I would love to see someone like him make a YT channel with all of his knowledge on RV maintenance. I never knew that electronic brakes work the way he described it but it makes a lot of sense now.
For travel days put a piece of Plexiglass over the puzzle and clamp or tape it down to secure it and as an added bonus you can still use the table without having to put the puzzle away.
We r RV’ers & each spring hubby goes over entire camper. He is very particular & while it’s costly it saves us from those unwanted repairs while travelling. appreciate his type A personality most of the time 😊 🇨🇦 ❤
Thanks, Hanks, for videoing and showing us the eclipse. Also, the wheel repairs and the damage explanation were very interesting. I bet the mechanic had no idea that he'd reach almost 8K viewers within the hour after this video was posted.
We made our appointment at MoRryde for the independent suspension and disk brakes. IT IS ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. Braking is far better, ride is far better. It won’t change your weight sticker but we went from 7000 to 8000 lb axles.
I replaced all 4 of my brake assemblies a couple weeks ago. It’s so messy with all of the grease I decided if I’m doing one might as well do them all and hopefully not have to worry about the for a bit. What an awesome fellow rv’er helping ya’ll out like that.
Well Hanks, we bought our first travel trailer 3 weeks ago. Our maiden voyage is tomorrow. Thank you for all your content. I look forward to Thursdays. Watching the Hanks is like binge watching a good show on Netflix, once your caught up with the episodes you get sad cause now you have to wait. Camping seemed overwhelming when it came to campers. But because of your content it took the fear out and gave us excitement. Keep up the good work!!!
Regarding axle bearings . . if you’re already in a situation where you’ve removed a wheel & hub, it’s best to just clean & re-pack with grease “the old-fashioned way”, by hand. Using the grease-zerk on the spindle-end is “tricky” . . . real easy to “blowout” the rear seal, sending grease all over your brake assembly . . . kinda negates the “friction” of brake-shoes.
Hanks, this is one of your best videos ever. Why? Because you showed us real life on the road. And you handled it without significant stress or taking it out on each other. During a lunar eclipse! You are awesome and give us inspiration. Happy Travels!
I took my Nephew to Dallas to see the eclipse. It so so AWESOME! It was a great trip and memory for us. A month later he passed away. Makes me so glad I took this trip with him. The moment you guys showed the eclipse made me cry. Remembering where I was and who I was with. It was an awesome review of the exact moment during totality. I will remember this day for the rest of my life. Sorry about your breakdown!
Awnings are magnets for high wind and heavy rain. Particularly dangerous are those 15-minute trips to get beer and ice because that's when one little cloud transforms itself into a monsoon. I use ground tie-down straps religiously if I even roll my awning out, and I always put a good side-slope away from the doorway. That's an advantage of the non-electric awnings.
Absolutely necessary to learn about your own rig and how to do your own maintenance/repairs. Sometimes it may not be feasible, but for the most part you can do most of it. So awesome of that guy to help and teach you guys something!
We got the MoRide independent suspension on our 45’ fifth wheel. Great people to work with. Night and day difference with the new axels. The quality of their axels compared to the stock axels is unbelievable.
RE Independent suspension: I've seen a few other full-time RV'rs that got independent suspension and can't say enough good things about them. In their video, they showed ceramic coffee mugs, staked in their cupboard hap-hazardly, as if they were at home. And on travel days, they don't do anything with them to protect them. they just pull out with them stacked like that. When they get where their going, they're just like they were when they left, unbroken. Also, they leave a lot of items out on their countertops that they wouldn't normally, before they got the new suspension, and for the most part, they stay were they were put. Granted, the items on the countertops had some weight and either rubber feet or they put something like Gorilla drawer liners under them to help keep them from sliding. I'll tell you that, if I could afford to, I'd do it right now. Unfortunately, we just got our truck and trailer, and had to spend an awful lot on the initial essentials for camping. FYI... initial "essentials" involved things to support my wife who has been diagnosed with "end stage" COPD. After a recent health scare, we decided to go ahead and do this 'now', before it was too late.
When we replaced our leaf springs, we also upgraded to the next higher rated ones. It's been great for the past couple years. We were very surpised as well as to how little the traffic was in the days leading up to the eclipse. 🐾🐾
When you replace the brakes you are supposed to replace each end of the same axle so the braking force on the axle is equal. We broke two springs in 2021 / 2022. I learnedyou are supposed to replace both springs on the axle with the broken spring. If one side breaks it puts a lot of twisting stress on the remaining spring, weakening the remaining spring. We stopped by the Rocky Point Campground in Feb., 2023. Beautiful sunsets.
Just want to say thank you. Your video while traveling Alaska and broke a leaf spring motivated me to carry two. Three days ago i had a leaf spring break. I also carry two spare tires. 2 1/2 hours later I had the leaf spring fixed, tores replaced and on our way. Thank you again for all your information
We've been RV techs since 1977 & if you're full time RVing ... Pads are the way to go. They won't be magnet style but hydraulic fluid ... so there's a bit more but worth it. You should have ask that technician & very smart man to do that for you. Onward.
A suggestion for your jigsaw puzzle - get 2 large foam filled boards from wally world. Start making your puzzle on the first board. When you travel place the 2nd board on too and tape the edges up. Also when you just want the table space back for any reason, same thing. Added advantage also allows you to spin the puzzle easily while working on it.
Don’t know about the independent suspension but I have disc brakes on my 2019 5th wheel Reflections and I will tell you I will never own another bumper pull or 5th wheel without them. Highly recommended!
@@HappilyEverHanks I have no insight on the disc brakes on rv trailer applications, but in general disc brakes are always far better than drum. and more than likely WORTH the $$ they cost.
