F53 Chassis Lemon?? Thoughts?? HELP??

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Because it locks the drive shaft. Not sure why you think your F53 chassis is different from all the other ones.

I think that because for my 2018 F53 chassis the E-brake is on the rear wheels.

 

[16ACE27]

The assumption that the F53 chassis used only the driveshaft-mounted e-brake at the differential is not correct.

My 2018 F53 has Drum-In-Hat (DIH) park/emergency brakes, just like my old 2001 F250, not the driveshaft-mounted version that you're referencing.I was just under there over the weekend installing a track bar and noted the difference and thought it curious at the time.

Checking the 2018 (and for the '16 and '17 MY) Ford Service Workshop manual (and several years prior), it has maintenance procedures for both varieties. The 2015 manual has only the driveshaft-mounted procedures. My assumption is that either both were used or a transition was taking place throughout that period.

Well, isn't that interesting. I have not seen that on any F53 chassis I have looked under. I wonder what the "transition" was?

 

[PS89]

Apparently, we cannot make a blanket assumption that all F53 chassis have a drive shaft parking brake.

The only "blanket" statement that is safe to make is for a '16 or newer, you have to look under there and see what is installed from the factory.

I wonder if it's a GVWR thing as to which the chassis got at the factory. Mine is an 18K chassis.

I wonder what the "transition" was?

Based on what is published in the service manuals (as I noted above), 2016 and later would be my inferred transition. The factory rarely included stuff in the service manual that wasn't applicable (more or less).

 

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

The only "blanket" statement that is safe to make is for a '16 or newer, you have to look under there and see what is installed from the factory.

I wonder if it's a GVWR thing as to which the chassis got at the factory. Mine is an 18K chassis.


Based on what is published in the service manuals (as I noted above), 2016 and later would be my inferred transition. The factory rarely included stuff in the service manual that wasn't applicable (more or less).

Mine is a 2018 ACE 30.3 on an 18k chassis. Could it there be a correlation with having rear disk brakes like mine does?

 

[PS89]

Mine is a 2018 ACE 30.3 on an 18k chassis. Could it there be a correlation with having rear disk brakes like mine does?

I doubt it since rear discs have been standard for at least 20 years, probably longer, on the F53.

 

[mercury26]

Most of the things you mentioned sound pretty standard and things I dealt with on my 2021 Hurricane 29M, F53 chassis. As other said, some are chassis issues and some are Thor coach issues.

• (F53) Misfires, replaced all the plug wires myself and keep a set of spares on board.
• (Thor) Schwintek Slide was always out of alignment since day one, replaced with Vroom system
• (Thor) Onan Generator would trip breakers on the unit all the time, all my grounds throughout the chassis needed to tightened down
• (Thor) Air Conditioners inadequate for the chassis, had to replace both
• (F53/Thor) Chassis air conditioner lines missing o-rings
• (F53) Three recalls on the chassis

 

[SDMiramar]

Yeah, 2 wires shorted out.. went on a local trip about 75 miles and burned another one. Decided to buy all 6 and install them myself. Yep, A/C o-ring missing had to flush and charge system. No issues with Gen other than zero labels on the unit. Slide’s have been ok, we have a full wall slide so no Vroom option but it seems good since we lube the track with PTFE. Once we did that its runs in and out on both sides so much better. I just wipe them down before I bring the slides in for and dirt or debris. Haven’t had much use on AC units but we have 2 15k units so I think we are ok.

 

[mercury26]

We have a full wall slide on our Hurricane 29M and had the Vroom system installed. Works so much better and lot more confident that we are not going to get stuck. Our RV came with 2x 10K BTU ACs, way too small for a 30' RV. The new 15K ACs work great, but my wallet is $3K lighter. Ouch!

 

[Beau388]

Trying to hold a coach still when parked on a grade using mechanical cable applied parking brake caliper on the rear 15.5" disks would not be my choice. A much better system is to use the force multiplication of differential to hold the coach in-place using a small, mechanical drum brake system. Plus there is the cost advantage of only one brake assembly,



Please note mechanical applied pedal bake not labeled or meant to be used as an "emergency brake". The foot petal, mechanical brake on the F-53 chassis is meant to be used only when the vehicle is parked and not to be used to stop the vehicle if the hydraulic brake system has had total failure.


I toured the Thor MC plant 750 and 850 in 2016 and again in 2018. All the F-53 chassis had a differential mounted drum brake. The drive shaft's rear universal is forward of the parking brake assembly, so removing the drive shaft does not effect the parking brake's effectiveness.



It is not necessary to disconnect the drive shaft to tow Ford's 6-sp transmission in the F-53 chassis, IF the coach is towed less than 50 miles at speeds less than 50 mph; however, the tow driver makes $150 or more if he has to disconnect the drive shaft.


Finally Ford designs and warranty's the F-53 chassis, but Detroit Chassis assembles them in Detroit, MI and DC is task with procuring all parts not sourced from Ford Motor Company. Most of Ford's cutaway chassis are assembled by Ford in Lexington, KY on entirely different chassis design.

 

[SDMiramar]

They wouldn’t install a system on our big slide on our Miramar 35.2, they would only do the smaller slide and I figured it would be all or nothing. Yeah, 10k is way too small especially for any metal box 30ft long, well worth the $3K
Ive had the Schwintek system on 2 Toy haulers and this RV and never had an issue. I think there are some things that have to be right to ensure they function properly:
1)hold the button down for 5 seconds coming in or out
2) make sure your level
3) good voltage is key! Keep RV running or start Generator
4) lube the slide where the nylon blocks slide(lightly)

I’ve only recently started using the CRC lube with PTFE and it made a huge difference. Runs out and in so much better!