5th Wheel Upgraded Suspension

[Lynkage]

Has anyone here done any upgrades to their 5er's suspension?

I am wondering as I think I would like to add a full air ride or the Morryde IS suspension and wondering is anyone else has done this and what is your after thoughts.

I also want to do this because these Lippert frames leave a little bit to be desired and I do not want to just wait and see if it is going to fail. So I will reinforce my chassis and pinbox area so I can feel better about adding a rear hitch to the 5th wheel for the toys.

This will add between 700-1000lbs to the weight of the 5th wheel but I also plan on going to an 8000lb axle from my current 7k axles.

Please give me your feedback about pros/cons for doing this.
We plan on keeping this trailer for as long as possible so longevity is key.
Not worried about the frame warranty as these frames are somewhat worthless anyhow.

Thanks for your input.
Shane

[Lynkage]

Anyone? Crickets.......

[TURBS]

Sorry man mine seems to be "heavy" enough to not warrant an upgrade.
If your concerned about it I would definitely upgrade .

Turbs

[Lynkage]

Thanks for the reply Turbs.

Guess no one here has done anything like that.

[lindy]

If possible the 1 upgrade I'd do is the Mor Ryde I.S. with disc brakes, and I doubt there's any difference in the trls weight after this modification.

[Lynkage]

Thanks for the reply Lindy.

Do you have the Morryde IS?
I am comparing it to an STI air system and a Timbren air system.

The extra weight would come from beefing up the frame to handle the hitch I would like to put on the rear of the 5er.

I am just leary of the frame design that these builders squeek by with.

[wmcclay]

The problem I see is
1. New trailer still under warranty.
2. The cutting, grinding, welding effects on the frame
3. These frames are a compromise between load carrying cap, weight,
warranty and cost.
4. In most cases the frames last thru the lifetime of the unit.
5. When you strengthen one area you just move the failure point somewhere
else when you add additional loads.
5. These frames are marginal at best so any mods to the frame should take
all of the above into account before any mods are done.
6. Iam in no way saying this can not be done, I have seen many great upgrades
just food for thought.

Just my thoughts

Wayne

[Lynkage]

Thanks for the reply Wayne!

BTW I see the same problems as you.

I was contemplating a reinforcement of the entire frame.

The problem is my DW just plain does not like toyhaullers and their floorplans, and REALLY likes the 355BHQ.

So, like any good husband would do for their DW am looking for a solution to this problem.

This could take some time...........

[wmcclay]

How much weight do you plan on pulling or supporting, will it have brakes also, if a trailer. Have you contacted lippert or the mfg to see if any provisions were made during the engineering for a rear mounted hitch and if so for how much weight? Most trailers have a class 1 or 2 hitch on the rear. Class 1 2,000 lbs and 200 lbs tongue weight. Class 2 3500 and 350 lbs tongue weight, 1 1/4 tube. Air ride is of course the way to go, however with the proper support the current suspension will work. It is a lot of work to do so. PM me and we can kick it around as I have done frame renforcement on 5ers before to pull boat trailers.

Wayne

[Lynkage]

Thanks for the reply Wayne!

I really like the air ride suspensions. I would also opt for some disk brakes as well.

It is a fairly light aluminum sled trailer at about 400lbs.

I looked at a XLR 395AMP and it had the same chassis rails as mine and that is a very large trailer, although mine is not small.

[Lynkage]

More looking and research about air ride and this company looks to be making a very nice system.

LBS Trailer Air Suspensions-Air Suspension for Trailers

These can be had with disk brakes as well. They should smooth the ride out quite a bit and really extend the life of the trailer and the TV.
I really like the height adjustment
as well.
I would also add an air ride pinbox.

[wmcclay]

Go to a rv salvage yard to find an airide setup. I have seen them here in ca on wrecked rv's. make sure you get the shocks and mounts as they are almost required on air ride. You can buy leveling valves about anywhere. What are you going to use for an compressed air source?

Wayne

[Lynkage]

I have a Viair 10007 constant duty compressor and a 2 1/2 gal tank onboard the 450 already. I plan to have a second 2-5 gal tank on the trailer as well with a check valve just in case I need air and the truck is not hooked up.

[Lynkage]

BTW we only have 2 RV salvage yards here in Denver and they very rarely have suspension components, and when they do they go on craigslist for almost new prices.

[wmcclay]

Whats your center to center frame width? I have 10-12 rv salvage yard within 10 miles. What does new run so I have a little better idea when I call a few. Needs to be cheap enough to ship . Do you want 16 or 17.5 tires. I saw a deluxe siutes that had rolled over, will call them when you answer.

[Lynkage]

68 1/2 C to C on the frame.

New was 7k with a full air supply/control and disk brake and 8k axles

Not sure if I can get 17.5's under it but if I can I will.