Steering

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

Is it normal for the ford chassis on axis to have a lot of play. I drive a Prius which has no play.

[bevedfelker]

Hugh - The first couple of time out after we bought the Vegas 24.1 I had the same thought. But I've driven it 5000 miles now and I no longer notice the play nor feel like I'm constantly steering to keep the RV in the center of my lane. With me, it was just a matter of getting used to the vehicle.

[JamieGeek]

That is simply the result of the steering geometry in the E-Series chassis. Drive any old Ford van and it will feel the same way.

[Chance]

Most modern cars use rack-and-pinion steering which yields better feel with less slop, while heavier-duty trucks and older cars often use a steering box pitman arm system.

I have an old Mustang that has far more steering play (had a lot since new) than even my E-Series. Steering on newer cars with rack and pinion always feel much tighter to me.

[DocMike]

Hugh,

I added the Safe-T-Plus to our 2016 Vegas 24.1(E350) and it is now two finger steering. Even in heavy rain it is so comfortable that I have to use cruise control to keep it under 65mph on the interstate.

Doc

[Harvard]

Not having enough front end +caster can give loose steering symptoms. The Ford E350/450 have a specified range from + 1.5 to + 7.5 degrees of caster. It appears Ford ships the E series set at about +3 Degrees which is good for city driving but you want to have more then +5 degrees for highway driving.

[blw2]

Hey harvard, good to see you here.
I've followed your posts on this topic with interest over on the other motorhome RV Forum site that I frequent
in fact i have referenced some of your posts here on this forum, that you have made over there.
Unfortunately, i was never successful in getting my caster angle up to the angles that you suggest. The alignment guy at Josams explained it was a compromise against camber angle, at least it is with the current bushing set-up..... meaning that to get any more positive caster in my chassis, means adversely affecting the camber angle which would cause more "bump steer" and rut tracking problems.
I don't have 100% confidence that it is just plain not possible, but it does make some sense I think.... what he was saying.

[Chance]

We should probably get some clarification on what he means by steering "play". I've always heard it used in a different context than loose.

In my opinion it's hard comparing the steering of a Prius with that of a motorhome even under ideal conditions.

[Harvard]

In my case I applied the full available +caster adjustment and just accepted the resulting camber adjustment to be as close as possible to 0.0 degrees.

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

How much should I expect to pay for an alignment

[Harvard]

Originally Posted by Hugh.vines@att.net

How much should I expect to pay for an alignment

Unfortunately it is very much a buyer beware position to find the service you need. The majority of alignment shops have a "adjust the toe and your good to go" mode of operation. One needs to be boned up on alignments to avoid that type of service.

In the case of the Ford E series a set of adjustable alignment sleeves (such as Ingalls 594) must be installed in order to adjust the caster and camber.

Here is a link to my experience with this topic circa 2011.

E350/E450 Handling Problems are caused by too little + CASTER

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

Took my axis to heavy truck repair shop for an alignment as per Thor instructions. It was out of adjustment according to them. This fixed the problem. Drove home on i75 and no more wandering from side to side. Thor rep was very nice and told me to send them the bill.

[Harvard]

Do you have an alignment report that you could share with others who may in the future go down this path. Thanks.

[muleshoeracer]

I would like to add offset castor bushings to my 2016 E450 Thor Axis. Can someone verify if the part number from Ingalls is 59400 for these newer chassis?

Thanks,

Jay