What does the x-factor cross brace do for you? I've watched a lot of installation videos for the cre3000 and the road armor version but none of them installed the x-factor as well.
According to my Dad, who owns the trailer (I just helped with the install and video), it adds a fair amount of stability to the trailer and acts as a sort of sway bar from what I understand. It also helps in scenarios where you’re trailer is catching cross winds.
The x brace adds stability and side load strength to your hangers. When you turn, your hangers flex more than you think side to side causing one of the most common failures in TT suspension. Most shops just weld a solid one piece tubular piece of steel in between each set of hangers. I am not sure why this kit only comes with one instead of all three.
You showed everyone how to do a well thought out and professional installation. I love that you just showed how to do it with the addition of some text. A lot of people posting videos like to hear themselves talk and yap excessively throughout the video or add terrible music. Thanks for not doing that. Great job.
Having done this exact change out myself, here’s some tips. First, make sure you position the wet bolts at the 3 or 9 o’clock position. That is the grease holes in the bolts need to be horizontal. If those holes are facing top or bottom, one may have a heck of time getting grease into the zerk as the weight of the RV will be pressing directly on top of the grease hole. Secondly, use the grease gun to pump grease into the bolt prior to insertion into the shackle. Some have reported the grease holes were not fully drilled out at the factory. Third, always press the bolts into the bushing/equalizer. The head end of the bolt has splines to keep the bolt from turning in the shackle once installed. If you twist the bolt when inserting into the shackle/equalizer you’ll round out the shackle/equalizer hole. Additionally, keep the bolt from turning when tightening the nut(this was not done in this video). Fourth, when installing the brass bushings, placing them in your freezer prior to installing in the spring ends causes the bushings to shrink slightly and will more easily install in the spring ends. Also the bushings should be pressed in(can use a C clamp for this). Pounding them in(like what was shown here) can cause the the ends soft brass bushing to mushroom out. If anyone has any doubt as to the necessity of upgraded the shackles & bushings, your doubts will be gone once you look at the condition of the plastic bushings removed from the springs. Those plastic bushings are destroyed with a few thousand miles.
I had this upgrade installed at my local RV dealership while getting some warranty work done at the same time. A few weeks later while performing a pre-trip inspection, I noticed that I could not see grease around some of the wet bolts. After further inspection, it turns out that several of the zerk fittings were defective. The tech’s at the dealership initially tried to install grease but failed. Instead of investigating what the problem was and then fix it, they chose to leave it, as is. It was not the positioning of the wet bolts that caused the problem. I removed the suspect zerk fittings and tried them in the grease gun by themselves. No grease would pass through them. Went to the auto parts store and bought some replacements and installed them. I was then able to grease the remainder of the wet bolts with ease. Just a reminder, always check the work you’ve had done. Everyone has heard the horror stories about the of lack skill, care, and work ethic that these RV dealership / service centers supply. I won’t go into the story about the butcher job they did on the warranty work that was the main reason for being there in the first place. The name of the business is, Explore USA RV Supercenter, Boerne TX.
This is why I do all my own work if possible. RV shops are typically full of kids with almost zero training in my experience. Not to mention your vehicle will sit waiting for weeks to months for the hacks to get to it.
thanks for the instal video - i would have thought you needed two braces - didn't realize they went shackle to shackle instead of spring hanger to spring hanger
We have a wide-trax tandem set up so the standard equalizers you see in most the videos do not work. But if you talk to the right person at MorRyde, they do have equalizers for wide-trax and they'll hook you up. I found them for $100 less at one of their recommended vendors. E-Trailer was very expensive. Don't go there. And the wet bolt/shackle kit is around $80 on Amazon. Anyway, I don't have the tools, expertise, help or desire to do this myself. Personally, I would only trust this install to a professional shop. So, I hired a local spring/suspension shop to install the MorRyde equalizers, wet bolt & shackle upgrade kit. They also checked the alignment, which was spot on and the spindles and wheel bearings. All fine as well. More than well worth the few hundred dollars all of this cost. Our travel trailer only has about 4,000 miles on it. I was shocked at how worn the bolt holes in the shackles were and how much wear was already showing on the bolts. The bolt holes in the shackles were already wearing in an egg shape. The plastic bolt sleeves were simply shot. We've taken the TT on two trips. The improvement is quite noticeable. It is much smoother with no "chucking" and it is quieter. This is a no-brainer upgrade. Shame on the makers of the trailers for building them with such total crap. I hear some RV makers are now putting these on as standard from the factory. About time.
