RV Trailer Suspension OVERHAUL – Step-by-Step Instruction + 6 Month Review of MORryde Upgrades

Want to avoid being stuck on the side of the road with a broken leaf spring, hanger or blown out tire on your trailer? Follow along as I completely overhaul our RV’s suspension system, from top to bottom.

Tires, bearings, brakes, leaf springs, equalizers, wet bolts and even the frame… it’s all getting refreshed in the video above and I’m going to show you everything I do, step-by-step.

Some of the topics covered in the video are:

✅ How to install a MORryde AllTrek 4000 Equalizer System
✅ How to install a MORryde X-Factor Crossmember
✅ How to install a MORryde Heavy-Duty Shackle Kit
✅ How to install new leaf springs and u-bolts
✅ How to paint and protect a frame / chassis from rust
✅ How to repack wheel bearings
✅ How to service and replace electric trailer brakes
✅ How to paint rims with Plasti Dip
✅ How to find the best price on replacement RV tires
✅ How to perform periodic maintenance on a trailer suspension system

My game plan for the suspension refresh is to work from the frame down.

With that in mind, the video has been divided into the following categories:

Section 1: Load & Shock Absorption – This covers every component between the frame and the axles

Section 2: Rotation & Braking – This covers the bearings, hubs, drums and brake assemblies

Section 3: Rims & Tires – This is the final part of the suspension system and where the rubber meets the road

WHY I’M DOING THIS

To give you an overview of our rig, we have a 2020 Grand Design Momentum 397TH. Our suspension came stock from the factory with 3 axles rated for 7,000 pounds each, electric drum brakes, 3.5K leaf springs, rubberized equalizers and 6 Westlake G-Rated Tires.

The entire RV has a gross vehicle weight rating of 20,000 pounds, which means when fully loaded with all of our stuff, the entire RV should never weigh more than that number.

And taking into consideration all of our clothes, tools, equipment AND the daily driver loaded in our garage, it’s hard to not use up every bit of that available payload. So needless to say, our suspension has had to perform at maximum capacity since the day we moved into the RV.

For the past 4 years I’ve been careful to inspect the components before every major trip. I’ve also performed periodic maintenance every year or so.

And luckily so far, everything has held up without any major failures. But I am starting to feel like we’re pushing our luck a little.

So if I don’t want to end up on the side of the road with a broken leaf spring, snapped frame hanger or blown out tire, the time to prevent those issues is now.

OBJECTIVES

I’m going to start with a high-level overview of everything I’m looking to accomplish during this refresh, but I will be going through the entire step-by-step process later, including a full rundown of all the tools and parts I use, as well as all of the ongoing maintenance tasks I’ll be performing moving forward.

You might also want to save this for later so you can come back to it when it’s time to perform periodic maintenance on your own trailer’s suspension system.

Section 1 Overview: Load & Shock Absorption

1.1 – Spring Hangers

The first potential point of failure in our suspension system is at the spring hangers. This is where the frame connects to the rest of the suspension components. These hangers are notorious for breaking due to rust, poor welds or excessive lateral force when making sharp turns, especially on the triple-axle units. The plan here is to clean and inspect the frame and spring hangers, apply a coat of a Rust-Oleum rubberized rust reformer and then reinforce these points with some additional heavy-duty hardware add-ons from MORryde. These bolt-on structures will provide lateral or side to side support and reduce stress on the frame and hangers by up to 94%.

1.2 – Wet Bolts & Shackles

The next potential point of failure is the hardware fastening everything to the spring hangers, as well as the hardware holding all of the suspension components together. The plan here is to remove all of our old wet bolts and shackles and upgrade them to heavy duty bolts and shackles from MORryde. These 1/2-inch shackle links are stronger and more durable than stock shackles which means the brackets are much less likely to stretch and break due to the stress caused by rough roads.

