User Tag List

Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 70
  1. #1
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Full Time Traveler
    Posts
    152
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Morryde Independent Suspension

    This is not a paid endorsement just personal observations on a product that should be standard on all 5th wheels over 14k.

    Owner of 2021 Grand Design Momentum 395MS-R, full timers 6 years, have traveled with the Momentum from Oregon-Quartzsite area-Alaska-Indiana last two years with stock 7k axles and drum brakes. One leaf spring broke, another two where flattened, it always creaked and groaned and we didn't even have a toy in the garage. Drove over weight scales and it was always below 18k on weight.

    I had never enjoyed towing it. It is towed by a 2019 F450 dually so the truck wasn't the issue just each time it would hit bad road conditions it was a terrible noisy earthquake over the sound of the diesel pulling it. You could feel every bump come back through to the truck from the suspension. Bridge transitions where terrible especially those that are well used bouncing bumps. I loved the trailer and the lifestyle but never the towing of this 5th wheel.

    I made an appointment to get the Morryde Independent Suspension (IS) installed, originally it was going to be in April 2023, but as we were leaving Alaska in September for Grand Design warranty work at the GD plant, morryde called and said they could get us in on October while in the area. I jumped on the chance since it needed to have springs replaced that had been flattening and didn't want to replace springs and six months later replace them with the IS. We limped it to Elkart only losing one spring in Winnipeg.

    I won't cover the process since there are numerous videos, which I highly recommend. Our 8k axle and Disc brake upgrade cost roughly 13k for the triple axle. Morryde was a wonderful company to work with and our time there was enjoyable.

    The Morryde IS has finally made pulling our home enjoyable and stress free. I do not spend all my time watching the side mirrors seeing if the 5th wheel is leaning or crabbing on me. The only noise I hear is the sound of our Reese Gooseneck. The pictures below are what was taken off compared to what was put on, you can see the significant difference. The pictures should be the only proof needed for quality and performance of the IS compared to stock. They are beasts, they are the Kodiak grizzlies of the suspension world compared to the little panda bears that they replaced.

    Leaving Elkhart we pulled all the way to Oregon on the I 80 and I 84. This may not be the worst road to tow on but it does have its problem areas and steep descents. For the last 2k miles I have thought the trailer was not behind me. The trucks dually rear end makes more movement than the trailer. I had to try really hard to get the IS to make any movement. I told morryde "Thank You" many times during this drive when the RV wouldn't be bouncing around due to bad road conditions.

    I can not overstate the ability of the braking. The truck has always felt like it worked harder to stop the trailer even with the brake controller set higher than ever set on any previous trailer truck combo. With the disc brake you know that trailer will stop, really stop, not the white knuckle pray to god that you stop in time.

    The Morryde IS should be standard on all 5th wheels over 14k in weight. Companies that do not make this standard are doing a disservice to the buyers. You pay a lot for one of the"Big Ones" why put it on a small inadequate suspension system and stopping 20k lbs with drum brakes.

    It was worth every penny.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_2239.jpg   IMG_2234.jpg  

  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Posts
    162
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Curious how much weight this adds to the trailer. Not really an issue since the axles are rated higher than stock, but how much more weight are you pulling?

  3. #3
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Wherever...
    Posts
    9,010
    Mentioned
    187 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    ... I won't cover the process since there are numerous videos, which I highly recommend. Our 8k axle and Disc brake upgrade cost roughly 13k for the triple axle. Morryde was a wonderful company to work with and our time there was enjoyable.

    The Morryde IS has finally made pulling our home enjoyable and stress free. I do not spend all my time watching the side mirrors seeing if the 5th wheel is leaning or crabbing on me. ...
    Did you get a print-out of the final alignment? They've not done a terribly good job of alignment on a number of units (documented in other places) since the start of the pandemic. Ours arrived out of alignment and was done in January, 2020.

    Quote Originally Posted by Wizbangdoodle View Post
    Curious how much weight this adds to the trailer. Not really an issue since the axles are rated higher than stock, but how much more weight are you pulling?
    About 200 - 225 lbs. per suspension unit depending on which solid axles were on the unit and whether the 7k or 8k MORryde units were installed. It's weight that's not on the chassis, however, and does not add stress to the frame.

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  4. #4
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Posts
    1,090
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Wizbangdoodle View Post
    Curious how much weight this adds to the trailer. Not really an issue since the axles are rated higher than stock, but how much more weight are you pulling?
    +/- 300lbs per axle.
    2021 Solitude 375 RES-R
    2024 GMC Denali ultimate DRW

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Full Time Traveler
    Posts
    152
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Wizbangdoodle View Post
    Curious how much weight this adds to the trailer. Not really an issue since the axles are rated higher than stock, but how much more weight are you pulling?
    I did not get an accurate weight before this was done but previously my weight has averaged around 18.5k on the axles and was just the other day at around 18.5k on an Oregon weight scale.

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Full Time Traveler
    Posts
    152
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    "Did you get a print-out of the final alignment? They've not done a terribly good job of alignment on a number of units (documented in other places) since the start of the pandemic. Ours arrived out of alignment and was done in January, 2020."

    I have the sheet with our adjustments. As we were leaving a Solitude pulled in to be realigned since there where was an issue with the work done a few weeks before and I have read where others had issues. Things do go wrong but at each instance it appears morryde has stood behind their product and was happy to fix the problem. Hope they were able to get yours corrected. Do you wish they would of left the spring suspension on instead of installing the IS? I do plan have the alignment checked among with paying attention to tire wear.

