I'm a new guy on the block here on the Jayco forum but have been around travel trailers for 20+ years. You may ask, why I would be doing anything on a new trailer before putting any miles on it? If any of you watch any YouTube videos, you probably know that frame flex is one of the big topics lately. Although most of this seems to be aimed at big 5th wheel trailers, frame flex, spring hanger and leaf spring brakeage and a-frame breakage have been around for several years now and more related to pull behind trailers.
So what is it I'm doing?
I am installing MorRyde Xfactor crossmembers on my 3 sets of spring hangers, replacing the steel equalizer with Lippert EquaFlex shock absorbing equalizer, replacing all of the stock plastic spring eye bushings with greaseable brass bushings, and upgrading the stock shackles to Heavy duty MorRyde greaseable shackles.
Why am I doing this?
I want this camper to last a long time and want many trouble-free miles without worrying about getting stuck on the side of the road, maybe in the middle of nowhere.
For a little background about some of the frame issues, it seems it's starts back in the early 2000's. My old Sunline 2670 was built on industrial 5" c-channel. These were very thick and heavy metal frames. Sunline and other RV manufacturers started using thin I-beams that were first used on modular homes. I'm not going to get into the details or history about this other than to say the beams can take a high vertical load, this isn't the issue. The horizontal forces put on the lower beam flange by tandem axles is a problem.
If you want these thin RV I-beam frames to last without future frame cracking in the axle area, the spring hangers need reinforcement to help prevent excess flexing of the lower flange and web section from cracking as the miles add up. Adding the MorRyde braces is a preventive action. They help stiffen the I-beam lower flange area and web section where the spring hangers attach to reduce the added stress from tandem wheels turning and uneven ground maneuvers. I will update this as I have time to install the new components.
A friend at Sunline club forums has given me the permission to give you a link to a thread that he has started to talk about some of the issues mentioned and how to inspect your trailers for potential problems. This is a work in progress, but there is a lot of information available about some of these topics in many other threads if you are interested. Note: this is probably over the top for some people, but if you're a curious information junkie, this is a good thread for you. Here's the link:
https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f71/trailer-frame-inspection-where-to-look-picture-heavy-20776.html#post159603
So what is it I'm doing?
I am installing MorRyde Xfactor crossmembers on my 3 sets of spring hangers, replacing the steel equalizer with Lippert EquaFlex shock absorbing equalizer, replacing all of the stock plastic spring eye bushings with greaseable brass bushings, and upgrading the stock shackles to Heavy duty MorRyde greaseable shackles.
Why am I doing this?
I want this camper to last a long time and want many trouble-free miles without worrying about getting stuck on the side of the road, maybe in the middle of nowhere.
For a little background about some of the frame issues, it seems it's starts back in the early 2000's. My old Sunline 2670 was built on industrial 5" c-channel. These were very thick and heavy metal frames. Sunline and other RV manufacturers started using thin I-beams that were first used on modular homes. I'm not going to get into the details or history about this other than to say the beams can take a high vertical load, this isn't the issue. The horizontal forces put on the lower beam flange by tandem axles is a problem.
If you want these thin RV I-beam frames to last without future frame cracking in the axle area, the spring hangers need reinforcement to help prevent excess flexing of the lower flange and web section from cracking as the miles add up. Adding the MorRyde braces is a preventive action. They help stiffen the I-beam lower flange area and web section where the spring hangers attach to reduce the added stress from tandem wheels turning and uneven ground maneuvers. I will update this as I have time to install the new components.
A friend at Sunline club forums has given me the permission to give you a link to a thread that he has started to talk about some of the issues mentioned and how to inspect your trailers for potential problems. This is a work in progress, but there is a lot of information available about some of these topics in many other threads if you are interested. Note: this is probably over the top for some people, but if you're a curious information junkie, this is a good thread for you. Here's the link:
https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f71/trailer-frame-inspection-where-to-look-picture-heavy-20776.html#post159603