1.3 – Rubberized Equalizers

The next components down the line are the rubberized equalizers that came installed on our rig from the factory. These are designed to absorb shock and reduce the front to back movement of the trailer during towing. The plan here is to remove our old and worn-out Lippert Equa-Flex components and upgrade to MORryde’s new AllTrek 4000 system for triple axles.

These equalizers have around 40% more rubber than our old ones, and with 4 inches of suspension travel they’re able to absorb much more shock. They also come with an industry leading 3-year warranty, which is 2 years longer than anything offered by Lippert.

The triple-axle kit also includes two side-to-side crossmembers, a set of front-to-back crossmembers and two axle torque arms, all of which help to further dissipate torque and stress along the frame and axles.

1.4 – Leaf Springs

And then finally, we have the leaf springs. These stacks of u-shaped steel-strips absorb a majority of the bumps and vibrations happening between the axle and the frame. Over time, springs can begin to flatten, reducing their shock absorbing capabilities, and the ends can eventually become fatigued and break. Even though we do have some slight flattening, I believe our stock springs have done pretty well over the past 4 years, so the plan is to simply replace them with brand new ones of the same style and rating and then attach them to the axles with brand new u-bolts.

Section 2 Overview: Rotation & Braking

2.1 – Wheel Bearings

Once all of the components between the frame and the axles have been refreshed, the next potential point of failure is the wheel bearings, which are what enable the wheels to spin freely around the axle. Our rims are bolted to the hubs and the hubs rest on and rotate around the spindle. Inside of each hub is an inner and outer bearing, an inner and outer bearing race, which is what the bearings ride on, lots of grease and a front and back grease seal. The wheel bearings are the contact point between the hubs and the spindle and they carry the entire load of each wheel.

The plan here is to remove the hubs, clean out all of the old grease, inspect the spindles, bearings and races for any abnormal wear, replace any damaged parts, repack the bearings with fresh grease and then install new grease seals.

2.2 – Brakes

The next point of potential failure is our electric drum brake system, which consists of a magnetic brake assembly and a drum inside of the hub. The plan here is to clean and inspect the brake assemblies and drums, replace any worn or damaged parts, and then clean and coat the exterior of the hubs with a high temperature rust resistant paint.

Section 3 Overview: Wheels & Tires

3.1 – Rims

Once all of the components from the frame to the hubs have been refreshed, the next potential points of failure are the wheels and tires themselves.

Our rig came stock from the factory with six G-rated Westlake tires mounted on 16-inch LionsHead rims.

The clearcoat on these rims began to peel within just 3 months of purchasing our RV, but because we were traveling, I didn’t take the time to report the issue until right outside of our warranty period. And even though I had documented photos from a repair shop proving the failure happened well within the warranty period, LionsHead refused to take any responsibility for repairing or replacing our rims.

So the plan here is to simply clean and inspect the rims, and assuming the structures look good, repaint them with a black, rubberized coating.

3.2 – Tires

And then our final points of potential failure are our Westlake tires. Westlakes have a bad reputation for “blow outs” because of their E-rated tires, which have been known to be rather problematic. But their G-rated line has an excellent track record, and that’s what we have on our unit.

I also make sure to take really good care of our tires. I’ve kept the cold pressure within 3-5 psi of 110 since the day we moved into the rig, I drive at no more than 65mph and I always keep the exterior of the tires protected from the sun and weather with a thick coating of UV rubber protectant.

And although these tires have performed perfectly for us over the past 4 years, and they also have plenty of tread life remaining, they are coming up on 5 years of age since the manufacture date, so to be safe and to avoid a potentially dangerous and high cost blowout, the plan here is to replace these with a brand-new set.

So that’s a full overview of everything I’m looking to accomplish during this refresh.

Next up I’m going to go over the exact parts and supplies I ordered for each section and then I’ll go through the entire installation process step-by-step.

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Section 1: Load & Shock Absorption – Parts & Supplies

1.1 – Spring Hangers & Frame

For cleaning the spring hangers and frame I simply used a water hose, a firm bristled brush for scrubbing, dawn dish soap and then lots of the blue, heavy duty disposable shop towels.