I have disc brakes on my 5th wheel too and i have had them on other trailers. They work fantastic but come with their own pitfalls. In an RV they have a hydraulic pump and fulid levels that need ot be checked and also the lines may need to be bled from time to time. My 2024 GMC had to have the brake controller replaced because the controller did not work properly with the electric/hydraulic pump which was a pain for us. We would just randomly loose the brakes which is not good when our RV is a 24k unit.... In regards to the drums, there is nothing wrong with them at all as long as they are maintained. My suggestion would be taking them apart annually to inspect the shoes, clean and inspect the brake hardware and clean, inspect and repack the bearings.
@@TDub_ADV I was unaware that disc on a tt was that big of a pain. makes sense tho. as they can't be "just" electric. and I agree my drums are fine with a bit of care. kinda like the misses.🤣
What a great guy to repair your brakes. You two also stay cool through the entire ordeal. The issue you two had shows us all how important it is to service the hubs and brakes etc. Thanks Hanks. Been probably five years since I pulled my 4 tires and wheels on my trailer. Now I think it is just about time.
We had the MorRyde Independent Suspension installed on our brand new 2021 GD Reflection. Totally worth it especially in light of the recent complaints of frame flex. MorRyde will be doing a lot and I mean a lot of welding to the frame when the IS is installed. The result: a beefier frame and best of all, NO leaf springs to worry about breaking while traveling down our wonderful (joke) of an interstate highway system, 😖
Hi we have a 2019 29 30 we put disk brakes on it in 2020 zero problems we also put slipper springs which have lifetime warranty. We purchased them at performance breaking and they install them where we wanted, they came to us.
Awesome of that old boy to help you guys saved you a ton of money. One word of advice just change all four brakes and bearings. Give you guys a good piece of mind they all have lots of miles on them. Safe travels
The birds chirping in the background are very telling. I experienced a full eclipse in 1978 in California. The birds nest cause they can’t see & think it’s nighttime. 10 minutes later the sun comes back out & they act like it’s sunrise.
I have replaced brakes and bearings on several non-RV trailers, same electrically operated system. The man who helped you saved you a ton of money, and happy times, he really appeared to know how to do a proper job. I hope you fed him a nice dinner! 🥰
Btw, the wheel bearings need a special procedure to make sure they are tight enough! Normally you torque the spindle nut to 50ft-lbs then rotate the drum three full turns, they back off 1/4 turn, then rotate the drum three full turns, then torque it again to 50ft-lbs then rotate the drum three full turns, they back off 1/4 turn, then rotate the drum three full turns, then torque it a third and final time to 50ft-lbs then rotate the drum three full turns, they back off 1/4 turn then install the lock ring or cotter pin depending on the type off lock. IF the lock does not line up back off the nut until it does line up and done. Make sure to sue your greaseable hub to fill the bearings! As well, I thought I saw you ask the question if anyone used Independent Suspension on their RV. I have had trailer with Leaf Springs like your 5th wheel and I have had a travel trailer and now a 5th wheel with Dexter TorFlex Axles...now that I have used the TorFlex axle trailer for almost 10 years, I would never want a trailer without the independent suspension ever again! The Ride is super smooth and stable at all times. Even the harshest roads doesn't cause things to swift in the 5th wheel and they technically cannot break! I would also like to mention that you should consider replacing your trailer tires, I saw in two of your videos a belt issue in the sidewall of the Westlake tires you currently have. I would suggest the Carlisle Radial Trail HD tires for your trailer, they will even reduce your fuel consumption by 1 to 2 mpg! And if you change your tires, consider getting them balanced, it helps with even wear and reduced vibrations to the rest of the trailer and therefore reduces repairs! Thanks, Kevin
I just replaced the four springs, shocks, added Morryder CRE3000 equalizers and used the wet bolt kit, and replaced all four brake hub assembly's ( it will cost you more to replace just the pads and magnet than the whole hub and it's many times easier to install then just pads), bearings and seals. Figured while I was doing one thing, it made sense to do it all. I did all the work myself and all-in just less than $1500. The work itself was easy, just time consuming. I figured if I just replaced one spring here and one shock there, it would have gone on for a long time fixing stuff. Now, everything is brand new and I don't have to worry about it for years. Great video. Glad you were able to get your issue resolved onsite.
We took our travel trailer from Tennessee to Texas to see the eclipse (800 miles). Of the 4 1/2 minutes of totality, we saw about 3 minutes before the clouds covered the sun. The massive shortages and crowds never happened. I think they say that so if it does happen, they can say "we told you".
You guys did great picking that mechanic. It’s so hard to find people that will work on the chassis part of an RV. Tons of mobile RV mechanics but man to find a truck mechanic that works on anything but big rigs and doesn’t have a month long wait… that’s gold. Drum brakes intimidate me. Too many moving parts.
First of all my wife and I love your videos, you keep it real. The Brooklyn Bedding ad had us laughing because even though we don’t have a Brooklyn Bedding mattress that’s us at bedtime! Now a couple of things about your brake repairs. General rule of thumb is when you change one assembly you need to change all of them. Please next time you install a grease seal use a block of wood so you don’t deform the metal cup and always make sure the spring in the seal is there before you install it. Now this is a biggie and most people don’t do it and it’s the most important step to get the most out of you new brakes. They must be burnished or broken in right after you install them to get the most from you trailers brakes. Please be safe out there!
That's why I switched to disk brakes on my trailer . Drum brakes get easily overheated on heavy trailers and parts inside break . Plus after having problem with springs I replace the equalizer spring system to slider spring system with shocks from Roadmaster . Much more comfortable towing and easier on trailer due the much less transfer of bouncing from roads to the box. Stuff I put inside the trailer cabinets or kitchen counter don't fly around anymore .
appreciate the practical content - the fix overview - important ballast to the lifestyle content for me. Where is the Hanks app to track a reminder for the next brake inspection?
We love hearing this!! That little bell icon near the subscribe button guarantees that it will show up for you when the video releases. No pressure though, that's the only app tracker we know of 😄
Great video. Great view of the eclipse. Very awesome music during the eclipse. You were very fortunate to not have catastrophic issues based on the brake failure. Compliments to the folks that helped you as well.
