MORryde CRE/3000 & Wet Bolt Kit Installation - 2950RL

[TucsonJim]

Steve - I'm catching up on some reading. Great job on the install and your instructions and tips will help other owners if they wish to do the same thing. My biggest concern on the spring hangars would be that they would be shifting back and forth and lead to metal fatigue. But every time I check them, it's always the outer portion of the hangar that has the bend. This is an indication to me that they are not flexing back and forth while on the road. I don't believe this will be an issue at all and I'd leave them as-is.

Jim

[Steven@147]

Hey Jim! Yup I'm leaving them as is but will keep an eye on them. Man I saw that video of the suspension movement going down the road over on the Reflection forum and thought geeeze, that's a lot of movement. Then to see that picture of the broken separated hanger, got me to wondering.

[MidwestCamper]

Well I got around to installing the upgrade to our unit. In another thread you can see all that I went through with the MORryde qualification guide in determining if this system would fit the Image 2950RL. It does and MORryde confirmed it.

It was a long day! It took about 3.5 to 4 hours per side to install the parts. A lot of time spent to jack up the RV, remove the tires and place the jack stands under the frame. Since the RV sets up really high and the jack stands were almost at their maximum height supporting the frame, I also used concrete blocks and wood spacers for added security.
Attached are pics of the parts involved and a list of tools I had to use to install the upgrade. You will notice the new wet bolts and the single hole in them for the grease to flow out into the bronze bushings. You can also see the knurled ends of the bolts next to the bolt head.

Edit: I also added a pic of the old shackles next to the new ones. You can really see the difference!

CRE2-35 Equalizers and U012-016 Wet Bolt Kit. Required for 35 inch wheel base and 2.25 inch shackle length.

Tools,
Straight slotted screw driver
Needle nose plyers
Torque wrench and 11/16, 9/16 impact sockets
1/2 inch drive Air Impact and 1/2 inch drive ratchet
13/16 and 11/16 boxed / open wrenches
Large "C" clamp
Pry bar
Big ball-peen hammer
vice grips
Two 6 ton jack stands
Two 3 ton jack stands
Two 2.75 ton floor jacks
One 12 ton tire changing jack and six 4x4 wood blocks stacked cross layered
Two wood 2x4 pieces
Also ended up using my hydraulic port-a-power spring jaws.
There really is no instructions that come with the Equalizer Kit. Just one page that tells you the nut torque of 40 foot pounds and 4 quick and dirty steps to install the kit. It is more involved than that!

Steven,

What did this do for you? Was there a difference in how the unit handled uneven road surfaces? I also would like to have greasable shackles but am curious if this was a choice purely to avoid wear or if there was a noticeable difference in handling.

[Steven@147]

Steven,

What did this do for you? Was there a difference in how the unit handled uneven road surfaces? I also would like to have greasable shackles but am curious if this was a choice purely to avoid wear or if there was a noticeable difference in handling.

Hello, It accomplished Both goals- I did both upgrades to avoid premature suspension wear, possible RV suspension failure, improve tire wear and to improve handling and towing. I believe the upgrade did all these things.

I have only towed the RV 35 miles after I completed the upgrade but in that short trip I did notice an improvement, the RV tows better. Before on rough uneven roads I could feel the RV tugging (sometimes referred to as bucking) on the truck. Now it seems towing the RV is smoother, less yanking back on the truck. I suspect that if one was to ride in the RV while towing it would feel more stable, smoother, less hard suspension bounce and will have a side effect of increasing the longevity of the RV sub-systems like the slides, electronics, pumps, refrigerator, plumbing, individual mounting points and so forth.

Lets separate the suspension upgrade into 2 parts and talk about them individually. You dont have to do both (wet bolt kit & CRE Equalizer) at the same time its just more convenient to do them at the same time since you already have everything apart..

The wet bolt greasable kit with upgraded shackles. - Some of the nylon bushings on our RV were already wore out after only 3000 miles, other RV owners have seen the same thing. I dont want to have to take my RV in every 3000 miles to get a suspension rebuild. You can not tell if the OEM nylon bushings are bad just by looking at the hanger mounts and shackles, the bushings are hidden. The nylon bushings are not greased to begin with which makes them ware out faster. Now I can do a one shot of grease every 3000 miles instead of rebuilding the suspension bushings every 3000 miles.

In my opinion, Once the bushings wear out this creates slop in the RV suspension where the leaf springs will now start to wear down on the spring eyes and mounting bolts. This will make the RV tow harder and bounce more & banging clunking noises where the leaf spring eyes are bouncing off the bare mounting bolts. The alignment of the axles is compromised because the leaf springs eyes can twist in the hangers & shackles and will effect tire wear and could contribute to a tire blow out.

