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Old 02-10-2018, 05:51 PM   #1
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Are suspension linkage upgrades a wise investment?

I'm soliciting some input from anyone who has first hand or even second hand knowledge about the benefits of upgrading travel trailer suspensions.

I'm contemplating replacing the imported equalizer castings and leaf spring shackles and bolts with something domestically made.

For starters, is this a worthwhile upgrade ? or are the OEM units perfectly satisfactory for the anticipated life of the trailer (whatever that might be)

Are any manufacturers significantly better than others? I'd really appreciate your opinions and experiences.

Thanks everyone in advance. I'll respond to whomever has some advice.

Best regards
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Old 02-10-2018, 06:19 PM   #2
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MorRyde heavy shackles with wet bolt kits come with everything plus enough bronze bushings to replace them all. I highly recommend them for quality & customer service. I installed them about 4 years ago & am very pleased .
They also have good quality equalizer, I havent replaced but others on the Redwood forum have & are satisfied.
.1217141416.jpg

1217141417.jpg
Here's 1/2 the kit in the box (that black crap is the original plastic bushings with about 6k miles) & the other 1/2 of the kit installed with OEM equalizer.
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Old 02-10-2018, 07:04 PM   #3
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Thanks Danny, the photos really show the quality of the wet bolts and bushings. I'm thinking this is a must do for peace of mind if nothing else.

What are your thoughts about replacing the standard cast equalizer. I'm not a big fan of metal castings from other continents. (don't get me wrong, I love Harbor Freight etc.) But these triangular pieces with three holes are all that keep my TT from become an expensive sled.

Your OEM setup looks rather nice, better than most I've seen.

John
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Old 02-10-2018, 10:06 PM   #4
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I just did the same, Moryde wet bolt kit and heavy duty shackles. The shackles are about three times thicker than my original, and the wet bolts can know be greased, unlike the dry bolts that came with my trailer. I also installed a Moryde equalizer, model 3000 I believe. I got all on Amazon. Just be sure you know the distance between your shackles as they have two different sizes. They explain how to measure for fit. I’ve only driven a little bit, but the trailer feels really smooth. Many members on my Grand Design forums have done this and they have given great feedback.

Without wet bolts, or maybe the LCI Neverfail bushings, the plastic bushings will break down quickly.

The whole job took only about two hours, not including jacking up the trailer.

Edit: I did not have to replace any bushings in mine, as the new equalizer already had bronze bushings, and my spring eyes had them also. So now I have spares if I ever need them.
Also, it’s better to do the change earlier in the trailer life, as the bushings should come out easier than ones that have been in for a long time.
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Old 02-11-2018, 06:02 AM   #5
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Thanks Steve, great advice, especially the sooner rather than later bit.
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Old 02-11-2018, 06:12 AM   #6
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It seems a lot of you guys have the 'Morryde' rubber equalizers which is a great recommendation in itself, but I'd really like to hear from anyone who has experience with the 'E-Z flex heavy duty suspension system' from 'Dexter Axle' please.

Thanks in anticipation
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Old 02-11-2018, 04:57 PM   #7
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Some of the RW owners did the Dexter, some even did the Center Point by Lippert., personally any improvement over factory is probably money well spent.
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Old 02-11-2018, 07:00 PM   #8
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My thoughts exactly Danny.

I confess to liking the look and apparent engineering of the Dexter, and it comes complete with all the 'wet' bolts in the kit for just $235.00 from the nice people at etrailer.com (for my size at least)
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Old 02-12-2018, 12:58 PM   #9
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When we ordered our rig, I got the EQUA-FLEX by Trailair.
Shortly after we got the trailer, I purchased the wet bolt kit and installed it. The original suspension came with nylon bushings, and no way to grease any thing. At that time the price was only $58.00 For that I got 14 greasable bolts, 14 nuts,and 8 brass bushings.

Whether or not you need the Dexter upgrade and heavier shackles on your trailer is something you have to decide. I didn't figure I needed it. Nor was it worth the extra expense to me. My rig is 10 years old now and so far there hasn't been any problems.
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Old 02-12-2018, 02:50 PM   #10
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My suspension came with the nylon bushings which were toast in about 6k miles. At that time I installed the heavy shackles (the kit was $99 shipped) only to notice that the original shackles (which were very thin metal) bolt holes were already elongated in that 6k miles. If changing bushings anyway spend few extra bucks & do the upgraded shackles & have 1 less thing to worry about..
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Old 02-12-2018, 07:15 PM   #11
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Biggles you have to remember, your rig or mine either one don't weigh as much as a Rushmore, Redwood, or Carriage. Those can weigh well over 16,000# maybe more when fully loaded.
That's why I decided those heavy duty shackles were something I didn't need. I saved my money for other things I thought would benefit me or the trailer more
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Old 02-12-2018, 09:19 PM   #12
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Good point Lloyd, thanks.
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Old 02-20-2018, 08:29 PM   #13
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I put Dexter on my 2003 Cruiser. I have the Moryde on the 2010. The Dexters were trouble free while I had to replace the original Moryde on the 2010, due to bending. The replacements had 2 through bolts while the original ones had only one.