I literally just did this to our fifth wheel. 4 new brake assembly which includes bearings as well. It was actually cheaper to do everything same time vs break up services. Plus new tires and now we are heading out north east !!!
Probably the best one I’ve watched in a while, just now changing out my leaf springs before we go on a two month trip and the info with your brakes and changing them were awesome. The gentleman working with you was outstanding in explaining things.
You travel plenty to justify MorRyde IS and disk brakes. Leaf springs, spring hangers and drum brakes on an RV are a maintenance burden and just dangerous. We did IS and their pinbox a year ago and the peace of mind is priceless. Safe travels
That guy was so cool to show and explain the whole braking system. I'm a car nut. Love the mechanics. Brakes being expensive... how much is your life worth if they fail??? That guy was fantastic!!!
After issues with spring shackle failure in 2022 on trip to Maine - Upgraded to the MORryde independent suspension last year - getting ready to head up to Alaska this summer - will let you know how the “IS” does. So far on short trips things stay put (window blinds especially) while traveling…
You should replace the other axle brakes also. You would be good to check them at least twice a year and replacing the brakes with the entire plate like you did is the best way to go, if there is rust or junk in the old parts it can cause issues. If you know what axle you have which should be on the sticker on your RV you can tell them you have a dexter 8K axle and want both ends of the loaded brake kit. Good to learn this so you can check your bearings twice a year. Hope you are staying safe and healthy.
Independent suspension 🇦🇺🦘 Aussie here , this has become our most common setup because of free camping as most or the best places are off the hardtop, beaches, deserts etc Then it’s how far you want to get semi off-road 1 shock with coil spring, off road 2 shocks & coil or air bag suspension. Then it’s drum or disc brakes, disc’s are pretty much standard with airbags now. We personally have off road since 2019 love it, get a bit higher ground clearance. Want to see probably top of the crop check out cruise master range
A good lesson in not putting off inspecting a new noise source. Glad you had some helpful neighbors, they seem few and far between these days. You did the right thing buying new backing plate assembles after that much damage.... The drums might have been reusable unless they had a bad groove in them so erring on replacing them was good. I been towing trailers with electric drum brakes for over 25 years and I can count on one hand how many failures I have had on the road. Coupled with never having issues stopping the truck and trailer I am not sold on electric over hydraulic setup (AKA disk brakes) as must upgrade. Annual maintenance and inspection has caught every time they been worn down enough to need replacing or failures as they where about to happen. That alone has convinced me I not to spend any money on retrofitting on a trailer and use those thousands of dollars towards travel and making memories.
We had the independent torsion suspension on our Rockwood Minilite and it worked great. No issues with 6 years of ownership other than servicing the bearings once a year. It is the same suspension system used with Airstream trailers.
Installed the IS and Disc Brake mod last October on my 341 RDS. Expensive, Yes - but it provides many improvements in braking , ride, and easier maintenance. No more worries about broken leaf springs or shackles. No more worries about magnets overheating and wondering what else is going wrong inside that brake drum. Disc brakes have less moving parts and almost all are exposed and easy to see. Mechanical things always talk to us when they need attention, but we have to learn the language.
Yes yes yes disc brakes are a must. Love ours. We are upgrading to independent suspension in June. We are full timers too and want this rv to last. It makes a huge difference.
Hello again Hanks. Really sorry to hear about your spring trouble. Wish we had known where you were for the eclipse. We are only about 75 miles away. Used to camp at Rocky Point every chance we got with the in-laws. Have you weighed your rig??? I weighed mine ever way I could. 1. Pull just truck with trailer hitched onto scales. This will be weight of truck with trailer load on truck. 2. Put front landing gear down on surface before scales. Lift trailer off hitch. You do not have to unhook. This gives you weight of truck only. 3. Subtract #2 from #1 and you have the weight of the trailer on the truck. 4. Now raise landing gear and pull entire rig on scales. This is what everything weighs. 5. Subtract #2 from #4 and you have the TOTAL weight of your trailer. GVWR 6. Now pull forward and get truck on solid ground with only wheels of trailer on scales. This is the weight on your tires, springs, etc.. 7. Add #3 and #6 , and you have the weight of your trailer. GVWR. (Should be same as #5) If you have not done this do it the next time you pass some CAT scales. I was really concerned about #3. I am overloaded for a 3/4 ton, but I added air suspension to the truck and I have no problem and are in a safe range for the tires You now know everything about your rig, weight wise. I did this and recorded everything so I can refer back to it as I need to. Happy travelings. Hope to camp with yall some times. How can we keep up with where yall are headed?
Hey guys, love your videos!! This is one reason when we travel, I carry two spare leaf springs, shackles, bolts, equalizer and a spare set of wheel bearings. You never know what's going to happen with one of these rigs. It always seems like something is going to go wrong. Speaking of brakes, I just noticed that none of my brakes had the little plastic things that cover the hole where you can adjust the brakes from behind the wheel. None of the wheels had them. I just ordered some and will be snapping them in place. Another area where dirt and water could enter the brakes and eventually cause problems.
do not have the independent suspension but, i did have Disc Brakes installed on my RV and the roadmaster slipper springs with shocks installed by performance trailer braking. Made a world of difference in towing and stopping. The installer told me that one disc brake has more stopping force than all 4 drum brakes combined. he was not wrong the disc brakes are "wonderful" and with the new slipper spring system the trailer pulls so much better! dump the drums you won't be disappointed and the cost is worth the peace of mind they provide!
After two years of RV-ing, I sold my rig and couldn’t be more happier. It was a lot of work with little reward and pleasure. Went back to driving my car or truck and staying in motels/hotels is much easier and simpler.
