Shocks on Montana not enough - Montana Owners Club

exploringspace · 03-23-2009, 12:20 PM

Before I ask my question please know I weighed my rig. I read horror stories about overloaded rigs so I weighed my brand new rig a couple of times last year just to make sure I was ok.
On my way to my second trip with the new rig I crossed a bridge in Columbus In. and my trailer bottomed out "hard". I was traveling at 65 miles an hour. It happened again on the way back at the same bridge. It scarred the #$()out of me. Is there something I can add to the RV to help prevent this? It hasn't happened again but I haven't gone south since last fall. I will reduce my speed the next time though.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-23-2009, 01:14 PM

What comes to mind, air hitch or pin. I am sure others have suggestions.

ols1932 · 03-23-2009, 01:42 PM

When you say it bottomed out "hard" exactly what are you trying to say? I know that our rig "bounced" a lot before we had MOR/ryde Individual Suspension axles installed.

We are running 12,950 lbs on the axles (7,000 lb axles) and we don't notice anything "hard." I guess I wouldn't know when it did unless I was watching in the rear view mirror when it happened.

Can you give us a little more information?

Orv

exploringspace · 03-23-2009, 04:52 PM

First, thank you for responding. I really appreciate any advice I can get. My rig cost a lot so I don’t want to mess it up. Although I got a good deal on the RV I didn’t get as good a deal as others in this forum.
I could only feel what happened through the couch but it felt like the frame of the trailer hit the mor/ryde system or the axels. My rig has the Mor/ryde setup without shocks. The 5th wheel hitch is fine. It only happened the two times I mentioned above. I traveled from Indiana to Gatlinburg, TN and back without any other problems (except in Columbus).

bsmeaton · 03-23-2009, 05:01 PM

You were sitting on the couch?.. In the trailer?

exploringspace · 03-23-2009, 05:07 PM

NO :-)
While traveling at approved highway speed (most of the time anyway) and with the coach empty of passengers the trailer felt like it hit the axels. My coach has slides in the main area and no one can get in while closed up. Unless your a monkey or a kid. Papaw's rules: No one in the coach while vehicle is in motion!

bsmeaton · 03-23-2009, 05:35 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by exploringspace

I could only feel what happened through the couch but it felt like......

Ahhh - you mispelled coach - and I thought you meant you were riding on the "couch"!

Guess it is legal in some states, so I thought I would ask anyway.

As far as bottoming out, I've never added anything to the factory suspension and I'm about 1,800 lbs shy of max GVWR. I have felt like it was going to leave the road and take off sometimes when I get into a big frost heave on the highway, but never noticed it bottoming out. The Mor-Ryde almost doubles the travel distance of the spring, which can sometimes be a bad thing rather than a benefit. I know ours tips to the side much further in a dip in the road than our 2003 did in the same dip.

However, I think I would just not that spot in the road and see how it does in your future travels before committing money to a fix it may not need.

Mudchief · 03-23-2009, 09:26 PM

Could it not be the rear of your truck bottoming out rather than the trailer. I have hit some of those frost heaves like Brad is talking about and the trailer will pitch forward testing the rear springs on my truck.

richfaa · 03-24-2009, 03:11 AM

If the road is bad enough you will bottom out anyway. we have been on some roads that over came both the Mor Ryde poin box and the Mor Ryde suspension. I would also suspect the truck??? However a inspection of all systems is in order.

farmboy · 03-24-2009, 07:35 AM

Thanks for the heads up about the I-65/US46 bridge. I have never had any trouble with it in the past, but will be over it in late April on way out to Montana from Seymour,in. Maybe this past winter was hard on the approaches and made them uneven. My last time over it with rig was in 2007 on way to Woods n Water campground just up the road from there. Lots of luck figuring it out.

MacDR50 · 03-24-2009, 12:01 PM

While gassing up (the truck that is:-)) at a local highway station I noticed a commercial flatbed 5th wheel with what appeared to be an air bag suspension in place of the equalizer. The guy was pulling this with an F450. I asked him how he found the trailer ride. He hauls snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs and such from Montreal to Newfoundland. The trailer came with a stock suspension when he bought it but he was experiencing some damage to his cargo which he blamed on some of the rough roads. He took the trailer into a shop in Montreal and they installed the air suspension. He has had nothing but good luck since. He also said that the trailer doesn't seem to move around as much as it did before. I neglected to get the name of the manufacturer. Anyone else seen something similar?

grampachet · 03-24-2009, 12:45 PM

I have a friend with SOB 5er and it has air bags on the trailer, and it seems to ride very smooth.

bigmurf · 03-24-2009, 02:20 PM

Sounds like the Center Point system by Trail Air.

bsmeaton · 03-24-2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by MacDR50

While gassing up (the truck that is:-)) at a local highway station......

hahahahaha - made my day, Thanks!

Art-n-Marge · 04-22-2009, 02:20 PM

I'm gonna have to put this on my wish list. I love that the Firestone air bags has softened the ride for the truck part of my rig combination.

The next thing on the list was a Mor-Ryde or something similar to make the trailer a little softer, but still with the truck (and humans in mind). My fear has always been that these two improvements help with the humans, but the trailer is probably still taking a beating especially since I no longer feel what the trailer is going through.

It sure looks like the Center Point system or similar is what I'd like to get for the 5er prior to investing in a Mor-Tyde (since I must budget things) to soften its ride. After that how does one figure out how much air pressure to put in the trailer bags? More reading I guess. In my state it's not legal to be in the towed part of any rig so I can't use THAT as a means to figure out the ride.

Thanks for bringing this up!

Art

HamRad · 04-22-2009, 04:53 PM

Art,
Unless California has recently changed the rules it is legal to ride in a 5th wheel. You must have a means of communication with the TV and, of course, have an emergency exit. It is not legal to have passengers in a TT.

Dennis

**Carl n Susan** · 04-22-2009, 05:16 PM

Hamrad (Dennis) is right again!

indy roadrunner · 04-23-2009, 12:08 AM

I haven't been over that bridge since October but I can relate to the Interstate south of Louisville on I65. When I first got the Monty I didn't have the TrailAir pin box or the air bags on the truck and I can remember the truck bottoming out on that road and also going through Birmingham. Since then I have added those two features and it is very rare to have that "bottom out" feel.

richfaa · 04-23-2009, 01:34 AM

Be advised that Mor Ryde at the many seminars we have attended at the Fall Rally have indicated that in test with Shock absorber companies it was determined that he addition of shocks on the mor ryde system was counter productive. Please do not ask me why. A call to Gary Wheeler at Mor ryde may provide a answer.

blarkman · 04-23-2009, 04:52 AM

I believe the question was trailer is bottoming out. Shocks will not stop this. They help control ride. I installed shocks from Moryde and they did eliminated my ride problems. All the literature I have read from Moryde shows having shocks.
If this only occours at one location as you indicated you may want to either bypass or use a lower speed at that location. (tounge in cheek) The option is heavier suspension kit which can cost a lot
bob

You may also like: