Suspension Upgrade for Beacon

[RVn4Now]

Originally Posted by RoadEyePie

My Beacon has 8K axles, Lippert springs, shackles. Is there a suspension upgrade for 8K axles? I'm told MorRyde SRE4000 is for 7K and MorRyde doesn't make an equivalent for 8K axles. I don't want to go to the MorRyde IS suspension.

MORryde Independent Suspension....

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by RVn4Now

MORryde Independent Suspension....

Wow....first post? I'm honored. Welcome to the club. I've scheduled a date with MORryde next July. We'll see.

[wingnut60]

You won't be disappointed with either the IS system or the professional installation at the factory.

[TheLex]

FYI MorRyde is coming out with an air suspension that allows you to raise and lower the trailer. It's pretty slick. It's not released yet.

[mjdenn]

I agree it's well built but that's not to say that you can go over the MGVW. Our axles
3X7K use the same bearings as the 8K units. If the intent of the IS install is to raise the MGVW you will not achieve your goal legally. If you wish to improve the ride go for it. Lower maintenance costs, well maybe it's a bit of a tradeoff as you will have to align and balance your wheels. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that MorRyde will measure and improve the relationship between the truck and trailer. If required they will raise the trailer with a crossmember. That will improve the towing experience for those that are not towing level.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by TheLex

FYI MorRyde is coming out with an air suspension that allows you to raise and lower the trailer. It's pretty slick. It's not released yet.

I never buy into something that's a new release. I'd wait until the bugs are worked out first.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by mjdenn

I agree it's well built but that's not to say that you can go over the MGVW. Our axles
3X7K use the same bearings as the 8K units. If the intent of the IS install is to raise the MGVW you will not achieve your goal legally. If you wish to improve the ride go for it. Lower maintenance costs, well maybe it's a bit of a tradeoff as you will have to align and balance your wheels. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that MorRyde will measure and improve the relationship between the truck and trailer. If required they will raise the trailer with a crossmember. That will improve the towing experience for those that are not towing level.

Legally it's not going to increase the GVWR of the RV, but it will increase by about 800 lbs. according to MORryde, and for safety reasons that's far more important to me.

[rwinslow]

We had a Morryde IS Suspension installed in 1999. It is still going strong. It has been in all 48 states and multiple trips up and down the Alaska Highway and throughout Alaska. The rubber elements have been replaced once, the shocks several times (as expected) Trailer towing performance is exceptional and consistent. Ensure that the trailer tires are balanced and consider using some type of dynamic wheel balancer (Centramatic / needs, etc.).

The IS will probably last longer than the trailer.

[RoadEyePie]

My latest concern is posted in the thread "Another MORryde IS Question" (or something like that). Any modification to the frame will nullify the warranty by Lippert. Concern is that overheating the I-beam during welding could alter the "upper camber" of the I-beam which could be a major if not catastrophic issue.

[xc-mark]

Originally Posted by RoadEyePie

My latest concern is posted in the thread "Another MORryde IS Question" (or something like that). Any modification to the frame will nullify the warranty by Lippert. Concern is that overheating the I-beam during welding could alter the "upper camber" of the I-beam which could be a major if not catastrophic issue.

they only weld on the lower flange of the I beam , NOTHING is welded to the vertical web. You will not have a problem with there welds being to hot , they MiG weld everything then spray over them with black paint. your more likely to LCI welds fail before any of the Morryde welds. The entire suspension is built as a complete part then raised to the bottom of your frame , all the crossmembers are all part of the 4 wheel cart not on the LCI frame. The LCI frame after has less stress on it then the buggy springs because of the added crossmembers . I am not sure if they started doing it but I did talk to the shop MGR about pre-fab some of the larger parts to reduce the in bay shop time. They thought it maybe possible assuming they had done the same trailer before and took notes on axle spread , how wide the frame is , and added tube steel to correct ride height , etc.. Back in 2018 your looking at 2 days without disk brakes being added, 3 with disk on a 2 axle upgrade and one installer. I pulled in on Sunday night did a night outside (bring a long 20 amp cord and a long 30 amp cord at a min) . Once inside the factory runs 2 shift and is a little noisy but I didn't find it to be a issue. You will want a electric heater if your going when its cold , they will give you 30 or 50 amps of shop power when you in the bay but fill your tanks before you back in. They do have a hose outside near the main shop front door that you could fill up or top off, cant say if its on year round. I was back on the road around 3pm on Wednesday afternoon. They will expect you to be out of the RV by 6 or 6;30am if I recall (safety reasons ) .

[TXiceman]

Our IS was on the trailer from NuWa and we have had no issues until this year. The trailer was built in November 2012. In a construction zone and a too tight turn, the shoulder caved and the right front tire dropped. I did not know that it caused the axle to come out of alignment. Finding a place to realign the axles was a bit of a chore as it cannot be handles buy most trailer shops. I got the axle realigned and the other two checked at Merle Kelly Ford in Chanute, KS. No more problems with tire wear.

Any other trailer with the spring axles, would have been been damaged a lot more. The IS suspension is very robust.

Ken

[LargeMarge]

Before I recommend any change, I need to read your Requirements Statement.
This helps determine your decisions.

For example:
* does my rig fit my needs?
* does modifying my trailer require changing my tow vehicle?
* would my safety be better served with a different rig/combination engineered for a substantially higher GVWR?

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by LargeMarge

Before I recommend any change, I need to read your Requirements Statement.
This helps determine your decisions.

For example:
* does my rig fit my needs?
* does modifying my trailer require changing my tow vehicle?
* would my safety be better served with a different rig/combination engineered for a substantially higher GVWR?

Sorry, I guess I don't really understand this. I'm simply looking into a better suspension system than the one I have which has already had to be replaced. I don't have a lot of confidence in the replacement system which is identical to the one that failed. I need to do something before the long trip planned across the Rockies, Cascades, and Sierras next year. Right now, it's either heavier 1/2" shackles, a more robust leaf spring, equalizer, etc. or MORryds's IS system.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by rwinslow

... the shocks several times (as expected)

How often did you have to replace those and can they be replaced at home or did you have to take it to a shop?