Building my own RV

Once again, Thanks to BarrnyS, I read the full suspension upgrade..Wow thanks for the Eastern Marine link...well I said floors was next but something has come up more important to that, and that is tire safety. I'm going to just put in on it a bit.. Ok, again I'm new to the trailer group but I have a rig that can tow anything... who cares? If you cant tell what is going on back there, it is destined for disaster.. right?.Ok??...so, I know that suspension, tires, rims ,shocks...and every thing that is under there, is where I start. I have the beauty of actually learning from you all, but I can start from a frame...just a frame. SO we can build together..and I'm turning back to the frame and suspension for now...tires and rims will come soon..but suspension is where I'm at now..

Yes, I put the EZ Flex on my triple axle toyhauler. It was the best money I've ever spent on improvements. I did it myself over a weekend and the improvement in how the trailer rode was night and day difference. I found I no longer dreaded bridge approaches since the truck was no longer jerked around when the trailer went over the same bumps.

Can't give you a comparison on the same fiver but on two similiar units. My '04 was 8000 lbs with stock equalizer. Towing was so rough I immediately had the entire leaf spring setup replaced with Mor/ryde IS independent suspension, no more problems over 7 yrs of ownership. New fiver is the same brand, 9200 lbs with same axles but the new rubber isolation equalizer. It tows fine for over 5 yrs now. Another point, besides wet bolts that need grease and brass bushings there are Never Fail bushings that don't require grease, that is what I use.

Who has installed the EZ flex?? I so want to hear some feed back on this but either way...I'm sold. It just makes common sense if you can take the shock load out of the frame that transfers to anything solid like the walls and roof... well again, no brainer!! EDIT: ok so I did a search and it's all there... just go find it. OK, I'm onto another chapter...next is floors... I think...LOL!!

The EZ Flex suspension kit completely changes the way the suspension works on a trailer. The bolts lock up the suspension parts so the only place the suspension can pivot is in the brass bushings.

On a regular equalizer type suspension the nuts are only snugged down so the suspension can pivot around the bolts or the bolts can move in the bushings. A very poor design, and that's why you see links worn like the ones you took off. That's why they come with elastic type stop nuts.

I would like to hear a few more stories on these suspension upgrades... it sounds like a no brainer since I'm right there...so going with the brass bushings sounds like a one time and it's done for good option? Those can go in the spring packs or just the plastic ones? I thought at first the zerk bolts were a good idea but now in just a day or 2, I'm really jumping onboard with the equalizer kit. I'm totally in after seeing how quick those plastic ones wear out if they can be replaced with brass....Being this is my first trailer experience, any education is welcomed. On another note: weight distribution came up again and the pin itself. Now I only cut off 4 feet in the back, and I don't think that will be a bad thing. I have a dually so when I had it on there at first,it barely made a difference of how far the bed squatted down. I weighed the trailer and I estimated it was around 8000 with 1150 on the landing gear. My build would most likely put a little more weight forward. The B&W hitch has a pin limit of 4500 pounds which literally would be half the weight of what the axles can carry...so that balance sheet is not going to happen..lol! I'm thinking if I keep it around 7 to 8 thousand with 2 on the pin would that be about right? 80/20% is what I'm hearing.

I installed the EZ Flex on a previous trailer, the difference was noticible how better it towed.

Just to give an update,...the weather here in the NW is horrible to say the least...I'm working on it when I can between rain and wind storms...so be patient. This could take awhile....

Bravo to you. Please tell me your a young guy, cause I'm 64 and wouldn't dare try it. It's good your thinking about weight, but also consider balance. You want to come in at a certain pin weight, and the weight needs to be distributed correctly for the tires and axles for stability. If you keep a list of materials and dimensions, you could create plans and sell them. They've been doing that for decades with aircraft. Best of luck to you.

Thanx for the Dexter link, yet another thing i MUST do.