Hey there - I’ve had ‘interesting’ experiences with the Morryde Independent Suspension rubber shear springs on my 2018 DRV Mobile Suites and the resolution may prove useful to others.
The suspension system is based on swing arm movement controlled by rubber shear springs mediated by shock absorbers at each wheel.
I bought the RV when it was four years old and found the suspension system and subsequently the tires we basically shot. Two of the four rubber shear springs had significant cracks in the rubber, none of the shocks had any resistance to compression or rebound, and after traveling a few thousand miles the tire tread became malformed and unserviceable (not getting into that further here). So I replaced two of the shear springs, four shocks, and four tires. I also had the suspension aligned for good measure. Everything was great until I had two catastrophic flat tires within five miles (info on that is near the end of the thread about Morryde brake clips).
During the flat tire incidents the suspension hit the ground. This bent the lower shock bolt and bent the rubber shear spring bracket on the affected wheel position (passenger front) and apparently also resulted in cracks in the rubber shear spring of the wheel behind it. One result of the shear spring failures was a sag of the trailer to the passenger side of 2-3 inches.
Ok, now for the helpful info: I ended up replacing both shear springs (about 2-hours of labor each if you follow the instructions on page 8 of the User Manual link below). The link to the video on YouTube covers inspection of the shear springs, including measuring their deflection - a helpful step I was unaware of earlier (also on page 7 of the manual).
I also included pictures of the bent shear spring bracket on the front axle position (can also see the bent lower shock bolt) as well as the cracks or tears in the rear axle position. There were no tears or cracks in the shear spring at the front axle position, but I replaced it out of good measure. I bought the springs directly from Morryde for just under $300 each - you’ll need to call them to order those parts. The shear springs have various weight ratings depending on the application…. mine were the 35 size for my 21,000 lb 5th wheel. The size number (e.g., ‘35’) is embossed into the rubber of the spring).
I hope these resources help others. Doing the initial replacement job without the instructions wasted a lot of my time. Also, the cracks/tears on the springs are a bit of a subjective assessment in my mind. The replacement is a bit of a pain, but can be done by an end user with the recommended tools.
Edit: of course the pictures are turned 90 degrees from vertical…
Good luck,
John
User’s manual with inspection and replacement information
https://www.morryde.com/wp-content/u...uide_v1771.pdf
Inspection video
https://youtu.be/pDU0DxFzLog?si=CHQEGq0q6salTUdO
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