On Forest River Forums, GWJohnson-FRF wrote on November 12, 2023, about a 2020 Riverstone 39RKFB with about 12,000 miles, towed by a 2022 GMC dually. The owner wrote that CAT scale tickets put the coach under a listed gross trailer weight of 19,000 pounds. That weight is the owner's. On I-25 south of Albuquerque the right-rear shackle bolt broke or came out of the hanger. The owner does not know which. The leaf spring went up through the underbelly. That shift broke the left leaf spring near the eye, the rear of the coach dropped, and the left-rear tire shredded against the slide bolts. The owner stopped on the shoulder. The coach could not be towed as it sat. A mobile mechanic the next day put a new bolt in the right spring after straightening the hanger, and chained the left axle up because that spring was broken. The owner later had a spring shop replace the hangers, springs, shackles, axle U-bolts, and equalizers on both axles. The shop technicians, in the owner's account, assumed metal fatigue on a heavy fifth wheel. A separate Forest River Forums thread includes a post by clr about a camping friend's Riverstone. The post does not state a model year or a floor plan. The friend auto-leveled the coach and an axle fell. A welder with the mobile tech said the hanger brackets for the springs had only been tack welded to the frame. The post says Forest River took care of that repair. These are two accounts. They do not describe the same broken part, and they do not show one failed hanger on every Riverstone.

The 2020 owner wrote that the shackle bolt broke or the nut came off, and that the shop assumed fatigue. The other post says a welder found tack welds on the hangers of a different coach. The posts do not include a lab report. A reply on the 2020 thread says a front spring-hanger bolt disappeared on that reply's trailer. The reply does not name a Riverstone, so this page does not count it as one.

Look at the spring hangers, the shackle bolts, and the equalizer bolts before a trip if you can see them. A bolt that is missing, or a spring that has climbed into the underbelly, is what the 2020 owner found. If that has already happened, do not keep towing. The 2020 roadside step was a mobile mechanic who chained the axle so the owner could reach a shop at low speed. That chain is not a finished repair. The other post says a welder finished the hanger welds. Ask the dealer or Forest River to look at the hangers and the bolts, and ask whether the visit is warranty, before the next trip. Sourced public report. This is not a repair procedure from RigFix.

Looking at the hangers is what the 2020 owner describes doing after the failure. The repairs in both posts were a mechanic and a welder. There is no published procedure here.

No Forest River part number is named. The 2020 owner names a shackle bolt, leaf springs, welded hangers, axle U-bolts, Dexter equalizers, and wet bolts with brass bushings that the owner chose after the failure. Those wet bolts are that owner's later parts, not a factory kit. The other post names hanger brackets.

This is not a recall. The 2020 owner described the bill and does not say Forest River paid. The tack-weld post says Forest River took care of that coach and does not state a model year, so that coach is not given a year on this page. A post is not a coverage decision for another Riverstone. The year on this page is 2020, which is the year the 39RKFB post names. A 2020 complaint about a wiring plate rubbing a tire is a different filing. It is not this hanger.

Last updated October 15, 2026

2020 Forest River Riverstone

A Riverstone shackle bolt and a spring hanger let an axle drop

Owner reportFrame

Symptoms: On Forest River Forums, GWJohnson-FRF wrote on November 12, 2023, about a 2020 Riverstone 39RKFB with about 12,000 miles, towed by a 2022 GMC dually. The owner wrote that CAT scale tickets put the coach under a listed gross trailer weight of 19,000 pounds. That weight is the owner's. On I-25 south of Albuquerque the right-rear shackle bolt broke or came out of the hanger. The owner does not know which. The leaf spring went up through the underbelly. That shift broke the left leaf spring near the eye, the rear of the coach dropped, and the left-rear tire shredded against the slide bolts. The owner stopped on the shoulder. The coach could not be towed as it sat. A mobile mechanic the next day put a new bolt in the right spring after straightening the hanger, and chained the left axle up because that spring was broken. The owner later had a spring shop replace the hangers, springs, shackles, axle U-bolts, and equalizers on both axles. The shop technicians, in the owner's account, assumed metal fatigue on a heavy fifth wheel. A separate Forest River Forums thread includes a post by clr about a camping friend's Riverstone. The post does not state a model year or a floor plan. The friend auto-leveled the coach and an axle fell. A welder with the mobile tech said the hanger brackets for the springs had only been tack welded to the frame. The post says Forest River took care of that repair. These are two accounts. They do not describe the same broken part, and they do not show one failed hanger on every Riverstone.
Likely causes: The 2020 owner wrote that the shackle bolt broke or the nut came off, and that the shop assumed fatigue. The other post says a welder found tack welds on the hangers of a different coach. The posts do not include a lab report. A reply on the 2020 thread says a front spring-hanger bolt disappeared on that reply's trailer. The reply does not name a Riverstone, so this page does not count it as one.
Common fixes: Look at the spring hangers, the shackle bolts, and the equalizer bolts before a trip if you can see them. A bolt that is missing, or a spring that has climbed into the underbelly, is what the 2020 owner found. If that has already happened, do not keep towing. The 2020 roadside step was a mobile mechanic who chained the axle so the owner could reach a shop at low speed. That chain is not a finished repair. The other post says a welder finished the hanger welds. Ask the dealer or Forest River to look at the hangers and the bolts, and ask whether the visit is warranty, before the next trip.
DIY difficulty: Looking at the hangers is what the 2020 owner describes doing after the failure. The repairs in both posts were a mechanic and a welder. There is no published procedure here.
Parts needed: No Forest River part number is named. The 2020 owner names a shackle bolt, leaf springs, welded hangers, axle U-bolts, Dexter equalizers, and wet bolts with brass bushings that the owner chose after the failure. Those wet bolts are that owner's later parts, not a factory kit. The other post names hanger brackets.
Warranty notes: This is not a recall. The 2020 owner described the bill and does not say Forest River paid. The tack-weld post says Forest River took care of that coach and does not state a model year, so that coach is not given a year on this page. A post is not a coverage decision for another Riverstone. The year on this page is 2020, which is the year the 39RKFB post names. A 2020 complaint about a wiring plate rubbing a tire is a different filing. It is not this hanger.

Sources

Your rights with an open recall

These answers apply to any make on this site. They explain who pays for a recall repair and what to do if a dealer will not do it.

A Riverstone shackle bolt and a spring hanger let an axle drop

Sources

Your rights with an open recall

Related

Get recall and issue alerts for this 2020 Forest River Riverstone