I'm chicken

[old golfer guy]

My 2013 C S handles 100 better than the old 2003 H R buy am thinking of doing the CHF but I'm chicken!! Has anybody had anything break or go bad with just changing the bolt holes? Also why hasn't Ford done this at the factory?

Thanks

[phil-t]

I did the CHF, front and rear without any extension of the link arms, over 10k miles ago. Have experienced no issues on our rig.
No one, that I know of, can answer your question about why Ford does not use these holes (or advertise their use). Good guess might be that they are used in some other chassis application.

[Sue46]

I was concerned and held out for 3 year, finally did it and am very happy.

[TeJay]

There have been a few comments following the CHF but not verified by many others. One comment was they thought the ride was harsher.

Sway control provided by (SB) stabilizer bars only works when one tire hits a dip or bump. When that happens energy (the bar is twisted) is stored in the SB which helps to control body side to side sway. If you hit a bump or dip with both wheels there is no twisting of the SB so how can it make the ride harsher?

That's been the only negative comment!!! Nothing associated with the sway control has broken or worn out prematurely.

In fact the CHF has done more to improve the SWAY control and provided more quality seat time than any other single MOD (modification) that can be done to the F-53 chassis.

The only other MOD that has made a significant contribution to ride and handling is a rear track bar (TB). Most chassis already have a front TB. The TBs reduce lateral frame movement which varies from chassis to chassis. That MOD will cost you $50 for a DIY one or $500 for a commercial one. The CHF is still FREE!!

It's just another choice for you to make.

[ehunt]

I'm in the same boat as the OP, my 2018 rides much better than the 2001 it replaced but always looking to make it even better. I've added a Safe-T-Plus which also gave some handling improvement but considering the CHF or a rear track bar, just a bit hesitant to make the CHF change. Since the CHF has become so well known and wide spread, has Ford given any feedback on this being an approved change to the factory set up? Has anyone ever tried to get input from Ford?

[old golfer guy]

So I bit the bullet. Front CHF done in about I hr. Need help with the rear.
Got the small bolt out on both sides but I can't get the long bolts to line up into the holes. Also how do you get the metal bracket to rotate so it will line up with the front hole an insert the small bolt?

[TeJay]

Over the years several owners have had a Ford repair facility perform the CHF. That information is posted somewhere on the CHF thread.

As of today Ford has not said much of anything concerning the extra holes in the SB. Here's the simple fact. Ford punched 4 holes (2 in each side) in every F-53 SB (front & rear) since they came out in 1999. Seems like a complete waste of a lot of time and $$$$$$ to put double the holes and never expect folks to improve their SWAY control by using it. I thought it was amazing it took 11 years (summer of 2010) before somebody decided to try it on an RV.

We had a 1999 F-53 chassis and I never looked under the RV except to change the oil.

After John McKinley did the first CHF and realized how great it was he finished the AK trip which did 2.000 more miles and when he arrived home he posted the idea. He got a lot of criticism and kick back about it as one can read on the original thread. He's only done the CHF front and rear. He still has the same RV and has had no issues with the SWAT control system.

Fords reason for not doing it at the factory has been the fact that the chassis is used for a lot more than just RV's. They keep it stock and let the customer make the change if they want or need to.

[hohenwald48]

On my 2019 Newmar with 2018 F-53 26K chassis, simply moving the rear links to the other holes resulted in the sway bar contacting the ebrake backing plate on several occasions. No damage done but I removed the CHF until I have the time to extend the links. Haven't done the front but will extend those links as well as it looks like I might get some interference from the front springs.

[old golfer guy]

I'm just sticking with the fronts for now. rears are a little more trouble for me .
starting a 4000 mile trip on Sunday. Hope to post some good results from the front CHF
Dale

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Brave-r

I'm in the same boat as the OP, my 2018 rides much better than the 2001 it replaced but always looking to make it even better. I've added a Safe-T-Plus which also gave some handling improvement but considering the CHF or a rear track bar, just a bit hesitant to make the CHF change. Since the CHF has become so well known and wide spread, has Ford given any feedback on this being an approved change to the factory set up? Has anyone ever tried to get input from Ford?

Why be hesitatant of doing a simple adjustment procedure that can be reversed in the same amount of time ?

