Suspension Maintenance and Improvements - My 2011 Landmark GC

[brianharrison]

I have wanted to make some improvements to my suspension for awhile now. My reasons were mostly preventative and for my piece of mind; I am not a happy camper when I break down on the road! So from what I learned here from others and their experiences AND to reduce the chance of that road failure, I did some preventative maintenance and made some improvements on my coach.

As well, for me, by my taking everything apart, inspecting and putting back together I am more comfortable and can detect any early signs of something going south.....

My trailer is in its 3rd season, pulled about 2000 miles per season. It is an early 2011 Landmark Grand Canyon model (manufacture date of April 2010, 16,200 GVWR). It came with Lippert 7000# axles, TrailAir EquiFlex spring equalizers, 6 leaf springs, G rated Goodyears. I started to see early tire wear on the inside of the rears. I am level when pulling and within 300#s weight on each axle (measured). So ahead of my first alignment I did some work to the suspension.

So here is what I did

• replaced springs with a custom 7 leaf (estimate 3700-3900# rating), the extra leaf added was in the middle, about a 500# increase according to the spring tech),
• added NeverFail bushings,
• added a spacer plate between the axle and spring to mount the shock lower (OEM has shock mounted on the top plate) Note this requires a longer spring tab to extend through new plate into axle mount,
• replaced top shock mount with new one to accomodate new shock angle and mounting point (to put shock at 50% range of travel, static),
• new longer ubolts,
• replaced out TrailAir EquiFlex with Dexter EX-Flex - my equiflex was bending sideways, I think due to tire twisting at 70 degree jack knife into driveway. The Dexter is cast.
• repacked bearings with new seals (found one bearing pitted so replaced one bearing and race), replaced all dust caps with new ones.
• alignment with cold bending. Rear was out on toe and camber, front on camber.

There was a TON of grease in the brakes. I think the seals were not doing their job, I have never added grease through the zerk fitting.
The shock lower shafts were bent on 3 shocks - I just straightened and reused.
The oil on one of the hub face - came from the grease as the oil separates and makes its way out of the dust cap - the result is the grease in the bearing gets thicker!
The old brass bushings were not too bad, however I found one spring with NO bushing in the front eyelet.

Hope this is informative to other thinking about their suspensions...

Brian

 

[cookie]

Very nice.

Peace
Dave

 

[Willym]

Nice work Brian! I wouldn't mind seeing picture of your upper shock mounts.

 

[CrazyCooter]

Lookin good there!

I just did a similar upgrade/overhaul on my Cyclone's suspension. Made a world of difference in the ride!

I love to see pics of real alignment shops where anything is possible.....brings back memories.

 

[TeJay]

Nice work Brian. You won't be sorry for doing the work. It will pay off in peace of mind. One question. Did you use synthetic bearing lube??? This is just a theory but it's based on what I've read here and my experience. The zerk fitting way of lubrication is a way of reducing the work to get fresh grease into the bearings. The grease used to lube the bearings through the tiny holes drilled into the axle has to be thinner or it won't get to where they want it to go. That's problem number one, thinner grease. Number two is telling owners that they should lube every 12 months or 12,000miles. What do they do but squirt more thin grease into an already filled cavity. Sometimes that thin grease goes past the seal and onto the drums. Therefore a simpler method of lubing bearings has created a way of ruining the brakes. Good bearing lube will last 30-40-K miles. We never did it on our vehicles when we had front bearings so why do it now???? If I'm going to pack my bearings the old fashioned way and that is by hand then I will always use synthetic grease.
TeJay

 

[brianharrison]

@Bill - here is a picture of the new upper shock mounts - I had just tacked it into place - essentially a 1.75 box channel spacer welded to an angle iron shock mount (spacer to clear the I-beam flange).


@TeJay - No, I used a non-synthetic based grease, but good quality.

Brian

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Brian, thanks for the informative post. I'm sure it will help many others.

 

[readytohitheroad]

what was the total cost of all your upgrades?

 

[dave10a]

I have wanted to make some improvements to my suspension for awhile now. My reasons were mostly preventative and for my piece of mind; I am not a happy camper when I break down on the road!

Brian

Hmm-- why do so many worry about the suspension? Is trailer suspension design and manufacture a real problem. This is my first year with a fifth wheel and I thought I bought a unit that I would not need to worry that it was safe and designed to travel the USA. If the suspension is designed to handle a certain load under most driving conditions, it seems to me that I should not need to worry about it. I understand that I have a responsibly for proper maintenance but I don't think I need to worry about it. Did I buy a "pig in the poke."

 

[danemayer]

Hmm-- why do so many worry about the suspension?

There's a pretty wide variation in usage. Some rigs get towed a couple of hundred miles each year. Others may get towed 20,000.
We're running about 10,000 miles per year for the past 2 years and next year will likely be about the same.

 

[SouthernNights]

Very good work and pictures. I like the fact you could complete the job with an alignment.

 

[dave10a]

There's a pretty wide variation in usage. Some rigs get towed a couple of hundred miles each year. Others may get towed 20,000.
We're running about 10,000 miles per year for the past 2 years and next year will likely be about the same.

