MorRyde IS and Disc brake conversion

[woodman1]

Just logged over 10K miles on my RW over the last 5 months traveling from WI to Texas to FL and back. Like most of you, we've hit our fair share of dips, bumps, bridge transitions and potholes along the interstates. Some states are better than others, but we've encountered some really terrible roads and construction at times. The gravity of the holes and disrepair are incredible and it makes me sick imagining the long term damage. I'm amazed sometimes by how well we've sustained the integrity of our unit, despite the volume of poor road conditions. Next week, I'm biting the bullet and having MorRyde install the IS and disc brake conversion. In addition, having my 2011 F-350 brake controller converted to communicate with the MorRyde disc brake receiver. Costing big bucks and hope it's worth it because of all the forums I've read have recommended it. It won't change the roads, but hopefully will help the encounter.

[bergeman]

Replacing the tires then upgrading the brakes to Disc brakes, and finally converting to the IS last year, each step gave more piece of mind. For that alone it was worth the price.

[Ford truck guy]

You won't be sorry that you spent they big bucks... worth every cent for the piece of mind you get in return... I upgraded this fiver last June...

[piper guy]

Have almost 25k miles on the IS and Kodiak Disc. Will unequivocally state that I would never own another fifth wheel without both - it is that good. Whole rig stops like the truck alone does and the ride for the trailer is night and day.

Not sure on your 2011, but on my 2013 the setting isn't in trailer apps, it is in driver assist settings in the information center on the truck. Dig the manual out to find it. The disc will work with an electric setting but will have delay and you have to run higher gain.

[Tom's38GK]

Ball park estimate about how much does this type of upgrade cost?

[Ford truck guy]

Originally Posted by TomNGina06

Ball park estimate about how much does this type of upgrade cost?

For the 8K IS, and disc brakes would be right around $6,000.00 - $6,200.00 give or take

[woodman1]

Logged in over 250-300 miles since the conversion to MorRyde IS and disc brakes. The MorRyde company is very customer friendly, but at $1500 labor on a 12-14 hr. job, it's profitable too, not to mention the up-charging of the parts. Braking is improved, but not dramatically as many of you had testified. I had a Prodigy-3 brake controller installed in my 2011 truck to communicate with the newly installed hydraulic disc brake system beforehand and once hooked up to the 5th, I adjusted the gain to 10 and boost to 3 just to get any real satisfaction in braking differences. Before doing that, the braking felt the same. I was aware that there would be a delay in a reaction from foot peddle pressure to the brake caliper relay. I'm good with that and will continue to play with the controller. I generally travel about 62-63 mph on the open interstate. In summary, I guess I haven't felt the same exhilaration as those who crowed about the disc brakes, I know they're better and if we keep this unit for a longer period of time, they'll probably be a good investment.

At the same time, I can't really appreciate the IS at all. When I completed this most recent journey, I found our hanging bathroom mirror on the floor. We had traveled thousand's of miles before that with the conventional leaf spring/axle, and the mirror had never moved. So much for convincing my wife that this was a good investment. So many of you have embellished the IS, yet I can't see any real measurable differences, i.e., if you hit a hole or a dip, the pounding and movement of the 5th is the same regardless of suspensions. I guess time will tell, but for well over $6K on the IS/Disc brake conversion, I'm not convinced enough to encourage anyone else to make the investment.

[bergeman]

I believe that the main reason for making changes to everything below the frame was to prevent failures for the less then optimal stuff Redwood provided. From the tires, brakes and suspension. You will find lots of horror stories. Redwood has improved these items on later models, I think 2017. But for at least the 2015 and earlier, the undercarriage was woefully inadequate.

[RomanyLife]

Great discussion, thanks for the input. We are getting the system and brakes too in the fall. Not for the ride, our rides fine. We are simply overweight all the time and cannot tow with all of our stuff, and must have dead-empty tanks. Plus we have had our own fair share of shenanigans with the RIDICULOUS bushing system with the factory suspension which can be summed up thusly: JUNK.
It's a lot to spend, but for us it's more about the stuff that MIGHT Happen and less worry on the road. Thanks again, good stuff!

