Gassers on Ford F53 Chassis?

[foretm]

Originally Posted by manderson2228

This is solid advice. I agree, I'd avoid the FR3 for multiple reasons. Oddly i went through one this past weekend at a show, was stunned to see them going for mid 90s at the show when they were 80k 2 years ago when we were looking.

I would seriously consider the Jayco Allante 31v or the Entegra Vision 31v, both made by Jayco. Floor plan is very similar to the FR3 30DS, but lots of small upgrades that help a lot. Slam baggage doors, Auto transfer switch, dual ACs on 30 amps with an energy management system, power drivers seat, theatre seating in the LR, overhead bunk with 750lb capacity, 4 door ac/lp fridge, pass thru storage for first two bays aft of the door.

We bought a 2019 Entegra Vision 31V December 28th and purchase price was ~88k, and about 36% off MSRP. I did a lot of research on the Thor ace 30.3 and the FR3 30DS, and we got within $600 of making a deal on the ace before I found the Entegra. So glad I did... much better value and the support from Jayco has been great for the few minor issues we found and they are extremely helpful with schematics, etc..

[Betr2Trvl]

Since I was pontificating on this same subject in another thread, I thought I would add this note to this thread as well.



When driving moderate to significant downgrades, you really need to be in a gear low enough gear to start your decent at ~3500 rpm.......

You can do that by initially jabbing the brakes with tow haul engaged as you begin your decent, and it will (usually) downshift (you’ll feel it, see it on the tech) to an appropriate gear. You may have to over slow initially but rpms are your friend for effective engine/ compression braking.

If you start down at the normal cruising rpms around 2000-2500 you are going to quickly gain speed, and really have to scrub it off quickly and aggressively with the brakes to get to your target speed in the right gear for the speed as tow - haul senses.

Again, you can force the downshift through the gear shift as appropriate to get a good target rpm to start your decent.

If you are just on “flat land” interstate and you gain speed, and your are comfortable with it, just let the engine and tranny do what they are supposed to and don’t get overly concerned with the rpm. As you approach the bottom, and you are in tow - haul, you can disengage tow haul if you want the tranny / engine to go back to “cruising” gear / rpm.

After a while, this simply becomes second nature and you really don’t think about it (hence, long pontifications and second posts to “remember” everything ).

Be safe......

[Oldcarnut]

I have a 20 year old 35' class A with an F53 chassis and V-10. I tow about 3000 pounds. I've only had it for about two years but so far it performs very well. As others have said, I get about 7 mpg. Mine rides fairly rough to harsh, especially in the front. I'm going to install new shocks and see if that won't help. However, after only a few trips and considerable research, I have decided to install a steering stabilizer. Driving it is a white knuckled affair and from what I've read, a brand new one wouldn't be any different. The F-53 chassis, however, is fantastic. As someone else said, the house part will be falling apart long before the chassis gives up. Just keep it serviced regularly.

[rbtharris]

Originally Posted by blueridge-fl

Based on my experience, the weak link with the F-53 is not the V10. This is especially true with the newer 6-speed tranny configurations. The weak link is the suspension. You should plan on adding suspension mods to eliminate a white knuckle experience from wind and passing trucks. Like all trucks, F-53s ride better loaded than unloaded.

I've owned 2 Class A's on the F53 chassis, and the chassis can be a problem. I added a front track bar on both of the ones I owned. That made them drive much better and eliminated the "death wobble". The F53 is on leaf springs on the front and back. I think that Ford added the front track bar to the chassis starting in 2006, so depending on the year of the Class A you're looking at, it might already have it installed. The first Class A/F53 was 30 ft long. I had to also add a rear track bar on that one because of the push from big trucks passing. Again, that's another issue with being on leaf springs. The second one I owned was longer and heavier and didn't need the rear track bar.

If you get a lot of sway, a fresh set of good shocks (like Bilsteins) will help that. They make that a lot better, but heavier duty sway bars may be needed.

[VSPA]

Have had a 27 ft Vista and now a 35F Itasca with the 3 valve Ford. Both have done well with towing either a dolly with a Focus or a two axle car trailer with a '65 Mustang. 9 not towing on the Vista 8.5 towing. On the Itasca, get about the same towing as I do not towing. As for ride, I like the 35F much better.

[Walt Graham]

Regarding the F-53: Make the modifications to the front and rear anti sway bars as your first move after that see how it handles before you spend big bucks for very little improvement. The adjustments for the sway bars is on the internet and it is just moving 4 bolts to the inner hole at the end of the anti sway bar and as far as I'm concerned well worth the time it takes. Yeah you will still need to stay on top on steering corrections but not as much.

