Suspension system enhancements

[TheLexx]

OK I got the bid from MorRyde. Looks like it's $4200 for the MorRyde IS system, $3200 for disc brakes, or $7k total for the whole shebang. That's a lot of coin for a trailer like the Reflection that didn't cost that much to begin with. Hmmmm........

Here's what seems to be a much better deal. Southwest Wheels has a torsionflex axle that comes WITH hydraulic disc brakes for $1200 per axle. Of course shipping will cost more. But the total is still less than $3k for all the parts. I would just need to find a suspension shop to do the work. This would be a significant savings over the MorRyde system.

https://www.southwestwheel.com/p-303...ulic-disc.aspx

[RSteele]

OK I got the bid from MorRyde. Looks like it's $4200 for the MorRyde IS system, $3200 for disc brakes, or $7k total for the whole shebang. That's a lot of coin for a trailer like the Reflection that didn't cost that much to begin with. Hmmmm........

Here's what seems to be a much better deal. Southwest Wheels has a torsionflex axle that comes WITH hydraulic disc brakes for $1200 per axle. Of course shipping will cost more. But the total is still less than $3k for all the parts. I would just need to find a suspension shop to do the work. This would be a significant savings over the MorRyde system.

https://www.southwestwheel.com/p-303...ulic-disc.aspx

New 8k Dexter axels and full disc brake kit with all parts cost me $3500 shipped to my house. I do not like paying folks for stuff I can do. The installation quote was $1500 so I did it myself. Putting new axels in is the easy part pretty cut and dry, they go on just like the old ones you took off. Performance trailer braking made sure I had the right axels, u bolts springs and tie plates. I sent a little more than the basic setup because I got 9/16 studs on the hubs, upgraded to Timken bearings and did oil bath hubs instead of grease. Putting the lines in was the hard part. I definitely recommend buying the kodiak hose kit. I used a hard line kit and the lengths proved to be problematic so I made some up with a flaring tool. I also bought the roadmaster comfort ride complete kit and that was another $1300. So with installation the Morryde IS is about the same I just can’t drive to Indiana to get it done. The shop on the west coast seems to run more $ than the Morryde Indiana shop.

[TheLexx]

I saw your post about this! You did a fantastic job. Unfortunately I don't have the skills like you do to complete this project myself. I'd have to find a suspension shop to complete the work. It would still be cheaper than going all the way to Indiana though! Henderson's in Oregon is an authorized MorRyde installer. But they're even more expensive at over $10k. That's just too rich for me.

New 8k Dexter axels and full disc brake kit with all parts cost me $3500 shipped to my house. I do not like paying folks for stuff I can do. The installation quote was $1500 so I did it myself. Putting new axels in is the easy part pretty cut and dry, they go on just like the old ones you took off. Performance trailer braking made sure I had the right axels, u bolts springs and tie plates. Putting the lines in was the hard part. I definitely recommend buying the kodiak hose kit. I used a hard line kit and the lengths proved to be problematic so I made some up with a flaring tool. I also bought the roadmaster comfort ride complete kit and that was another $1300. So with installation the Morryde IS is about the same I just can’t drive to Indiana to get it done. The shop on the west coast seems to run more $ than the Morryde Indiana shop.

[RobW-NC]

After installing the Sailun ST637 tires, I've notice the trailer bounces much more going down the road. It's so bad that I'm worried that the wear will hasten the demise of this stapled together trailer. I'm also thinking about install some 20" wheels and 35x12.5R20 tires to replace the hard riding, poor handling Continential HD2 commercial tires on my F450. I also want to install the Carli Back Country suspension, which is a front levelling lift of 2.5". This lift only affect the front, not the rear. The result will be a bed height increase of about 2". However when the truck is loaded with the trailer, I'll probably be a bit nose high, so some airbags or Timbrens bump stops on the rear axle might be in order.

Right now I have about 8" of clearance between the bedrails of the truck and the underside of the fiver. If I raise the truck 1.5 inches, I'm thinking I can move the bolts on the pinbox higher to make up the difference and still have 6" of clearance to the bedrails, although that makes me kind of nervous.

On the trailer suspension front, it seems like my choices are to either use the Lippert approved and sourced 2" lift kit, or go with a Roadmaster, MorRyde, or Timbren suspension system. The Lippert 2" lift kit is the simplest, but it would do nothing for the harshness of the ride.

