MorRyde Wet Bolt Kit

April 20140Springs and shackles

This photo illustrates how wimpy the industry standard spring shackles are.

On my 2002 Wildcat I had multiple problems with the industry standard cheap suspension, especially the spring shackles. Read about those problems here and here. When we purchased our 2012 Copper Canyon I replaced the equalizer, shackles and bolts with the Dexter EZ Flex kit before our first trip. I put 21,700 miles on the Copper Canyon and never had any suspension problems. I see this as a mandatory update.

Our 2014 Cougar 325SRX came with the MorRyde CRE/3000 equalizer. I don't have an opinion on this device yet but the shackles were the same thin weak shackles that are the industry standard. MorRyde makes a heavy duty wet bolt and shackle kit and that was one of the first upgrades I made to our SRX. The kit cost about $90 and consists of enough wet bolts, shackles and bronze bushings to replace everything but the CRE/3000 equalizer. The upgrade was pretty simple. Check out the photos below.

I jacked up the SRX with a jack placed under the frame just behind the tire. I also put blocks under the frame behind the rear steps. I lowered the jack enough to put some weight on the blocks.

I raised the SRX high enough to get both tires off the pavement.

The CRE/3000 equalizer and cheap industry standard spring shackles.

The part number on the springs.

I am seeing many more parts made in China. Even the air conditioner is made in China.

The CRE/3000 equalizer already had a bronze bushing. I did not remove it. The first bolt I removed was missing the nylon bushing in the spring eye.

I placed the grease fittings on the inside as I often had trouble getting a grease gun onto the fittings on my 2012 Copper Canyon.

Apr 11, 2014 Fri 5:47:27 PM EDT

The bushings slipped easily into the spring eyes. On my 2012 Copper Canyon the fit was tighter and I had to drive the bushings into the spring eyes. For that project I took an old shackle bolt, ground the splines off near the head and used it to drive the busing into the spring eye. You can read about that project here.