorRyde and it came standard on my 'O7.--Ken

 

[Uncle Rog]

From September 2006 ct108 posted.....

Dropped my Mt. Rushmore off at LSI for a few minor adjustments and Lance kept it for 3 days! He discovered a problem with my axles, Mor/ryde and springs, and they had to be replaced. It appears it was a joint problem with the blame going to Mor/ryde and Lippert. Heartland got it all replaced, and beefed up the whole suspension to boot. That 1 inch space between the tires was eliminated also--now I have 5+ inches. We were camped out at the LSI Resort, and LSI did a great job of taking care of everything. David Partin of Heartland did a walk-thru with Lance and I and made sure everything was done, and done properly. Very pleased with both Heartland's and LSI's committment.
__________________
Clark and Gail Thompson, 2003 GMC 3500 Duramax/Allison, 4x4, CC, LB, Mt Rushmore #2896

I think I some correlation here..........sounds like I have a similar situation.....

 

[Uncle Rog]

Measurements Taken.....

Howdy, I went over to the shop and this is what I came up with....
1) The tire separation was 3" on the ds and 2" on the ods.....
2) The distance from the c/l of the front hanger bolt to the c/l of the Mor Ryde unit was 29 1/2".
3) We also measured the square of the hangers by going for f/l to r/r which was 92", from the r/f to the l/r was 90", clearly not square.
4) The attached picture shows the door side wheels with the rear out
1 1/2" from the front. In fairness when they parked the BH using a fork lift the axles get cranked pretty good, not sure if it enough to move them 2" or not.
5) The other picture shows the ods rear leaf. it is fanned alittle and the spring is definately rubbing the Mor Ryde, phone camera is pretty rough.
I have contacted Lippert with all this info and they said they will have the local rep go by and take a look.
I can't believe I never noticed any of this before, but glad I did even if it is late.
I have posted this in the spirit of information sharing as this is the kind of thing that is a safety issue and a concern to all of us. I will let you all know what happens..............

 

[dieselengineer]

Rog
You need pull the unit straight for about 100 feet before you take measurements. Tight turns will place a very large side force on the running gear. The wheel alignment will not be the same as during the straight pull going down the road.

 

[Uncle Rog]

Thanks de, you are right about the alignment, I am sure I would have noticed that before.
I guess my biggest concern is the hanger spacing, the hangers not being square on the frame and the spring leak beating up the mor ryde.

 

[Uncle Rog]

Heartland / Lippert Update

So far I am more than impressed! I contacted Chris on Tuesday with my concerns. He respoded immediately with the contact info for lippert.
Lippert called wed night, I went out this AM and took pictures and measurements and they will be at the shop in the morning to check it out!
I will be there to see what the story is, also too check the DOT # on my last remaining TA tire, the spare. What can I say, I am frugal, I figured with the GY's I would not need a spare any way.........

 

[Uncle Rog]

Lippert Inspection.....

I learn something new every day. We met this morning and the rep basically said my suspension was shot.
I need to replace all the leaf springs and hardware. We also need to weld a horizontal brace between the Mor Ryde units to keep them from flexing.
I have no idea, at this point, if this is a warrantable issue or not. He said the axles were in good shape and had not been overloaded because of the visible "factory" camber.
My big question was did the blowouts cause the damage? He did not seem to know. He was quite adamant about the brace between the MR's though, after he pointed how tweeked out they were. I had no idea what I was looking at before.
Anyways that is my story. I will report later on what was and not covered.

 

[Uncle Rog]

Good News!

Howdy, Lippert sent me a message late Friday.
They are replacing all of my leaf springs and hardware, no charge! WOW!
They also recommended welding a tube horizontally from each Mor Ryde unit to stiffen up the system and reduce deflection on tight turns or when trying to park.
I am pretty pleased with the news, and am happy that HL used a stand up outfit that stands by their products!

 

[kakampers]

I don't care what others say...gotta LOVE Lippert! They had us fixed up and back on the road in less than 24 hours, and only two hours late to next destination! That was after discovering a busted leaf spring on a brand new 08' at 1:30 in the afternoon. They overtnited the spring and a local shop replaced it first thing next morning...Great Service!

 

[tdharley]

Well I am lost.

Should I now be happy I do not have a Mor-Ryde system?

My tires do line up, but the gap is different by 1". Should I worry?

Just got back from a week in Mass. and need to catch up.

 

[ct0218]

Rog
After Lippert put on 8K axles the braces were welded on as you described. I have no flexing now, even in a tight turn. Like you I had no idea my suspension was shot until they told me I wasn't going to leave until it was fixed.

