BROKE - Montana Owners Club

richfaa · 07-29-2009, 02:39 PM

Our 3400 that is. Started for the G.L rally and did not make it. Something has happened to our axles and we are tracking down the road sideways. Or as the trucker who flagged me over called it dog tracking?? 3 tires are ruined.We are at Burnside RV dealership & Camping world. We just happened to be in the area so we called and declared a emergency. Jim Burnside met us in the lot and got us power and set up . We are camping at Burnside RV. They will determine what went wrong in the AM then I will get on the phone and begin raising H***. We were very lucky...

steves · 07-29-2009, 02:58 PM

Wishing you good luck for a quick fix! It will be interesting to hear what happened and weather keystone or Lippert warranties any of the problem.

TheCoachPotatoes · 07-29-2009, 03:42 PM

Glad you are ok. Hope it all works out ok for you. Keep us posted!

Al and Nita

richfaa · 07-29-2009, 03:43 PM

Steve.. You know I will give it a go but I doubt any waranty. I have all the phone numbers. We do have the Extended Warranty (service contact) I measured the distance between the tires..Right side 3 inches left side 9 inches.

steves · 07-29-2009, 04:36 PM

Something broke!!!! shackels, u-bolts or springs I would guess? Like you said you were lucky that the truck driver flagged you down.

HamRad · 07-29-2009, 04:43 PM

Rich,

With it offtracking so much I'd think you would have been able to see it. I agree with Steves: It is probably one of the things he listed. Good luck with getting it fixed and back on the road.

Dennis

rvghostdriver · 07-29-2009, 07:08 PM

An Everst came in our park with tires close on one side like that and the problm was a broke spring. Good luck I hope they fix it for you soon.

stiles watson · 07-29-2009, 07:43 PM

Wow, really sorry. I know that is disappointing and scary. My first suspicion is a broken spring eye bracket. Of the 4 points of connection, one has to be awry. We all sure want to know what happened.

harleyrider · 07-29-2009, 08:21 PM

Wow Rich sorry to hear of your problems.Be interesting to hear just what went wrong.Knowing you form your postings some one will get a ear full.As well they should,good luck in the repairs

Tom S. · 07-30-2009, 01:34 AM

Rich, I hope someone steps up to the plate for you - either the manufactures, or at least your extended warranty! Did you have the wet bolts on your suspension? Good luck!

ols1932 · 07-30-2009, 01:35 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Our 3400 that is. Started for the G.L rally and did not make it. Something has happened to our axles and we are tracking down the road sideways. Or as the trucker who flagged me over called it dog tracking?? 3 tires are ruined.We are at Burnside RV dealership & Camping world. We just happened to be in the area so we called and declared a emergency. Jim Burnside met us in the lot and got us power and set up . We are camping at Burnside RV. They will determine what went wrong in the AM then I will get on the phone and begin raising H***. We were very lucky...

Rich, the same thing happened to us in 2002 in CA. I noticed one evening when we parked that one of my Roto-Choks didn't fit well on one side. When I measured the distance betweent the wheels, the right side was way further apart than the left side. I looked under the rig and saw where the spring had shifted in the shackle and it appeared that the center bolt in the spring had been sheared off. Fortunately we found a truck welding shop about 15 miles further down the highway and they put in a new bolt for us. However, they didn't realign the axles, just used the former "spots" for a guide and tightened the shackles.
This was one of the reasons we went to the MOR/ryde Indivicual Suspension axles.

Orv

Glenn and Lorraine · 07-30-2009, 02:11 AM

That's a real BUMMER Rich. I know how much you and Helen wanted to be at the rally. Did you get close enough to Mackinaw to make a day trip or 2 or 3 while they work on your Monty?

exav8tr · 07-30-2009, 02:16 AM

Rich & Helen, Sorry to hear of your misfortunes. I hope they get you back on the road soon and you still have 2 arms and 2 legs when you get done. My decision to replace my suspension with the MorRyde IS was based on all the comments on this forum about the problems with the standard suspension system. Seems Keystone should look into something more reliable to put their trailers on. Anyway, good luck!!!!

adelmoll · 07-30-2009, 03:13 AM

Same thing with us in a previous 5'er on 1-95 in Maine.. Our tires locked up completely... You should have seen the smoke. Scared the )&%$ out of us... It was the springs and from what the repair shop told us, it happens a LOT on all RV's.

Hope it is fixed real soon so you can get to the rally.

Helen

capn chris · 07-30-2009, 04:30 AM

Bummer deal, Rich. Glad you found Burnside. Hope they get you squared away soon. Not a fun way to start a trip.

grampachet · 07-30-2009, 05:02 AM

I just noticed that on ours the "strap" that holds one the spring assemblies together, or keeps them from twisting has been broken or bent and one of the leafs has twisted about an inch. It is in CW now for warranty work, of which this issue was one of the items.
I love this forum, keeps me looking for potential problems.

Waynem · 07-30-2009, 05:50 AM

Rich,
One of the things I "fear" is to break down on the highway somewhere. Having done that while pulling a commercial rig, I know it is not a fun thing. I was in a 1 ton pulling a 14,000 pound lab trailer and a trucker came to my rescue also. Glad there are some like that.

I really do hope that all is covered under warranty or extended warranty or you really will be "broke."

Good luck. Keep us informed.

8e3k0 · 07-30-2009, 06:55 AM

Great to hear nothing else happened to the rest of the rig! Likely a center bolt on one spring hanger sheared and this could be a result of lose u-bolts or stretch on the u-bolts. This can happen to any leaf spring and axle system with any vehicle using leaf springs in the rear. Could also be a combination of worn/sheared shackle bolts and sheared center bolt. Doesn't take much misalignment and minumum miles to tear away at your tires as one axle works against the other. The main thing is you caught it before the axle completly left the rig and would cause an accident. Good to hear your safe which is most important! Ellis

sreigle · 07-30-2009, 08:24 AM

Ouch. It's bad enough when a problem messes with your plans but when it messes up your plans to spend time with friends you rarely see, that's even worse. I hope this gets fixed quickly and not too expensively. Let us know what you find out.

Art-n-Marge · 07-30-2009, 08:39 AM

Yup, this is definitely one for the MOC history files. There are plenty of suspension stories that have been shared and plenty of members who have used them to ward off potential problems. Everytime I read a new one, I run under my rig to look for anything obvious.

I am concerned much of the day has passed and Richfaa has not posted his status. I hope it's going well for them. He'll certainly have a story to tell.

Hang in there Rich! We're rooting for you!

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