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by woodman1

Logged in over 250-300 miles since the conversion to MorRyde IS and disc brakes. The MorRyde company is very customer friendly, but at $1500 labor on a 12-14 hr. job, it's profitable too, not to mention the up-charging of the parts. Braking is improved, but not dramatically as many of you had testified. I had a Prodigy-3 brake controller installed in my 2011 truck to communicate with the newly installed hydraulic disc brake system beforehand and once hooked up to the 5th, I adjusted the gain to 10 and boost to 3 just to get any real satisfaction in braking differences. Before doing that, the braking felt the same. I was aware that there would be a delay in a reaction from foot peddle pressure to the brake caliper relay. I'm good with that and will continue to play with the controller. I generally travel about 62-63 mph on the open interstate. In summary, I guess I haven't felt the same exhilaration as those who crowed about the disc brakes, I know they're better and if we keep this unit for a longer period of time, they'll probably be a good investment.

At the same time, I can't really appreciate the IS at all. When I completed this most recent journey, I found our hanging bathroom mirror on the floor. We had traveled thousand's of miles before that with the conventional leaf spring/axle, and the mirror had never moved. So much for convincing my wife that this was a good investment. So many of you have embellished the IS, yet I can't see any real measurable differences, i.e., if you hit a hole or a dip, the pounding and movement of the 5th is the same regardless of suspensions. I guess time will tell, but for well over $6K on the IS/Disc brake conversion, I'm not convinced enough to encourage anyone else to make the investment.

Something seems really wrong relative to your disk brakes. I have a 2012 36RL and originally ordered the Kodiak Disk Brakes installed at the factory. It has a Carlisle actuator with CAM module. I also have the Prodigy P3 brake controller in my 2011 RAM 3500. With a setting of 7.0 to 7.5 the trailer does most of the braking. If I actuate the manual control on the P3 while moving 5 mph, the trailer/truck will stop abruptly within 1 to 1.5 seconds.

I would urge some additional trouble shooting of your system. You should be getting much better operation and braking than what you are describing.

[Shane Wood]

Wildman
I can't speak to the moreryde as I have the the centerpoint air bags on mine. As far as your disks you should see a noticible difference in braking. I had Ron AKA Titan Guy install mine and it was a night and day difference. If I was you I would reach out to him as he is the expert in disc trailer brakes. I do not have his contact info handy. Perhaps someone else will chime in with it. He also frequents this site. Hopefully he can help with this issue

[bergeman]

Maybe a disclaimer should be provided, that the concern of updating tires, brakes and undercarriage are for model years 2015 and earlier.

If I am not mistaken, not many 2016's were built as they were switching over to 2017 with the improved undercarriage. But, maybe the earlier 2016's should be included with the above.

As for 2017's and latter, maybe the improvements Redwood made to the undercarriage are solid and no longer a source of concern. With one caveat, drum breaks should be replaced with disk brakes.

Disclaimer: This message represents the official view of the voices in my head

[rob_fla]

When I had MoRyde install my 8K IS and Disk Breaks, I also had them install the Titan Controller for my Disk Brakes, been very happy with the improved performance of the system.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by woodman1

Logged in over 250-300 miles since the conversion to MorRyde IS and disc brakes. The MorRyde company is very customer friendly, but at $1500 labor on a 12-14 hr. job, it's profitable too, not to mention the up-charging of the parts. Braking is improved, but not dramatically as many of you had testified. I had a Prodigy-3 brake controller installed in my 2011 truck to communicate with the newly installed hydraulic disc brake system beforehand and once hooked up to the 5th, I adjusted the gain to 10 and boost to 3 just to get any real satisfaction in braking differences. Before doing that, the braking felt the same. I was aware that there would be a delay in a reaction from foot peddle pressure to the brake caliper relay. I'm good with that and will continue to play with the controller. I generally travel about 62-63 mph on the open interstate. In summary, I guess I haven't felt the same exhilaration as those who crowed about the disc brakes, I know they're better and if we keep this unit for a longer period of time, they'll probably be a good investment.

At the same time, I can't really appreciate the IS at all. When I completed this most recent journey, I found our hanging bathroom mirror on the floor. We had traveled thousand's of miles before that with the conventional leaf spring/axle, and the mirror had never moved. So much for convincing my wife that this was a good investment. So many of you have embellished the IS, yet I can't see any real measurable differences, i.e., if you hit a hole or a dip, the pounding and movement of the 5th is the same regardless of suspensions. I guess time will tell, but for well over $6K on the IS/Disc brake conversion, I'm not convinced enough to encourage anyone else to make the investment.

. Just to let you know that you are not the only one experiencing issues with your disc brakes. Ron's crew installed my brakes and I too, have a 2011 F350 and have not been able to get optimum braking. I am using the factory brake controller but I do have a hesitation in the brakes. The brakes are better than the electric brakes . Apparently, the 2011 Ford F350 is the culprit but none knows why. I have my controller set to 9.

