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Old 04-28-2011, 09:12 AM   #1
Lee F.
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Mor Ryde pin box question.

After reading all the posts about front frame flex and failures, I had my dealer check the 1/2" to 3/4" verticle movement I get when going over dips in the road. He stated that according to Keystone the flex is normal, and he couldn't find any problems with the hitch or the frame. When I brought it home I noticed the leading edge of the Mor Ryde pin box is tilted slightly higher than the rear when on the truck. When I remove the weight from the truck it comes down a little but is still high in the front. I checked the level of the 5er's frame compared to the pin box and the pin box is definately higher in the front. Shouldnt the pin box be level with the rig when the rig is level? Do you think I should be taking it back to the dealer?
 
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Old 04-28-2011, 09:34 AM   #2
Jolu
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Lee,
Mine does the exact same thing as you describe. There is some flex during travel and the plate is not level.
I had the bottom skin off part of the way and checked up in there and did not see anything that concerned me.
It does instill questions when you see that flex happening.
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Old 04-28-2011, 12:12 PM   #3
Lee F.
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Thanks Joe. That makes me feel a little better. At least I have documentation that it was looked at while still under warranty.
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Old 04-28-2011, 01:57 PM   #4
DarMar
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Lee: we just completed a 650 mile trip over our highways. Thru the rear view I have watched this same vertical flexing going on and was trying to convince myself that there must be something wrong but after inspecting the hitch pin after unhooking I can't find anything loose, bent or out of place. Guess that's how they work as it certainly smoothes the ride out over some serious frost boils.
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Old 04-28-2011, 02:42 PM   #5
kramperD
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So my question is this....we just had the Mor/Ryde pin box installed and picked up the Cramper today. Noticed that the nose is almost 1/2 bubble on the high side, where as the original pin was exactly level. Did the dealer mount it a tad high because we have nothing yet loaded in it or is this the Mor/Ryde spec? Thanks, D
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Old 04-29-2011, 02:56 AM   #6
Johnnyg
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Lee, if it wasn't for the fact that the floor directly above the pin box pushed up and splintered the closet wall I wouldn't have given what movement our pin box has a second thought. My trailer is back at the dealer now at Keystones request to re-investigate what they first said was acceptable movement.
I participated in the first inspection and didn’t see any broken welds. When the deflection was measured the mechanic used a floor jack. He measured the distance from the ground up to the front edge of the pin box. Then he pushed the pin up with the jack until the weight of the trailer came off the front landing gear. This was done several times with an average deflection of 1 1/16” at the front end of the pin box. No measurement was taken where the pin box bolts onto the frame.
I was encouraged by several people on the forum to call Keystone and confirm what was done. Several days after I called, they apparently reconsidered what was done on the first inspection and advised that I take the trailer back!
Not being too impressed with the first dealer (who I bought the trailer from) I took it to another which happens to be closer to home. The service writer called me last night and said pictures and weights have been sent to Keystone for review. I’ll keep you informed how it goes.
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Old 04-29-2011, 03:28 AM   #7
8.1al
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I'm confused by the first dealers method of measuring pinbox deflection. If he measured from the floor, part of the increased distance would be the trailer raising. How did they know how much was that and how much was deflection?When you place a load on the pinbox there is some deflection in the whole front of the trailer. When I wanted to check mine I placed some tape on the front of the trailer and measured to that. However you do have a problem there and hope they get it fixed for you soon
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Old 04-29-2011, 04:04 AM   #8
Lee F.
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John,

Please do keep me informed how you make out. It will be interesting to see what they say and/or do. As I said before, I wanted to make sure they saw what mine was doing while It was still under warranty in case I have a problem later.
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Old 04-29-2011, 05:30 AM   #9
Johnnyg
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I think everyone including Keystone is questioning how the measurements were taken and partly the reason for the second look.
When he jacked beneath the pin both front jacks were observed and the moment it appeared the weight was off he stopped raising and remeasured. Since he did it several times and the readings were close I guess it worked.
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Old 04-29-2011, 06:28 AM   #10
GaryM
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We just had ours repaired here in Pendleton. As stated in one of my other posts, they welded the two tubes just behind the pin box. These two tubes run the width of the frame. Apparently they are welded together on the top side but not the bottom. When you put weight on the frame it causes the closest beam to the pin box to separate on the bottom from the other. By welding them together it reduced the amount of movement of the pin box. Steel will naturally deflect even if it is welded solid. As with our rig it now pulls allot better and yes there is still movement in the pin box area. Now you can feel the weight on my springs when you go over a bump and not the bouncy rubber band feeling I was experiencing before. I did lower my pin box to give me more clearance between the rv and truck box sides as I had lost some clearance from the pin movement (also to reduce the wear that was going on between the cap and pin box). Now my rig sits a little high in the front and I will move the pin box back to the top holes when I get home. When I first pulled the rig it was like it was not even there then over time you could feel the jerking bouncing affect of the pin box deflection. I will see how it feels on our trip home and after I move the pin box back to it’s original position. I will repost on here when I get some results.