Our horse trailer with living quarters has torsion axles with electric hydraulic disk brakes and the set up is well worth it!! We've had three completely different trailers with electric drum brakes, and ALL OF THEM have given us problems. In fact we have a brand new livestock trailer with major brake issues, right off the lot we've needed to replace the left front, and now the left rear is locking up and not releasing!! Fun fact, trailer axles and brakes are ALL made by one company, Dexter Group headquartered in Elkhart, IN. ps. Pro Tip, I commented before the end of video, but if you ever do a bearing service/replacement again try not to seat the bearings into the hub with a metal hammer. If you only have a metal hammer use a 2X4 or similar piece of wood between the hammer and bearings, but a brass drift or the hard side of a plastic mallet works much better and more importantly reduces the risk of bearing damage from the metal on metal (steel on steel) contact. Hope this helps.
As a mechanic you really should have replaced all 4. The same thing happened to a friend’s trailer and i replaced the front 2 because they were making noise and had came a part. I told him while I’m here let me take a look at the rear axle. They were still working but you see that they had got hot and it wouldn’t be long before they need replacing. So i replaced all 4 with new bearings. He’s a happy camper now 😊
Be very careful greasing the hubs. If you put to much grease in it will go onto the brake pads and ruin them and you will be replacing them again. I have replaced more brake pads for grease on them then I have for them being worn out.
When we're about to start our travelling and living full-time in our RV,(my husband is a travelling nurse too) You guys are the first channel I subscribed.I learned how to dump our tanks,sanitized it,as in zero knowledge about RV for me and my husband you guys helped me a lot. At first we stayed at the KOA for 1 month then lateron we did boondocking,but once in a awhile we stayed in a RV park if we get to a place where we can't camp (our reflection 5th wheel can't fit or there is no available spot to camp) And yah sometimes problems 1 after another,now watching you guys Im like I hope we are as chill as them lol😅 Thank you guys I learned a lot from you guys and thank you for nice videos!
Great music for eclipse. We were close by watching too. Yes there was no traffic and no crowds. We fled the next morning because of tornado warnings. We have great memories just like you.
Ok Hanks! The eclipse coverage and video WOW just wow! Our experience was just as phenomenal. I got the same feels with your video as I did experiencing it IRL. Keep doing you and we will keep watching, laughing and learning! ❤
Wheel bearings and brakes are often ignored by too many; they should be maintained constantly. Some might say overkill but I do mine every 5k miles. Repack, new seals and check the pads at the same time. I replace the bearings around 15k miles, cheap insurance. Keep the old ones pre-greased in sealed bags just in case. I also crawl around looking at the springs and all the other stuff underneath when doing this maintenance as well. Given the horrid state of our roads these days it's well worth the look/see on a regular basis.
Thanks for covering this critially important responsibility. If someone is not comfortable doing a brake check/job themselves, taking your rig to a trailer repair shop and having them check and repack your hubs is also an option. Most RV parks know local shops that can handle large rigs. Of course this should be done BEFORE they begin to make strange noises....
That kind gentleman saved you a few hundred dollars. There are not many like him left.
We completely agree! He was so wonderful for taking the time to help us. Thank you for your great support!
That mechanic deserves to be named and put on the short list of real gentlemen still doing great jobs.
Yes! Please share the mechanic and get him more business. He was great! Definitely someone I would want.
He was certainly so kind to help us out ❤ Thank you for your wonderful support
I liked the way the guy that helped you with your brakes had you learning and helping not just doing it for you. Always good to learn.
Exactly. Great tutoring!
I would love to see someone like him make a YT channel with all of his knowledge on RV maintenance. I never knew that electronic brakes work the way he described it but it makes a lot of sense now.
Couldn't have said it better ourselves!
For travel days put a piece of Plexiglass over the puzzle and clamp or tape it down to secure it and as an added bonus you can still use the table without having to put the puzzle away.
Great idea!
Great idea 💡
That man helping you was awesome! He was patient and let you record. What a gem!
Your Brooklyn Bedding commercial is GREATNESS!! 😂😂😂😂😂 now you have to do more promos in that format. Waiting for your Challenge Accepted reply!!! 🤣
We are so glad you enjoyed!! 😊 Thank you for your amazing support in watching
Right, more embedded commercials. but there is a plus side, skip over them to make the vid shorter, YES>
We r RV’ers & each spring hubby goes over entire camper. He is very particular & while it’s costly it saves us from those unwanted repairs while travelling. appreciate his type A personality most of the time 😊 🇨🇦 ❤
Sounds like you got a keeper there ❤️ Thank you both for your wonderful support in watching!
I got one of those too😎
The young man helping you was outstanding. Safe travels.
Wow. That guy seemed to be a good teacher. You two always do good in hard situations. Thank you so much for sharing. Blessings
He certainly was! Thank you 🤗
Thanks, Hanks, for videoing and showing us the eclipse. Also, the wheel repairs and the damage explanation were very interesting. I bet the mechanic had no idea that he'd reach almost 8K viewers within the hour after this video was posted.
We made our appointment at MoRryde for the independent suspension and disk brakes. IT IS ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. Braking is far better, ride is far better. It won’t change your weight sticker but we went from 7000 to 8000 lb axles.
This is great to hear! We are happy you have found the upgrade to be worth it. Keep on keeping on 😎
I replaced all 4 of my brake assemblies a couple weeks ago. It’s so messy with all of the grease I decided if I’m doing one might as well do them all and hopefully not have to worry about the for a bit.
What an awesome fellow rv’er helping ya’ll out like that.
That man has the hart of a saint and was willing to teach you exactly what he was doing and why. That is a good a good man
Well Hanks, we bought our first travel trailer 3 weeks ago. Our maiden voyage is tomorrow. Thank you for all your content. I look forward to Thursdays. Watching the Hanks is like binge watching a good show on Netflix, once your caught up with the episodes you get sad cause now you have to wait. Camping seemed overwhelming when it came to campers. But because of your content it took the fear out and gave us excitement. Keep up the good work!!!
Grease your bearings, and good luck
C.O.E. parks cannot be beat . . . especially for us “seasoned citizens” ! 😁
We have camped there at Rocky Point several times, very nice !
YES!! How cool that you have been there as well. What a small world 🙂
We have 2021 Rockwood 5th whl ; their entire product range has the Dexter Torsion Axles. Just luv’em !
