Upgrade Axles with Disc Brake Option?

[kdubinwa]

Some new factory options for brake/suspension/tires to consider when ordering.... I'm trying to balance the bang for the buck on a Grand Canyon order and would appreciate some help/insights.

First, I'm very interested the disc brake option, but I did not find specific information on the "upgraded axles". Is that 8K Dexter axles over the standard 7K? If so, then it looks like my net pricing from the dealer on this option would make this lower in cost than hauling to Mor Ryde and having disc brakes installed after the fact.

I'm also interested in keeping options open for future suspension upgrades (to Mor Ryde SRE 4000 or Mor Ryde IS). However, if the new factory disc brake option comes with 8K axles, I'm not sure the SRE 4000 kit still works with Dexter 8K axles and the Mor Ryde IS cost jumps by > $1000 for 8K over the 7K axles. So now I begin to wonder if skipping the disc brake factory option and just going to Mor Ryde after delivery might make more sense for disk and suspension upgrades on the standard 7K axles.

Would you get the factory disc brake option now and just cross the less important "suspension upgrade" bridge down the road?

The other new option is the 17.5 rims and H rated tires. Thoughts? Are they overkill or is the modest extra cost justified over the Goodyear G rated tires?

Thanks,
Kurt

Is this combination overkill?

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

kdubinwa, I'm not too familiar with current options available but Heartland Customer Service can surely help out. As for 17.5 wheels and H rated tires, I would call it peace of mind. Certainly not overkill.

 

[danemayer]

If you actually live in Washington, considering the distance to Elkhart, I'd get it all done at once when taking delivery.

Considering that weight is not even distributed across all 4 wheels, one or more could be close to the weight limit for a G rated tire if you're heavily loaded. The upgrade from G614 to G114 gives you about 1000 pounds of additional margin on each wheel (4805 vs 3750 pounds). I agree with Ray that it's peace of mind.

 

[kdubinwa]

Thanks Ray and Dan for the feedback.

The tire/wheel upgrade seems like good insurance regardless of the brake/axle upgrade. Dan's point about uneven weight loading rings true and yes it is a long drive from Washington State.

 

[jbeletti]

Hi Kurt,

You "may" be able to option an 8k upgrade - check with your dealer or Heartland rep.

If you're "considering" Independent Suspension, as Dave mentions, getting it done while your coach is in Elkhart is the thing to do if you can. This does however require working with a dealership that can coordinate with Mor/ryde as Heartland does not offer this as a service. I know a couple of customers who have done this with two different dealerships.

Regarding the 17.5" wheels and tires - this too is a nice upgrade, especially if you feel you may be loading up to the GVWR of the RV.

Note however that while optioning more tire/wheel capacity and even axle capacity in the axle upgrade - all gives you more margin, it does not raise the GVWR of the RV.

Now is the time to get what you want/need. Have fun!

On Edit: Mis-spoke on 8k axle - fixed that up.

 

[cookie]

If you go with any upgrade option, remember that cost is included with the MSRP of the trailer.
Hopefully you will negotiate a deal.
If the MSRP of the option is say $1400 and you wind up negotiation about 30% off the MSRP of the whole deal then the option would cost $980.
You will not get that discount aftermarket.
Just something to consider.

Peace
Dave

 

[lwmcguir]

If the IS suspension is like our Torsion axles we have on the stock trailers you have to run the coach nearly level or you overload the rear tires. On the cattle trailers they are truly independent axles with no equalizer. I would never have IS without upgrading to 17.5's. That is why you never see them on heavier trailers which always have some kind of equalizer. The lack of maintenance is the selling point for the stock trailers and the reason for the heavier slipper springs on the heaver capacity flat beds. I like the 8K upgrade we did on the Augusta giving us almost double the braking and minimizing worries about bearing loading. If you are going to keep a coach a long time then 17.5 wheels/tires are not a luxury option but should be standard equipment.

 

[wdk450]

I can only speak about the disk brakes upgrade and the immense difference it made in my rig's braking ability. Before I left for Elkhart, I could barely get the rig to stop on trailer brakes alone at 25 mph, controller full on. With the disk brakes I can lock up the trailer wheels and burn rubber with the controller only set to 50%.

