Suspension Inspection - Six Years/25,000+ Miles

[StephenO]

IF a new wet bolt doesn't take grease (because the wise installer listened to Rob and checked prior to installation) isn't the easiest answer a phone call to MORRyde requesting a replacement?

This is exactly what I ended up doing when I did the MORRyde upgrade. Before installing the wet bolts, I ensured each would take grease and that the shackle bolts were in the 3 correct orientation. (As an aside, mine were in the same state as Yoda where each shackle had the bolts facing the 3/9 position). In the end I had one bolt not take grease, and I inquired with MORRyde what size of zerk I should use for replacement. They did provide the replacement information, and at the same time offered to send a new part.

[TucsonJim]

IF a new wet bolt doesn't take grease (because the wise installer listened to Rob and checked prior to installation) isn't the easiest answer a phone call to MORRyde requesting a replacement?

I just finished drilling the existing hole. They were SO close to getting through. I contacted Jack at MORryde and let him know about it. He's going to check with his wet bolt supplier and see how they verify full penetration.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

It is difficult to find a broken hanger bolt . . . because they are usually long gone by the time you discover that one broke. I have seen a couple and found the attached picture on the internet. The weak point is where the cross hole meets the centre hole. I would be really reluctant to further weaken this area by extending the cross hole to the other side or by machining a circular groove. The ideal solution would be spiral grooves on the inside of the bushing . . . but it is already far too thin. I still think that spiral groves in the bolt would not impact the anticipated failure mode break at the centre location. These would be like widely spaces threads on a bolt. But . . . as always . . . this is just an opinion from another RV owner.

Rob

[Yoda]

I just pulled out one of the MorRyde wet bolts in my kit. The bushing, using my big tape measure, is about 1/16 thick. Fits just between the lines. When put on the bolt there is plenty of slop, maybe a 32nd when pushed to one side. With that kind a fit it should be easy to get grease everywhere and if the grease is tacky it should work into all areas of the bushings during use. Knowing what I know now I plan to grease more often.

Just food for thought.

Keith

[Cate&Rob]

Yoda

The bronze bushing will compress (and likely be pushed out of round) when it is inserted into the spring eye. Clearance will not be 1/32” at installation.

As an aside . . . I am currently running steel bushings (that I had to make myself on my lathe . . . because I couldn’t buy them anywhere). I am curious as to whether these will work better then the soft bronze that deforms and wears quickly. It will be several months and thousands of miles before I pull these to see how they are doing. To press these into the spring eyes with a force similar to what is used for bronze bushings, I had to turn the steel bushing OD considerably smaller . . . because the steel does not compress like the bronze does.

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Rob, I wonder if you could have done a composite. Thin bronze liner in the steel outer. Cool the bronze so it becomes a press fit.

[Cate&Rob]

Jlawles2 Joseph,

Adding a bronze/brass liner would make an already too thin steel bushing even thinner. If the spring eyes were sized to wrap around a bushing with a 1/4” wall . . . we would all have fewer problems. Steel-to-steel bushing-to-bolt should be OK with regular greasing . . . at least, that’s my working theory.

Rob

[Yoda]

Jlawles2 Joseph,

Adding a bronze/brass liner would make an already too thin steel bushing even thinner. If the spring eyes were sized to wrap around a bushing with a 1/4” wall . . . we would all have fewer problems. Steel-to-steel bushing-to-bolt should be OK with regular greasing . . . at least, that’s my working theory.

Rob

Would dry Ice have made the fitting easier? Remembering seeing a dozer fixed on one of my construction project years ago and the mechanic put the bushing in a bucket of dry ice before inserting. worked like a charm. Did the same thing to the pin he inserted later.

[Jlawles2]

YodaKeith, sometimes its a combination of the 2. Heat the eye (have to be careful with this one) and cool the bushing.

I had a conversation with one of my instructors years ago about testing he was doing. They were installing magnetic journal onto a shaft. The shaft was submerged in Liquid Nitrogen and the journal heated. When the went to install the journal, it was time critical. Shaft was lifted from liquid, and they continued to pour it over the shaft as 2 guys moved the heated journal in to position. He said the shop doing the work was well experienced in such fits.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

IF a new wet bolt doesn't take grease (because the wise installer listened to Rob and checked prior to installation) isn't the easiest answer a phone call to MORRyde requesting a replacement?

Nah...that's crazy talk! Thread would have been over two three pages ago....

[Guest]

I just finished drilling the existing hole. They were SO close to getting through. I contacted Jack at MORryde and let him know about it. He's going to check with his wet bolt supplier and see how they verify full penetration.

Jim

Jim,

Get this is writing. The fact that you can drill the pin tells us a great deal about its material properties and why the pin should not be messed with. It will be interesting to see if the pin supplier is willing to take on the responsibility for this one. It would be better to ask Lippert and Dexter if they can supply a quality spring with a properly sized spring eye and bushing.

Jim

[Yoda]

Jim,

Get this is writing. The fact that you can drill the pin tells us a great deal about its material properties and why the pin should not be messed with. It will be interesting to see if the pin supplier is willing to take on the responsibility for this one. It would be better to ask Lippert and Dexter if they can supply a quality spring with a properly sized spring eye and bushing.

Jim

Jim
The wet bolts in my MoRyde kit are clearly marked grade 5 (three hash marks on the head) the head is also stamped QP The Q could be for Q.S.N. INDUSTRIES, INC. but not sure. Neither the nut or bushings appear to have any identification marks. The nut is pinched at the top to make it a slightly deformed thread locking nut.

Keith

[Cate&Rob]

All this discussion about ways to improve grease distribution may be moot . . . given the failure mode of either bronze/brass or plastic bushings. A uniform coating of grease is not going to stop the bushing destruction caused by a thin wall bushing of soft material, pressed into an out-of-round spring eye.

Rob

[Yoda]

Least we forget the bushings are intended to be a wear component and protect the bolt. I have not found much on a replacement schedule, but I guess it would depending on mileage, loading, and maintenance. Anyone found a schedule other than annual greasing.

Many old machines ran on bushing long before bearings were common, and they all had constant gravity oil reservoirs sitting above the bushings - some had complicated delivery systems like steam locomotives - interesting reading to pass the time on a snowed in day. Also they are probably better suited to the spring eye conditions over a ball bearing too.

Just thinking here...Ill go hide again if needed

Keith

[TucsonJim]

Yoda - Just remember that LCI wants you to inspect your suspension annually.

In their master manual, the state the following "Inspect all components of the suspension system annually or every 36,000 miles, whichever comes first."

Then they go on to state that part of this maintenance includes a complete suspension tear down and inspection of bushings, equalizer, etc.

See page 25 of the attached manual.
https://lci-support-doc.s3.amazonaws...0001573-02.pdf

I've never known anyone to comply with this edict, and I think the folks who wrote this have no clue about real life maintenance, or they just wrote it to cover themselves.

Jim