worn shackle linkages

[brian ayerst]

I have a 2008 3465, just noticed my shackle linkages bolt holes are all ovaled, moryde says this is a normal wear item and will not cover under warranty, has anybody ran into this or should they be covered. thanks brian

[7.3Ford]

I just got a wet-bolt kit from Tweety's two weeks ago, haven't had time to put it in yet. All the parts except for the brackets welded to the frame are in the kit.

I also got the X-Factor center brace from Tweety's, which I installed in about 1 hour or less.

[brian ayerst]

what is the x factor brace

[sreigle]

I don't know if it's considered a normal wear item but many of us have replaced them with the Dexter wet bolt kits which replaces the shackles with heavier ones and also replaces the bushings and bolts with better bushings and bolts with grease zerks so you can keep them lubricated.

What elongated yours, and ours, is that the nylon (or other destructible material) bushing is not lubricated and eventually wears out. Then you have metal on metal with no bushing to protect it and the result is what you saw.

I have lots of pictures of problem shackles including ours and several other members' pictures. Some have worn clear through.

The Dexter wet bolt kit seems to have eliminated the problem for us.

Good luck with yours.

[Carl n Susan]

Brian, unfortunately the oval (or completely worn through) bolt holes in the shackles are considered normal wear and tear by Montana. The newer models (late 2010?) now come with much thicker shackles, bronze bushings for the bolt holes, and bolts which allow lubrication (aka wet bolts) via zerk fittings.

You need to obtain a wet bolt kit (which includes all the pieces described above) and get it installed. You don't want one of those egg shaped holes to wear all the way through.

[Art-n-Marge]

When I replaced my shackles, one of the ovals was almost worn through. Some owners have posted pictures when they have worn completely through. In my case, we hadn't driven all that far, but I park my RV on the driveway and I have to make some pretty severe turns which I think aggravate the condition.

Now with the shackle upgrades and the grease fittings, I have seen no abnormal wear and I am quite happy. Very odd and always wondered why they didn't fix this in the factory for this size of rig. I believe many Montys have them now, but I don't know if this is standard or an option.

Shop around for cost. When I did this I didn't know anything about this issue, saw the shackles and the dealer recommended a fix and took the dealer/service's word for the parts and labor and now know I paid more than I should have. I believe the kits are around $150-$200, plus installation and many owners have installed these themselves or along with another knowledgeable person so you can save those dollars too.

If you want to do this yourself, ask for the details and I'm sure someone in the MOC will provide them.

[D and M On The Road]

Brian, if you listen to just one recommendation here, listen to what is being said about the shackles. Get the Dexter wet bolt kit and get those puppies installed. We had less than 7,000 miles on our 2001 Montana when I finally convinced my husband to put on the Dexter kit. If you can see wear and tear on yours without taking them off, it's past time to replace them. Some of ours were almost completely worn through. My husband was amazed. It took him and a friend just 2-1/2 hours to do it. Do a search on archived older posts here using the word "shackles" and you'll come up with many horror stories and pictures that should convince you to get it done ASAP.

[HamRad]

Brian,
Unfortunately the shackles are considered replaceable items. If you've had your rig since '08 you've actually gotten some good wear out of them. Whatever you do make sure you get the heavy duty replacements. They are more expensive but definitely worth it. We've had stories of folks having the coach fall down on the axles because the shackles wore through. I think Carl was pulling into his driveway when his broke. Get them replaced as soon as you can. Don't continue to drive any further than you must.

Later, Dennis

[Phil P]

Hi

I contacted Morryde about their wet bolts. Will some one tell me the difference between the Morryde and the Dexter wet bolt kit?

Thanks

Phil P

[NCFischers]

One of them (most likely the more expensive one) will have the replacement Z brackets with it. That is the one to get. Due to CRS, I don't remember which is which. I'm sure someone will come along to clarify.

[D and M On The Road]

Brian, or anyone else interested in the shackle topic, here's three links to take you to older threads with pictures of worn shackles. The threads includes info on the replacement kits.

http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...Terms=shackles

Here's a link to an excellent thread on the subject regarding shackles and it has pictures of damaged shackles:
http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...Terms=shackles


Another great thread with pictures of damaged shackles and pictures of the kit recommended to buy for replacing your shackles:
http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=32782

[pineranch]

Brian,
All suggestions regarding your need to replace the shakles are right on. However some may be misleading. If you have the Dester E-Z-Flex installed you should use the Dexter Wet Bolt kit. If you have the MorRyde LRE installed you should us the MorRyde kit as it has additional parts for the LRE system.
http://www.morryde.com/pdfs/New/LRE1...structions.pdf

http://dexteraxle.com/i/u/1080235/f/..._Flex_8-08.pdf

Mike

[stiles watson]

Let me admit that I don't know everything or even everything about shackles and Wet bolt kits, but I have done three of them on three different suspension setups including the Mpr/ryde RE suspension scheme. I recommend you buy you wet bolt/shackle kit from Mor/ryde.

The reason is that they include the "Z" brackets you need to house the wet bolt at the Mor/ryde rubber spring. Mor/ryde uses Dexter shackles and bolts (at least they did when I bought mine) and add the "z" brackets for the Mor/ryde set up.

[brian ayerst]

thankyou everybody for your input, I learned alot, have my parts ordered through the dealer who will also do the work.

[Parts Ed]

So which wet bolt system would you use if you (me) have the Trail-Air Equalizer system/suspension underneath your 5th wheel?? There are not grease zerks on any of the bolts currently and looking at the pictures of both kits I am at a loss as to which one to choose..
Any help or input would be appreciated.

[sreigle]

Ed, if you have zerks they'll be on the inside. At least ours are. We don't have the Trail-Air system so can't comment about that.

[pineranch]

Ed,
My gut says the Dexter looks good with the trail air but I would call Dexter to confirm.
http://www.dexteraxle.com/contact_us

Mike

[Lambchop]

As I previously mentioned in an earlier post, I oil my links every 800 miles with 30 weight oil. I have about 9,000 on 08 Montana. I took one of the nuts off one link....No wear yet! A little oil goes a long way I bought this unit a year & a half ago & have put this mileage.
I'll keep everybody updated on this. All the wore out ones I've seen were very rusty & dry. Why wouldn't they wear out? The nylon bushing is put in for noise & has NO wear factor.

Roy

[sreigle]

I still have some pictures on Photobucket showing what happens when those nylon bushings wear out. So here's a few. Most of these are not our rig. This first one is ours.