Mor/Ryde shackle kit - Montana Owners Club

stiles watson · 05-06-2008, 04:18 PM

I called Mor/Ryde yesterday about shackles. I asked if they had a "Wet Bolt Kit." The answer was a quick, "Yes." Their kit is made up of the Dexter heavy duty wet bolts and a part unique to the Mor/Ryde suspension. The price quoted was $109 + S&H. I figure I will be due to change them out at the end of this summer/fall season.

If you have the Mor/Ryde suspension, I believe it is better to buy the wet bolt kit from Mor/Ryde. The price is right and all the right parts are there.

I know that some have had long service from their OEM shackles, but many of us have not. For new owners, I would be thoroughly checking the shackles at 10,000 miles and then every 5,000 miles there after. As for me, I will be changing them out at 10,000, needed or not.

On my 2003 Big Sky, I had significant wear patterns and worn out bushings at 13,000 miles when I changed them out. I have no reason to expect different on the 2008.

Bill and Ann · 05-07-2008, 01:22 AM

Stiles: I am still "hanging" with my originals.

garyka · 05-07-2008, 03:19 AM

How difficult was it doing it yourself and do you need any special tools?

stiles watson · 05-07-2008, 01:04 PM

Count yourself very fortunate, Bill.

Gary, it is mainly grunt work. You can do it with hand wrenches, but I prefer an impact wrench. It reduces the effort needed. The key is getting your frame supported so that you can manipulate the axles to relieve the tension on the springs. On my first job, I used one 8-ton bottle jack and 4 jack stands. On the second we had the jack stands and 2 bottle jacks to do the work. When you get the wet bolt kit, there is a fair set of instructions included.

The bushings must be pressed into the spring eyes. I did this with a correctly sized c-clamp. I recommend cleaning the inside of the eyes well and applying a bit of grease to make it an easy task. The whole job is easier if you have a buddy to help.

The kit you buy is determined by what is on your rig now and what you want to have on it after you finish. If you have the triangular standard equalizer, you can purchase a kit from Dexter or one of their distributors for around $125. Or you can choose to upgrade the equalizer to a shock absorbing design called EZ Flex Equalizers from Dexter for about double the price. There are competing suspension systems also by Trailair and Mor/Ryde. I have not priced them.

If you already have the Mor/Ryde suspension as your OEM suspension like the Big Sky, but still have the standard OEM shackles and want to replace them with the wet bolt kit, then the info in my first post applies.

Remember, just because you have a shock absorbing suspension system does not mean you have the thicker, heavy duty shackles or wet bolts with brass bushings.

ehmcfarl · 05-07-2008, 05:22 PM

Stiles, what does the term "wet bolt" imply? Does it mean it is grease able?

stiles watson · 05-07-2008, 06:44 PM

Yes, the bolt has a Zerk in it so that grease is supplied to the bushing through the bolt. One squirt of grease every 6 months or a year ought to handle it. The OEM bushing is a nylon bushing and is not lubricated. If you look at the pictures that MOCers have posted, you will see that the nylon bushings are worn through.

The term "wet bolt" is one that Mor/Ryde uses to indicate the kit they sell.

ehmcfarl · 05-07-2008, 07:55 PM

Thanks Stiles, for the info.

Merv · 05-08-2008, 07:35 AM

I am not sure if standard shackles and bolts fit the Mor/Ryde suspension, but I had got my standard shackles and bolts for about $20.00
I ordered them from Redneck Trailer Supplies.
They also carry the greasable bolts but I am not sure about the price for those.
Merv

stiles watson · 05-08-2008, 12:40 PM

Merv,

Yes the OEM Mor/Ryde suspension, factory installed by Keystone, uses standard shackles, bolts and nylon bushings. What I quoted above is the upgrade to wet bolts and brass bushings.

You said you got standard replacement shackles and bolts. Did you also replace the nylon bushings with nylon bushings? If you didn't replace the bushings, I am not sure you helped yourself. If you did replace the bushings, then you have restored you unit to OEM condition. The whole point of upgrading to the heavy duty shackle and the "wet" bolt and brass bushing is to improve the longevity of shackle operation.

In my opinion, to simply restore the suspension to OEM condition leaves something to be desired. However, that is certainly a choice one might make and it would be cheaper than upgrading.

Merv · 05-12-2008, 06:33 AM

Hi Stiles,
I only restored to Oem.
One thing I notice that is different from the re-shakle compare to the oem is the bolt that goes into the shakle has a knurl on the end just in front of the head. This knurl needs to be pressed into the shakle (pounded or pressed). This will keep the bolt from turning in the shakle. This is what is causing the wear in the originals is the turning of the bolt in the shakle thus elongating the hole.
The place I bought my shakles also carrys the wet bolts, I just dont know what the price for them is.
Merv

sreigle · 05-13-2008, 05:34 AM

Stiles, thanks for the info. I'll save this as I'll likely need it one of these days.

We also had worn shackles on our 2003 Montana. So far this 2007 looks good but we've only put just under 16,000 miles on it. I know from when our shackles were replaced (on the 2003) by Keystone that they had gone to a stronger shackle. If I recall, they said the older ones were not hardened and the newer ones were (case hardened maybe??). However, I think they're still using the nylon bushings and those were the weak point. I will continue to watch ours.

Bill, many times you will not notice the wear until it is very severe. Some folks didn't see the wear until removing the bolt, or maybe just the nut. On ours, I didn't see it until I crawled under and looked at the shackles from the backside. Here's what it looked like.

richfaa · 05-13-2008, 05:53 AM

Steve..F.Y.I we purchased the kit at the fall rally and replaced them shortly thereafter at @ 12K miles. The OEM shackles were showing very little wear..I was impressed with how little but they were no longer perfectly round. At your 16K miles and at the rate you put miles on the 3400 I would keep a close eye on them....

sreigle · 05-14-2008, 05:25 PM

Thanks, Rich. We're not putting miles on nearly as fast as we used to. So far this year, only a bit over 2000. However, we were sitting in one place for a month or two at a time during the cold months. We're in Santa Fe, NM and have to get back to Kansas City in June, then Gettysburg, PA in August (taking granddaughters there), then who knows. So we'll wrack up a few more miles in the warmer months. But at the current and projected diesel prices we won't be doing the miles we used to do.

It's about time for me to crawl under and take another good look at those shackles, though.

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