MorRyde HE Suspension Upgrade Question - Montana Owners Club

RMccord · 10-17-2006, 02:22 PM

Hello:

Been a long time since we posted here and a wierd year but that is behind us.
I have a 05 Mountaineer 335RLBS that we tow with a 05 GMC Ext cab long bed 2500HD Duramax/Allison.
I have towed this unit about 6500 miles since purchasing it in 5/05 and it has done well however we are intending to retire within 30-36 months and are considering using this unit full time or for extended times annually. With that in mind I have several upgrades I intend to do but before I venture into a couple which I am going to mention here I wanted to defer to the group for input.
I am considering a few upgrades to the exterior of the 335 and one is a Morryde HE upgrade. I wanted to know first if it would be a recommendation of experienced RVers here. It sounds like a modest upgrade under $1k. I also would like to increase the wheel and tire size to get better grade tires. I feel if I do one why not do the other. They should compliiment each other.

Those Montana 5th wheelers with the Morryde how do you like it. Also have any of you pulled your 5er with the Trail Air along with it. I ask that as we are kind of considering the Montana 3400 also. We are very pleased with the 335 but we are thinking that the increased ceiling height and two additional slides will make long term living seem more manageable. At present the longest stretch of time we have been in the unit is 18 days. It was absolutely no hassle and n big concerns or issues came up. It is just my wife, myself and our greyhound. Works well so far. But 6 months is considerably longer. What we may do is start with it and be prepared to move to the 5er if need be. The good news is the 05 335 is PIF, free and clear so no additional investment there other than upgrades.

Your thoughts very much appreciated.

ols1932 · 10-17-2006, 02:34 PM

Bob,
Knowing the Mor/Ryde products are good, I don't think you can go wrong. I don't have the suspension you are talking about but we did upgrade our 2000 Montana with Mor/Ryde's individual suspension axles. Cost was $1800 but we felt was well worth it. We've had it three years now and haven't been a bit sorry. You get what you pay for and Mor/Ryde products are good. Hope this gives you some reassurance about upgrading.

Orv

Countryfolks · 10-17-2006, 02:58 PM

I think you're referring to the RE system, the one that replaces the equalizer between the springs. The IS system replaces the axles. TrailAir is also making an equalizer replacement. The Mor/ryde RE is a welded in replacement, the TrailAir is a bolt in replacement. Upgrading to larger wheels/tires may or may not work. You need to check the clearance from the top of your tires, making allowance for compressed spring travel. We did it on our first 5er and the tires rubbed on the top of the wheel well. This is a major consideration if you have a Mor/ryde RE installed as it allows a lot more vertical axle movement. I don't know if the TrailAir Equi-Flex allows increased vertical movement to the same degree.

Skip

RMccord · 10-17-2006, 03:20 PM

Yes you are correct I was wrong it is the RE. I will look into the other system you mention. I felt that changing to the Morryde might get rid of some of the issues others have had with the Mountaineer suspension wearing out or elongating some of the suspension fittings. Also I thought perhaps the morryde might make it tow even better.
Can axles be lower or better yet the coach raised if needed to accomodate the increase suspension travel and tire size? Never had any experience that way. I hate raising the coach because it raises the COG but it will also provide further clearance as there is allot of extension past the rear axle on this coach that I don't even think of using the pull out bike rack.
Your thoughts appreciated,
Bob

Countryfolks · 10-17-2006, 04:08 PM

The TrailAir uses bronze bushings and you can get the "wet" bolts [bolts with a grease zerk] and bronze bushings at the sprint hanger ends as an option. The Equi-Flex is supposed to improve the ride but I haven't made up my mind about that yet as we had our unservicable TrailAir pin box replaced at the same time. The ride has improved noticably with them though, just don't know which component is doing it. It's probably a combination of both.
They used to remount the spring pack below the axle to do that but I think most of the new models are mounted that way already. Other than that , I don't think there is a way to raise them, maybe riser blocks, but I wouldn't do that myself.
Tire-man Glenn [Glenn and Lorraine] or some of the other tire folks may be along to give some insights on tire improvements. There have been several threads that have discussed some of this that may help.

Skip

OntMont · 10-18-2006, 03:00 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by RMccord

Yes you are correct I was wrong it is the RE. I will look into the other system you mention. I felt that changing to the Morryde might get rid of some of the issues others have had with the Mountaineer suspension wearing out or elongating some of the suspension fittings.

The TrailAir Equaflex system will replace the cast equalizer with a rubber mounted one, AND replace all the plastic suspension bushings with greasable bronze ones at a cost effective price. As Carol said, this system is a drop-in replacement for the OEM, if you don't like it you can change it back. I'm not saying it is better than Mor/Ryde, just another alternative to consider, but one that might work better with your tire upgrade idea.

rak · 10-18-2006, 06:29 AM

Had the RE, wetbolt, pin box upgrade done at the rally. Love it. It cost 1800.00 total. Would highly ecomend it.
Dick

RMccord · 10-18-2006, 01:32 PM

I hope everyone realizes I am a TT not a 5th. On the 5th's I think they have the 16" rims and tires the TT is 15. The upgrade would allow me to get a better rated tire for trailering. The suspension idea was just another effort to improve handling (it tows well already) but would be nice to se a bit more movement available over speed bumps and reduce some of the wear problems some owners have reported with stock setup.

bsmeaton · 10-18-2006, 01:46 PM

Bob,

I am in a holding pattern to get the Mor-ryde installed on my '03 5er. I'm actually having the LRE version installed which is the same as the RE but no shock towers. (LRE is what is installed on the newer Montana's). The shocks seems to be duplication of efforts with the Mor-Ryde, if not opposing efforts. Based on discussion with Mor-Ryde, I was convinced the shocks were unecessary.

With that - cost for the kit and wet bolt conversion is only $550, however getting it installed is a little tougher unless you go direct to the factory. I've got a couple of quotes that put it over $1,600 through local suspension shops. As you can see from RAK's post, that is much higher than what the factory charges, and I'm not sure I trust these guys taking a torch to the frame.

Can't answer your tire question, but I do know that by eliminating the shocks and towers, there is another 3" of width available between the tire and frame. The Montana puts the shocks on the outside of the frame because of the covered belly.

Countryfolks · 10-18-2006, 02:21 PM

Regardless of which system is installed, Mor-ryde, TrailAir, or stock, the key to using larger tires/rims is still the clearance between the top of the tire and the wheel well at rest [normal spring compression when loaded] and the maximum vertical movement of the axle. You probably need at least 6-7 inches of clearance, stock, maybe a bit more. Then find the tire with the smallest outside diameter that meets your requirements. I've been told that Cooper tires have a tendency to be a little smaller for a given size than other brands. The other clearance consideration is the distance between the two tires.

Skip

LonnieB · 10-18-2006, 03:11 PM

RMccord, my '06 5er, with the Mor-Ryde suspension, has 4.5" clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the trailer. With this suspension I wouldn't recommend less. As Countryfolks pointed out, you must also consider the clearance between the two tires. I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything less than 2 inches in this area. A 235/80R16 tire is 31.3" in diameter, a 235/85R16 is 32.3 inches in diameter. Given this, with the smaller tires, you would need no less than 33.3 inches center of front axle to center of rear axle. With the larger tires, you need no less than 34.3 inches. There IS some variance to these measurements from mfgr. to mfgr. but usually no more than .25 inches. I sell Cooper, Toyo, Michelin, Bridgestone, BF Goodrich, and Multi-Mile tires, and have not seen variances greater than the .25 inches I mentioned.

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