Suspension Inspection - Six Years/25,000+ Miles

[Yoda]

You're not auto-crossing the trailer after all.

LOL
You haven't driven to Alaska yet have you

[Cate&Rob]

Yoda

The spring and bushing can (theoretically) move sideways on the bolt inside the hanger, because of the gap in my picture and in yours. But . . . the witness wear marks don’t seem to indicate that this happens. The total alignment of the three hangers and the spring to axle connections is not very accurate. I think the space in each hanger allows everything to ‘self align” as much as possible. If you try to shim each hanger to bushing fit, you might bind things up and create more problems.

From an engineering perspective, this seems all wrong, but I would agree with Scott'n'Wendy . . . let everything find its own alignment. This seems to be how it was designed.

Rob

[Scott'n'Wendy]

LOL
You haven't driven to Alaska yet have you

No, but I have done the Northwest Territories. Once home, I think I removed a hundred pounds of dirt, gravel, and mud from their "highways".....It was everywhere within the underside of our trailer. It was our '93 21' Jayco Eagle at the time and there wasn't coroplast then. Just imagine where all that gravel etc was able to get up into. I was under the trailer with a hose trying to get it all out. I think it was 2001 when we did that trip.

[Yoda]

Yoda

The spring and bushing can (theoretically) move sideways on the bolt inside the hanger, because of the gap in my picture and in yours. But . . . the witness wear marks don’t seem to indicate that this happens. The total alignment of the three hangers and the spring to axle connections is not very accurate. I think the space in each hanger allows everything to ‘self align” as much as possible. If you try to shim each hanger to bushing fit, you might bind things up and create more problems.

Fram an engineering perspective, this seems all wrong, but I would agree with Scott'n'Wendy . . . let everything find its own alignment. This seems to be how it was designed.

Rob

Scott'n'Wendy

Thanks Rob - makes sense.

Scott - not much gravel, just pot holes and frost heave dodging. I thought I was pretty good at it. Learned by following semis doing the same and watching out for the roadside markers, (low speed and no to low traffic) - of course everything in Canada seems low speed - sorry Rob I think the typical speed limits I saw was 80 to 100 kph. max was 110 (68 MPH give or take). I kept having that 70's song (I can't drive 55) going through my head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvV3nn_de2k

But a few pot holes popped up where they should not have been. I swear they materialized out of thin air and moved in the roadway Ill be ready for them next time....plan on getting a hover conversion once I get my flux capacitor fixed.

Keith

[Guest]

I have you both beat, I used to tow in Michigan. LOL

Jim

[TucsonJim]

After I reinstalled my suspension and added the X-factor braces, I was really intrigued by how much the outer part of the frame hanger was bent in. Normally, when you look at the hanger, both sides bend in. But with the X-factor in place, the inner part of the hanger is perpendicular to the brace. So it will stay in that orientation while the outer hanger bends in when the nut is torqued. What sloppy engineering.

[Yoda]

After I reinstalled my suspension and added the X-factor braces, I was really intrigued by how much the outer part of the frame hanger was bent in. Normally, when you look at the hanger, both sides bend in. But with the X-factor in place, the inner part of the hanger is perpendicular to the brace. So it will stay in that orientation while the outer hanger bends in when the nut is torqued. What sloppy engineering.

Jim
Did you have the x factor parts loose while you did the wet bolts. or preset to a certain dimension.and locked before doing the wet bolts?
Keith

[TucsonJim]

Yoda - Per the directions, Mount all the hardware, and leave them loose. Then tighten the wet bolts, hanger bolts and nuts, and finally the frame bolts. This allows the brace plates to snug against the hangers before you tighten the eight frame bolts.

Jim

[Guest]

The spring position can change once the rig is sitting on the ground. Also hangers from one side to another may not be parallel to one another in their welded position. Yes poor engineering and construction. Also if the X factor bracket extension holes do not line up, new holes can be drilled to accommodate a custom length.

Yoda has the hangers everyone should have.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

TucsonJim

I have just been reading the MORRyde X Brace installation instructions and I can see how this addition is going to force the inner hanger side to be vertical. A natural assumption that this should be a correct thing to do . . . but maybe not with the tolerances built into LCI hangers. Forcing the bending that used to be shared by the two hangers to be absorbed by one doesn’t seem like a good plan. If wet bolts could be found that are 1/8” or 3/16” longer (head to shoulder), a spacer could be put on the outboard side of the spring, returning the outer hanger to more-or-less vertical.

As an aside . . . for those of us who have had V Clip braces installed inside the hangers . . . the out-of-vertical hanger angle is now locked in. Getting an X Brace installed properly might not be possible.

Rob

[Country Campers]

The "job" of the x-brace is to stop hanger flex from side to side. "Forcing" the outer hanger leg to be bent a little really should not hurt the hanger or cause other issues as it will not have the opportunity to flex with the brace in place. If there are V-clips installed I think it would be impossible to install the x-brace. The x-brace seems good for those than can not get the v-clip installed. I would like to see the x-brace to be able to connect both sides of the spring hanger together, not sure how this would be done.

Brian

[Scott'n'Wendy]

TucsonJim

I have just been reading the MORRyde X Brace installation instructions and I can see how this addition is going to force the inner hanger side to be vertical. A natural assumption that this should be a correct thing to do . . . but maybe not with the tolerances built into LCI hangers. Forcing the bending that used to be shared by the two hangers to be absorbed by one doesn’t seem like a good plan. If wet bolts could be found that are 1/8” or 3/16” longer (head to shoulder), a spacer could be put on the outboard side of the spring, returning the outer hanger to more-or-less vertical.

As an aside . . . for those of us who have had V Clip braces installed inside the hangers . . . the out-of-vertical hanger angle is now locked in. Getting an X Brace installed properly might not be possible.

Rob

I was thinking along the same lines. I thought maybe the xfactor wasn't ideal. But, searching the internet did not yield any negative reviews so they must work. They've been out for a while so if there were issues it would be known about.

[Yoda]

Yoda - Per the directions, Mount all the hardware, and leave them loose. Then tighten the wet bolts, hanger bolts and nuts, and finally the frame bolts. This allows the brace plates to snug against the hangers before you tighten the eight frame bolts.

Jim

Thanks - That is what I thought the instructions said to do. There was a post over on IRV2 where the guy preset the length then had trouble installing. Did you notice any curve to the hanger before you tightened the top x-factor bracket. Install looks good.

Keith

[Yoda]

The spring position can change once the rig is sitting on the ground. Also hangers from one side to another may not be parallel to one another in their welded position. Yes poor engineering and construction. Also if the X factor bracket extension holes do not line up, new holes can be drilled to accommodate a custom length.

Yoda has the hangers everyone should have.

Jim

Except to install the X factors I have 1 hole to drill in each of the hanger brackets to get one of the top bolts in due to the triangular shape - not a big deal, but not bolt on.
Keith

[TucsonJim]

Thanks - That is what I thought the instructions said to do. There was a post over on IRV2 where the guy preset the length then had trouble installing. Did you notice any curve to the hanger before you tightened the top x-factor bracket. Install looks good.

Keith

Once I started to tighten the Wet Bolt, the inner hanger pulled parallel to the X-factor end brace very easily. I was actually surprised at how easy the braces were to install.

I did have a lengthy conversation with the other moderators about bolt placement on the two sections of the brace. If you install the bolts as shown in the instructions, you push the bolt in from the outside, and then put the nut on inside the channel. This prevents getting a torque wrench on the nut, so you'd have to hold the nut with a wrench and torque the bolt from the outside. We all agreed that it would be better to install the bolts and nuts where the nut could be torqued and not the bolt.

Jim