Regarding axle bearings . . if you’re already in a situation where you’ve removed a wheel & hub, it’s best to just clean & re-pack with grease “the old-fashioned way”, by hand.
Using the grease-zerk on the spindle-end is “tricky” . . . real easy to “blowout” the rear seal, sending grease all over your brake assembly . . . kinda negates the “friction” of brake-shoes.
We did the IS and disc brakes. Game changer! We won't own another 5th wheel without it.
Hanks, this is one of your best videos ever. Why? Because you showed us real life on the road. And you handled it without significant stress or taking it out on each other. During a lunar eclipse! You are awesome and give us inspiration. Happy Travels!
Your helper man is a smart cookie! Thank God for his help and expertise.
I took my Nephew to Dallas to see the eclipse. It so so AWESOME! It was a great trip and memory for us. A month later he passed away. Makes me so glad I took this trip with him. The moment you guys showed the eclipse made me cry. Remembering where I was and who I was with. It was an awesome review of the exact moment during totality. I will remember this day for the rest of my life. Sorry about your breakdown!
Awnings are magnets for high wind and heavy rain. Particularly dangerous are those 15-minute trips to get beer and ice because that's when one little cloud transforms itself into a monsoon. I use ground tie-down straps religiously if I even roll my awning out, and I always put a good side-slope away from the doorway. That's an advantage of the non-electric awnings.
Get a puzzle mat, they're made of felt and you can simply roll up your puzzles when you travel. We use on on our puzzles while traveling.
Yes! We need to get one of those for sure :)
Absolutely necessary to learn about your own rig and how to do your own maintenance/repairs. Sometimes it may not be feasible, but for the most part you can do most of it. So awesome of that guy to help and teach you guys something!
We got the MoRide independent suspension on our 45’ fifth wheel. Great people to work with. Night and day difference with the new axels. The quality of their axels compared to the stock axels is unbelievable.
RE Independent suspension: I've seen a few other full-time RV'rs that got independent suspension and can't say enough good things about them. In their video, they showed ceramic coffee mugs, staked in their cupboard hap-hazardly, as if they were at home. And on travel days, they don't do anything with them to protect them. they just pull out with them stacked like that. When they get where their going, they're just like they were when they left, unbroken. Also, they leave a lot of items out on their countertops that they wouldn't normally, before they got the new suspension, and for the most part, they stay were they were put. Granted, the items on the countertops had some weight and either rubber feet or they put something like Gorilla drawer liners under them to help keep them from sliding. I'll tell you that, if I could afford to, I'd do it right now. Unfortunately, we just got our truck and trailer, and had to spend an awful lot on the initial essentials for camping. FYI... initial "essentials" involved things to support my wife who has been diagnosed with "end stage" COPD. After a recent health scare, we decided to go ahead and do this 'now', before it was too late.
Really glad you were able to see the eclipse. As I told you before, weather made us turn around in Las Cruces, NM thanks for this video.
We were a bit further south, in Lampasas TX area, and we had a bit more cloud cover. We saw about 30 second out of the 4 minutes of totality.
When we replaced our leaf springs, we also upgraded to the next higher rated ones. It's been great for the past couple years. We were very surpised as well as to how little the traffic was in the days leading up to the eclipse. 🐾🐾
Love it. So glad ya'll were also able to see the eclipse 😊
When you replace the brakes you are supposed to replace each end of the same axle so the braking force on the axle is equal. We broke two springs in 2021 / 2022. I learnedyou are supposed to replace both springs on the axle with the broken spring. If one side breaks it puts a lot of twisting stress on the remaining spring, weakening the remaining spring. We stopped by the Rocky Point Campground in Feb., 2023. Beautiful sunsets.
Hows the trucks brakes look? The pads and rotors?
Just want to say thank you. Your video while traveling Alaska and broke a leaf spring motivated me to carry two. Three days ago i had a leaf spring break. I also carry two spare tires. 2 1/2 hours later I had the leaf spring fixed, tores replaced and on our way. Thank you again for all your information
Thank you very much, Joseph! We are so grateful for hear that the content has been valuable for you. Glad all worked out 😊
Hey that's my dad at the end there! ❤ I still have so much to learn!
Love it!! He was such a HUGE help 😊
We've been RV techs since 1977 & if you're full time RVing ... Pads are the way to go. They won't be magnet style but hydraulic fluid ... so there's a bit more but worth it. You should have ask that technician & very smart man to do that for you. Onward.
Wonderful to know! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us 😃
A suggestion for your jigsaw puzzle - get 2 large foam filled boards from wally world. Start making your puzzle on the first board. When you travel place the 2nd board on too and tape the edges up. Also when you just want the table space back for any reason, same thing. Added advantage also allows you to spin the puzzle easily while working on it.
Don’t know about the independent suspension but I have disc brakes on my 2019 5th wheel Reflections and I will tell you I will never own another bumper pull or 5th wheel without them. Highly recommended!
Great information! Thank you for sharing. We have always been curious on how well they worked.
@@HappilyEverHanks I have no insight on the disc brakes on rv trailer applications, but in general disc brakes are always far better than drum. and more than likely WORTH the $$ they cost.
I have disc brakes on my 5th wheel too and i have had them on other trailers. They work fantastic but come with their own pitfalls. In an RV they have a hydraulic pump and fulid levels that need ot be checked and also the lines may need to be bled from time to time. My 2024 GMC had to have the brake controller replaced because the controller did not work properly with the electric/hydraulic pump which was a pain for us. We would just randomly loose the brakes which is not good when our RV is a 24k unit....
In regards to the drums, there is nothing wrong with them at all as long as they are maintained. My suggestion would be taking them apart annually to inspect the shoes, clean and inspect the brake hardware and clean, inspect and repack the bearings.
