Trucky Verde, The RideTech Suspension update.

Good morning from The Lowered, here she is! The post you’ve all been waiting for... The Ride tech technologies Trucky Verde update.

Well my friends SPOILER ALERT, Trucky Verde is back on the road! But James you say, how did it happen? what solution did we use. What trials and tribulations were overcome? Don’t you worry baby birds, I wont let your curiosity go unsatisfied. This is a pretty long post so buckle up.

Not long after my second update, I received a PM from Greg National Sales Manager at RideTech . Asking if he could give me a call and figure out what was going on.

I gave him my contact and info and Greg hit me up, he let me know he was the National Sales Manager at Ride Tech and he’d been made aware of my posts.

The call started off as you would expect, with an explanation of the issue. I related to Greg how I had started feeling a vibration in my driveline. How I wasn’t sure if it was a trans mount or since I recently put new wheels and tires on. Maybe I had lost weights from one wheel? I checked the wheels and didn’t see any obvious residue spots where a weight had up and left. Had them re balanced and rotated without improvement. I had also looked under the truck as best I could and didn’t see anything obviously wrong. so I made an appointment with my Boys at Ultra Truck works for a once over. It wasn’t long before I got a call from Joe at Ultra Trucks letting me know that a bushing had failed. A lower bushing on the Ride Tech suspension arms. When it failed its caused the change in geometry that killed my drive shafts U joints and caused the new tire rubbing issues. We talked about how Joe was positive a call to Ride tech would get things sorted. He figured he'd give em a call and I'd be back on the road as soon as they could get the parts from Ridetech in the mail and installed. The guys at Ultra Truck have always taken great care of me and all my rides. If you’ve read my previous updates you’ll know thats not how things turned out. Joe called me back shortly after speaking with ride tech and the rep said. “We don’t make that system any more, we don’t have the bushings in stock or any idea where you can get them, All Ride Tech could do is take an order for a new suspension system” for around $2000.00. Basically Buy a completely new Rear suspension kit from us or or kick rocks. I felt terrible for Joe. Luckily for him, I am not a first time Customer. I've known him a while and I have been doing business with the company he represents since I was a teenager. But if Joe had been calling to give that explanation to anyone else they would have lost their shit on him and understandably so. I am sure many of you have or do work in a customer facing position and you and I both know most people suck. They have no problem verbally gutting the messenger. Sad but true. Joe and I figured we might be on our own and started spitballing ideas. Different options to fix it. maybe fab completely new arms? maybe someone makes something close that can be modified? Knowing Customer service the way I do, I also asked Joe to give Ride tech another shot. Maybe he’d just talked to the wrong guy? Or someone having a shit day? I try never to post anything while angry and I was. How could RideTech not even stock replacement bushings or have a part number? But I also felt confident Joe would get a different agent not having a shit day and everything would be fine. So I just chilled and started researching. After a few Days Joe wasn’t even getting called back. So I accepted what was and after deep breaths, posted the first post. You can go back and read it if you want. I did before writing this, I read it again and I gotta say, I feel like its a good post. Accurate to the situation and fair to all parties given the experience we’d had with Ride tech to that point. I didn’t disparage or call names, I dare say I pulled it off without being an asshole. Not bad for a guy running his own show and having no editors to reel me in, look at me adulting!

I've said it before, I'll say it again. You guys are the best. Mere minutes after my first post a bunch of you guys were recommending Delrin. Talking about how many of you guys had used it to tackle other similar issues. I reached out to Joe and he talked to his off road buddies and everyone agreed that’s the way we were gonna go on our own. Joe got the Delrin ordered and shortly after that conversation with Joe at Ultra Truck, I posted the second update. Mostly thanking everyone for their recommendations. Letting you guys know that we had found an off-road shop with a lathe that was willing to help a brother out!

OK James we get it! We knew all this already!! what happened next!? OK, OK, that was for the new folks!

The update.

After relating the above to Greg and stressing the terrible position this response from Ridetech could have put Joe and Ultra Truckworks in. I also stressed I was not expecting free anything, even if it was just bushings. That I wasn’t sure what if any warranty they originally offered but while I didn’t think after three years my suspension would be covered under warranty, I did expect they would stock replacement parts at least that long. To Gregs credit he apologized for the situation. Greg let me know he wasn’t happy with his guys dropping the ball. He also wanted to know how it could be made right. To which I replied, “Thats a great question, what do you recommend?” He walked me through why that kit was no longer being made. Basically saying the bushings were the issue. He also walked me through the new technology that had replaced it. Technology that to my surprise centered around a new Delrin bushing! Bonus points for all you guys that recommended Delrin! Greg stressed the replacement is no ordinary bushing, check out the included pic. To fix things, RideTech had come up with the R-Joint. It's pretty damn slick. In their edited words, its “A polished stainless ball and composite cage allow consistent low friction movement (allowing for) Articulation on 3 planes … 360 degree axial rotation and 30 degrees of total lateral rotation.” (The Delrin is billed as a) “Special composite compound needs NO lubrication (with a) self cleaning design…movement (is) not affected by water, grit, dirt, or debris. (All sealed in a) spring loaded closure to keep mechanism tight and rattle free for LIFE!” Well shit, that sounds pretty good right?

