Shackle maintenace required, per the manual

[richfaa]

Well I don't think that They are going to Say that keystone just met or hovered around the minimun acceptable standard for the weight of the unit because it was more cost effective (cheaper) to do so.But that's what they did and it is a acceptable cost effective business practice. That's why that maint statement is in the manual and I am sure the the maint spec comes from the manufacture not keystone. Keystone chose that suspension system because it at least meets the min standards and is cost effective....facts of life campers////And of course it is a CYA statement. Management types , such as I once was before bliss full retirement, are highly trained in the masterful art of CYA..

[Montana_2785]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

[...]Keystone chose that suspension system because it at least meets the min standards and is cost effective....facts of life campers[...[

Rich, I understand perfectly well WHY we have what we have. I also clearly understand that it isn't sufficient for heavy use. Ergo, I have in the past (old TT) and will in the near future (Montana) fork out the $$$ to upgrade so I only have to fix it once.

Eric

[richfaa]

Maybe if keystone hears from enough owners or has to shell out enough Warranty $ they will upgrade to a better system.In the meantime Owners like yourself will have to do their own upgrades. We are about 6 months away from owning a fifth wheel. We are looking at another brand and we WILL take a look at that suspension system. However,I don't think that this particular issue would be a problem for us as we would not come under the "heavy use" category. What I am picking up here is that owners that are in the "heavy use" category are experiencing wear and tear failures far sooner that those in the normal or average use category.I think that would apply to any Rv.Actually for the folks that are in the Heavy use category it is probably worth the $ to do the necessary upgrades to the Montana to bring it up to the heavy use standard . The schackle upgrade is not all that expensive for me to do. I don't have a problem doing upgrades that meet my needs.

[Montana_2785]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Maybe if keystone hears from enough owners or has to shell out enough Warranty $ they will upgrade to a better system.In the meantime Owners like yourself will have to do their own upgrades.

I wonder what percentage of Montana owners are "heavy" users? Its hard to really know. Even on our forum, most of the members don't post a single thing.... If the factory has any marketing information that tells them that us "heavy" users are in the minority, they may well be justified in their profits by their choice. By the time they wear out, most are out of warrenty or are a second hand unit. What do they care???

quote:We are about 6 months away from owning a fifth wheel. We are looking at another brand and we WILL take a look at that suspension system. However,I don't think that this particular issue would be a problem for us as we would not come under the "heavy use" category.

In any event, it likely really isn't an issue since this build choice is followed by the vast majority of low to mid-grade units.

quote: What I am picking up here is that owners that are in the "heavy use" category are experiencing wear and tear failures far sooner that those in the normal or average use category.I think that would apply to any Rv.Actually for the folks that are in the Heavy use category it is probably worth the $ to do the necessary upgrades to the Montana to bring it up to the heavy use standard . The schackle upgrade is not all that expensive for me to do. I don't have a problem doing upgrades that meet my needs.

Due the the relatively low cost of replacement/upgrade, this isn't a make or break issue. It is something that needs to be brought to the attention of "power users", but is easily handled.

Eric

[richfaa]

Those are good observations Eric.We do not know what % of users are "heavy users" but We can be sure that Thor Industries and Keystone does.These are recreational vehicles and that is what they are designed and marketed for.Marketing does a good job on the demographices of the buyers market. They know that the baby boomers 55-64 are the sweet spot in the industry. . They know that the 55-64 Age group will grow 48% between now and 2010.They know that 27% of the population is over 55 and controls 75% of the wealth.I will bet that if we looked hard enough we will find that Thor Inc knows what % of us are full timers or likely to become full timers (power users). They should pay more attention to that market segment.That they don't might suggest that it is a small % and not worth the cost to them. There are other brands in the price range that are equal to the Montana in design and quality..Better is another story.What I am learning is what I need to upgrade if We choose to become power users. I would like to see a new topic on "how we use our Montanas. I could be a learning experience.

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Maybe if keystone hears from enough owners or has to shell out enough Warranty $ they will upgrade to a better system.

Rich, see the new thread where I just posted pictures of the shackles now being put on the new Montanas. A major improvement. The pictures were taken today during our Montana factory tour.

[jerryb]

Is Moreride, maybe misspelled, an option on Montana?
I think I saw it for the Big Sky.
When mine needs work I think it would be worth the time and money to use disc brakes, oil seals, and Moreride.

[sreigle]

Jerryb, I don't believe MorRyde (not sure I spelled it correctly, either) is currently an option from Keystone. However, the MorRyde company will install those things for you on your rig. Several of our members have at least some of their products.

[richfaa]

The improved shackles look better.That should slow down the wear issue.We will be touring the Montana factory AGAIN in Mid June as well as the cardinal factory.There are a couple of things we want to compare. The good news about keystone is that they have a good reaction time to user problems..