@@TDub_ADV I was unaware that disc on a tt was that big of a pain. makes sense tho. as they can't be "just" electric. and I agree my drums are fine with a bit of care. kinda like the misses.🤣
What a great guy to repair your brakes. You two also stay cool through the entire ordeal. The issue you two had shows us all how important it is to service the hubs and brakes etc. Thanks Hanks. Been probably five years since I pulled my 4 tires and wheels on my trailer. Now I think it is just about time.
We had the MorRyde Independent Suspension installed on our brand new 2021 GD Reflection. Totally worth it especially in light of the recent complaints of frame flex. MorRyde will be doing a lot and I mean a lot of welding to the frame when the IS is installed. The result: a beefier frame and best of all, NO leaf springs to worry about breaking while traveling down our wonderful (joke) of an interstate highway system, 😖
Hi we have a 2019 29 30 we put disk brakes on it in 2020 zero problems we also put slipper springs which have lifetime warranty. We purchased them at performance breaking and they install them where we wanted, they came to us.
Awesome of that old boy to help you guys saved you a ton of money. One word of advice just change all four brakes and bearings. Give you guys a good piece of mind they all have lots of miles on them. Safe travels
We appreciate this, Justin! You are absolutely right. Thank you for your great support 😊
Beautiful music during the eclipse. Thanks for sharing. 🌖
Loved the eclipse shots! You filmed it so well. And just a great campsite with really helpful folks.
The birds chirping in the background are very telling. I experienced a full eclipse in 1978 in California. The birds nest cause they can’t see & think it’s nighttime. 10 minutes later the sun comes back out & they act like it’s sunrise.
Isn't it just an incredible experience?! Wow..we were just blown away. So happy that you were able to experience as well 🙂
See y’all soon. Kim Edwards & Ken Martin.
I have replaced brakes and bearings on several non-RV trailers, same electrically operated system. The man who helped you saved you a ton of money, and happy times, he really appeared to know how to do a proper job. I hope you fed him a nice dinner! 🥰
I've got to say, out of all the eclipse photos and videos I've seen this has to be the coolest!
Btw, the wheel bearings need a special procedure to make sure they are tight enough! Normally you torque the spindle nut to 50ft-lbs then rotate the drum three full turns, they back off 1/4 turn, then rotate the drum three full turns, then torque it again to 50ft-lbs then rotate the drum three full turns, they back off 1/4 turn, then rotate the drum three full turns, then torque it a third and final time to 50ft-lbs then rotate the drum three full turns, they back off 1/4 turn then install the lock ring or cotter pin depending on the type off lock. IF the lock does not line up back off the nut until it does line up and done. Make sure to sue your greaseable hub to fill the bearings!
As well, I thought I saw you ask the question if anyone used Independent Suspension on their RV. I have had trailer with Leaf Springs like your 5th wheel and I have had a travel trailer and now a 5th wheel with Dexter TorFlex Axles...now that I have used the TorFlex axle trailer for almost 10 years, I would never want a trailer without the independent suspension ever again! The Ride is super smooth and stable at all times. Even the harshest roads doesn't cause things to swift in the 5th wheel and they technically cannot break!
I would also like to mention that you should consider replacing your trailer tires, I saw in two of your videos a belt issue in the sidewall of the Westlake tires you currently have. I would suggest the Carlisle Radial Trail HD tires for your trailer, they will even reduce your fuel consumption by 1 to 2 mpg! And if you change your tires, consider getting them balanced, it helps with even wear and reduced vibrations to the rest of the trailer and therefore reduces repairs!
Thanks, Kevin
I just replaced the four springs, shocks, added Morryder CRE3000 equalizers and used the wet bolt kit, and replaced all four brake hub assembly's ( it will cost you more to replace just the pads and magnet than the whole hub and it's many times easier to install then just pads), bearings and seals. Figured while I was doing one thing, it made sense to do it all. I did all the work myself and all-in just less than $1500. The work itself was easy, just time consuming. I figured if I just replaced one spring here and one shock there, it would have gone on for a long time fixing stuff. Now, everything is brand new and I don't have to worry about it for years. Great video. Glad you were able to get your issue resolved onsite.
We took our travel trailer from Tennessee to Texas to see the eclipse (800 miles). Of the 4 1/2 minutes of totality, we saw about 3 minutes before the clouds covered the sun. The massive shortages and crowds never happened. I think they say that so if it does happen, they can say "we told you".
You guys did great picking that mechanic. It’s so hard to find people that will work on the chassis part of an RV. Tons of mobile RV mechanics but man to find a truck mechanic that works on anything but big rigs and doesn’t have a month long wait… that’s gold. Drum brakes intimidate me. Too many moving parts.
One of your BEST episodes yet! loved the eclipse music too! Thanks Hanks 🙂
Thank you very much for saying this! You totally made our night 🙂
What a good guy to help out!!!!!!!! Thank you sir.
Such a great guy!! Thank you for watching 🙂
What a nice man to explain things to you. HE needs a raise. :-)
He was certainly so wonderful for taking the time to help 🙂
First of all my wife and I love your videos, you keep it real. The Brooklyn Bedding ad had us laughing because even though we don’t have a Brooklyn Bedding mattress that’s us at bedtime! Now a couple of things about your brake repairs. General rule of thumb is when you change one assembly you need to change all of them. Please next time you install a grease seal use a block of wood so you don’t deform the metal cup and always make sure the spring in the seal is there before you install it. Now this is a biggie and most people don’t do it and it’s the most important step to get the most out of you new brakes. They must be burnished or broken in right after you install them to get the most from you trailers brakes. Please be safe out there!
Good that you not only found a friend who knew how to do it but also taught you how.
That's why I switched to disk brakes on my trailer . Drum brakes get easily overheated on heavy trailers and parts inside break . Plus after having problem with springs I replace the equalizer spring system to slider spring system with shocks from Roadmaster . Much more comfortable towing and easier on trailer due the much less transfer of bouncing from roads to the box. Stuff I put inside the trailer cabinets or kitchen counter don't fly around anymore .