I agree, the standard OE suspension components on these trailers are terrible quality and wouldn’t last more than 5k miles. This MorRyde kit is much more robust and you can tell it’s designed to last. Thanks for watching.
I noticed when he was putting the X factor on the black/gray tank pipe is directly above it. I saw it move up just a little when he pushed up on the X factor. Has he had any issues since installing it? I’m looking to install all of the same Stuff on our 2500 RL Great video it’s will definitely be in my feed the day of installation
Thank you for an very informative video, I do have one question, how did you jack up your RV how high do you have to jack it up to get the tires off the ground, I’m thinking about doing this weekend and how long did the complete job take you. Thanks in advance.
My Dad had already got the trailer jacked up when I arrived to help with the video and install, so I’m not 100 percent certain. I’m pretty sure he had to jack the trailer up in stages. Jack one side of the trailer up, set it on some blocks/ stands, and then the other side, then go back to the first side and jack it up some more. I’d say get it high enough to get your belly underneath it easily lol. Thanks for watching and sorry for the late response.
The CRE3000 calls for the XF12-001 crossmember, but it doesn't look like the kit includes the longer wet bolt. Can you please confirm? I have the exact same trailer. Also, why not install the crossmembers on the leaf spring holders as well?
Hi, I am looking to do the same upgrade to my Grand Design fifth wheel. By doing one side at a time, how did you hold up the one half of the crossmember until you got to the other side to complete? Was there any issues aligning them? I will not be taking all four wheels off as you did but rather one side at a time. Did you put 3 on in total, one at each leaf spring and equalizer hanger?
Good video, thank you. Question If I have angle iron and a welder why wouldn't I just make my own crossbrace? I know it won't have a cool name like X-Factor but I could write Tactical on it? Is there an advantage to making it removable? or should I just weld right on to the hanger?
i just purchased the crossmembers for my grand design , i was courious on your installment ,while installing did your crossmembers match up true from one side to the other ? mine arent true ?
Yeah the two arms of the crossmember sort of scissor into place, took a little bit of work by Pops and I to get it matched up on the bolt holes. Thanks for watching!
I think that you likely could install the suspension system one side side at a time but I’m not sure if you could install the cross bar without the whole trailer up.
I am Thinking of adding the X-Factor beam to my Imagine 2600RB. The drainpipe is my concern. It is in the path of the beam. Did you have any issues with the drainpipe? Has there been any wear on pipe?
I figured it was pretty obvious you’d need jacks lol. If you don’t own jacks then you probably shouldn’t be attempting a DIY install like this in the first place. Thanks for watching.
Most people don’t know how to change their own flat tire either, so if you someone who doesn’t even own a hack or a jack stand, I would just leave it to people that do. Hire someone to do it. I grew up around tools and equipment, unfortunately people are sheltered from that stuff these days. Kind of a shame.
What does the x-factor cross brace do for you? I've watched a lot of installation videos for the cre3000 and the road armor version but none of them installed the x-factor as well.
According to my Dad, who owns the trailer (I just helped with the install and video), it adds a fair amount of stability to the trailer and acts as a sort of sway bar from what I understand. It also helps in scenarios where you’re trailer is catching cross winds.
Does that mean it's more suited for travel trailers than 5th wheels?
@@daviddillow2113 I imagine that it well suited for both travel trailers and 5ths
The x brace adds stability and side load strength to your hangers. When you turn, your hangers flex more than you think side to side causing one of the most common failures in TT suspension. Most shops just weld a solid one piece tubular piece of steel in between each set of hangers. I am not sure why this kit only comes with one instead of all three.
