Forum Discussion

Poppy_s_5th_Whe's avatar
Poppy_s_5th_Whe
Explorer
Nov 17, 2014

Trailer Suspension Upgrade / Help

We love our 5th wheel. Well, for the most part anyway. I'll say this right off the bat, I would never buy another rear kitchen model. It seems most every trip we take something in the kitchen breaks. We've had this trailer for almost 4 years when we bought it new. I have replaced/repaired every shelf in all the rear cabinets which the shelves (crappy thin luan) all broke through. We now open the fridge very, very slowly to catch anything falling out before it hits the floor and breaks because all the shelves in the door and often the wire shelves come loose. This time a door shelf broke and beer bottles fell and broke the glass piece that covers the crisper leaving shattered glass everywhere. I have modified shelves in the pantry so that nothing actually sits on the new plywood reinforced shelves but rather in wire baskets.

We're tired of it. I would trade this trailer that we otherwise love if it were at all financially possible but it isn't. So I'm looking for any recommendations and advise from those who may have upgraded their 5th wheel's suspension. What works and what is a waste of money?

The trailer has Trailaire Equalizers stock from Keystone which I'm certain must be the cheapest piece they could have provided. Is it worth anything to upgrade that to an aftermarket unit? Which one?

I was big on adding shocks but I've read so much good and bad about adding them I'm unsure. There's not much room in there for a shock setup that I would see making much difference. I do really like the look of this system, http://www.rvimprovementsystems.com/index.html , but at $600???

Anyway, I was just hoping to see if anyone has some real world experience to help me decide if anything I do would actually help smooth out the ride and preserve the peace :)

TIA
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Nov 17, 2014
    Our 38ft 5th wheel has a rear kitchen and in the 20 years we've towed it we've only had a couple of problems. Here's what we do:
    >We use tension rods and the anti-slip pads(see link below) to keep stuff from moving in the cabinets and refrigerator. These rods can be purchased at home depot, lowes or drapery stores.
    > all breakables are placed in some sort of cushioning or braced so they won't bounce.
    > appliances we use often like Keurig Coffee Maker, Convection oven, toaster are placed on the carpeted floor under the dining table. Or on the sofa covered by a heavy blanket.

    We do not have shocks, only the standard Dexter leaf springs and recently the EquiFlex Equalizer. I added it when I replaced the 20 year old springs last year.

    We learned how to prevent breakage-
    On our first couple of trips we did have broken dishes before we cushioned or braced to prevent bouncing. Once the refrigerator door opened en-route after hitting a really bad bump on an interstate. The bracing takes about 15 minutes to put in place before we hit the road.

    http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/grip-premium-mat-chocolate-12-x4/74699
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Nov 17, 2014
    I've never heard anything "bad" about installing shocks.
    I put them on my TT and they made a huge difference.
  • C-Bears's avatar
    C-Bears
    Explorer
    Nov 17, 2014
    Our 2014 came with a little better MorRyde suspension and rides pretty good. I think it is a MorRyde 4100 series and allows for much more travel than the one that came on our 2008 Montana.

    I have read on other forums that a lot of folks have replaced their suspensions with the MorRyde I.S. System like laknox talks about. From what I gather it is an extremely well made system that would solve all your ride issues.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Nov 17, 2014
    Trailair, aka Lippert also sells an air equalizer plate that some claim really helps. Does your trailer have shocks? If not install them first. Also a morride conversion might be of help. Personally I would do the shocks and air bags first and see what happens at that point. BTW have you weighed your trailer yet? It is possible your getting some sway due to light pin.
  • laknox's avatar
    laknox
    Nomad
    Nov 17, 2014
    Poppy's 5th Wheel wrote:
    We love our 5th wheel. Well, for the most part anyway. I'll say this right off the bat, I would never buy another rear kitchen model. It seems most every trip we take something in the kitchen breaks. We've had this trailer for almost 4 years when we bought it new. I have replaced/repaired every shelf in all the rear cabinets which the shelves (crappy thin luan) all broke through. We now open the fridge very, very slowly to catch anything falling out before it hits the floor and breaks because all the shelves in the door and often the wire shelves come loose. This time a door shelf broke and beer bottles fell and broke the glass piece that covers the crisper leaving shattered glass everywhere. I have modified shelves in the pantry so that nothing actually sits on the new plywood reinforced shelves but rather in wire baskets.

    We're tired of it. I would trade this trailer that we otherwise love if it were at all financially possible but it isn't. So I'm looking for any recommendations and advise from those who may have upgraded their 5th wheel's suspension. What works and what is a waste of money?

    The trailer has Trailaire Equalizers stock from Keystone which I'm certain must be the cheapest piece they could have provided. Is it worth anything to upgrade that to an aftermarket unit? Which one?

    I was big on adding shocks but I've read so much good and bad about adding them I'm unsure. There's not much room in there for a shock setup that I would see making much difference. I do really like the look of this system, http://www.rvimprovementsystems.com/index.html, but at $600???

    Anyway, I was just hoping to see if anyone has some real world experience to help me decide if anything I do would actually help smooth out the ride and preserve the peace :)

    TIA


    If you're in this FW for the long term, look at the MorRyde Independent Suspension system. Not cheap, but cheaper than a new FW. I have no direct experience with them, but pretty much everything I've read gives it good reviews. There's an air suspension system available, too. I can only =ass=ume that is even more expensive. At minimum, you should spring for the shocks.

    Lyle

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