Watching the eclipse while replacing stuff sums up the rv life in a sentence
Glad I saw this. Reminded me I have 4 sets of the brake assemble left over from another project. Will get them on marketplace.
appreciate the practical content - the fix overview - important ballast to the lifestyle content for me. Where is the Hanks app to track a reminder for the next brake inspection?
We love hearing this!! That little bell icon near the subscribe button guarantees that it will show up for you when the video releases. No pressure though, that's the only app tracker we know of 😄
gUYS that is the best picture of the eclipse I have seen. You both a real good. Thanks Hanks
Great video. Great view of the eclipse. Very awesome music during the eclipse.
You were very fortunate to not have catastrophic issues based on the brake failure. Compliments to the folks that helped you as well.
Yes, we are thankful that all is well. Thank you for your support! Stay safe 😃
I literally just did this to our fifth wheel. 4 new brake assembly which includes bearings as well. It was actually cheaper to do everything same time vs break up services. Plus new tires and now we are heading out north east !!!
Wahoo!! Let the good times roll 😁
Beautiful shots. Awesome. We were with LJMJ and FOS for the eclipse. Thrilling.
Love it!! So glad ya'll were able to be with some wonderful people during a great event 😊
Probably the best one I’ve watched in a while, just now changing out my leaf springs before we go on a two month trip and the info with your brakes and changing them were awesome. The gentleman working with you was outstanding in explaining things.
You travel plenty to justify MorRyde IS and disk brakes. Leaf springs, spring hangers and drum brakes on an RV are a maintenance burden and just dangerous. We did IS and their pinbox a year ago and the peace of mind is priceless. Safe travels
That guy was so cool to show and explain the whole braking system. I'm a car nut. Love the mechanics. Brakes being expensive... how much is your life worth if they fail??? That guy was fantastic!!!
The 2017 Total Eclipse was centered over my county and we had people from around the world who came to watch it. It was wonderful for sure!
After issues with spring shackle failure in 2022 on trip to Maine - Upgraded to the MORryde independent suspension last year - getting ready to head up to Alaska this summer - will let you know how the “IS” does. So far on short trips things stay put (window blinds especially) while traveling…
This is so wonderful to hear, Cheryl! Have an amazing time in Alaska 😊
I would recommend greasing any points at least every other travel day. Don’t over grease but hit them with a pump or two. Great episode!
Appreciate the insight! Thank you!
Here in Houston it was so cloudy couldn't even see a partial eclispe..glad you got to see it and shared with us.
Still paying for that Alaska trip. When packing Bearings place a pile of grease in palm and press bearing into palm till completely full.
RV lifestyle is always
challenging ❤
Loving it for thirty years now.
You should replace the other axle brakes also. You would be good to check them at least twice a year and replacing the brakes with the entire plate like you did is the best way to go, if there is rust or junk in the old parts it can cause issues. If you know what axle you have which should be on the sticker on your RV you can tell them you have a dexter 8K axle and want both ends of the loaded brake kit. Good to learn this so you can check your bearings twice a year. Hope you are staying safe and healthy.
Independent suspension
🇦🇺🦘 Aussie here , this has become our most common setup because of free camping as most or the best places are off the hardtop, beaches, deserts etc
Then it’s how far you want to get semi off-road 1 shock with coil spring, off road 2 shocks & coil or air bag suspension. Then it’s drum or disc brakes, disc’s are pretty much standard with airbags now. We personally have off road since 2019 love it, get a bit higher ground clearance.
Want to see probably top of the crop check out cruise master range
You two capture the true spirit of enjoying life and I enjoy the videos and your approach to it all!
Interesting didn’t know you could buy the whole break assembly Good luck as you roll along it’s time you had some trouble free miles
We appreciate you saying this, Dan! Best to you 😊
Thanks
A good lesson in not putting off inspecting a new noise source. Glad you had some helpful neighbors, they seem few and far between these days. You did the right thing buying new backing plate assembles after that much damage.... The drums might have been reusable unless they had a bad groove in them so erring on replacing them was good. I been towing trailers with electric drum brakes for over 25 years and I can count on one hand how many failures I have had on the road. Coupled with never having issues stopping the truck and trailer I am not sold on electric over hydraulic setup (AKA disk brakes) as must upgrade. Annual maintenance and inspection has caught every time they been worn down enough to need replacing or failures as they where about to happen. That alone has convinced me I not to spend any money on retrofitting on a trailer and use those thousands of dollars towards travel and making memories.
We had the independent torsion suspension on our Rockwood Minilite and it worked great. No issues with 6 years of ownership other than servicing the bearings once a year. It is the same suspension system used with Airstream trailers.
Installed the IS and Disc Brake mod last October on my 341 RDS. Expensive, Yes - but it provides many improvements in braking , ride, and easier maintenance. No more worries about broken leaf springs or shackles. No more worries about magnets overheating and wondering what else is going wrong inside that brake drum. Disc brakes have less moving parts and almost all are exposed and easy to see. Mechanical things always talk to us when they need attention, but we have to learn the language.
Yes yes yes disc brakes are a must. Love ours. We are upgrading to independent suspension in June. We are full timers too and want this rv to last. It makes a huge difference.
Hello again Hanks. Really sorry to hear about your spring trouble. Wish we had known where you were for the eclipse. We are only about 75 miles away. Used to camp at Rocky Point every chance we got with the in-laws. Have you weighed your rig??? I weighed mine ever way I could.
1. Pull just truck with trailer hitched onto scales. This will be weight of truck with trailer load on truck.
2. Put front landing gear down on surface before scales. Lift trailer off hitch. You do not have to unhook. This gives you weight of truck only.
3. Subtract #2 from #1 and you have the weight of the trailer on the truck.
4. Now raise landing gear and pull entire rig on scales. This is what everything weighs.
5. Subtract #2 from #4 and you have the TOTAL weight of your trailer. GVWR
6. Now pull forward and get truck on solid ground with only wheels of trailer on scales. This is the weight on your tires, springs, etc..