For coating these freshly cleaned sections, I decided on a 32oz can of Rust-Oleum 2-in-1 Rust Reform & Seal and a couple of standard paint brushes. The rust reforming ingredient transforms any existing surface rust into a protective layer of iron phosphate and then the remaining chemicals dry into a thick, rubberized sealant, all of which protects the frame and spring hangers and helps to prevent future corrosion.

For reinforcing the spring hangers, I decided on the X-Factor Crossmembers from MORryde. These work by attaching to our existing spring hangers and providing side to side support, reducing stress by up to 94% at each attachment point, which is a huge deal for preventing bending and breaking of the hangers, springs and other components.

Our triple-axle has 4 sets of spring hangers, so we need 4 crossmembers total, but the triple-axle version of the AllTrek 4000 Suspension Kit that we’re also adding on already includes two crossmembers for the two middle hangers, so that meant we only needed to add on two of the X-Factor crossmembers, one for the front set of hangers and one for the back set.

On a tandem or double-axle, the AllTrek kit doesn’t include any crossmembers, so in that case you’d need 3 X-Factor crossmembers to support all of the hangers.

The crossmembers themselves are adjustable in width so they fit pretty much any travel trailer or 5th wheel, but I did need to make sure there were no obstructions under the frame that would prevent the crossmembers from being installed, such as plumbing, electrical lines, things like that.

While there were no obstructions between each set of equalizers, I did find a dump valve line between the very front hangers, as well as a sewer pipe between the very rear hangers.

To work around this, MORryde offers a drop-down adapter kit, which lowers the crossmember by a few inches, allowing you to bypass minor obstructions. This would work on our front set of hangers, but the sewer pipe was too thick at the back and it didn’t look like we’d be able to fit a crossmember there without completely rerouting the plumbing, which I didn’t want to do.

So I decided to go ahead and the skip the rear support and only go with the front crossmember along with a drop-down adapter kit.

MORryde also offers a Correct Track adapter kit for those who have a correct track alignment system installed from the factory. You can tell if you have this system by the yellow hexagons on your front and rear springs hangers. We don’t have this but I just wanted to mention it for those who might need to add on the adapter kit.

1.2 – Wet Bolts & Shackles

For replacing our old bolts and shackles I decided to upgrade to a heavy-duty shackle kit from MORryde. This kit includes 1/2-inch shackle links which are much stronger and more durable than the stock shackles. You can see the difference in thickness here. This kit also includes bronze bushings and greaseable wet bolts.

To find the specific kit we needed, I used the chart on MORryde’s website which was listed under “technical specs” on the shackle kit product page.

For our triple-axle we needed the kit with the part number ending in 023.

1.3 – Rubberized Equalizers

For replacing our old and worn-out equalizers I decided to upgrade to the AllTrek 4000 system from MORryde.

Before ordering the kit, I used the qualification guide on MORryde’s website to make sure the system would work on my specific rig.

The tandem or double-axle kit simply includes two equalizers while the triple-axle kit includes four equalizers, two side-to-side crossmembers, two front-to-back crossmembers, two axle torque arms, two axle brackets and four u-bolts.

I was curious why the triple-axle kit included so many additional support structures, so I contacted MORryde and was able to speak with an engineer.

He informed me that their goal with this design was to dissipate the torque that occurs when controlling the position of the center axle. By using a side-to-side crossmember between each of the two equalizers, and then using front-to-back crossmembers to connect everything together, it helps to spread the torque across 3 feet instead of 3 inches, further reducing the potential for failure.

I then measured from the center of one of my axles to the center of another in order to determine the size of my wheel base, which ended up being 35 inches.

Therefore, in my case I needed to order the triple 35” wheelbase option.

1.4 – Leaf Springs

For replacing our old leaf springs, I decided to go with an equivalent 6-leaf, 3.5k replacement from eTrailer. These are actually 3/8” shorter than our stock springs, but the slight difference in length doesn’t cause any issues.