Its, at most, 4 nuts and bolts for each end.
You can just tighten them up, to what it felt like loosening them, by hand and forgo the locktite for a long test ride.

If you like the change, or not, then borrow a torque wrench from an auto parts store and buy a tiny bottle of locktite to finalize the project.

[TeJay]

Brave-R,

What was posted in post #7 and twinboats suggestion should be enough information for you to at least try the CHF front and rear. I can't tell you how many posters at first hesitated then finally did the CHF made comments later that they should have listened in the beginning. It's still your choice!!!

Today based on what you have done and your past driving experiences your RV may ride and handle wind just fine. Experience has taught many of us until you hit the perfect storm or certain wind conditions you really don't know if you and your RV are prepared.

We experienced two such incidents. The first time was bad because we were not done with all the MODS. The second experience was better and the RV handled the stronger winds but I still had one more MOD to complete.

I'm done with all the ride and handling MODS: Koni shocks & Air bags all around, RSSA Road Master steering stabilizer, Steer safe, Rear Track Bar, CHF front and rear with adjustable plates & Centramatic balancers. That's a total cost of about $2,700.

There's nothing else within reason that we can do. Ninety eight percent of the time even when we have gusting cross winds on 2-lane roads I can drive the RV with absolutely no apprehension or concerns. Some of that time is with one hand. Rear approaching semi's on 4-lane roads are not concern and passing vehicles of any size on 2-lane are also not a concern.

Last week we traveled to Bull Shoals, AR. It was a short drive of about 125 miles each way. At least 80% of the trip was on AR winding 2-lane roads with a lot of semis, small trucks, RVs, car traffic and very windy (Spring storms) most of the time.

In AR a lot of the time there's only 2-lane roads between smaller towns. All kinds of delivery and construction traffic is traveling those roads.

We are to the point if the winds are gusting so badly and I can't easily stay between the lines we'll get off the road ASAP. It's early since all MODS were done but we have not pulled off the roads yet. I'll keep you posted.

[ehunt]

twinboat/TeJay

Thanks for the input. This is a mod that I will probably do, actually considering doing the front before a trip next week. However, I have done a lot of research and I'm not of the opinion that this is just a choice left up to the customer by Ford, there are many reports of people with issues, noises, bottoming out, odd behavior when leveling, longer link arms needed, etc. Yes, it's an easy "adjustment" but so is driving with just one lug nut to make changing a tire faster, doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I've read reports of people having Ford service techs make the change for them, I've also read of Ford service techs blaming the change for suspension problems and reverting the CHF to factory settings. So basically you can find anything to support your position on this mod, this is the internet. I don't believe Ford actually engineered the sway bar to be used this way, it makes me hesitant, is this really a good idea? And if Ford did intend this to be an easy adjustment what is the Ford OEM part number for the correct link arms?

One last note, I would never use a rental torque wrench. No telling how it's been treated and how close it is to accurate. I keep my torque wrench in the house out of the humidity, and protected in it's case at all times.

[MDBalin]

Go ahead and do it....the rears was easier in my coach then the fronts...only because I had the reinforcement brackets up front.
It made a world of difference in the positive way. > then 6000 miles in problem just a better ride.

2001 F53 22,000

[gaffanning]

Originally Posted by old golfer guy

So I bit the bullet. Front CHF done in about I hr. Need help with the rear.
Got the small bolt out on both sides but I can't get the long bolts to line up into the holes. Also how do you get the metal bracket to rotate so it will line up with the front hole an insert the small bolt?

Rear torsion bar – Link moved to rear hole. “Z” bracket flipped around.
The rear CHF is easy. You don’t need to remove or even loosen the top bolts. Remove the two lower nuts from the bolts on both sides. The bolt that goes through the link is pressed into the “Z” bracket (part of the “Z” bracket). When you move the link to the rear hole, you’ll need to flip the “Z” bracket over.

If you have problems getting the holes to line up, you can jack one side of the axle a little bit I used the leveling jacks to raise one side a tiny bit. You could also loosen the torsion bar to axle bushing bolts.

IMPORTANT – Ford changed the rear axle torsion bar brackets around 2005. The new bracket is kind of wimpy, AND, it has a nasty habit of the bolts loosening up and falling out. Consider using blue locktite on these bolts and torque them to 65 ft lbs.