    How did you get yours corrected? Morryde gave us a list of companies that they know capable of correcting alignment issues. From my understanding any suspension shop that has the correct alignment machine and the measurements is able to correct the alignment. If you need, i can scan and send the list of morryde known alignment shops. After reading it seems easy easier than replacing the King pins and doing the alignment on my old truck.

    There can be problems with work done to a coach and the problems we hear about is what gets noticed because not enough people write in to give their success story. Mine is the success story.

  7. #7
    Site Sponsor
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Posts
    1,090
    Mentioned
    15 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Second Chance View Post
    About 200 - 225 lbs. per suspension unit depending on which solid axles were on the unit and whether the 7k or 8k MORryde units were installed.
    Rob could be closer, I had it installed prior to delivery so no side by side. The research I did prior was around 300 +/-

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Chance View Post
    It's weight that's not on the chassis, however, and does not add stress to the frame.
    Rob
    I'll half agree. there is no extra carried weight on the frame. Its probably even stronger with the sub frame they install. But there is pulling weight. And the frame in the 5th wheel area has been known to have issues occasionally. I believe some of the bigger units got a heavier frame in 2022. I know someone with a '21 380 that had to go back to the factory and have the front area reinforced.
    Last edited by JKellerJr; 11-07-2022 at 09:48 AM.
    2021 Solitude 375 RES-R
    2024 GMC Denali ultimate DRW

  8. #8
    Big Traveler
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    1,593
    Mentioned
    18 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    "Did you get a print-out of the final alignment? They've not done a terribly good job of alignment on a number of units (documented in other places) since the start of the pandemic. Ours arrived out of alignment and was done in January, 2020."

    I have the sheet with our adjustments. As we were leaving a Solitude pulled in to be realigned since there where was an issue with the work done a few weeks before and I have read where others had issues. Things do go wrong but at each instance it appears morryde has stood behind their product and was happy to fix the problem. Hope they were able to get yours corrected. Do you wish they would of left the spring suspension on instead of installing the IS? I do plan have the alignment checked among with paying attention to tire wear.

    How did you get yours corrected? Morryde gave us a list of companies that they know capable of correcting alignment issues. From my understanding any suspension shop that has the correct alignment machine and the measurements is able to correct the alignment. If you need, i can scan and send the list of morryde known alignment shops. After reading it seems easy easier than replacing the King pins and doing the alignment on my old truck.

    There can be problems with work done to a coach and the problems we hear about is what gets noticed because not enough people write in to give their success story. Mine is the success story.
    Do agree that the "success" stories dont usually get posted as much as the "ah-crap" stories, but considering they do all the work at their shop in only a few locations across the country, charge handsomely for such modifications, have the correct tools and access to ensure the finished product leaves in proper condition, and require the vehicle to be there overnight(s) would make one who has traveled and purchased their products to be somewhat "concerned" about others who are in the process to have similiar work done.

    This isnt applying a sealant to the exterior, or topping the tires off with some air type of jobs that can be corrected anywhere, this is a critical mechanical service that only certain shops do. I would hope that just like a tire/wheel service manager double checks his employees lug torque, that someone is double checking alignment/fitment/performance specs of a finished vehicle prior to someone leaving their facility and traveling hundreds of miles back to their home or next destination.

    I havent personally read about those with issues and or how they were resolved, but hope they also include remedies for any "damage" as a result of their work. The liability alone of certifying a vehicle as road worthy after such maintenance should be a major concern for any installer and well worth the time/money/reputation/etc for a "double" check by another trained mechanic - possibly after the test drive and/or initial install/check is completed.
    Jim and Annette
    2019 Reflection 150 295RL
    US Army Veteran
    Missouri (AKA Misery)

  9. #9
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Wherever...
    Posts
    9,010
    Mentioned
    187 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by ktnissen View Post
    ... Do you wish they would of left the spring suspension on instead of installing the IS?

    How did you get yours corrected?...
    1) This is our second fifth wheel with MORryde IS, so it's an emphatic "NO!" to solid axles and leaf springs.

    2) Since we took delivery a few days before everything started to lock down at the beginning of the pandemic, we put very few miles on it the first two years. The tire wear did not become apparent until this past spring when we put more miles on it. I had it aligned by a heavy trailer shop (on MORryde's list) in South Dakota. I spoke with MORryde about reimbursement but they were unwilling since it had been so long since delivery.

    Rob

    PS - there is a "Reply With Quote" button at the bottom right of each entry. If you use that (as I have done here), the person with whom you're interacting will get a notification.
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Full Time Traveler
    Posts
    152
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    My gosh, this thread has taken a turn. I was not aware that posting a kudos and review of a product would require defending the product. As far as weight added my Momentum was within last weigh in, and that changes depending on what we have in the garage, how much fuel is in the fuel tanks, water in our two fresh tanks. I believe my original CCC was around 3.2k, so I am not going to worry about a few extra or less pounds.

    I will leave you with this final thought.

    "If i have any issues with alignment I would be happy to get it corrected, whether morryde reimburse or not, rather than go back to towing on the stock spring suspension".
    2019 F450 CC
    2021 Momentum 395MS-R

Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

DISCLAIMER:This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Grand Design RV, LLC or any of its affiliates. This is an independent site.