Alan_B
Well-known member
Last week we took the big plunge and upgraded our Bighorn 3570RS suspension and brakes. We took the fifth wheel to MORryde in Elkhart and had their independent suspension and disc brakes installed.
The service experience at MORryde was top notch. All the folks we dealt with were polite, professional and knew their business. The install is very clean and looks OEM.
How does it drive with the upgrades? The disc brakes are a big improvement. I noticed this right away on the test drive and the drive home. I am still adjusting the settings on the brake controller, reducing the settings to get a smoother stop.
The impact of the independent suspension isn't as noticeable. It is clearly better handling potholes and railroad tracks. The quality of the ride down the highway is about the same as before, with a small improvement (reduction) in chucking. I will drive it a bit more before making a decision on a new pin box.
Here are some more specifics on the upgrade:
The service experience at MORryde was top notch. All the folks we dealt with were polite, professional and knew their business. The install is very clean and looks OEM.
How does it drive with the upgrades? The disc brakes are a big improvement. I noticed this right away on the test drive and the drive home. I am still adjusting the settings on the brake controller, reducing the settings to get a smoother stop.
The impact of the independent suspension isn't as noticeable. It is clearly better handling potholes and railroad tracks. The quality of the ride down the highway is about the same as before, with a small improvement (reduction) in chucking. I will drive it a bit more before making a decision on a new pin box.
Here are some more specifics on the upgrade:
- We arrived at MORryde Sunday afternoon and parked in their RV parking area (see photo #1 below). There were several new unpainted DRV fifth wheels in the lot, waiting for service. We didn't sleep in the Bighorn, rather we stayed in a nearby hotel.
- At 6 am Monday morning we came back and met the service manager and mechanics that would be handling the work. They took measurements of the fifth wheel to see how level we were riding prior to the upgrade.
- At this point they would also normally weight the unit. But since the Bighorn wasn't loaded for a normal trip, they instead used our recent CAT scale weights from an October vacation. Based on those factors we went with two 7,000 lb. IS systems, as expected.
- Our mechanic backed the unit into their shop and went to work. We stayed in their customer lounge all that morning, just in case issues arose (non did).
- After lunch I checked on the unit and the first IS unit had been installed (see photo #5 below) along with the hydraulic master cylinder for the brakes (photo #6).
- All the work as completed by 1 pm on Tuesday. After a short test drive, the unit was re-measured and it was still riding level. They talked us through the maintenance schedule, gave us all the proper documentation, and we hit the road.