And then for replacing our u-bolts, I went with an equivalent replacement kit from Redline. These bolts are 7” long, which is about 3/8” more than stock, but again this slight difference in length doesn’t cause any issues either.

I was able to determine the specs of our stock springs and u-bolts by contacting the manufacturer of our rig, Grand Design, and providing them with our serial number. They were able to give me exact part numbers for each of our components and I was able to use those to find equivalent replacements.

RECAP

So a quick recap of all the parts and supplies I used:

Section 2: Rotation & Braking – Parts & Supplies

2.1 – Wheel Bearings

For cleaning all of the old grease off of the bearings and spindles I simply used a ton of disposable gloves and a ton of disposable shop towels. For repacking the wheel bearings, I used a 1-pound tub of Lucas Red N Tacky grease along with a very helpful bearing packer tool.

I then reached out to Dexter, the manufacturer of my axles, to get part numbers and specs for the grease seals, inner bearings and outer bearings.

They responded with a very helpful list of part numbers that I was able to use to find everything I needed.

Assuming all of my bearings and races were in good shape, I would only need to buy 6 grease seals to complete this repack.

But considering there was a possibility that some of the other components might need replacing, I decided to go ahead and preemptively purchase 6 complete bearing kits. These each include an inner and outer bearing, inner and outer race, a double lip grease seal and a new cotter pin.

If my existing components looked good, I could simply save the leftover parts as spares for the future.

I also ordered a couple of extra grease caps in case I damaged any of mine during their removal.

2.2 – Brakes

For cleaning off the brake assemblies and drums, I used two cans of non-flammable CRC brake parts cleaner and plenty of shop towels.

Luckily none of my brake assemblies needed to be replace this time around, but in our first year of travel, THREE of our factory-installed grease seals failed and completely soaked our brake shoes in grease and I had to replace them. I’ll cover this procedure in the step-by-step section.

For replacing those assemblies, I decided to go with an equivalent self-adjusting replacement from Redline.

For repainting the exterior of the hubs, I used some masking tape and a can of flat black Rust-oleum High Heat spray paint.

RECAP

So a quick recap of all the parts and supplies I used:

Section 3: Wheels & Tires – Parts & Supplies

3.1 – Wheels

For coating all six wheels, I used just under 5 cans of black Plasti Dip, which is a nice rubberized paint that holds up well but is also easy to remove.

3.2 – Tires

For replacement tires, I’d originally planned to purchase an identical set of G-rated ST235/80R16 Westlakes since they’d done so well for us over the past 4 years. But looking around online, I had a hard time finding those in stock at a reasonable price.

I was however able to find a great deal on an identical set of Sailuns. These are very highly rated tires with a great reputation, so I decided to go ahead and make the switch.

I did a ton of research before making this purchase and SimpleTire.com had the absolute best prices I could find anywhere. They also offered free shipping and 12 months of roadside assistance.

And to save even more money, use code AroundTheSun at checkout to get an additional discount.

RECAP

So a quick recap of all the parts and supplies I used:

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SimpleTire Discount Code: “AroundTheSun” for 10% OFF

Section 1: Load & Shock Absorption – Step-By-Step

Next up is the entire installation process for Section 1, step-by-step.

Here’s a quick overview of all the tools I personally used for this install:

  • 1/2” Drive Torque Wrench with a range from 10-150 ft/lbs
  • 16oz Steel Hammer
  • Dykes / Cutters
  • 1/2” Drive Breaker Bar
  • 1.5LB Rubber Mallet
  • Flat Pry Bar
  • 1/2″ Extensions and 1/2″ Swivel Adapter
  • Steel Punch
  • 3/4, 11/16, 9/16 and 1/2” Sockets in 1/2” Drive
  • 1/2, 9/16, 3/4 and 13/16″ Combination Wrenches
  • 1/2″ Impact
  • 4-ton Bottle Jack
  • RV Leveling Blocks
  • Large C-clamp
  • Four 2+ Ton Jack Stands
  • Deep 3/4” Socket to torque the U-Bolts on the Leaf Springs
  • Deep 11/16” Socket to torque the U-bolts on the Control Arm Bracket

And then a quick recap of all the parts and supplies I use in this section:

The step-by-step instructions for this section start at the 16:48 mark in the video above.