@@TheTrev4477 By only offering one XFactor brace, MorRyde can charge more $$.
You showed everyone how to do a well thought out and professional installation. I love that you just showed how to do it with the addition of some text. A lot of people posting videos like to hear themselves talk and yap excessively throughout the video or add terrible music. Thanks for not doing that. Great job.
Having done this exact change out myself, here’s some tips. First, make sure you position the wet bolts at the 3 or 9 o’clock position. That is the grease holes in the bolts need to be horizontal. If those holes are facing top or bottom, one may have a heck of time getting grease into the zerk as the weight of the RV will be pressing directly on top of the grease hole. Secondly, use the grease gun to pump grease into the bolt prior to insertion into the shackle. Some have reported the grease holes were not fully drilled out at the factory. Third, always press the bolts into the bushing/equalizer. The head end of the bolt has splines to keep the bolt from turning in the shackle once installed. If you twist the bolt when inserting into the shackle/equalizer you’ll round out the shackle/equalizer hole. Additionally, keep the bolt from turning when tightening the nut(this was not done in this video). Fourth, when installing the brass bushings, placing them in your freezer prior to installing in the spring ends causes the bushings to shrink slightly and will more easily install in the spring ends. Also the bushings should be pressed in(can use a C clamp for this). Pounding them in(like what was shown here) can cause the the ends soft brass bushing to mushroom out.
If anyone has any doubt as to the necessity of upgraded the shackles & bushings, your doubts will be gone once you look at the condition of the plastic bushings removed from the springs. Those plastic bushings are destroyed with a few thousand miles.
Nicely said Carl, I also don’t like the jack in the center of the axel, I would place it closer to the hubs. JMO.
I had this upgrade installed at my local RV dealership while getting some warranty work done at the same time. A few weeks later while performing a pre-trip inspection, I noticed that I could not see grease around some of the wet bolts. After further inspection, it turns out that several of the zerk fittings were defective. The tech’s at the dealership initially tried to install grease but failed. Instead of investigating what the problem was and then fix it, they chose to leave it, as is. It was not the positioning of the wet bolts that caused the problem. I removed the suspect zerk fittings and tried them in the grease gun by themselves. No grease would pass through them. Went to the auto parts store and bought some replacements and installed them. I was then able to grease the remainder of the wet bolts with ease. Just a reminder, always check the work you’ve had done. Everyone has heard the horror stories about the of lack skill, care, and work ethic that these RV dealership / service centers supply. I won’t go into the story about the butcher job they did on the warranty work that was the main reason for being there in the first place. The name of the business is, Explore USA RV Supercenter, Boerne TX.
This is why I do all my own work if possible. RV shops are typically full of kids with almost zero training in my experience. Not to mention your vehicle will sit waiting for weeks to months for the hacks to get to it.
Nice GTV6 in the shop background!
thanks for the instal video - i would have thought you needed two braces - didn't realize they went shackle to shackle instead of spring hanger to spring hanger
First time I’ve seen the X factor brace. I like the concept, decent price. Have a Road Armor kit to install, think I’ll add the X brace.
We have a wide-trax tandem set up so the standard equalizers you see in most the videos do not work. But if you talk to the right person at MorRyde, they do have equalizers for wide-trax and they'll hook you up. I found them for $100 less at one of their recommended vendors. E-Trailer was very expensive. Don't go there. And the wet bolt/shackle kit is around $80 on Amazon. Anyway, I don't have the tools, expertise, help or desire to do this myself. Personally, I would only trust this install to a professional shop. So, I hired a local spring/suspension shop to install the MorRyde equalizers, wet bolt & shackle upgrade kit. They also checked the alignment, which was spot on and the spindles and wheel bearings. All fine as well. More than well worth the few hundred dollars all of this cost. Our travel trailer only has about 4,000 miles on it. I was shocked at how worn the bolt holes in the shackles were and how much wear was already showing on the bolts. The bolt holes in the shackles were already wearing in an egg shape. The plastic bolt sleeves were simply shot. We've taken the TT on two trips. The improvement is quite noticeable. It is much smoother with no "chucking" and it is quieter. This is a no-brainer upgrade. Shame on the makers of the trailers for building them with such total crap. I hear some RV makers are now putting these on as standard from the factory. About time.