So what is the limit I should tow with a stock suspension that is within the manufacturers specs? I tow 8,000 mile per year and no one told me of any limitations other than stay within the GVW.

 

[brianharrison]

Hmm-- why do so many worry about the suspension? Is trailer suspension design and manufacture a real problem. This is my first year with a fifth wheel and I thought I bought a unit that I would not need to worry that it was safe and designed to travel the USA. If the suspension is designed to handle a certain load under most driving conditions, it seems to me that I should not need to worry about it. I understand that I have a responsibly for proper maintenance but I don't think I need to worry about it. Did I buy a "pig in the poke."

dave10a - You are absolutely correct! Proper maintenance and staying within the weight allowances - the OEM suspension should provide many years of worry free operation.

For myself, the improvements (bigger springs, NeverFail bushings, shock mount relocation, EquiFlex changeout) were for my "piece of mind". Fortunatlely, or unfortunately, I have the problem of always looking to tinker and improve on things - it's my nature.

For the manufacturers, in building a coach, it's a balance in selection of components to meet customer demands of a reliable, low cost, low weight, high quality coach. It is a delicate balance. Unfortunately, all of us as consumers demand "more for less". I beleive Heartland has done a great job of this balance. That is why I own a HL product. Oh yeah, and the after sales warranty and service!

We have great coaches - no pig in the poke -


Hope this helps address your concern.....
Brian

 

[Willym]

Thanks for the extra picture Brian. I also like you garage pit!

 

[Willym]

TeJay,
I'm not a fan of the "easy greasing system" myself. You can't tell where the grease is going, and you cannot inspect the bearings themselves. The grease consistency recommended by Dexter is still NLGI#2, the same as for lubing regular bearings. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that it has changed for many years.

Nice work Brian. You won't be sorry for doing the work. It will pay off in peace of mind. One question. Did you use synthetic bearing lube??? This is just a theory but it's based on what I've read here and my experience. The zerk fitting way of lubrication is a way of reducing the work to get fresh grease into the bearings. The grease used to lube the bearings through the tiny holes drilled into the axle has to be thinner or it won't get to where they want it to go. That's problem number one, thinner grease. Number two is telling owners that they should lube every 12 months or 12,000miles. What do they do but squirt more thin grease into an already filled cavity. Sometimes that thin grease goes past the seal and onto the drums. Therefore a simpler method of lubing bearings has created a way of ruining the brakes. Good bearing lube will last 30-40-K miles. We never did it on our vehicles when we had front bearings so why do it now???? If I'm going to pack my bearings the old fashioned way and that is by hand then I will always use synthetic grease.
TeJay

 

[brianharrison]

what was the total cost of all your upgrades?

I spent about $500 on parts - The labor for this job should be about 4-5 hours to r/r axles, springs and repack. Alignment labor should be 2 hours, but all shops charge more as it is a specialty service. Labor rates are variable across the country but a reputable shop should be somewhere in the 75 to 100 per hour. I am up in Alberta Canada so cannot compare directly to other regions - our hourly rate here in Calgary has been going up due to our booming economy and cost of labor in this region. I was able to reduce my labor costs by working alongside the tech. I did not build the custom springs nor perform the alignment (not qualified).

Brian

 

[brianharrison]

Thanks for the extra picture Brian. I also like you garage pit!

You're welcome - the pit was at the service shop where we did the work and alignment. My garage does not have a tall enough door. I was fortunate to be able to work alongside the tech. Although I do have a pit in my garage


Brian

 

[dave10a]

For myself, the improvements (bigger springs, NeverFail bushings, shock mount relocation, EquiFlex changeout) were for my "piece of mind". Fortunatlely, or unfortunately, I have the problem of always looking to tinker and improve on things - it's my nature.


Brian

Thanks for the clarification, I have the same nature ( being a retired engineer). I understand decisions made in initial design as well as the marketing considerations. But specs should be understood and believable. Unfortunately engineering considerations can be stretched by less than reputable organizations to where they sound good but they can be very limited in practical use. I have no reason to believe Heartland is not representing the specs to everyday expectations and real world application. I do my share by properly taking care of what I buy and certainly expect the manufacturer to do the same. I also do appropriate improvements to make it even more enjoyable that is my nature as well.....

 

[wdk450]

Brian:
How did the OEM shackle links look? I know the (thin) originals tend to get elongated bolt holes with wear loading, and they aren't protected by bushings. Lippert, MorRyde and Dexter all sell heavy duty shackles (thicker than OEM), usually with a bushing wet bolt kit, so I guess they all think this is needed.
I wonder why they don't put bushings in the shackle links, as they support as much weight and swivel about, as much as the equalizers and spring ends.

 

[brianharrison]

.... I have the same nature ( being a retired engineer). ...... I do my share by properly taking care of what I buy and certainly expect the manufacturer to do the same. I also do appropriate improvements to make it even more enjoyable that is my nature as well.....

I aspire to be in your situation - retired. Right now I am just an engineer

The curse of The Knack.....