Get underneath & check

[Tequila]

Noticed this after my trailer did not feel quite right. I drove down a steep mountian road windy & narrow with shear drop-offs yesterday from Guadlajara to melaque. Scary. Here is the picture of the broken side and the other side which is very close to breaking. i am trying to get replacement parts shipped down, if not I will have to see if I canget them machined in Mexico and get me home. I will be replacing this assembly with a MoreRyde of something better quality. The trailr is 2 years old, get underneath and inspect yours!!!!!!

[b_pilot]

I had a similar problem as yours. I had a shackle break but I found it by looking at the wheels as I do before every departure. My trailer had the 1/4 inch shackles. After I found that problem, I had an ongoing problem for several months due to inept repairmen working on the trailer. After some research on the web, I found that they make the 1/2 inch shackles with wet bolts. I finally had all the shackles replaced with the 1/2 inch shackles with wet bolts. No more problems but I traded that unit and bought another 5th wheel that came equipped with the 1/2 inch wet bolt shackles. You can check this link to see the issues that I had. http://www.thisoldcampsite.com/Myblog/sometimes-when-something-goes-wrong-it-is-for-a-reason/ I called the shackles hangers before I knew they are shackles.

[rhagfo]

I saved a lot of sweat ant tears, bought a couple pounds of dry ice and put the dry ice in an insulated bag with the bushings, and put it all in the freezer overnight. The ones in the equalizer were easily pressed in with my vice, the spring the ones in the spring eye were a hand press fit, leather gloves worn for all.

[shepstone]

Wow I cant beleive how quickly that wore out I have over 30,000 miles on mine in 2 years and its still good but it came with moride from the factory so maybe thats the difference. I check under mine every gas stop and in the mornings when on the road. At 7 feathers casino I noticed that 2 brake wires over the axle had come apart, aparently they must have run out of waterproof connectors when assembling the axles and used 2 regular terminals and those are the ones that rotted out.

[Charlie_D_]

Put mine in with a C-Clamp

[Shoe2728]

To press in bushings I just went to local auto parts store and they loan tools free, just have to leave a deposit, so you bring it back. Just get the ball joint press.

[laknox]

grampscamper wrote:
You need to install heavier shackles along with a wet bolt kit. Shame all manufacturers don't install when new.

Most wet bolt kits =come= with heavier shackles. Just sayin'...

Lyle

[laknox]

Tequila wrote:
Noticed this after my trailer did not feel quite right. I drove down a steep mountian road windy & narrow with shear drop-offs yesterday from Guadlajara to melaque. Scary. Here is the picture of the broken side and the other side which is very close to breaking. i am trying to get replacement parts shipped down, if not I will have to see if I canget them machined in Mexico and get me home. I will be replacing this assembly with a MoreRyde of something better quality. The trailr is 2 years old, get underneath and inspect yours!!!!!!

Wow! In only 2 years? Amazing. I =would= question your loading. Given that one side wore considerably faster than the other, you may have some fore/aft loading issues. You should find some scales and see if your axle weights are way different.

Lyle

[rhagfo]

DonPd wrote:
I installed the wet bolts and then I found this post on how it was done. Wish I had seen this before I did mine. The tips here would have helped me because all the problems were solved here.

Instructions for wet bolt install.

Wow buying a $90 tool just for this job seems excessive to me.
I pressed the bronze bushings into my equalizer with my bench vice a $14 C clamp would have also worked.
The ones in the springs eyes, I bought about $3 worth of Dry Ice and put the bushings on the dry Ice in the freezer!! They slipped right in no issues.

[DonPd]

I installed the wet bolts and then I found this post on how it was done. Wish I had seen this before I did mine. The tips here would have helped me because all the problems were solved here.

Instructions for wet bolt install.

[rhagfo]

windviewer wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

grampscamper wrote:
You need to install heavier shackles along with a wet bolt kit. Shame all manufacturers don't install when new.

X2 just did this upgrade this weekend
Wet Bolts, I got mine for less

Wet Bolts

that link is to an alternative, but i wouldnt call them wet bolts (they require no lubrication). not sure if wet bolts would be even better

My Bad, correct link!
Wet Bolts

[3oaks]

Just got my new TT home from the dealers on the 1st of February. I will be changing out and upgrading the suspension system with wet bolts before I even make our first trip this Spring.

Dexter Suspension Kit

A spring suspension system is what I dreaded going to after having a trouble free rubber torsion bar suspension system on my 10 year old Sunline which I traded in.

[Tequila]

Lynnmor wrote:
I found that the shackles are made of cheap steel that is 5mm (.196") thick instead of the designed .250". The bolt holes are punched in rather than drilled or bored resulting in a tapered hole. The taper has very little engagement with the bolt splines so they start to move. The movement will cause rapid wear and a failure like yours will follow. I made my own shackles from .250" thick, heat-treated alloy steel and bored straight holes. I also made the plates a bit wider and longer for more strength. I don't know if the thicker heavy duty parts have straight holes or not, but if they are tapered they too will fail, but take longer. I also added wet bolts and made a special one, that an Equa-Flex like yours would need, because of the split arms at the bottom.

Do you have a fifth wheel or a travel trailer?

Trailer, northwood. One other guy down here changed his 5th our for a MorRyde http://www.morryde.com/products/90-cre3000-suspension-system

He has his old worn brackets which would probbaly get me home

or i could just go for:


http://www.morryde.com/products/70-heavy-duty-shackle-upgrade-kit?return=%2Fproduct-category%2F7-run...

[Tequila]

Cdash wrote:
20k is about what I would get out of a set, but they'd be nowhere as bad as yours. How are you doing weight wise?

weight is OK, but I am driving most of my miles in Mexico where roads can be rough and they have over a million topes (speed bumps)

[windviewer]

rhagfo wrote:

grampscamper wrote:
You need to install heavier shackles along with a wet bolt kit. Shame all manufacturers don't install when new.

X2 just did this upgrade this weekend
Wet Bolts, I got mine for less

Wet Bolts

that link is to an alternative, but i wouldnt call them wet bolts (they require no lubrication). not sure if wet bolts would be even better