I agree, the standard OE suspension components on these trailers are terrible quality and wouldn’t last more than 5k miles. This MorRyde kit is much more robust and you can tell it’s designed to last. Thanks for watching.
I noticed when he was putting the X factor on the black/gray tank pipe is directly above it. I saw it move up just a little when he pushed up on the X factor. Has he had any issues since installing it? I’m looking to install all of the same Stuff on our 2500 RL
Great video it’s will definitely be in my feed the day of installation
Awesome installation……..
U guna b sooo happy 😁 👍🏽🤠👍🏽
Did you Jack up the trailer on the frame? It looks like you used 4 Jack stands
Did you Jack up 4 time and place the stands each time?
Thank you for an very informative video, I do have one question, how did you jack up your RV how high do you have to jack it up to get the tires off the ground, I’m thinking about doing this weekend and how long did the complete job take you. Thanks in advance.
My Dad had already got the trailer jacked up when I arrived to help with the video and install, so I’m not 100 percent certain. I’m pretty sure he had to jack the trailer up in stages. Jack one side of the trailer up, set it on some blocks/ stands, and then the other side, then go back to the first side and jack it up some more. I’d say get it high enough to get your belly underneath it easily lol. Thanks for watching and sorry for the late response.
The CRE3000 calls for the XF12-001 crossmember, but it doesn't look like the kit includes the longer wet bolt. Can you please confirm? I have the exact same trailer. Also, why not install the crossmembers on the leaf spring holders as well?
Hi, I am looking to do the same upgrade to my Grand Design fifth wheel. By doing one side at a time, how did you hold up the one half of the crossmember until you got to the other side to complete? Was there any issues aligning them? I will not be taking all four wheels off as you did but rather one side at a time. Did you put 3 on in total, one at each leaf spring and equalizer hanger?
I'm installing these right now and getting the springs to line up again is a pain in my butt. Any ideas on how to line them up again
Good video, thank you. Question If I have angle iron and a welder why wouldn't I just make my own crossbrace? I know it won't have a cool name like X-Factor but I could write Tactical on it? Is there an advantage to making it removable? or should I just weld right on to the hanger?
i just purchased the crossmembers for my grand design , i was courious on your installment ,while installing did your crossmembers match up true from one side to the other ? mine arent true ?
Yeah the two arms of the crossmember sort of scissor into place, took a little bit of work by Pops and I to get it matched up on the bolt holes. Thanks for watching!
What is that power tool you used to insert brass bushings?
Air hammer
Is it possible to do this one side at a time. I don't have level ground and/or enough jacks to lift the entire trailer at once.
I think that you likely could install the suspension system one side side at a time but I’m not sure if you could install the cross bar without the whole trailer up.
I am Thinking of adding the X-Factor beam to my Imagine 2600RB. The drainpipe is my concern. It is in the path of the beam. Did you have any issues with the drainpipe? Has there been any wear on pipe?
I'm not entirely sure as this was my dad's trailer. I just helped him with the install and making the video tutorial!
They make a drop bracket X factor brace as well to clear pipes and wires.
All this because of the new garbage being produced.
Yeah. You didn’t include the jacks in the tools required. Most people don’t have jacks sitting around, so it’s a no go.
I figured it was pretty obvious you’d need jacks lol. If you don’t own jacks then you probably shouldn’t be attempting a DIY install like this in the first place. Thanks for watching.
Most people don’t know how to change their own flat tire either, so if you someone who doesn’t even own a hack or a jack stand, I would just leave it to people that do. Hire someone to do it. I grew up around tools and equipment, unfortunately people are sheltered from that stuff these days. Kind of a shame.
Jacks plural or jack stands? I only saw one jack being used.