5 degree caster wedge

[ron55]

anybody know where I can purchase two 5 degree caster wedges for the front end of my w22? the front end shops where I have been dont or not interested. I would rather just purchase the wedge and install them myself. thanks.

[dieselclacker]

Ron, I got mine at Redlands RV and Truck, however, I had them installed while my coach was there for some warranty work. You might check with them or Brazels.

Dieselclacker

[speed racer]

Any good truck shop should have them or be able to tell you where to get them.

[edgray]

ron: I think you should reconsider adding 5 degrees of wedge. That will "probably" cause you to end up at more than 8* of castor, which will create other problems and / or accelerated tire wear at a minimum. I believe the recommendations posted here in other threads was for total caster around 5 to 6 * forward tilt.
Ed

[DriVer]

I would not recommend installing caster wedges as a DIY evolution. I would have it done professionally and immediately have a front end alignment confirm the settings. Remember too much caster will increase steering effort.

[ron55]

If I take out the 2 to 3 degree wedge that I now have and install a 5 degree wedge then I would have close to 5 degree caster?? that would not chage any camber or toe right??

[edgray]

Ron: Truthfully, I don't know much about the issue. I don't "know" if the OE caster setting is achieved by using wedges or not.

When I went to inquire about having mine done, the HD alignment shop did not even want to mess with the factory setting. When I pressed them, they warned that anything over 6* would create problems. Their reluctance, and the $350.00 cost estimate, caused me to take no action so far.
ED

[tderonne]

I haven't bought any, but did see this place a while ago:

SPC Alignment

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ron55 If I take out the 2 to 3 degree wedge that I now have and install a 5 degree wedge then I would have close to 5 degree caster?? that would not change any camber or toe right??

The toe is basically changed at the tie rod end. The camber is changed by the number of degrees that the king pins afford the spindle. The motion of caster causes the kingpins to be adjusted over a range of motion vertically perpendicular to the axle. This setting I expect is not easily manipulated. Increasing the caster in my opinion will not disturb the tow and the camber. I still recommend that the work should to be confirmed on a front end machine and securing and after mod printout.

We might assume that just R&Ring the U-Bolts and changing the caster would not be critical to the front end alignment but I would tend to err on the side of knowing and confirmation.

One owner commented to me that the caster adjustment caused the steering to come to the front a lot quicker and that the wheels tracked forward with much reduced tendency to wander.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray When I went to inquire about having mine done, the HD alignment shop did not even want to mess with the factory setting. When I pressed them, they warned that anything over 6* would create problems. Their reluctance, and the $350.00 cost estimate, caused me to take no action so far.

ED, I would agree with the assessment that over 6° would not be a good thing but if your R&R what's there and replace that with a 5° shim, I would not expect it to be any more than the size of the replacement shim.

I'd call our friends out at Brazels or RTS to get a better picture about what's required and how the process plays out. Both these shops do FEAs.

[Davel]

ron55,

I had Josams in Orlando, FL change my castor on the way to our winter camp ground. They were very supportive of doing the change and said I would notice much better tracking, which I did. The coach seems to "want" to go straight now. To the point I could let go of the wheel for short periods and it would track straight. The tech set the right at 6 degrees and the left at 5.5 degrees to allow for road crown. I paid for 2 shims but it was not indicated the exact angle of each one. The tech said that it took over 8-9 degrees before "castor shimmy" occurred. I did notice a very slight increase in effort required to turn the wheel. It was just noticable, but not an issue.

Good luck,
Dave