[spindrift]

Originally Posted by Rick and Mindy

. Just to let you know that you are not the only one experiencing issues with your disc brakes. Ron's crew installed my brakes and I too, have a 2011 F350 and have not been able to get optimum braking. I am using the factory brake controller but I do have a hesitation in the brakes. The brakes are better than the electric brakes . Apparently, the 2011 Ford F350 is the culprit but none knows why. I have my controller set to 9.

Since the disc brakes are the "accessory", it seems logical to me that something in the design of that system is the culprit.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by spindrift

Since the disc brakes are the "accessory", it seems logical to me that something in the design of that system is the culprit.

. I've talked to Ron on a couple of occasions and this seems to be a sporadic problem with the 2011 only. He recommended going to the prodigy aftermarket controller but the above posts suggest this may not be the solution. Ron's crew installed the module but did not solve the hesitation. The module was mounted at the pinbox but I had the actuator mounted in the propane compartment. I will try remounting the module closer to the actuator. I am also wondering if the brakes were not completely bled. I also wonder if a second module was added if that would get the signal back to the actuator quicker. I would love to get maximum performance out of my disc brakes. Don't get me wrong, the performance is much better than the prior electric brakes just not optimum.

[woodman1]

We're kind of planning to get back with MorRyde this fall on our way south, or next spring on our way back. It's a 5-6 hour trip from WI more or less, because it includes going through Chicago, which can be formidable sometimes. In the meantime, I'll give them a call and see if they have any suggestions. As a side note, I did take the 5th for a brief spin after the install and reported back to them that I hadn't really experienced any notable difference in braking. The install guy just nodded his head, as if to agree, and said I'd need to play with the controller more and also log in at least 100 miles to appreciate the difference. Just sayin', it's not quite what I expected, both ride and braking. I do agree with others, that the IS does give some peace of mind when dealig with road hazards. For that, I'm thankful.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by woodman1

We're kind of planning to get back with MorRyde this fall on our way south, or next spring on our way back. It's a 5-6 hour trip from WI more or less, because it includes going through Chicago, which can be formidable sometimes. In the meantime, I'll give them a call and see if they have any suggestions. As a side note, I did take the 5th for a brief spin after the install and reported back to them that I hadn't really experienced any notable difference in braking. The install guy just nodded his head, as if to agree, and said I'd need to play with the controller more and also log in at least 100 miles to appreciate the difference. Just sayin', it's not quite what I expected, both ride and braking. I do agree with others, that the IS does give some peace of mind when dealig with road hazards. For that, I'm thankful.

. Just a thought. You might want to contact the manufacturer of your disc brake actuator and explain the situation to them. They may have a fix for your setup.

[rickc]

I can't believe you didn't done with this a huge difference with the disc brakes. For us with a 38 RL it was unbelievable in a good way

[woodman1]

Many of you are seasoned experts and knowledgeable about the RW's, far beyond the rest of us, so when reading about the pluses of IS and Disc brakes, I for one, was excited and had high expectations as to the level of comfort and safety. I have checked back with MorRyde and the rep there said that given the weight of my RW, that adjusting the Prodigy 3 to an output of 10 and a boost of 3 would be within the normal limits and I shouldn't be concerned. Dan's Hitch in Elkhart, Ind., installed the Prodigy controller, thought the setting would be between 6-8 with a boost of 2, anything over that might lock up the brakes. So, there is disparity in those thoughts.

Regarding leaf springs on axles versus the IS, no one questions the safety and beefy construction of the IS, however; I have not witnessed the "phenomenal" difference that so many of you have claimed. Seriously, if there's a pothole, bump, swell or dip in the road, the transition between the first and the second wheel is so close even at speeds of 50 mph, unless you have a spread axle, how could you realize any significant difference, despite there being a 5 1/2" travel factor. I'm not saying that I'm disappointed in the IS, without question it's safer because of the build, but I can't say that I've experience any significant difference in ride in my '17 RW. We know that the new RW's are being fitted with 8K axles and mine had the 7K, I did change the wheels to 17.5 and went with Goodyear's H rated tires on the day of purchase. Maybe older RW suspensions were worse, either that or maybe people are just blowing smoke and given the fact that one doles out over 6K for the set, who'd want to admit to anything less. Kind of the placebo effect. That said, maybe once I put a few more miles on this thing, my appreciation for the IS may change, so we'll see. Right now, at least my pockets are lighter.