The OEM shackles are very thin and there was some evidence that the mounting holes in the shackles were starting to elongate. The OEM shackles can flex / bend because they are so thin causing bad axle alignment and also effects suspension travel and responsiveness and contributes to a rough harsh ride and premature tire wear and possible tire blow out. The shackle mounting holes can break out eventually and cause the leaf spring to come loose from the suspension. The wet bolt kit has heaver beefier shackles which makes shackle flex and failure less likely.

The CRE 3000 Equalizer part of the upgrade makes for a softer, a cushion if you will, more stable suspension, better suspension travel and movement which transmits a softer shock wave throughout the RV while being towed which in turn creates a better towing handling experience.

Sorry for the long winded response. Just my observations after completing the upgrade.

[TucsonJim]

And to add to Steve's response. When I picked up my 2017 297RSTS and was taking it home, there was quite a bit of squeaking noise coming from the suspension as I was driving down the road. I attribute this to the nylon bushings being worn out, and the subsequent metal to metal contact. Once I replaced the suspension components, the squeaking went away completely.

Jim

[MidwestCamper]

Thank you for all the feedback. I will be updating my rig.

I also noticed Lippert sells a unit that competes with the MorRyde CRE3000 equalizer system ( I have 3500 lb axles) and they also offer a permanent bushing that needs no lube. Interesting that they would not install the permanent bushings as an OEM feature.

[HawgWild]

Steve,
Thanks for the great info! I was hesitant about doing this upgrade myself as I have limited space to work. I have purchased the MORryde system but will be paying someone else to do it. It hurt but I fell a little better hearing you say you probably wouldn't do it again.
Thanks again,
Rick

[jw^2 family]

Thank you for all the feedback. I will be updating my rig.

I also noticed Lippert sells a unit that competes with the MorRyde CRE3000 equalizer system ( I have 3500 lb axles) and they also offer a permanent bushing that needs no lube. Interesting that they would not install the permanent bushings as an OEM feature.

MidwestCamper - I think you're referring to Lippert's Equa-Flex equalizer and Never Fail bushings. Lippert actually offers a "wet bolt" kit as well. They don't advertise it like they do their Never Fail bushings, but after an email inquiry to Lippert's customer service I received information about both the equalizer and the wet bolt kit that should fit an Imagine:

279687 - EQUA-FLEX EQUALIZER UPGRADE KIT:TANDEM AXLE 4000-6000#
Cost: $227.95

162324 - HD TANDEM AP KIT - 2 1/4 LINKS - NO EQ - GRS BOLTS
Cost: $177.95

[MidwestCamper]

Hi Steve - This is exactly the problem. I went through the exercise of making shim washers to keep the hanger sides parallel and then realized that the standard bolts would be too short. The difference is very small, but I don't think wet bolts are available in incrementally different sizes. I did consider machining a slight recess into the thick MORryde shackle plates so that the bolt head would sit the required amount lower and allow for the shims between the hanger and spring . . . but have not done this yet. It is important to realize that the nut torques up against a shoulder on the bolt . . . not the hanger . . . so the assembled length is not adjustable. BTW, remember that you can only use the "crunched" torque retaining nuts once.

Rob

Rob,

I'm thinking of installing the correct trac system and noticed my hangars are also pulled in due to the shorter bolts. I'm not sure if the correct track system will come with the proper length bolts. I've been looking into the correct trac with the equalizer and a wet bolt kit. I have seen some videos on YouTube on the aftermarket correct trac kit where the hangar lateral motion is disturbing. I've been communicating with Lippert on this.

[MidwestCamper]

MidwestCamper - I think you're referring to Lippert's Equa-Flex equalizer and Never Fail bushings. Lippert actually offers a "wet bolt" kit as well. They don't advertise it like they do their Never Fail bushings, but after an email inquiry to Lippert's customer service I received information about both the equalizer and the wet bolt kit that should fit an Imagine:

279687 - EQUA-FLEX EQUALIZER UPGRADE KIT:TANDEM AXLE 4000-6000#
Cost: $227.95

162324 - HD TANDEM AP KIT - 2 1/4 LINKS - NO EQ - GRS BOLTS
Cost: $177.95

Thank you Joe. I'm looking into a correct trac system and either a MorRyde or Equa-flex system with wet bolts. I changed my tires over and have lost 1/2 inch of fender clearance and feel comfortable with this decision, however I noticed when changing the tires, that my original right rear tire had struck the floor on the heavier kitchen side. This was on a stretch of highway in Indiana loaded with a full tank of water. It was so rough I was concerned about bending components. So I would like to raise the trailer by an inch or two since I also dry camp in some areas with uneven surfaces.