I couldn't get Dexters quickly for the replacement so I used Moryde. Would have rather had the Dexter.
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Old 02-22-2018, 08:05 PM   #14
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Thanks to everyone for your honest and valuable opinions, I took everything on board, chewed on it a bit, and decided for me it was a peace of mind investment as I intend to keep this trailer for the foreseeable future.

I went with the Dexter equalizer kit which came complete with the 'wet' bolts from etrailer.

The kit arrived inside three or four days and I'm very impressed with the apparent engineering.

All I need now is a window of opportunity, half a dozen of youz guys to come over for a beer and Chilli, and to hold up the trailer while my wife takes the wheels off and installs the new stuff..........LOL.

I'll take photos when I do it and post the results on here.

Thanks again everybody.
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Old 02-22-2018, 08:24 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggles607 View Post
Thanks to everyone for your honest and valuable opinions, I took everything on board, chewed on it a bit, and decided for me it was a peace of mind investment as I intend to keep this trailer for the foreseeable future.

I went with the Dexter equalizer kit which came complete with the 'wet' bolts from etrailer.

The kit arrived inside three or four days and I'm very impressed with the apparent engineering.

All I need now is a window of opportunity, half a dozen of youz guys to come over for a beer and Chilli, and to hold up the trailer while my wife takes the wheels off and installs the new stuff..........LOL.

I'll take photos when I do it and post the results on here.

Thanks again everybody.
Biigles, sounds like a good plan. Some recommend putting the wetbolts with the zerk fitting on the inside so tires won’t interfear with greasing. I did this. It’s a bit harder to reach though. Check and see if tires would be in the way and place them however make sense to you. Also, in the event you may have to replace bushings, you may want to put the new bushings in the freezer at least a couple hours before installation so that they are a fraction smaller and will fit on easier. I was lucky and did not have to replace my bushings.

EDIT: I’ve also heard of a bad zerk fitting or wet bolt holes that are not drilled through. I put grease through mine first before installation in case something wasn’t correct so I wouldn’t have to do it all over again once put together. All was good though.
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Old 02-23-2018, 06:08 AM   #16
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Thanks Steve,

Good idea putting the nipples inside the springs rather than outside between them and the wheels, less likely to get road grim into them methinks.

And I'll certainly take you advice and freeze the bushings. I'll just have to remember to thaw them out otherwise I won't get the bolt through........LOL

Thanks everyone.
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Old 02-23-2018, 06:36 AM   #17
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Plus when installing,take the grease zert off the bolt as you will need a c- clamp to press on and if you need to add the brass bushings ...a vice works well for pressing them in.
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Old 02-23-2018, 08:57 AM   #18
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Plus when installing,take the grease zert off the bolt as you will need a c- clamp to press on and if you need to add the brass bushings ...a vice works well for pressing them in.
I was fortunate, and I think Biggles may be also since his trailer is newer, I could either push the wet bolts through, or use a deep socket to tap in the wet bolts in and not damage the zerks. But if yours don’t want to go in, then Harley has a great tip.

And your instructions should tell you how to configure your wet bolt holes. I think it was 6 and 9. And you still may have to take some pressure off the wheels to pump the grease in. I had one bolt that I had to lift that wheel a bit. I’m hoping that doesn’t remain the case, but it’s not bad a couple times a year. Really glad I have the wet bolts now and I’m sure you will be also.
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Old 02-27-2018, 07:42 AM   #19
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Thanks for the tip Steve.....
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Old 02-27-2018, 10:12 AM   #20
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I was fortunate, and I think Biggles may be also since his trailer is newer, I could either push the wet bolts through, or use a deep socket to tap in the wet bolts in and not damage the zerks. But if yours don’t want to go in, then Harley has a great tip.

And your instructions should tell you how to configure your wet bolt holes. I think it was 6 and 9. And you still may have to take some pressure off the wheels to pump the grease in. I had one bolt that I had to lift that wheel a bit. I’m hoping that doesn’t remain the case, but it’s not bad a couple times a year. Really glad I have the wet bolts now and I’m sure you will be also.

Correction Biggles: I believe the holes should be at 9 and 3 o’clock position to allow grease to flow better.
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