Steering wandering

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by Kev

Jerry
Thanks for the info. and yes it is on the 18k chassis. BTW when I click on the link it says page cannot be found. 3 hours definitely sounds better than 1-1/2 days.

Hmmm i get the same thing now also. Well just go to Brazels RV and search for trac bar and then look for the 14000-18000 chassis.

Jerry

[blw2]

To the OP
you said pressures are correct.
Correct based on what spec?

Just in case you don't have them set by weight/load.....

pressures set to the door jam placard would be 'correct', but would not result in great handling.

With my E-450, I found a huge improvement by setting pressures based on load. Unfortunately I did not have corner weights to work with when i figured my set points. I figured based on axle weights and set some margin above knowing that it could be off balance.

After setting my pressure and getting an alignment, i no longer have any priority for doing anything else. It drives just fine...one handed even in good conditions, or even in a light wind.

Air Pressure is the cheapest and easiest....& possibly the most effective fix you can make, and you can do it as soon as you have weights.
I would even argue it should be the first thing you do before you do anything else.

All of these other solutions are solutions for specific symptoms. I'm convinced that while a fix for one symptom, positive affects can bleed over into other areas...but that doesn't really make it the proper fix for that symptom.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by halfprice

Hmmm i get the same thing now also. Well just go to Brazels RV and search for trac bar and then look for the 14000-18000 chassis.

Jerry

Ok will do. Thanks Jerry.

Kev

[Joe-FL]

Originally Posted by Kev

Hello Joe

I had the Sumo Springs on the Vegas and was very happy with them. Please let me know how they work for you on your coach. I have a new Windsport due in June and in addition to the CHF and the Safe-T-Plus I was considering the Sumo Springs. I noticed that they cost considerable more for the F53 chassis than the E450. Hopefully you will find the improvement is worth the cost.
Kev

I will certainly let it be known how they perform Kev. I hated to spend that kind of money but with being on the road another 3.5 months this year I knew I had to do something. They are being delivered to my oldest son's home today but due to moving to another CG we won't be able to install until next week.

[Joe-FL]

Originally Posted by carboss

Safety plus and sumo shocks

I noticed you have a Challenger. Did you do the Safe-T-Plus and Sumo's? Were the Sumo's the shocks or springs that looks like big yellow bumpers?

[carboss]

Originally Posted by Joe-FL

I noticed you have a Challenger. Did you do the Safe-T-Plus and Sumo's? Were the Sumo's the shocks or springs that looks like big yellow bumpers?

Yes I put sumo shocks, safety plus, heavy duty sway bars and 5 star tuning. As close to a diesel pusher as you can get.

[blw2]

Originally Posted by halfprice

Hi Kev,
Sorry for the late reply. Been busy. I got this.

http://www.brazelsrv.com/UTF53V8R-Re...s-(Fits-V10-V8)

Its the best mod I have done. The chf helped a lot but I still got pushed a round by semi trucks and the wind. Especially now that I am towing the jeep. After installing the rear trac bar I only notice the semi trucks when they get right next to me, truck cab front end next to my front end. But now its only a little push that needs very little or no steering correction on my part. I now usually use a couple of fingers to drive. No ore two hand white knuckle driving. On our last trip to Las Vegas there were lots of winds and never felt it. Maria and I could see the trees blowing like crazy and were amazed that it wasn't bothering us. SO I am extremely happy about that.


Jerry

I was just going back and re-reading a bit more carefully....
Your link is dead, but if I'm guessing right it's to a track bar (panhard rod)
Based on all the resaerch I did, I concluded that if I wwere to ever do spend any money for my handling, the first thing would be a panhard rod. It seems that based on the steering wander I experience, this is the most direct solution for the problem I experience. great to read a positive testimonial...seems not too many folks install one.....with lots of folks doing sway bar mods and steering centering devices being the most popular... I do like the sales pitch for the safe t steer (and similar devices), but more form teh potential safety ion a blowout. I figure the fix for handling is more of a secondary thing

[halfprice]

http://www.brazelsrv.com/UTF53V8R-Re...rch=Trac%20bar

Hopefully this link works.

If not i give up. Trying to post links using the cell phone s2ucjs sometimes.

Jerry

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by blw2

I was just going back and re-reading a bit more carefully....
Your link is dead, but if I'm guessing right it's to a track bar (panhard rod)
Based on all the resaerch I did, I concluded that if I wwere to ever do spend any money for my handling, the first thing would be a panhard rod. It seems that based on the steering wander I experience, this is the most direct solution for the problem I experience. great to read a positive testimonial...seems not too many folks install one.....with lots of folks doing sway bar mods and steering centering devices being the most popular... I do like the sales pitch for the safe t steer (and similar devices), but more form teh potential safety ion a blowout. I figure the fix for handling is more of a secondary thing

Yes the trac bar was the best thing i did. But the chf was also very good and it was free. Just took me about 1 hour of my time. I got the safe t plus when i bought the mh. It was part of the deal.

Jerry

[Thor29.3inAZ]

Originally Posted by Brakeman48

Just drove our Hurricane 35C 250 miles in light wind. My arms and back are killing me from constant correcting the steering.Tire pressures are correct and alignment was just done. Any suggestions???

