Leaf Spring Hanger Reinforcement/Tire Upgrade

[ratfink11]

I was talking to a local RV repair shop who says he has been welding supports on fifth wheel frames for years to reinforce the leaf spring hangers. He welds a piece of angle iron across the frame to each hanger on the outside of the hanger. He also welds this piece to the frame. I saw a couple of 5er`s he has done and it looks good. I thought I would have the Moryde X Factor piece installed on the center Moryde suspension and a wet bolt kit all around. Also will be replacing the Goodyear Marathon LRE with Goodyear G-614 RST LRG tires. Any thoughts on these upgrades?

[capn chris]

Sounds like a plan if you're going to do any serious road trips!

[camper4]

I'm not aware of frame/spring mount issues. My 2009 Montana has some extra support metal welded on from the factory. I would be concerned about voiding the warranty on the frame by making the modifications noted.
I have the Mor/Ryde center mount, from the factory, and It seems to do a good job smoothing out the ride of the 5th wheel and I have noticed less front/rear lunging of the truck when traveling over bad expansion joints on concrete highways. Just personal observation, no data to back it up.
You should see inputs from others on the wet bolt upgrade. It has been discussed in detail here before.

[richfaa]

There have been problems camper4. The factory has made some changes on the later models.

[NCFischers]

See my recent post on tightening shackles. Inspection of the shackle mounts should be a part of this. I have the support brackets also but nothing beats a visual inspection. Don't forget to torque the u bolts while you are at it.

[ratfink11]

Spoke to Lippert Inc. this date regarding warranty and welding any supports for the leaf spring hangers. It would void warranty as a "modification". What about it being a vast "improvement" of their original design! Oh well, will have the wet bolt kit put on and the Moryde X Factor on the center suspension component as all that is needed per Moryde support department and wait until warranty is up. I will have braces welded for the hangers, but do not want to jepordize warranty.

[trlrboy]

Regarding the tire upgrade you asked about, I went from Goodyear Marathons to G614RST's just a few weeks ago. Even though I've only had this trailer for 5 months, I noticed bubbles on the sidewalls of the Marathons. I took the trailer to a local Goodyear store and had them do an evaluation. After checking over the tires they agreed that two were bad but that Goodyear would be willing to replace all four.

I decided to upgrade to the G614's based on what I've read here on the forum. It cost me about an extra $300 to upgrade but I feel it will be worth the money to have tires stamped "Made in USA" with a manufacture date that was only 3 months prior to the installation date.

[stimpy123]

trlrboy,
I have an 09 3605Rl and have already replace all four marathons due to the edges all wearing out. I've kept the pressure at 80psi, and even had the axle alignment checked. The new marathons are wearing again in the same manner. Hopefully someone can give me some help at the spring MOC ralley in Kerrville, in March. I had those G614's on my SOB and never had trouble. I carried 110psi in them and they seemed to wear consistantly through the 1-1/2 we towed it around the country. I may have to go through the tire upgrade also. Did you upgrade the spoked aluminum wheels to steel? Do you carry 110psi in your tires?

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by stimpy123

trlrboy,
I have an 09 3605Rl and have already replace all four marathons due to the edges all wearing out. I've kept the pressure at 80psi, and even had the axle alignment checked. The new marathons are wearing again in the same manner. Hopefully someone can give me some help at the spring MOC ralley in Kerrville, in March. I had those G614's on my SOB and never had trouble. I carried 110psi in them and they seemed to wear consistantly through the 1-1/2 we towed it around the country. I may have to go through the tire upgrade also. Did you upgrade the spoked aluminum wheels to steel? Do you carry 110psi in your tires?

If the tires are wearing on both the inside and outside edge of each tire, it is an indication of a couple possible problems. One is under inflation. Always check air pressure with the tires cold and periodically check your pressure gauge against another gauge to make sure it's reading correctly. Another cause of that type of wear is an over weight trailer. Get your trailer weighed, preferably by each axle if possible and compare the weight to tire ratings.

If on the other hand the tires are only wearing on one side each, it is a sign of a mis-aligned or bent axle(s).

[trlrboy]

quote:Originally posted by stimpy123

trlrboy,
I may have to go through the tire upgrade also. Did you upgrade the spoked aluminum wheels to steel? Do you carry 110psi in your tires?

I contacted Tredit, the aluminum wheel manufacturer and they told me the wheels were rated at 110psi and could handle the new G614's fine. I did have the installer use metal high pressure valve stems. I have 105 psi in the tires.

[8.1al]

As strange as it may seem poor alignment can cause wear on the inside and outside of the tires at the same time. Our tires were doing that when the trailer was new and the tires were always properly inflated and the trailer was not overweight. I finally found a good alignment shop in St. George, Utah and since then the tires are fine.