I had to make a panic stop on a side highway in Salt Lake City going 45 mph after coming upon a red light right after an underpass and curve, on the way to Elkhart. It was a real nailbiter with my foot to the floor. After the disk brakes while in Jackson, Ca. on my way to the rally there, I had a similar situation with a sudden red light on a downhill, stopped without too much effort, and smelled rubber while waiting at the stoplight. I re-adjusted the controller down a little after that.

 

[jnbhobe]

I installed my own disc brakes, that's the best option you can do. I had 7K up graded axels and GY 614 tires, added the Mor-ryde IS and the rig rides like a baby carriage. As far as 17.5 tires on a heavy rig, just do it you'll be happy you did. Timing is the big thing and your choice of brakes, from the factory you will get Dexter 8K axels and disc brakes and from Mor-Ryde you will get 7K IS and Kodiac brakes. They do make 8K IS but you won't need it unless you are real heavy, I think Porthole has 8K on his Cyclone.

 

[For20hunter]

kdubinwa,

I can only comment or express my opinion from personal experience on the wheels and tires portion of your original post. My wife and I have had numerous blowouts on our previous fifth wheel trailers, most of which were Tow Max tires. We also had a set of Goodyear G614's and they were great for 3.5 years and thousands of miles. However after 3.5 years (and prior to any TPMS) we did have a blowout that caused several thousand dollars in damage to our fiver. Because of all of those problems, as soon as we purchased our new Bighorn, we had researched the tires and wheel extensively and made the decision to replace them with 17.5 inch wheels and 17.5 inch Goodyear G114's. This was due to the fact that E and G rated tires are always running over, at or near the maximum towing limits of those tires. Tires are no different than anything else, if you operate the at or close to their maximum operating capabilities or capacities they will fail much sooner than something that has much more of a buffer to the maximum. Think of an engine that if you run it constantly at or near redline (maximum safe RPM's) the engine will fail much sooner than an engine that is not run that hard all the time. The same is true for tires. I believe that in running tires that have a greater buffer from the maximum gives the tires more life span. Because of that, we ordered set of 17.5 inch wheels and tires and swapped out our factory tires and wheels and listed our old tires and wheels on craigslist. We refused to sell to someone that was planning on putting them on another fifth wheel or travel trailer, but did compromise and sold them to someone who put them on their horse trailer. If you have the option of getting the 17.5 inch wheels and G114 tires, I would strongly urge you in doing that.

As far as the disc brakes and bigger axles, the same is true with those. Greater buffer from the maximum limits of the factory installed axles and brakes, greater hauling capacity and much smoother ride just makes sense. Not to mention how much better the braking ability is on the electric over hydraulic disc brakes than the factory electric brakes. No matter what you decide, you are looking at buying one of the best built RV's in the industry and I am sure you will love it and Heartland as much as we and others here do.


I hope that you will be able to join us this July in your new Landmark at the Oregon and Washington Rallies in July. Click on the links (Oregon and Washington) listed above and check out the rally links. They are a blast and a great way of meeting fellow Heartlanders and people that have common interests and goals. If you guys do not become active members beforehand or have friends or families that are also RV’ers that are not Heartland Owners Club members, you are welcome to invite them as well for $20.00 per rig for the Rally festivities. As soon as you become an owner of a Heartland product, you are entitled to a free 1 year introductory membership which would give you the ability to attend the rally for free.


Be safe and hope to see you down the road!

 

[For20hunter]

For some reason my links did not work on the post, so here are the links again. We hope you can join us at one or both of the Oregon Rally and Washington Rally.

Safe travels.


Rod Ditrich

 

[porthole]

Just my opinion, spending your money.

yes = 8K
yes = disc brakes
yes = 17.5's
yes = MOR/ryde IS

8K, my thoughts - there is a reason this is offered as an option. And I suspect that somewhere down the road it will be standard (think LevelUp 4 to 6 jacks)

Disc brakes - no comparison, and the grease on the drums becomes a moot point. 'I' have yet to hear of anyone that had a seal blowout and rotors covered in grease.
Kodiak is my preferred brand of disc brakes. That kit uses standard GM brake pads and standard type wheel bearings. Oil bath bearings are standard if you choose to use oil, but they can also be greased as typical automotive bearings are.

17.5's - When we got our trailer, HL refused to allow us to upgrade from the stock tires to the Goodyear 614's. Really irked me since it only required a fork lift, a pallet of tires and wheels and a trip across the parking lot.
Buying tires after the fact, we jumped to the 17.5's. Even with the really good price I got the tire wheel combo for (5 aluminun rims and tires for $2500), I still would have preferred having them from new.
After the fact, any 5th wheel in our future will have Goodyear 17.5 614's - period.

On the way to Goshen last year we had a leak. Turned out to be a cracked rim, no tire issue. What surprised me was when swapping out the spare. The used tire with 12,500 miles looked almost the same as the unused tires as far as tread depth and condition.

MOR/ryde IS - we had that installed when the trailer was new. I picked up our trailer form the dealer in Elkhart. Part of my plan was an appointment at MOR/ryde for the IS and disc brakes while staying at Great Lakes (dealer).

Disc brakes are an option that you can do yourself if handy. And you will save maybe $1000 over the factory list price option. FYI, I sold my old - almost unused drum brakes on Craig's List for $225.

Getting this stuff done during your build allows you to add it to the note, and "may" increase trade in value. Anything done after the sale adds no trade in value.

Sure would be nice if HL started offer the MOR/ryde IS as a factory option. They certainly would not e the first.

Jon is correct about our trailer having the 8K IS. But, our 8K was a replacement for what turned out to be an undersized 7K.
An advantage to the IS system is that the four axles can have the springs somewhat tuned to the load.

 

[jmgratz]

We had 8k Mor-Ryde IS with disc brakes and never lube bearings on our previous Landmark. We will upgrade to that on our current Landmark as soon as our finances allow. Mor-Ryde is a classy company which treats their customers right. We already have upgraded to 17.5 tires and wheels using the Goodyear G114. Wanted the extra margin of safety.

 

[kakampers]

We too have Mor Ryde IS, disc brakes and 17.5 tires and rims...best decision we EVER made!!

We bought the tires and rims when we had our Bighorn and transferred them to the Landmark upon arrival. We worked with the dealer to have a transport driver pick up the unit in Elkhart and deliver to Mor Ryde in Goshen, and then bring it to the dealer in Dallas.

We made all arrangements and payment directly with Mor Ryde...really turned out to be an easy process...knew their work well enough to not need to be present for the upgrade. Have put 6,500 miles on this rig in just over one year and the difference in suspension, ride and peace of mind are AMAZING!

 

[mobilcastle]

Go for it all!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dtesh]

I have had 3 fifth wheelers and if you plan on pulling them I would go with the best axles wheels and tires I could afford my 2014 key largo has the 8000 lb axles along with the 17.5 wheels disc brakes and h rated tires the full timer package will help with knowing if you have a tire going down Have a good year

 

[wdk450]

BTW the disk brakes MorRyde installs ARE Kodiac brand.

 

[porthole]

BTW the disk brakes MorRyde installs ARE Kodiac brand.

Brand of disc brakes use to depend on the bearings desired. Standard bearings were Kodiak. Never lube were a different DB kit.

 

[dave10a]

I'm considering this: http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-how-to/trailer-tech/bounce-be-gone/

Maybe Heartland offers something similar.

 

[wdk450]

I think Dexter has an IS system like the one in the last post: http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6149609/f/product_flyers/Airflex_Flyer_8-10.pdf They also have a rubber spring IS like MorRyde's: http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6149609/f/product_flyers/Torflex_11-06.pdf . BTW they are also in Elkhart.

I seem to remember Dexter having an Elkhart service center like MorRyde's years ago, but can find no current listing of it. I guess they now only have a network of local dealers they don't want to compete with.