3455SA SUSPENSION QUESTIONS

[Tom S.]

"Only" 500 lbs difference is quite a bit. It is in the specs, but over time, I bet that side will sag more than the other. Through out my work life, I very seldom had other people/passengers in my vehicles and all of them sagged a little on the driver side. And no, I'm not 500 lbs either!!!!

[jackel1959]

quote:Originally posted by dwstockman

Jackel,
We also own a 2010 3455SA but haven't noticed the suspension problems that you've described. I've measured the "center to center" wheel hub distance on each side and they are within 1/8" of each other.

Don & Wendy,
Thanks for the info....I have not had the opportunity to weigh each tire individually, but the last time I weighed the rig we were still well within (under) GVWR with 22% on the pin. The more I think about it, the more I believe the rear driver side spring lost some of it's arch and capacity because it is flatter than the other 3. The tech at Dexter wanted to know if the rig leaned to the left side or not? I had never noticed a lean, but have noticed the tires seem to ride higher in the wheel wells on the left than the right. I am just looking forward to getting the new springs, getting them installed and hopefully put this problem behind us. I suppose time will tell.
Jack

[sreigle]

Jack, we have a different model but similar situation. The first year of ownership our rig rode level and we rarely needed boards under the wheels to get level in a site except when the site was really not level. Starting about 2 years ago that all changed and we've needed boards under that side in every site including the site in our "home park" where we never used to need boards. First I found a broken spring hanger. That was fixed. Same lean problem. All measures fine with the hanger and everything else. Then I suspected spring flattening since the low side is the heavy side. But we had the axles and springs replaced with heavier ones. Same exact lean problem. While recently at the keystone service center I asked them to check the frame. They found no problems with the frame or suspension to account for this. So now I figure it's just that the heavy side compresses the suspension more. I still don't understand why it didn't do this in the first year. We've not added anything to that side. In fact, we replaced the heavy analog tv with a lighter LCD. While at the Goshen rally we had the rig weighed at each wheel. The low side is 1,075 pounds heavier than the other side. I still don't understand it, though. So, if you find the cause I'd sure appreciate hearing it.

[jackel1959]

Steve,
I assume when you upgraded the axles and suspension you went to the 7000 LB. axles which is what our rig came with. After we get the 4000 LB. springs installed I will let you know how it works out. I am anxious to have each side of the rig weighed to see what the real difference is. We do keep the pantries full during the camping season with canned and bottled goods and I know the weight of that stuff adds up quickly.
Jack

[jackel1959]

FINAL UPDATE (I hope)
As promised, here is the update after having the new springs installed: I got the rig back today from the dealer after having some warranty work done. One of the items on the list was to install two heavier duty 4000 lb. rated leaf springs on the driver's side sent to me by Dexter. After I got the rig back to the house and parked on the pad, I got out the measuring tape and the distance between the tires on the driver's and passenger's side are now within less than 1/8 inch of each other. Much better in my opinion and acceptable to me. Keystone covered the labor to install the springs and also agreed to replace the fender skirt that was damaged as a result (I am still in the 1 year warranty period).

I feel confident this will take care of the problem over the long haul but will still keep a close eye on things for a while. I also now believe that the rig WAS riding low on the driver's side before replacing the springs because with our last trailer and with this one before we loaded it up, I always placed a 2" x 8" X 8' board under the passenger tires to get the rig level side to side on the pad. When I first noticed the spacing problem I also noticed I was not having to place the board under the tires any longer to get the rig level. When I parked it on the pad today, I noticed I am going to need to place the board under the passenger tires again to get the rig level side to side.

I have a service date on the 30th of this month to have the Wet-Bolt kit installed and then hopefully I will be done with the suspension for a while
Jack

[grizmt]

quote:Originally posted by jackel1959

FINAL UPDATE (I hope)
As promised, here is the update after having the new springs installed: I got the rig back today from the dealer after having some warranty work done. One of the items on the list was to install two heavier duty 4000 lb. rated leaf springs on the driver's side sent to me by Dexter. After I got the rig back to the house and parked on the pad, I got out the measuring tape and the distance between the tires on the driver's and passenger's side are now within less than 1/8 inch of each other. Much better in my opinion and acceptable to me. Keystone covered the labor to install the springs and also agreed to replace the fender skirt that was damaged as a result (I am still in the 1 year warranty period).

I feel confident this will take care of the problem over the long haul but will still keep a close eye on things for a while. I also now believe that the rig WAS riding low on the driver's side before replacing the springs because with our last trailer and with this one before we loaded it up, I always placed a 2" x 8" X 8' board under the passenger tires to get the rig level side to side on the pad. When I first noticed the spacing problem I also noticed I was not having to place the board under the tires any longer to get the rig level. When I parked it on the pad today, I noticed I am going to need to place the board under the passenger tires again to get the rig level side to side.

I have a service date on the 30th of this month to have the Wet-Bolt kit installed and then hopefully I will be done with the suspension for a while
Jack

We currently are having this same issue on a 2010 RLQ that is only 2 months old. From what we've been told it is being caused by an installation error so lippert is going to cut off the spring hangers and supposedly re-position them in the proper location. While I'm quite nervous about this due to lipperts rep something has to be done. As a side note, I am told by a manufacture rep that anything over 1/2 inch is out of spec.

[jackel1959]

quote:Originally posted by grizmt

We currently are having this same issue on a 2010 RLQ that is only 2 months old. From what we've been told it is being caused by an installation error so lippert is going to cut off the spring hangers and supposedly re-position them in the proper location. While I'm quite nervous about this due to lipperts rep something has to be done. As a side note, I am told by a manufacture rep that anything over 1/2 inch is out of spec.

grizmt,
If this is on the driver's side of the rig, then before I would let them start cutting brackets off and relocating them, I would:
1. Find a good common reference point underneath and measure the placement of the spring hangers on both sides to see if there is a difference.
2. Measure eye-bolt to eye-bolt on each of the leaf springs, to see if they are the same. If there is a difference in the eye-bolt spacing, especially on the driver's side, you may want to call Dexter Axle and talk to them about it (this could indicate the spring has flattened and/or lost some of its capacity).
Your rig is much like ours and the Montana 3400RL in that the driver's side could very well be the heavier side of the rig. I hope this helps and keep us posted on what you find out.
Jack