After several months of research on this forum and other postings, we decided to have the Morryde independent suspension and disc brakes installed on our Reflection 337RLS. In the past, I’ve had two leaf springs break and being much younger, it was no big deal to replace them. But with my tomorrow’s less in number than my yesterdays, we wanted the peace of mind the upgrades offer.

After being in touch with Brian Hosinski (Service Manager) at Morryde and requesting Sergio (21 years experience at Morryde) for the install, we departed December 5th from North Carolina for Elkhart. It’s about an 800 mile drive for us so we decided to split the trip into two days. Morryde has 50 amp power hookups and space for 5 campers if you’re interested in spending the night. Since it was December and the camper was winterized, we opted to stay in one of the many hotels right next to the Indiana Toll Road.

Our appointment was set for 0600 Monday morning the 7th, and we were at their facility around 0545. The install included 7,000 pound “axles”, Timken bearings, Kodiak disc brakes and a rubber pin box. At 0600, we met Brian and Sergio and I was able to help Sergio get the front and rear height measurements. After that, I backed the camper into one of their service bays and the install began. We went back to the service facility a couple of times on Monday to see the progress on the install. Morryde is very accommodating and allows customers to go into the service area when the work is being performed. Without getting in Sergio’s way, it was pretty cool watching the install progress from removing the axles, hangers, springs, etc. to grinding down any rough spots on the frame, to welding on the new components. We were supposed to be ready to go at noon on Tuesday, but the Kodiak disc boxes were mislabled and included a 5 lug discs versus a six lug discs. The correct parts were overnighted to Elhart from Texas and the install was completed around 2:00 on Wednesday. Sergio and I took a about a 5-mile test drive which was really beneficial to get used to the new setup and to ask questions. Brian and Sergio are great down to earth guys and willingly answered our questions. Sergio is like an artist – he takes great pride in his work.

Thursday morning we decided to get up at 0300 and left the hotel at 0400, hoping to get a good day of driving under our belts before stopping for the night. With two drivers and the huge difference in towability, we completed the 800 mile drive in one day.

So…what do we think? Its hard to put the independent suspension into words. Before the upgrade, the camper felt skittish and abrupt, almost jarring at times – think strong turbulence when flying. Now its like late night jazz and a glass of wine – very controlled, smooth and well settled. Some of this is attributable to the suspension and some to the rubber pin box. As others have posted, there is a very brief (less than a second) delay for the disc brakes to engage, but when they do, the stopping power and “feel” are a huge improvement over the electric drums.

Would I do the install again? Absolutely. With long trips hopefully in our future, peace of mind and maintaining the structural integrity of the camper were important to us. In my opinion, the independent suspension and disc brakes are by far the best upgrade we have ever done to one of our campers and were well worth the effort and expense. Hope this long winded post helps others.