Cheap Handling Fix

[96 Wideglide]

Jim, have you ever weighed your coach?

I have a 36' with a tag axel and I'm close to 2000lb below axel weight on the front. I'm running H rated tires, and the minimum I can air them down to ( accoprding to thier charts ) is 80 psi.

[Dunner]

Didn't know the F53 came with a tag till a couple weeks ago. Gotta add stability.

[96 Wideglide]

Does'nt come with a tag. Coach builder extend's the frame, and install's the tag.

[96 Wideglide]

Originally Posted by Dunner

Didn't know the F53 came with a tag till a couple weeks ago. Gotta add stability.

You've seen mine ! There's 4 segways stuffed in that back hatch....



No clue how I'm gona get them out !!

[holstein13]

Why is everyone worried about the sway bar snapping? Has anyone seen any evidence of snapped sway bars? I know that Ford thickened them recently. On my 2011 model, I can't imagine it permanently bending or snapping under any circumstance. The worse thing that would happen in a sharp turn is the inside wheel would come off the ground and I could flip the motorhome. I might wreck the MH but the good news is that the bar would be fine.

[clyon51]

No one is worried about snapping a sway bar. I believe the discussion was regarding theoretically having too short of a link putting the link 180 degrees with the bar. The link being the weakest link in the chain, that would fail before anything else. Looking at a link bar and a sway bar, it's a no brainer a link is going to fail before they twist that sway bar in half.

[Dunner]

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

Does'nt come with a tag. Coach builder extend's the frame, and install's the tag.

I knew it couldn't have come from Ford that way.

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

You've seen mine !



There's 4 Segways stuffed in that back hatch....
No clue how I'm gonna get them out !!

That's was probably shortly after I heard they made tags.

Are those X2s and do they get charged while in transport? :wink:
Is that a sportster? I always wanted an XR750 to convert to street legal.
Would have been a rocket.

Originally Posted by holstein13

Why is everyone worried about the sway bar snapping? Has anyone seen any evidence of snapped sway bars? I know that Ford thickened them recently. On my 2011 model, I can't imagine it permanently bending or snapping under any circumstance. The worse thing that would happen in a sharp turn is the inside wheel would come off the ground and I could flip the motorhome. I might wreck the MH but the good news is that the bar would be fine.

Who's everyone? There were a few naysayers at first and maybe one questing it snapping. Hopefully, seat-of-the-pants experience would tell you when you were driving over your head and prevent a rollover. Maybe Ford realized that newer motorhomes are heavier and beefed up the bar after many complaints of excessive sway.

Originally Posted by clyon51

No one is worried about snapping a sway bar. I believe the discussion was regarding theoretically having too short of a link putting the link 180 degrees with the bar. The link being the weakest link in the chain, that would fail before anything else. Looking at a link bar and a sway bar, it's a no brainer a link is going to fail before they twist that sway bar in half.

I didn't check mine before I made longer links and if all are like the below pic, there is no chance of the bar going 180°. You can see that the suspension is at full droop with the tire off the ground. That's only going to happen if you are going Evel Knievel.

[Dunner]

Going back several (10+) pages, it appears that the longer and heavier rigs don't experience the same improvement as lightweights. Moving the CCC forward and lower also improves the ride and handling.

[Kathy_MD]

Hello:
Before we do the "McKinley Mod", (actually, my son will do the mod), I have some questions for you do-it-yourself types.

First some photos of my current (before the mod) situation as the MH sits with full weight - not jacked up. The MH is on level concrete.

FRONT





REAR




Based on measurements, we ordered the adjustable Hellwig Adjustable End Links (#7962). The price shipped to the door was $91.54 from Autoplicity.

Here is the plan....

For the Front:
He is going to adjust/install the new links to the length as required to fit the second hole in the un-modded position - essentially, keeping the same geometry as the original. He will use the OEM bolts and inserts (replacing the Helwig hardware). Torquing all to 66 ft/lbs (as state in a pdf posted earlier from Ford)

For the Rear:
He will just move the lower part of the link to the other hole, rotating the Z bracket 180 degrees. There is very little change to the geometry from this movement so no need to change out the links. Again, he will torque to 66 ft/lbs.

So, is there anything we (he) is missing on the above plan? Do we use loctite on the adjustable link nut?

Thanks in advance for the assist. Much more thanks to Mr. Wizard....er Mr. McKinley.

Kathy

[Dunner]

If I was writing instructions, I don't think I would change anything.

I don't think Loctite would be needed. They are interference bolts and even it they came loose, they would never come off. It's already a PIA to take them off.

[Kathy_MD]

Thank you. You seem to come up a fair amount in this thread. I have learned much and enjoyed your posts.

For clarification, when I asked about locktite I was referring to the nut on the Hellwig. See Below.



Again,
Thanks

Kathy

[Dunner]

I'm retired and have nothing better to do but to keep an eye on some of these guys, share what I have learned on this forum and try different mods.

Too hot here in Phx to do much of anything else. Going to be 110+°s by this weekend, again...

Yeah, go ahead and Red Loctite the link bolts. The way you're going to set them, there is no need to ever change them.

[Dunner]

I'm just glad I didn't think of this mod; I might hurt my arm patting myself on the back. I just hope nobody finds a way to tax or make the mod illegal.

[96 Wideglide]

Dont think there's any need to loctite that. Once that link is attached at the top and bottom, it cant turn.