Ford chassis hard work

[Audzatstods]

So we just bought a new coachmen Mirada 35bh, absolutely love the layout. But hate the fact it wanders all over the road, when we picked it up I noticed the steering wheel is not centered so paid $189 to have the alignment checked and it was fine but they said there's no caster adjustment.
So what I need to ascertain is:-
A) does ford supply that chassis as is?
B) if so why?
C) does coachmen supply the finished product like this and are happy with it?
D) if so why
E) what we need to do to make it a pleasurable drive
Because as is, it's hard work to keep in a straight line, in fact damn near dangerous at times!!
We just finished a 3500km trip and we didn't tow a car, but found the unit which is powered by a ford v10 to feel underpowered to the point we think it wouldn't have coped towing a small car. Tried to keep revs to 3000 as I don't like hearing an engine screaming it's head off!!
Very interested to hear comments from other v10 haulers please.

[Aguyfromcalg]

Hello.
Congrats on your new RV.

If you look up these posts I believe they will help.
1 CHF
2 Harvard's posts about adjusting castors.
3 five star tune or brazel tune.
4 how to weigh your RV and set tire air pressure according to your tire manufacturer's charts.




2010 Coachmen Freelander 30qb
Ford E450 V10

[Audzatstods]

Thank you

[TeJay]

The first thing I'd do is set the tire pressures to the number on the stickers inside the coach. That's always a good place to start. Chances are the dealer bumped up the pressures close to 100 lbs. That's usually to high.

Also if you want answers regarding your coach put some of the specs in your signature so we don't have to look it up.

The next thing I'd do is the CHF. It will transform your coach more than any single item and it will cost you nothing. That's right, nothing. If you can remove and replace 4 nuts and bolts (torque them to 66 foot lbs) you can do the CHF in your driveway.

After you do those two items take it for a test drive and report the changes to the forums. I can guarantee you it will handle like a new coach. If I'm wrong send me a PM.

After all of that get the 5-Star TUNE. That will cost you about $400 but worth every penny.

All this stuff is on the F-53 chassis forums.

TeJay

[tderonne]

At 3000 RPM your engine is making 260 horsepower (give or take a bit for exact operating conditions). That's 100 less than your peak power at 4750 RPM. You're really handicapping yourself not letting it rev when you need power.

[Waiter21]

Three items that vastly improved the handling and the ride on my F53 Ford

1) Tire pressure. My sticker calls for 100psi in all 6 tires. I weighed the MH, looked at the tire pressure table for the tires. According to the tire/weight, I'm below the suggested minimum pressure (70psi), So I chose to run at 80 psi in all 6 tires instead of 100psi.

2) Cheap Handling Fix (CHF). This one item provided me with the vast majority of improvement. Its an easy DIYer, and doesn't cost anything. While your under there, in the back check, tighten the bolts that hold the rear torsion bar in place (there seems to be a lot of people reporting lose bolts.

3) Air Bags - If you have air bags, The man says 20 psi min, I pumped mine up to 60 psi. They now carry more of the weight and the ride is noticeable smoother

I believe the CHF provided the majority of handling improvement and the tire pressure and air bag pressure changes helped smooth out the ride.

I NEED MORE POWER SCOTTY.

My V10 puts out less power than yours. I'm not sure what your expecting as far as pulling power.

Cruising on mine is good, I usually run 65 mph, thats about 2700 rpm. When I do a climb, It will downshift and crank up to over 4000 rpm. If its a tough climb or constantly upshift/downshift, I'll slow down, manually downshift the tranny to get the revs up, and hold a constant speed that doesn't require the accelerator to be floored.

[c_oneil]

The sound level in the F53 is going to be louder than a rear engine but you may be able to add sound insulation under the dog house and firewall. It helped a lot in mine. Its possible even in a new coach that higher RPM can make noisy rattles if say a heat shield or something under the rig is loose. A little investigation of where the noise comes from could be worth it.

[Mike D]

Caster is set in an I beam front suspension by using tapered shims that are placed between the leaf springs and the axle.
If camber needs to be corrected, the I-beam can be bent slightly.
Neither normally requires correction on an I-beam axle.
Any good truck spring shop can perform these alignment services.

[frankdamp]

It's a box truck, despite the fancy interior, and it rides like one. When we got our F53-based rig, I was not happy and I was a transit coach diver at the time!

I started looking into ride improvements and decided that, for the 2500 miles or so we'd drive it every season, Id rather buy gas and CG stays with the money. Having a limousine-quality ride would have meant we wouldn't have had the money to use it.

[mhbell]

Originally Posted by frankdamp

It's a box truck, despite the fancy interior, and it rides like one. When we got our F53-based rig, I was not happy and I was a transit coach diver at the time!

I started looking into ride improvements and decided that, for the 2500 miles or so we'd drive it every season, Id rather buy gas and CG stays with the money. Having a limousine-quality ride would have meant we wouldn't have had the money to use it.

Very Well put and said. I agree. We downsized for the very reason that we didn't want the maintenance of the diesel and the expense. We now have more to travel and stay longer in RV parks and Campgrounds, and can even boon dock with the rig we now have and still have all of the comforts that we want.

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by TeJay

The first thing I'd do is set the tire pressures to the number on the stickers inside the coach. That's always a good place to start. Chances are the dealer bumped up the pressures close to 100 lbs. That's usually to high.

Also if you want answers regarding your coach put some of the specs in your signature so we don't have to look it up.

The next thing I'd do is the CHF. It will transform your coach more than any single item and it will cost you nothing. That's right, nothing. If you can remove and replace 4 nuts and bolts (torque them to 66 foot lbs) you can do the CHF in your driveway.

After you do those two items take it for a test drive and report the changes to the forums. I can guarantee you it will handle like a new coach. If I'm wrong send me a PM.

After all of that get the 5-Star TUNE. That will cost you about $400 but worth every penny.

All this stuff is on the F-53 chassis forums.

TeJay

Don't forget the second thing to do-get a good front end alignment from a heavy duty truck shop.

[Philip.Saran]

I had the same problem with the wandering down the road, took it into the Mid/Hvy
duty truck dealer (Ford) had the alignment done, set the tire pressure and tightened
the bolts for the shocks. Great improvement.


Have been told to add a rear track arm (frame to rear differential) and if still need
more help to then add the front steering stabilizer.


On your lack of power, kind of depends on what you are expecting, my
towd weights in at 4000 lbs. and I pulled that on I70 up and through
the Eisenhower Tunnel which is at a bit over 11,000 ft. Yes at times
I was down to 40-45 MPH, but traffic is so bad on that road it does not
matter anyway. And yes if you are staying down around 3000 RPM you are under the power band for the V10.

[Audzatstods]

Thanks very much for all the replies so far, I shall look at getting it all done, and thanks also for the v10 information, I just didn't want to rev the guts out of it, all a learning curve for us and I'm glad this forums are here, very helpful.

[Rich-n-Linda]

Originally Posted by tderonne

At 3000 RPM your engine is making 260 horsepower (give or take a bit for exact operating conditions). That's 100 less than your peak power at 4750 RPM. You're really handicapping yourself not letting it rev when you need power.

You hit the nail right on the head with this statement, and you are 100% correct. At 3,000 RPM, that V10 is no where near its horsepower peak. Gasoline engines have to turn faster that diesels to develop their rated horsepower. To go up hills fast in a gas powered coach, you have to get the revs up where she can make her rated horsepower...and that's up over 4,000 RPM.


2006 Mandalay 40E
Cummins ISL 400 HP