Gregs partnered with Joe and Bill at Ultra Truck and had a set of arms out in around a week not a bad turn around time really. The installation was a little delayed as there was some miscommunication on a spacer that was required but they got that out quickly as well. All in all this issue cost me around $600 for the U joints and the time and effort at Ultra Trucks and around an additional $300 to Ride tech for their new arms. So I am out $900 and had no Trucky Verde for a little over three weeks.

After picking up Trucky Verde I reached out to Greg again. I let him know I’d picked up Trucky Verde and was gonna drive her a few days before writing this. I re read your responses in regards to your interactions with Ridetech support being less than great and asked if there had been any changes in regards to call handling of similar issues communicated to his staff. I got a less satisfying response. Greg seemed to think I was looking for someones head and defended his guys. While I think his defense of his guys was admirable, it missed my point entirely. That said Greg when I asked if this solution would be available to anyone else with a similar issue and no Facebook presence. Greg assured me that it would going forward. To “ Use part number 11387210 and reach out to me directly.” He also assured me the new R joints were already available for other kits they’d built in the past and anyone that didn’t get that answer they could ask to be forwarded to him directly. Which is what I was looking for. Anyone that has ever provided customer facing support knows you offer the solutions you are authorized to offer. With the R joint solution being offered as an replacement to previous kits it gives RideTechs support a better option than “we don’t build that any more” and if the R joint is as good as they say it is I’d say thats a win for everyone. Ridetech agents and customers alike. As this is my only kit from them I have no way to confirm this, but I let him know a few of you had contacted me with similar issues and had similar responses from Ridetech. He said he’d be happy to work with anyone that contacted him. I’m sure after reading this some of you will reach out and I’d be interested to hear how things go.

So in closing I want to say I was cautioned by friends in the industry not to do this. That answering these questions honestly could adversely affect future sponsor or partnerships. After thinking about it long and hard, I stand by what I write. While I strive to be chill and positive sometimes sucky things happen. I’d like to think that while initially it’s not great press for RideTech, they would have to agree and understand this has been an honest representation of what occurred. The bright side for RideTechs is that Greg did ultimately reach out and in the end I, the customer, while not stoked on the total cost. I am pretty happy with the outcome. I also realize, without your trust, loyalty and support none of this would have been possible. Not my current sponsors or whatever may come in the future. I owe you my honest opinion as flawed as I and it may be and if I mess up and I surely will. I promise I will always admit when I am wrong.

1. Do I think Ridetech would have built these arms for me if I wasn’t me, The lowered HMFIC?

Unfortunately I have to say probably not. I say that based on Joe’s at Ultra Truckworks experience of calling interacting with two different agents then leaving messages and not getting responses back. Now that said, I don’t think Greg or his guys are bad folks. Sure that sucks but let’s be real. They are employees of a company and can only offer solutions they are authorized by that company to offer. From my conversations with Greg, it does sound like Ridetech is working backwards through their catalog to offer the R joint solution to guys needing replacement bushings going forward. If they had gotten to my kit when Joe called of coarse they would have offered the solution. So yeah me having the small but loyal presence I do surely got my issue addressed the way it did. Sad but true

2. Now the big one. Would I buy Ridetech again or recommend Ridetech parts?

When I originally installed the ride tech kit, long time followers may remember, I had been rear ended. Because the truck had been static dropped with an improperly installed C Notch the frame had cracked. Ridetech was the only company that offered a kit that completely encased and reinforced the area with the issue and quite a ways past on either side. The kit bolted in saving me from having to replace the frame or having a completely custom back half built. Afterwords this RideTech kit gave me three years of reliable daily driven service before that bushing failed. Through hot summers cold winters, towing loaded car trailers and moving my family four times. Through countless road trips and shenanigans. Thats pretty damned impressive for a bagged truck. So yeah I probably would. I would completely understand if you disagree, but thats my answer. Lets not forget, as Big Ern always said, Cool costs money. We all know bolt in parts rarely do and even your heroes sometimes let you down. Any time you install non OEM parts you have to accept shit might not work out the way you envision.

And with that the legend of Trucky Verde continues!

James

The Lowered HMFIC