Great Stay in Goshen - Montana Owners Club

exav8tr · 10-15-2009, 06:25 AM

Great stay at Camp Keystone. NO frame problems to date. I did have a chat with Rich Deisler about being overweight and what we could do about it. I figure if I throw everything out I could be closer to GVWR. This year Montana was not made for fulltiming, but we will have to make it do. He did say with everything we have done, MorRyde Hitch pin, MorRyde IS, Trailersaver Hitch, traveling under 65mph, and upgrading tires to G rating, I should be OK. However, I could see the writing on the wall IF I ever do have frame flex, I would probably be on my own to have it repaired, a chance I will have to take as I can't offload everything or trade up. Time will tell.

As luck would have it, my battery died while here and Darrell and his crew ran the diagnostics and agreed it was the battery. New battery from Wally installed. We will see how long this one will last.

MorRyde gave us a clean bill of health to the IS system I had installed last year and they even installed a spiffy receiver hitch sos I can upgrade my bikes and have a place to carry them. Also did realignment. Good to go for another year or so.

Everything about this trip to Goshen/Elkhart has been positive and tomorrow we will be heading to Indy for an overnighter, then off to St. Louis for a few days.

Delaine and Lindy · 10-15-2009, 07:26 AM

Great news on the Frame!!! I have always though that Mor/Ryde is a very professional operation. And of course I never ever had a problem with Keystone Service center, Darrel is a asset for Keystone. Glad you visit was was a success. Have a safe ride South its wet here in Clarksville, Tn. We have a Montana next door, he has been here for sometime, we have met him before. GBY....

Exnavydiver · 10-15-2009, 08:30 AM

Phil, grab your longjohns and head up here to Byron for a week. Balmy weather (38 at the moment) and snow and rain for the next three days, then warming up to the 50s and 60 for an hour or so. John and I are doing our damnedest to get into trouble but all this hot weather is kind of stifling our efforts. A Montana came in today and we went over to get him into the MOC and checked out his U-bolts and shackles. Propane here is about 25 bucks per 30 pounder and I have had one refilled since arriving. If you make it up you will be able to visit with Kathy and Dave from Canada who will be here mid week next week. We will most likely hang here till they shut down (1 Nov) then head for Gettysburg area and may stay at John and Ann's for a bit. After that it will be a beeline for Savannah and some warmer weather. We had a great time in Goshen and Darrell and the crew got everything fixed and shiny again as usual. Hope to see y'all in the south lands this winter. We may make it to the spring rally in TX but that is the same week as my daughter's 21st birthday so will have to discuss it with her. Drive safe and stay warm... Dave and Betsy

exav8tr · 10-15-2009, 12:00 PM

Dave, As much as I would like to get into trouble with you and John, the DW says "Beat feet south". We woke up this morning to snow flurries, of course nothing stuck, but she is gun shy. Hope to see you guys in Texas in the spring. Safe travels to you guys and hope you get out in time............Phil

richfaa · 10-15-2009, 02:30 PM

We weighed in at 15,300lbs.. As far as Keystone is concerned we have 6K axles like the tag on the side says and we are reallllyyyyyy overweight. That is now on record at the service center. My guess is that they are now weighing everything that comes in and if you claim frame issues...they got you. The IS system is rated at 7k and makes me look like a 07 at 15,500lbs but my tag says 13975 lbs and thats what it is to Keystone.. I will also upgrade to G rated tires as soon as we can. Another thing we notice with the IS system on these twisty Wva roads.. That side to side motion..the kind that rips off the spring hanger brackets..is non existent. We are a very stable platform...big difference.

Phil...How about that Hitch.......

exav8tr · 10-15-2009, 02:45 PM

That's my new pride and joy Rich. Can't wait to get some nice bikes for it. BTW, I was 15638, 12560 Dry Axle Weight and 3078 Hitch weight. Will be adding the G rated tires before leaving Texas in the spring. That gives me a few months to shop around for the best price. I feel like I got the shaft on the 06 3400. Discussed with Rich D. and I feel the dealer is the key on these things, especially for a newbie like I was. They just want to sell a unit and don't care what you want it for or they could steer you in the right direction. Keystones Idea was to buy another with a larger carrying capacity. I told them I would just have to do my best and watch the frame closely and repair when necessary as they will not provide repairs on overweight rigs. I would have to offload everything I own and probably still be overweight. My tools are in the truck and Cathys knitting and wool do not add much. Oh Well, Cie le Vie!!!!!! I do love the IS also..

richfaa · 10-16-2009, 01:31 PM

A couple of us who asked the question of Lippert as to what the difference in the frame was between the 06 3400 ..6K axles and the 07 3400 7K axles...the answer was....nothing.. same frame.

mail2us · 10-16-2009, 02:55 PM

Phil, good luck on your new bike frame/hitch. We had Mor/Ryde install one and ordered/received a Swagman xc2 64650 for our bikes. It's a tough and excellent product for 2 bikes. Look at Amazon for a good price on this model number if interested.

Also there is a anti-rattle product called Roadmaster Quiet Hitch that further tightens the bike rack into the hitch receiver. It is an inexpensive item. Of course there are other bike rack manufacturers to review. Swagman makes other bike racks beside a 2-biker. Good Luck and enjoy.

exav8tr · 10-16-2009, 03:06 PM

Rich, that is really good to know. They showed me what to look for as far as frame flex so will just have to keep an eye on frame. Can't wait to get to Texas and buy some better bikes, Will try and sell our Dahon seven speed folding bikes when the time comes.

Dennis, I have always thought the Swagman or Thule brands of bike racks were the best. Will have to do some looking. REALLY like the hitch.........

KathyandDave · 10-18-2009, 09:02 AM

We stabilized the hitch that came installed on the 09 3400RL and have just added the Swagman bike rack (ironically, made in Canada, but hard to find here). The only issue is that the handlebar of the bike closest to the back window is only a couple of inches from the lower (crank out) window pane. I can manually force the bike to touch the window, so I'm leery that it may do so on its own in a big bump. However, I watched it on the backup cam for an hour or so during its first tow and the bikes appear not to budge. We'll see. I may have to extend the hitch length a bit, but this increases to motion...
Meanwhile, we're looking forward to spending a few days with Dave and Betsy and John and Ann, for as long as John and Ann can stay before departing for Ann's brither's memorial service. I have lots of mod chores to do and I can't think of better people to have around to supervise and teach me!

Exnavydiver · 10-18-2009, 09:38 AM

Dave, You can do what I did, get a bike wrench and loosen the handlebar, and turn it 90 degrees. Works fine and gives you another 10 inches of clearance. I keep my bike wrench in the door pocket of the truck so it is always handy... Dave

richfaa · 10-18-2009, 10:03 AM

We had Mor Ryde design the hitch they made for us so that the hitch extends a bit from the rear of the cap so the bikes do not get close to the cap. We pulled to Florida ..1153 miles and we are solid as a rock. We also have the swagman two bike rack. and the snuggy.

Delaine and Lindy · 10-18-2009, 11:13 AM

We have the two bike rack by Thule, great hitch but we only used it while in the RGV for when we went to parks etc to ride the bikes. We transport our bikes inside the basement compartment, just remove the front tires and roll them into the bike locks. Our rear hitch is very sturdy but I did have tow extra steel plates added to each side of the receiver just to insure its sturdy because we are double towing, we are pulling the Chevy HHR behind the 5th wheel. GBY....

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