Don't need this @#$!& stuff!

[WaltBennett]

Eight weeks on the road and more than half way home for Thanksgiving. Pulled into Midway RV Park in a Naval Station near Memphis and while setting up LOML asked "Is this tire supposed to be rubbing on the fiberglass?" Street side rear was not low in pressure, but was rubbing slightly on bodywork. Crawled under (with flashlight as it was getting dark), but all I could see was that the leaf springs seemed flatter than the other three. The LRE rubber block didn't seem to have any big cracks that I could feel and the wet bolt positions seemed about right. Haven't found any available mobile techs yet and am still looking for a decent dealer somewhere from Millington (just north of Memphis), going east near I-40. Anyone with suggestions?

[racerjoe]

sounds like the axle may have slid. there are alignment pins on axle pad.are tires in line with each other? Or did bearing nut loosen and wheel is sliding off of shaft?

[WaltBennett]

No, that would show on the wet bolt links. The one wheel & tire are way too far different and I'm certain more weight is being carried by the front one. I'll take a spray bottle with water/detergent tomorrow morning and see if I can figure out what's going on. Too much dirt otherwise.

[rohrmann]

You said the leaf spring pack looked flatter than the others. You probably have a broken leaf. As it was dark, that would be hard to see without adequate light. If it is broke, there should be a trailer supply place close by, or there is always Redneck Trailer Supply that can ship to you. You could also start calling alignment shops or truck repair shops that have access to a spring repair shop that can replace the leaf in the pack.

[navybanker]

Don't know if you can continue east on I 40 but the dealer we purchased two fifth wheels from is in Jackson, Tennessee. The dealership is Smallwoods and the owner is Shane Vaughn. We have been pleased with their service. They are a Montana dealer. We purchased the first Montana they sold several years back. I have been there when someone "limped" in from I 40 with problems and they have tried to help. Also, there is a Camping World just over the state line in Mississippi south of Germantown (near Memphis). This is not far from where you are in Midway.

[Tom S.]

Either loose u-bolts or a spring issue would be my guess. Good luck on it being a cheap and easy fix to get you on your way!

[WaltBennett]

CoachNet dispatched tech is showing up in a couple of hours. Still can't see anything actually wrong save for the flatter curve of the springs. Moved the two recliners out of the slide over it & no change.

[WaltBennett]

Well, the tech came and went over everything. Couldn't find anything broken or that had moved. He agreed that the set of springs had lost it's normal arch, but we would really have to replace both sides at the same time if we wanted to do that. Since our two recliners ride on that side, there's not much weight we can take off it. The piece of sheet metal that's rubbing on the tire is hidden stuff, so I bent it up & out of the way. Just have to take it easy getting home (840 more miles!)and then figure out a long-term solution (replace all the springs?).

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by WaltBennett

Well, the tech came and went over everything. Couldn't find anything broken or that had moved. He agreed that the set of springs had lost it's normal arch, but we would really have to replace both sides at the same time if we wanted to do that. Since our two recliners ride on that side, there's not much weight we can take off it. The piece of sheet metal that's rubbing on the tire is hidden stuff, so I bent it up & out of the way. Just have to take it easy getting home (840 more miles!)and then figure out a long-term solution (replace all the springs?).

If I were you, I would find a place that works on trucks and have them check it out. No offense intended, but the tech doesn't sound too savy to me. Something has changed and needs to be addressed. If you can't find a truck shop, then a RV dealer would be my next suggestion.

[racerjoe]

He is right on changing as a set. But a spring that loses it's "arch" still would not move a tire in or out. It just affects ride height and cushion. when you look from the rear do the tires seem to be in line with each other? Did the fiberglass or bracket holding panel get bent for some reason?

[WaltBennett]

They appear in line and nothing moved in or out. The ride height is down at least an inch or more.

[dieselguy]

Assuming you have the shear spring suspension ... I know you said you looked it over, but read page 5 of this Shear Spring document and check your dimensions. My shear spring failed up high where it was hard to see and my fiver rode a good inch lower on that side as well as tires rubbing on the fender skirt a bit in a turn.
http://www.morryde.com/downloads/tec...s%20Manual.pdf

[DonandBonnie]

When you suspect that a steel component, such as a spring has broken check for rust streaks. The break will expose bare metal which will rust. Continued movement of the exposed surfaces will squeeze the rust out, particularly after its hit with moisture such as rain or splashes from road water. The flowing rust will cause a dark red streak at the point of the break. Obviously you won't see any of this if the break is new. This tip is good to detect defects that might not be visible to the eye.

[WaltBennett]

Can't check the rubber blocks until I get home and take a pressure washer to everything, but that is an idea. We've no end of Arizona and New Mexico sand and dust all over the underside (and a lot of the top as well). I felt around the bottom of them but not the top - although the geometry of the links & wet bolts looks the same on both sides. I had put some extra 'stuff' on and between the recliners, but I don't think it added up to more than 100lbs. I wonder if that side was already near or at it's weight limit with the two recliners and kitchen, and maybe that was the part of the problem. Springs do wear out and flatten if weighted at their limits - I've seen it happen on farm implements, trucks and trailers. Usually there's enough capacity built in that it's hard to do, but then Keystone isn't really great at doing that sort of stuff. If the LRE blocks are good, I'll be looking at some helper springs - something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-550-Le...helper+springs would do nicely if they'd fit the existing spring pack.

For the short therm, we put one of the recliners over on the other side and the tech bent that sheet metal up (it's not visible) - Just finished 700 miles with no difficulties and only 160 to go tomorrow. Once home, I can deal with it one way or another.