Four Year Upgrade of Suspension, Batteries and Water Pump
In order to reduce risk of a failure, it seems good to replace the tires and the suspension at the four year mark. I had a friend who had a $2,200 trailer blowout, but the cost is less a factor than sitting by the edge of a busy freeway with that problem. In my view, we should reduce risk by this suspension upgrade. I think Jim is right the suspension should be rebuilt periodically. I also upgraded the batteries to lithium, the converter and the water pump. Finally, the truck has four new Michelin radials.
I want to thank Rob, Jim and Howard for good posts on these topics. I will share my experience with this project. The parts and tools are available on Amazon. There are good YouTube videos on both suspension and bearing replacements.
In my view, the fifth wheel suspension is under engineered. It was probably initially set up for a 7K TT and is too small for a 15K or 20K fifth wheel. For a 15K or 20K fifth wheel, the manufacturer should use 11/16” wet bolts (not the 9/16” wet bolts), double the thickness of the hanger plates and the bushings and increase the spring eyelet size. That is not likely to happen, so the solution is either IS or X Factor braces. I decided to install three X Factor braces. This provides better stability and better strength for the wet bolts. If you install X Factor braces, you need to be careful backing in to tight RV spaces because some of the stress will be transferred to your rear tires. The recorded hanger and bushing failures seem to be the rear hangers, so the evidence suggests that is the prime location for stress.
I decided to retain the axles, hubs, brakes and X Factor braces. The remaining parts and tires were all replaced.
Parts: Lug Nuts(32), Timkin for 7K Dexter Axle, OB 14125A(4), OBR 14276(4), IB 25580(4), IBR 25520(4), Seal 412920(4), Red & Tacky Grease tub and grease cartridge, 3,500# leaf springs(4), 9/16 inch U Bolt Axle Sets(4), CRE 3000(2), MorRyde bushing/shackle set, long wet bolts for X Factors(6), Hankook Vantra TH31 Tires(4), Litime BCI Group 24 Lithium LiFePO4 Batteries (2), RecPro RV Converter, RV Water Pump Shurflo 4008-101-A65, Michelin Defender Tires (4).
Tools: Six jack stands, air impact wrench, breaker bar, torque wrench, seal puller, race punch, lever punch, bottle jacks with axle saddles(2), bearing packer, flat crowbar (to lift tires for reinstalling), 1½ inch socket, ball joint press, hammer, socket wrench set, grease gun with 90 degree fitting, rubber gloves(50).
Comment