Section 2: Rotation & Braking – Step-By-Step

Next up I’m going to go through the entire step-by-step process for Section 2.

So a quick recap of all the parts and supplies I use in this section:

The step-by-step instructions for this section start at the 37:37 mark in the video above.

Section 3: Wheels & Tires – Step-By-Step

Next up I’m going to go through the entire step-by-step process for Section 3, which starts at the 47:49 mark in the video above.

So a quick recap of all the parts and supplies I use in this section:

When coating all six wheels with Plasti Dip, I wasn’t too worried about overspray on the old tires since I was having new ones installed, so the process for me was pretty easy.

I simply removed the wheels from the rig and thoroughly washed and dried them.

I then laid the wheels out on some cardboard and applied a very thin and light first coat. I let that dry for 30 minutes and then applied 4 additional coats, each one a bit thicker than the last, letting each one fully dry for 30 minutes.

The key to avoiding runs in the paint is to use a steady, sweeping motion and never spray in one spot without moving. Also, be patient and don’t go too thick on any single coat. The 5 layers will eventually add up to a full, thick coverage, and if they don’t, you can simply add a 6th or 7th coat until you’re satisfied with the look.

When ordering our new Sailun tires from SimpleTire.com, I had them shipped to a tire shop just down the road from us. The plan was to load our wheels in the bed of the truck, drive them down to the shop, have the tires swapped, and then drive back and reinstall.

But once the tires were delivered, I received a call from the shop letting me know their machines weren’t big enough to mount 14-ply tires.

I made some calls and found a shop a few minutes up the road that had the proper equipment. Luckily I had enough room in the bed of the truck to load the 6 new tires along with the 6 old ones and head up there.

So before placing your order, make sure to find a receiving shop that can actually handle the mounting of g-rated or 14-ply tires.

I asked the installation guys to take it easy on the freshly painted rims during the tire swap, but unfortunately the rims still got a few scuffs here and there, so I did have to go back and touch those sections up.

If I could do it over again, I would have waited until after the new tires were installed to paint the rims. I would have simply coated the tires with some rubber protectant beforehand and then simply peeled the overspray off of the rubber after everything was dry.

But I’m very satisfied with how it all turned out in the end and the fresh rims and tires make our 4-year-old rig look brand new again.

Final Steps

After the entire refresh was complete, we took a short shakedown trip with the RV fully loaded. I wanted to give the entire suspension a chance to settle in at highway speeds under the full weight of the RV.

After around 80 miles, I climbed back under the rig to check and retorque every single bolt from the install. There were definitely a few that needed to be snugged again, so I believe this was a very important step.

6 Month Review

It’s now been a little over 6 months since I completed this refresh, and, in that time, we’ve traveled over 5,000 miles.

From day one I could definitely notice a difference in the ride quality. It felt as if the suspension was now the component absorbing the bumps and the frame was softly bouncing after the fact, whereas before, it felt like the trailer itself was taking most of the beating.

The most noticeable improvement is when going over bridge transitions. I can feel the new equalizers and leaf springs absorbing the massive blows and then gently transferring the remaining energy to the trailer, which then gently bobs up and down a time or two.

The biggest benefit though is the peace of mind we now feel. I’m no longer stressing about every single bump in the road. And when it’s necessary to make those slow, sharp turns in a tight campground, I feel much more confident that we aren’t going to bend a hanger or pop a spring getting into our spot.

I’m also much less worried about a tire blowout simply due to old age. Needless to say, it’s been a stress-free six months of travel!