I just read through this thread....... It seems some think that a Class C (F350/450) chassis drives like the F53. IMHO it does not...... So saying that...... Here are some different things I found that helped from the get go.... The steering box on my F53 chassis was very loose. After I tightened it up, most if not all drifting stopped. I then had it aligned and steering then felt even tighter. Did the CHF and the sway was improved when the 18 wheelers would pass. Installed Air Tabs and the 18 wheeler pass is almost gone. Bear in mind, here in AZ, big trucks can travel at 75 mph. I tend to keep my speed to 60/65, 70 tops! I am installing a Safe T Plus this week and will see how that too effects the over all handling of our Class A. We have really bad road here in AZ (the snow belt in particular). Groves in the slow lane. Pot holes galore. The coach drives pretty nice through most of this now. Drove a class A (a couple of years older) with the front air bag installed. Still wasn't that much different than what we have set up so far on our class A. Just saying.....
Side note, we had a rear blow out due to a rock or? lodged in the dually. The tire guy who came to replace the tire (out on the road) mentioned that I should be running the tire pressures at max (110 psi). The coach was so harsh after that I went back to what my placard recommend, which is 85 psi. Big, big, big, difference in ride and handling.
So overall now, the coach rides way better than when we picked it up new. And the only reason I mentioned the difference between the class C and A is when we were looking to buy a unit, we tried both and the class A was like driving a Greyhound bus, the class C was like driving a big truck. Not the same IMHO.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by halfprice

UTF53V8R - Rear UltraTrac Trac Bar Ford F53 14-18K GVW Chassis (Fits V10 & V8)

Hopefully this link works.

If not i give up. Trying to post links using the cell phone s2ucjs sometimes.

Jerry

That worked thanks Jerry.

Kev

[Brakeman48]

Thor 29,


What procedure did you use to tighten up the steering box. I suspected when I picked up our Class A Hurricane 35C the steering was loose.

[Thor29.3inAZ]

Just under the driver side seat area, in the wheel well, the steering box has a adjustment screw with a (if I remember right) 3/4 lock nut. It is a bit of a tight spot. I accessed it from the front of the coach. You will need a stubby regular screwdriver. After backing off the lock nut, I screwed down the adjustment screw. I tried moving the steering input shaft and tighten the adjustment screw. Not sure if that did much but after I tighten down everything, the steering was a lot tighter. Does this make any sense? Did a test drive and tried tightening it again. It felt like it moved just a little but the steering really didn't change. I had it aligned next. No more drifting. Hope this helps.

[Hudsoner]

Originally Posted by Phil Saran

I've had the front end alignment, the Safe-T-Steer (it works), the
track bar on the rear and mine has sway bars front and rear.

I've been told by 3 shops not to do the CHF fix as it will break sway
bar links. Your results may differ.

Mine steers pretty good unless I get into a 30 mph plus side wind
(we have a lot of that here in Colorado) and that big slab of side
of my MH does still move around.

Who were the experts who told you that? My son is a certified master mechanic with the largest Ford dealer in the state (and he has almost all possible Ford certifications), and he did the CHF for my unit. One should think that he would know a little bit about the vehicles that Ford makes, ad the have him work on!

[Hudsoner]

Originally Posted by Phil Saran

Halfprice, my sway bars are factory from Ford.

CHF is cheap help fix, or something like that. On the F53 chassis
on the sway bars/links there are two mounting holes for the links
it is said that if you move the links to the lower hole it will tighten
up the sway bars helping control sway more.

As stated in my previous post I have been told by 3 shops (one is
the Med Duty Ford Dealer in Commerce CO where I go for oil changes
that doing the CHF will cause the links to break. So far I have not
done the CHF. Your results may differ.

The mechanic at that shop might need some retraining (probably digging out the old high school physics book might help, too!), because Ford has made statements that the CHF will not cause any warranty problems!
I don't know how big Commerce, CO is, but I bet that the dealer is not as big as the mega dealer my son works for in the metropolitan area of St. Paul/Minneapolis.

[halfprice]

I did some research on damage and chf. Apparently Ford put the z bracket (usually found on the rear sway bar) on the front of some chassis. The z bracket can cause the front links to bend. The fix is to grind the z bracket where the link attaches thus preventing to link from hitting the bracket or the install of the TeJay brackets. To learn who TeJay is you will need to read the chf ob irv2.com

This is the only damage i could find and very few people have said they have the z bracket up front ib their mh


Jerry

[Hudsoner]

Originally Posted by halfprice

I did some research on damage and chf. Apparently Ford put the z bracket (usually found on the rear sway bar) on the front of some chassis. The z bracket can cause the front links to bend. The fix is to grind the z bracket where the link attaches thus preventing to link from hitting the bracket or the install of the TeJay brackets. To learn who TeJay is you will need to read the chf ob irv2.com

This is the only damage i could find and very few people have said they have the z bracket up front ib their mh


Jerry

My motorhome is one of them that had the z bracket, and yes the link in the CHF position did hit it (but not that bad that any damage to the link did occur). My son did do some investigation with Ford, and found out that there is no real reason why it was there, except providing a little more holding power. Once the TeJay type plates were installed, it was a mute issue anyway.

[Jim&Teresa]

Originally Posted by Brakeman48

Just drove our Hurricane 35C 250 miles in light wind. My arms and back are killing me from constant correcting the steering.Tire pressures are correct and alignment was just done. Any suggestions???

Yes I had the same problem when we bought our 35C wind sport 2016. I put a safety-T-plus steering control and I have had no more problems since. Go to their webpage online and check it out you will be impressed as I was.

[vkb]

Ron put Sumo Springs on the front and rear of our 24.1 this spring. We just returned from a week of traveling across western Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The prevalent winds put the Sumos to the test. Ron was very pleased...yes he still had to fight the wind a bit, but nothing like last summer before the Sumos. He said he may do the Safety Plus...but right now he is very happy.

[Joe-FL]

Vkb, the more I hear about positive results with the Sumos the more confident I get. I am taking mine in tomorrow for the install. We won't really get a chance to test them much, the shop is only about 15 miles from the CG we are in. However, in 2 weeks we continue our travels out west to put them to the test. I'm really looking forward to them making a difference.