7. Add #3 and #6 , and you have the weight of your trailer. GVWR. (Should be same as #5)
If you have not done this do it the next time you pass some CAT scales. I was really concerned about #3. I am overloaded for a 3/4 ton, but I added air suspension to the truck and I have no problem and are in a safe range for the tires
You now know everything about your rig, weight wise. I did this and recorded everything so I can refer back to it as I need to. Happy travelings. Hope to camp with yall some times. How can we keep up with where yall are headed?
This guy was awesome. We need more of that in our lives.
Hey guys, love your videos!! This is one reason when we travel, I carry two spare leaf springs, shackles, bolts, equalizer and a spare set of wheel bearings. You never know what's going to happen with one of these rigs. It always seems like something is going to go wrong. Speaking of brakes, I just noticed that none of my brakes had the little plastic things that cover the hole where you can adjust the brakes from behind the wheel. None of the wheels had them. I just ordered some and will be snapping them in place. Another area where dirt and water could enter the brakes and eventually cause problems.
Great idea! You are a few steps ahead of us. It’s crazy how quickly life can sneak up on you when you least expect it. Thank you for watching 🙂
Looks like you guys had a fun time. The guy helping you with the brakes, was he another RVer?
Thank you for the VOD. 👍👍
Yes, we were camped there also and happened to recognize their rig. We were so happy to meet the Hanks and help them with the brake issue.
do not have the independent suspension but, i did have Disc Brakes installed on my RV and the roadmaster slipper springs with shocks installed by performance trailer braking. Made a world of difference in towing and stopping. The installer told me that one disc brake has more stopping force than all 4 drum brakes combined. he was not wrong the disc brakes are "wonderful" and with the new slipper spring system the trailer pulls so much better! dump the drums you won't be disappointed and the cost is worth the peace of mind they provide!
After two years of RV-ing, I sold my rig and couldn’t be more happier. It was a lot of work with little reward and pleasure. Went back to driving my car or truck and staying in motels/hotels is much easier and simpler.
Our horse trailer with living quarters has torsion axles with electric hydraulic disk brakes and the set up is well worth it!!
We've had three completely different trailers with electric drum brakes, and ALL OF THEM have given us problems. In fact we have a brand new livestock trailer with major brake issues, right off the lot we've needed to replace the left front, and now the left rear is locking up and not releasing!!
Fun fact, trailer axles and brakes are ALL made by one company, Dexter Group headquartered in Elkhart, IN.
ps. Pro Tip, I commented before the end of video, but if you ever do a bearing service/replacement again try not to seat the bearings into the hub with a metal hammer. If you only have a metal hammer use a 2X4 or similar piece of wood between the hammer and bearings, but a brass drift or the hard side of a plastic mallet works much better and more importantly reduces the risk of bearing damage from the metal on metal (steel on steel) contact. Hope this helps.
That guy was AWESOME. He knew everything there was to know about RV brakes. I wish him delicious burgers and large baked potatoes! ❤️🩹
Lol
Seems like it is always something! God bless the gentleman who helped you that was very good of him.
Since brakes were shot on rv, better check truck brakes, because they were doing all the work
Usually if the site is open you can pull into it. Then you go check in when they show up to register. I camp at those campgrounds all the time.
How lucky were you all to find that gentleman to fix your brakes. He obviously knows his stuff. You should be good to go for a while now.
As a mechanic you really should have replaced all 4. The same thing happened to a friend’s trailer and i replaced the front 2 because they were making noise and had came a part. I told him while I’m here let me take a look at the rear axle. They were still working but you see that they had got hot and it wouldn’t be long before they need replacing. So i replaced all 4 with new bearings. He’s a happy camper now 😊
Be very careful greasing the hubs. If you put to much grease in it will go onto the brake pads and ruin them and you will be replacing them again. I have replaced more brake pads for grease on them then I have for them being worn out.
100%, I've had to do this as well. it happens, just cuz you can pump more grease in does not mean you should!
When we're about to start our travelling and living full-time in our RV,(my husband is a travelling nurse too) You guys are the first channel I subscribed.I learned how to dump our tanks,sanitized it,as in zero knowledge about RV for me and my husband you guys helped me a lot.
At first we stayed at the KOA for 1 month then lateron we did boondocking,but once in a awhile we stayed in a RV park if we get to a place where we can't camp (our reflection 5th wheel can't fit or there is no available spot to camp)
And yah sometimes problems 1 after another,now watching you guys Im like I hope we are as chill as them lol😅 Thank you guys I learned a lot from you guys and thank you for nice videos!
You may need to check your truck brakes also. They have been bearing the burden from the trailer.
Living in central Florida I never see anything but a quarter cover. This was very well done, thank you, both.😊
The birds singing! 😍
Great music for eclipse. We were close by watching too. Yes there was no traffic and no crowds. We fled the next morning because of tornado warnings. We have great memories just like you.
Love hearing this, Debbie! Glad ya'll were able to see it as well. Thank you for watching 😊
Ok Hanks! The eclipse coverage and video WOW just wow! Our experience was just as phenomenal. I got the same feels with your video as I did experiencing it IRL. Keep doing you and we will keep watching, laughing and learning! ❤
Wheel bearings and brakes are often ignored by too many; they should be maintained constantly. Some might say overkill but I do mine every 5k miles. Repack, new seals and check the pads at the same time. I replace the bearings around 15k miles, cheap insurance. Keep the old ones pre-greased in sealed bags just in case. I also crawl around looking at the springs and all the other stuff underneath when doing this maintenance as well. Given the horrid state of our roads these days it's well worth the look/see on a regular basis.
Thanks for covering this critially important responsibility. If someone is not comfortable doing a brake check/job themselves, taking your rig to a trailer repair shop and having them check and repack your hubs is also an option. Most RV parks know local shops that can handle large rigs. Of course this should be done BEFORE they begin to make strange noises....
good tutorial on brakes. Great that you found someone there who has done their own mechanical work.