More Beef!

[cgani93]

Hey everyone,
I have a 2019 Windsport 34J and am looking for any suggestions for how to "beef up" the suspension and towing capability. I'm not looking to tow more weight, just make the ride smoother, more comfortable and safer. My thoughts thus far are to consider an air suspension all the way around the coach and to upgrade the hitch to a 10k lb version (versus the 5K on it).

One other thought I had was to reinforce the frame rails towards the back of the coach, right now it looks as if the frame is about 32Ft in length with a 2Ft piece that was just arc welded on! Not exactly confidence inspiring!

LMK what y'all think and any other suggestions. We're in this RV for the long haul so any and all suggestions are welcome.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Duck!! This is right up your alley!!

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by cgani93

Hey everyone,
I have a 2019 Windsport 34J and am looking for any suggestions for how to "beef up" the suspension and towing capability. I'm not looking to tow more weight, just make the ride smoother, more comfortable and safer. My thoughts thus far are to consider an air suspension all the way around the coach and to upgrade the hitch to a 10k lb version (versus the 5K on it).

One other thought I had was to reinforce the frame rails towards the back of the coach, right now it looks as if the frame is about 32Ft in length with a 2Ft piece that was just arc welded on! Not exactly confidence inspiring!

LMK what y'all think and any other suggestions. We're in this RV for the long haul so any and all suggestions are welcome.

10K hitch won't improve your ride.
Good welds are stronger than the metal it welded

I'd install SumoSprings instead of air bags.

[Lt Keefer]

Any modifications or add-ons to a F-53 chassis is just lipstick on a pig. It is a medium duty box truck frame and was never designed or intended to ride like a Lincoln. It can be tamed but IMO it is a waste of money to modify for ride improvement.

[dkoldman]

I drove it first and went with Safety first, I bought the Safe T Plus Stabilizer bar. It kept the RV to go straight on the road. I had my 1st blowout 2 months ago, on a Interstate at 70 mph and the RV kept straight. If it wasn't for the bumpy noises I couldn't tell. When I pulled over to check, I went to the back of RV to check tires; thinking everything was ok only to see the right front tire was gone while walking back up to the coach.

The Safe T Plus has helped when getting pushed by trucks because it is easy to hold steady to recover. Before it was a little back and forth trying to recover from being pushed that was kind of scary. Safe T Plus is A+ in my book.


I later would add the Sumo Springs. I saw immediate impact when turning into parking lots, and making left and right turns. The ride slightly improved, but still bumpy as hell. But the rock and sway is dramatically diminished. I don't feel trucks any more, but I drive better and with more confidence now. It is rare a Truck is passing me

I think Sumo Springs are way over price, especially now. I am glad I have them, but I feel like I got ripped off in broad daylight. I struggle to decide whether to give them a value rating of C+ or B-? I think if they were cheaper I would say B-

I did not do the CHF and I have no plans to do that.

In hindsight, before I bought the Sumo Springs, I was at a Spring Shop in Dallas and the guy laugh when I told him of my plan for Sumo Springs. He said the only way to get a smooth ride was to replace the leafs and redo the springs? Well I am not the Duckface guy and didn't know what all that meant, it sounded like too much for me to do for a brand new coach, but I wonder if I should have listened to him, or at least did more research?

FWIW, I was at a Spring Shop, because they mounted my bracket for my Safe T Plus when Ford's Rush Truck Center couldn't get the U Bolts off

Update:
FWIW #2, I upgraded my hitch. See this link for picture https://www.thorforums.com/forums/sh...0&postcount=62 or scan the thread to see why I went with a 10,000 lbs rated hitch. It was installed on the Ford Chassis main frame, the OEM was mounted on the WBO extension frame.

[ducksface]

I'm out.
Those who love to be regulated say it's impossible.
Those(me)who Damn well know better, are enjoying their RV.

It's a truck chassis, nothing more. Don't join the terminally skeereded folk. Axles, lifts, lockers springs.
If Ford or aftermarket makes it, utilize it.

[Geronimo73]

We have a 2017 34J, and we finally made the decision to install the Saf-T steering stabilizer along with the sumo springs. It’s like night & day! No more white knuckle weeble wobble, sharp curves and turns are much more manageable. Even have significantly more confidence navigating road construction.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

Any modifications or add-ons to a F-53 chassis is just lipstick on a pig. It is a medium duty box truck frame and was never designed or intended to ride like a Lincoln. It can be tamed but IMO it is a waste of money to modify for ride improvement.

Chuckled but totally agree. You would be better off trading it for more beef. One of my favorite expressions..."you can't make chicken salad out of chicken s**t!

[TRMott]

Originally Posted by cgani93

Hey everyone,
I have a 2019 Windsport 34J and am looking for any suggestions for how to "beef up" the suspension and towing capability. I'm not looking to tow more weight, just make the ride smoother, more comfortable and safer. My thoughts thus far are to consider an air suspension all the way around the coach and to upgrade the hitch to a 10k lb version (versus the 5K on it).

One other thought I had was to reinforce the frame rails towards the back of the coach, right now it looks as if the frame is about 32Ft in length with a 2Ft piece that was just arc welded on! Not exactly confidence inspiring!

LMK what y'all think and any other suggestions. We're in this RV for the long haul so any and all suggestions are welcome.

We went to Safe-T-Plus and had them install a stabilizer bar. WHAT a difference! If done at their shop it's free labor...and done in about an hour. Nice people too!