The Roadmaster system with the shocks seems like it should do a really good job of dampening the road irregularities. However it does not raise the suspension. I don't know if it can be made to work with the Lippert 2" lift. It's also the best bang for the buck.

The Timbren suspension is about halfway in terms of cost between the Roadmaster and the MorRyde. It also seems like a well thought out system. I removes the axles from the equation entirely which is good for clearance. I have no idea how much dampening it offers relative to the Roadmaster and MorRyde. One bonus of this system is it raises your suspension by 2", which would be perfect for my truck wheels and lift.

The MorRyde system seems to be the Cadillac of suspension systems. It's the most costly at about $7k, and probably requires a trip to Indiana. MorRyde supposedly can set the suspension at whatever lift level I want.

So does anyone have experience with these, especially with a very mild truck lift? Recommendations?

When I put the Sailuns on I put the pressure at 90 psi. Pulled it about 500 miles and had a very smooth ride. Did you have the tires correctly balanced? They aren't balanced the same as car tires.

[TheLexx]

When I put the Sailuns on I put the pressure at 90 psi. Pulled it about 500 miles and had a very smooth ride. Did you have the tires correctly balanced? They aren't balanced the same as car tires.

AFAIK the tires and wheels are correctly balanced. I had a tire shop balance them when they were put on.

[jjbbrewer]

MorRyde:
Attachment 31056

I'm kind of concerned about the shear "spring" concept. It seems 100% of the load goes through 4 layers of adhesives (rubber to metal) any one of which would cause a failure. Having the rubber under compression (Timbren) seems like it would be less prone to catastrophic failure.

Here's a video on something I'd like to avoid doing while on the road ..
https://youtu.be/MKlSEcD3Kok

[TheLexx]

I'm kind of concerned about the shear "spring" concept. It seems 100% of the load goes through 4 layers of adhesives (rubber to metal) any one of which would cause a failure. Having the rubber under compression (Timbren) seems like it would be less prone to catastrophic failure.

Here's a video on something I'd like to avoid doing while on the road ..
https://youtu.be/MKlSEcD3Kok

Yikes! No way would I attempt that repair on the road like that. I agree - the shear spring concept isn't the best but this is the first failure I've read about. All these suspensions are using the same basic concept. They have a rubber piece that is either stretched or compressed. The Dexter Torflex has the torsion rubber inside the axle. The Timbrens have pads on the trailing arms that get compressed. It seems that they should be all equally effective, but the addition of shocks in MorRyde's case, would be an added benefit. I wonder if shocks could be added to the other systems?

[jjbbrewer]

This is the one suspension setup I'm seriously considering as a replacement. It's essentially identical to those used on semi trailers and doesn't rely on adhesives or rubber to metal integrity.
https://www.southwestwheel.com/p-301...uspension.aspx

Does anyone have knowledge of this type of setup on their trailer? I'm thinking about adding supplemental air bags on my F-450 so I'll already have an onboard air compressor.

Maybe it would be good to talk with horse trailer people since their cargo is usually much more valuable than ours!

[Second Chance]

I'm kind of concerned about the shear "spring" concept. It seems 100% of the load goes through 4 layers of adhesives (rubber to metal) any one of which would cause a failure. Having the rubber under compression (Timbren) seems like it would be less prone to catastrophic failure.

Here's a video on something I'd like to avoid doing while on the road ..
https://youtu.be/MKlSEcD3Kok

MORryde has a regular inspection schedule to catch things before they become an issue. We put over 26K miles on our previous MORryde setup (only have 1,600 on the new one) with no issues. MORryde has a good track record with this suspension and the design is used on passenger busses and other, heavier vehicles. You have to go with what you're comfortable with, though.

Rob

[TheLexx]

Interesting design. That looks very robust. For your Momentum I would think it should work out well. For my relatively light 11k lb GVWR Reflection, that would probably be too stiff of a ride. The lowest weight rating for this design that they carry is 16k lbs. Bear in mind though, that this is 16k lbs PER AXLE. So with 2 axles at 16k lbs each, the ride might be too stiff for your trailer as well.

This is the one suspension setup I'm seriously considering as a replacement. It's essentially identical to those used on semi trailers and doesn't rely on adhesives or rubber to metal integrity.
https://www.southwestwheel.com/p-301...uspension.aspx

Does anyone have knowledge of this type of setup on their trailer? I'm thinking about adding supplemental air bags on my F-450 so I'll already have an onboard air compressor.

Maybe it would be good to talk with horse trailer people since their cargo is usually much more valuable than ours!