EquaFlex Trail Air

[WarrenR]

Thanks to Radio as well. I totally understand the tire issue and it merits a change in the spring which is the current plan...let these marathons sit all winter and then replace them when we are ready to roll in the spring.

We are excited but also trying to do all we can prior to our first outing to get as much life out of the rig
As it is currently set up. If the dealer is going to work extra hard to please us, I'm going to let them :-).

[RomanyLife]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Don't know if you guys saw the recent Trailer Life Pg 107, but they show changing out the bushings to Bronze. It's written like it's expected the plastic bushings will be bad by the time it hits the Dealer lot from the factory - yet they have used them for years.

Wow, good timing! I just got my Trailer Life and was going to read it today, I will be very interested to read that!!! Thanks Brad!

Warren; Good thoughts. I might be wrong, but it appeared you learned to double-check your tires here, and you struck gold: They were seriously under inflated. Knowing that they are a problematic tire, obviously you wouldn't want to travel on them like that! We never had a flooded bedroom because of the fix Basil Fawlty and Ann and Michelle put up regarding the washer lines under the bed... and a TON of other things. We consider this forum a tool in our toolbox

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Don't know if you guys saw the recent Trailer Life Pg 107, but they show changing out the bushings to Bronze. It's written like it's expected the plastic bushings will be bad by the time it hits the Dealer lot from the factory - yet they have used them for years.

That's refreshing! Funny though that Lipert had rejected any suggestion in the past about changing out their plastic bushings. It seems that nothing in the RV industry changes unless it's forced.

[RomanyLife]

I think you're right Dave, although I would add that there IS NO INDUSTRY that does the right thing out of the goodness of their hearts ;-) The RV industry is just largely unregulated. The customers are the largest regulator right now.

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

That's refreshing! Funny though that Lipert had rejected any suggestion in the past about changing out their plastic bushings. It seems that nothing in the RV industry changes unless it's forced.

Dave.........I am in the process of upgrading the suspension on my 36RL with the Mor/ryde SRE4000 equalizer and Heavy Duty Shackle Kit with bronze bushings. What I am finding so far is that all of the spring eyes have plastic bushings and they are all shredded. We have just over 14000 miles on so far in 4 years. I am taking a lot of pictures and will write up this adventure on another thread. But, I must say that I can't understand why plastic bushings are being used on trailers weighing in at 15K, 16K and 17K lbs.

Guy

[Dave&Ginny]

Guy, I'm glad you're making the move to get that fixed before you have a serious problem and left on the side of the road.

[Dave&Ginny]

It's unfortunate that modifications have to be done on these RVs not because of personal taste but for safety. Several people have had to swap out the suspension, brakes, tires and wheels just to feel that they have something that will safely survive a couple of years worth of wear. This all adds to the cost of ownership that the original purchase price should have covered. Can you imagine what would happen if people had to do this much work on a new truck (regardless of the brand), just so it would survive a few years of normal wear and tear?

[Char & Steve]

Originally Posted by WarrenR

Excellent feedback Romany and all. Despite my possible lack of clarity, I am completely committed to doing all I can to avoid problems and not try and justify a lack of action to prevent a problem simply because I somehow suggest that only complainers post on a board.

In some ways I wish that I had paid attention to boards for my Montana. I never had any issues with my 38 foot bunk house which means either the RV gods were merciful, I was lucky, or it was a pretty solid product.

It appears the Redwood has some wheel/axle/suspension issues that I need to address. Preferably before a blown tire or some other issue tears up what is otherwise the best RV we've ever seen. We love our Redwood and find the floor plan, construction, set up to be the best we've seen at any show or any location. We've admired them for several years. A weak point doesn't mean it's a bad product. It's just a reality that they hopefully are improving with newer models.

Unfortunately for my wife and I we are learning about these weak points after the purchase. And apparently the previous owner didn't have issues since nothing has been changed or improved on the RV which either means he truly had no issues, or he ignored it until he couldn't any longer and traded it rather than repair/replace it which makes the problem mine. But we do not regret the purchase, it's just figuring out how and when to address these issues.