Gary
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Old 04-29-2011, 10:03 AM   #11
gregdan24
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Just had mine checked out because of a cracked closet wall and the verdict on the frame was "normal". Guess that calls for a smaller panel on the closet wall, which is on order and due to be in on May 13 (gosh I could drive there and cut it myself in a couple days....). I plan to put on a medium length Mor/ryde pin box to replace the long stock one. Hopefully that will reduce the flex and stress on the front to some extent.
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Old 04-29-2011, 02:27 PM   #12
GaryM
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First of all let me say that I call a spade a spade and sometimes the truth may cause more problems than it is worth. But I don’t care, sometimes when you want to get something done you need to upset a few people.

Well we traveled from Pendleton to Coeur d'Alene today and I paid allot of attention to how the truck and trailer were working. Firs of all WOW, it is unbelievable the difference in towing now that the welding is done. It is amazing how much you forget about how your rig towed from new, when you pull it around for so long in the condition it was in before the welding. I must say if I knew what I know now, at the time we called our dealer/Keystone about the flex issue I would have not let it go on for this long.

I will try an explain the difference so that you can determine if you rig falls in the same category as mine. Right now the rig pulls great, on a nice paved highway it as if it is not behind you. Just like when I pulled it for the first time. Today we did come across some frost heaved road and it is like the rv is trying to hump the truck, it is soft and subtle but it will do it for quite some time. I believe the Mor ride amplifies the movement but it also softens it. Going across a overpass (and today I came across a few hefty bumps) I did not even let off the pedal and the bump caused no surprising effect. The weight of the pin was transferred to the truck and you could feel the springs do there job. And it was a nice absorption of the weight, no more than three bounces were put onto the springs and each one was with less force. You could barley feel the third one. And the movement that I could see in the rear view mirror was around 1/4 inch.

Before the welding it was like the trailer did a rolling effect and the bouncing was just out of this world. You would not even feel the load put on the spring like I feel now. The pin flex was taking most of the load. I would slow down to 40 MPH if I saw the vehicle in front of me bounce on a bump.

There is also the (what I will call) hinge effect. That is when the trailer and truck pivot up and down at the hitch. I could see the movement in the mirror of what looked like the front end of the rv was moving up and down but when I looked in the side mirrors you could see the front move down as the back came up. Also I noticed that the lite side (door side) moves more than the road side. Looks like I need to pack a little more weight on that side.

So when they tell you that 1 inch or 1 1/4 inch of movement is normal I would not believe them. There is allot of steel under there and the welding appears to be solid. But if there is that much movement in a short distance of 3 to 4 feet there is something wrong. I feel that with the heavy use of our rig it was just a mater of time before the elastic limits of some portions of the steel frame were reached. I do believe that the welding that was done will hold up for quite some time.

When they tell you that it is normal then later come back and tell you that you need to take you rig back to the dealer there is something wrong with that. A company that has been dealing with a product know it inside and out. And they don’t need allot of time to tell you what is wrong. Worse yet, when they originally tell you it’s ok then later tell you it’s not. That tells me that they are trying to cover up something and then realized that the problem is too big to cover up. And what I also find funny is everyone that goes to there dealer with this type of issue seem to get different answers, yet Keystone is involved with all of them.

Why is my rig repaired and yours is not?, well there is a word I use and the above statement may assist you in your quest to get action.

I see a recall in the future with the drop frame rv’s but, that is just my opinion.

If you have flex issues and require further explanation of the above please pm me and I will assist you the best I can.

Gary
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Old 04-29-2011, 05:14 PM   #13
kingdaddy
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Wow, thanks for sharing this info...great to be aware of for future potential problems>
As for the MorRyde question, yes mine does have the front edge sitting just a "hair" high off the hitch plate. I have a Superglide if that matters...
Very happy so far with both hitch and pinbox combo. Of course, I never drove mine any other way so I really don't have anything to compare to, so I guess my opinion is really worth about .02!
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