Periodic Maintenance

Now that the suspension has been completely refreshed from top to bottom, there are a few maintenance tasks I’ll be performing from here on out to keep everything in tip top shape.

Before Every Trip

The biggest threat to an RV’s tire is low pressure. That’s why before every trip I make sure the cold pressures of ours are within 3 psi of 110. I usually check this early in the morning before the sun has a chance to heat the tires up and increase the pressure.

Low pressure can not only cause excess wear, but it also creates excessive heat which can quickly break down the rubber of the tire and cause a catastrophic blow out, especially when carrying heavy loads.

This is why we also use a TPMS or tire pressure monitoring system any time we travel. This system allows us to monitor the pressure and temperature of all tires on the RV and truck in real-time and alerts us if there are any issues.

Considering we’re moving 30 thousand pounds at 65 miles per hour, a blowout could not only be dangerous to us and everyone around us, but it could also cause serious damage to our equipment. So being able to watch for temperature spikes or pressure losses in real-time allows us to quickly pull over and take care of any issues BEFORE we have an actual explosion. We’ve been using this TST system for the past 4 years and it’s worked great.

110psi is the max recommended cold pressure for our G-rated Sailuns so that’s what I run. You can Google load and inflation charts for your particular tire if you’d like to see all of the potential load ranges based on psi. But essentially, the higher the psi, the heavier the load each tire is rated to handle. According to our chart, we would technically be alright running as low as 80psi on these tires, but I’d rather play it safe and have maximum load capacity at all times.

I also perform a quick visual inspection of the wheels, tires and suspension before every trip to make sure nothing looks out of the ordinary.

Monthly

On a monthly basis I like to make sure our lug nuts are torqued to 120ft/lbs – I also check the tires for any cuts, bulges, or uneven wear. I check the wheels for cracks or damage. I check the suspension for any broken bolts, shackles or springs. I also make sure I don’t see any bent hangers or problems with the frame.

6 Months

Every 6 months I like to give all of the zerk fittings on the suspension a good pump or two of grease. This keeps the wet bolts nice and lubed and reduces the friction and wear on all of the attachment points.

I also like to pop off the dust cap on all of the hubs and give the ez lube fitting a pump or two of grease while also spinning the wheel. This will make sure the bearings have plenty of grease between repackings.

I make sure to only give one or two pumps here though because putting in too much grease can blow out the seals and cause grease to leak all over the brakes.

Yearly

Dexter recommends repacking your bearings every 12k miles or 12 months, whichever comes first, but since I inspect and add a bit of grease every 6 months, I personally base ours on miles and only repack every 12-24 months.

The same goes for brakes. The recommended inspection interval is 12 months, but I simply inspect them when I repack the bearings.

From here on I’m also going to retorque all of the new suspension components on a yearly basis as well as take care of any surface rust that may begin to form on the frame, hangers and other components.

So I hope you guys found this video helpful. Make sure to save it to your YouTube account or share it with yourself so you can easily come back to it anytime you need to perform suspension-related work on your trailer.

I tried to arrange everything in a way that would be easy to reference while doing the jobs yourself so make sure to take full advantage of the chapter markers in the description of the video. You can also drag the playhead across the timeline and see the chapters there as well.

I’d like to thank MORryde for all of the amazing products I was able to use during this refresh and for consulting with me during the install and answering any questions I had.

I’d also like to thank SimpleTire.com for their super-fast shipping and fantastic prices.

Again, don’t forget to use code AroundTheSun at checkout to get an additional discount on any purchases you make from MORryde or SimpleTire.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Drop a comment below or on YouTube and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

My name is Chris Dow, this is Around the Sun We Go, and remember… make every trip count.

MORryde Discount Code: “AroundTheSun” for 7% OFF

SimpleTire Discount Code: “AroundTheSun” for 10% OFF

PARTS WE USED

Section 1: Load & Shock Absorption
Section 2: Rotation & Braking
Section 3: Rims & Tires

OTHER LINKS

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