We started our RW journey in October 2014 with no research at all. We were traveling and the rain would not stop so looking for something to do we started looking at 5er's. 5 days later we made a decision and owned our new RW and didn't even own a truck to tow it with. Our previous rig was a GB MH on the lower end of MH but we loved it and bought new in 2006. Never joined a club or went on any forums. Besides some minor issues and normal maintenance, I will say that the new owner purchased a fantastic rig.
Our new RW had some issue since it was on the dealer lot for almost a year. RW referred to this as dealer rot.Frustrated at first but after finding this forum I started my learning process. Warranty issues were solved within a few months once it arrived by my local guy and I have repaired the others.RW is a great company so far and they are still in the learning process and after the rally this year I think they are listening.
Suspension, breaks and cooling seems to be the issues that need the most attention but they are working on it I think?
I have the same suspension and axles as yours but no signs of any problem. Seals and breaks look fine so far but we only have about 4,000 miles on it. I did take the Marathons off since we did not feel safe towing with them. In Spring I will take the breaks apart and inspect and most likely if no issues I'll only install new shakels and bushings. If I see any signs of break or suspension problems I am headed to Mor Ryde before the Rally next year.

There is a world of info here but don't let the problems scare you except for those Marathons!!!! $1,500 in tire unless you need rims can save you 10K in damage.

Steve

[Loving Life]

George is in the process of replacing to Bronze bushings. We also realized (at the rally) our tires were underinflated--so we have corrected that. After closer inspection, the springs may not be as bad as we feared. We would like to wait until the spring to come back to have the MorRyde installed ($$$). So the question: Will it be obvious if the springs get worse? What exactly is the potential "crisis" if we wait until we are back in IN. Our understanding is that MorRyde in Elkhart is the only place to get the IS installed.

[Buddy Wallace]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

THANKS Jim...well said

I'm sorry to hear that you had issues with the springs. I guess we can add you to the "another one of those suspension stories that are exaggerated" group. Funny how this group keeps growing.

Although Mobile Suite comes with Morryde IS, the $6000.00 to install it still puts the Redwood well under the cost of the Mobile Suite. Why can't Redwood give us the option of the Morryde at our cost from the get go?

[Buddy Wallace]

It is 27 miles from Morryde Headquarter to Redwood RV. You would think they could work a deal on Morryde IS.

[Blue Dogs]

Originally Posted by Buddy Wallace

It is 27 miles from Morryde Headquarter to Redwood RV. You would think they could work a deal on Morryde IS.

Or at least offer an independant suspension option. ...

[Titan Guy]

The only other place installing the IS is Henderson's Line Up in Grants Pass, OR.

[RomanyLife]

Originally Posted by Titan Guy

The only other place installing the IS is Henderson's Line Up in Grants Pass, OR.

OH! I did NOT know that! Maybe we CAN get it done sooner??!! That's only a 4 hour drive for us!! Woo Hoooo! Todd will be so happy! Thanks Titan Guy!!

[Ford truck guy]

As long as RW is in bed with Lippert ,they will not offer any Mor/ryde parts as add-ones... When I was researching my HD shackles, I had a few questions so I called RW who referred me to customer service,.. They called me back after calling Lippert with this response...:
Per Lippert they suggest using the Lippert system only , as any other mfg parts MAY void the warranty of the axle and frames..?? Upgrading = voiding??
Anyway , I was always accused of not being a good listener and went full steam ahead...

[atom ant]

Good old Lippert!

Are you doing the 4000? I don't think it fits mine with 8k axles.

[Ford truck guy]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Good old Lippert!

Are you doing the 4000? I don't think it fits mine with 8k axles.

I am doing the 4000.. I am doing the disc conversion , the HD wet bolts/shackles and the SRE4000 all at the same time....my axles are only 7K

[atom ant]

Very nice! I may just have to do the shackles. Maybe that system with air bags will fit mine.

[travelin' texans]

I just visited with a good friend with a '06 Mobile Suites & it came with the Center Point suspension which after 8-10 years of fulltiming had to be replaced. I thought MS came with MR IS!

[Blue Dogs]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Good old Lippert!

Are you doing the 4000? I don't think it fits mine with 8k axles.

I don't think the axle rating would have any effect. I think it's more about measurements and I'd bet that if you called MorRyde you would find they have one that fits. I'm waiting to see how Joe's mods work. Still waiting to hear from Redwood if and when an HD wet bolt kit might be available through them as I understand they will soon come standard on Redwoods. They will be lippert parts of course.