 

[sailorand]

Hi Rog
Just measured our 3055. The distances from mid Mor-ryde to center of hanger bolts, both sides and front and rear is 29 1/2". Is this supposed to be a problem??
Rand

 

[Uncle Rog]

Rand, I am still not sure on that one. The factory said the distance should be 33" with 7k# axles, the rep said that the 30" spacing on mine was ok...I am still trying to clarify this. They are replacing the entire spring system which is great as long as the underlying problem is not the hanger spacing...........Will let you know...

Roger

 

[talley]

Rog
After Lippert put on 8K axles the braces were welded on as you described. I have no flexing now, even in a tight turn. Like you I had no idea my suspension was shot until they told me I wasn't going to leave until it was fixed.

What was the issue that caused a change in the axles to be changed and a brace welded between the Mor/rydes?

I believe my '06 Big Horn has experienced flexing of the Mor/rydes-weld clip seems bent away from face of Mor/ryde face plate - picture). And possible cause of wear to the spring shackles' bolt pattern (bolt hole on shackle completely wallowed out-picture). Called Lippert and representative said it was a maintenance issue. Also said springs should be oiled. The coating on the frame has rusted thru and large sectins flaked off. The Lippert rep. said was dealer's fault for not rinseing salt off the undercarriage when it was received.

Noticed the rust and paint flaking couple of weeks after taking delivery of the coach in October "06. Remaining paint coating coming off in small sheets (picture)

Anyone experience these issues? If they were maintenance issues it seems that they would not be this advanced for under one year usage.

 

[Uncle Rog]

talley, have the springs checked out, no reason not to as critical as they are. My new suspension is now installed, but the the tube needs to be welded in place to be good to go. I am still not sure about the hanger distance deal. the OD side tires are closer than the DS, and when we measured the square of the hangers they were out by 1/2". I am going to challenge this one more time as it does not seem right. From your pictures I would put in the extra effort to make sure they are OK.
One more thought, I am going to invest in some dry silicone spray to spray areas that might need some lubrication with out picking up dirt and keep up with the "rust never sleeps" areas................

 

[talley]

I have not taken any measurements of the spring hanger spacing. I have seen the specs quoted here and will get that done this weekend. Also, have not measured the gap between the tires, but it appear to be about one & half inches (don't have the unit with me). Will measure that also... is there any critical distance here?

I seem to recall some mention of Mor/ryde having a bolt-on bar between the suspension. I suppose that is to prevent flexing? Is the welding fix suggested by Mor/ryde in place of their supposed bolt-on fix?

I had mentioned to dealer that in tight turns when parking the trailer I had noticed the tires "twisting" or not tracking. The dealer service manager said that is common and not a problem. But... is that ,,causing the damage to the leaf spring shackle (wallowed out bolt hole - one each on doorside and off doorside).

This is my first RV (Big Horn 3655 - 38') and pull with Ford 250 shortbed. l Sometimes have short turning radius in backing to spaces.

 

[jpmorgan37]

The tire "twisting" that you mention is not a problem. What you are doing is literally sliding one tire on each side. The rear tire is making the turn that you are doing and the front tire is trying to track straight. Hence, you have two tires trying to go in two different directions. This puts a high strain on suspension components, wheel bearings and tires. Also, the suspension change that ct0218 mentioned was on a Landmark, not a Bighorn.

John

 

[ct0218]

Talley
I've been out of town for a few days and just saw your post. John is right, mine is a Landmark. I think the changes to the suspension was to a short run on the Landmarks only, but the information about it should be available by doing a search. Strange that you have that elongated bolt hole--never seen that before even on very high mileage trailers. Also, noticed the duct tape on the corrugated bottom-there is a tape available that holds much better than standard duct tape.

 

[slaytop]

The elongated holes in the shackles is a common problem found on trailers. It is easier to prevent the problem on suspensions that have grease fittings on the shackle bolts.

The shackle bolts usually have a knurled collar so they do not move or twist in the shackle straps. The bolts are supposed to move or twist inside the spring loops and equalizer and often a bushing is inserted to help reduce the friction. If there is no grease fitting, the bolts should be removed, checked and greased each year to keep them from seizing in the spring and equalizer.

If the shackle bolts are permitted to twist in the shackle straps because of a poor fit or lack of lubrication in the spring or equalizer, they will wear out the hole in the shackle strap and cause the elongation. It is possible for the hole to be worn completely out of the end of the shackle.

I would suggest replacing solid shackle bolts with greaseable hollow bolts to prevent this problem. Make sure they will not twist in the shackle strap.

I hope this explanation helps to understand the problem.

 

[ct0218]

Slaytop
That makes sense. I remember I had a suspension squeak on my first trailer and I pulled the shackle bolts to grease them. I noticed that with less than 1000 miles the plastic around the bolt had just about worn out. I traded it shortly thereafter and immediately upgraded to "wet" bolts on the new trailer. After 30K miles they were as good as new. My Landmark came with greaseable bolts, so after seeing what can happen it is obvious that they are well worth the expense.