[evofxdwg]

We tow a 2016 F150 SuperCrew (advertised empty curb weight: 4782lbs), 4 down, with our 2006 Coachmen Mirada 330SL (33 ft). Don't have a problem towing but you will have to gear down on steep upgrades and really mash it to maintain speed. I just let it slow down a little to keep the RPMs down.

Like others, I don't like to use the cruise control at all in the mountains, towing or not. Just drive it manually. I do use the cruise on relative flats. I am in Tow/Haul (when I remember) when towing and sometimes, just to drive in the mountains. I limit speed to under 65mph as I don't feel safe/in control any faster. (62 or 63 is my usual cruise setting).

The standard hitch is likely going to be limited to 5000 lbs so watch out for insurance/liability/safety issues if towing more without changing the hitch.

I also did the "Cheap Handling Fix," but with some new Helwig adjustable links on the front and moving the front links to rear, to preserve approximate anti-sway lever angles. Also added some Z-brackets where they were missing on the links. Also installed Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer. All that helped driveability.

The 33 ft Mirada is pretty rough on rough roads. But we aren't on them that much.

[koolrunnin]

Jayco Precept 31UL with J ride plus 2019 has big change in the air.

[jryan39]

Lots of interesting points of view on the F53 topic. I have a 2016 Newmar Canyon Star - 3903 and tow 4 wheels down a 2004 Pontiac GrandAm (Not a real heavy car). Yes, I have a secondary breaking system in the car but do not use it much unless the state requires it or my planed trip warrants it. The majority of our travels have been in AZ, NV, and CA. In CA going into Ventura the coach ran fine and I had no issues keeping up with traffic and safely stopping. Going up into Sedona AZ and the White Mountains in AZ there are several steep hills and I do need to slow down. This is just me but I try to keep the RPMs right at 4,000 or under. Otherwise the engine will produce a whine which is ignoring to me. Bring it under 4,000 RPM and all is quite and yes I downshift to maintain a specific RPM and speed. As far as going down hill you need to be careful because you will pick-up speed very quickly because we don't have a "J" brake. However, maintaining a good speed by shifting, Don't rest your foot on brake applying a constant pressure that will cause brake failure - easily and potentially a fire. MPG I must be extremely lucky because coming back from the White Mountains I will get right around 9 MPG and going up approximately 7.5 MPG. However, I'm not trying to win a race in either case. Good luck and be safe out there!!

John
2016 Newmar Canyon Star - 3903
Army Retired
Tucson, AZ

[mbmcsapman]

Originally Posted by RVJeeper18

We are looking to upgrade from our current Class C to an A. For a multitude of reasons we are going to stay around the 32' range and have been looking at the models that are are on the Ford F53 Chassis with the 3 valve V-10 gas engine, for example the Forest River FR3 - 30DS. Brings up a couple questions for those of you that have experience with these rigs.

1. Does the V-10 have enough power to manage the heavier class A, especially when pulling a trailer? Our current V-10 Class C handles our Jeep on a trailer just fine - Curious how the A with 4K pounds of extra weight gets along?

2. Is the gas mileage any worse than what I get now?

3. Any other issues to consider with rig?

Any info/advice appreciated!

we have 2017 RIVER GEORGETOWN GT3, THIS HAS THE V-10 AND SAME CHASSIS. WE WENT FROM PA TO SC AND GOT ABOUT 10-13 MILE PER GAL. WE WERE NOT TOWING ANYTHING. SEEMS LIKE IT HAS GOOD POWER.
PROBLEMS I HAVE IS DOWN GRADES, TRANS DOWN SHIFTS AND TAC PINS. I TALKED WITH FORD ABOUT THE PROBLEM.
I WAS AN AUTO TECH FOR MANY YEARS, I AM UPSET, THE EXHAUST PIPE TURNS BLACK. THAT SHOWS IT IS RUNNING TO RICH. I THINK THAT IS WHY IT IS HARD ON GAS.

[Chris Hayes3]

Adding suspension upgrades to a F53 are in my opinion a must. I have a 2019 Entegra Vision 26X. Basically a Jayco with a different front and nicer interior materials. After driving it home from the dealership it became very clear that some upgrades were not only a must to have, they were needed quickly. I settled on the upgraded Roadmaster front Sway Bar, an additional Rear sway bar, and the Roadmaster steering stabilizer. The steering stabilized makes the steering much heavier, but not overly so. You really only notice it at parking speeds, i actually like it better. On the road it takes a lot of the wander out of the journey down the freeway. The front sway bar upgrade was better than the original especially over drainage dips in local intersections. The rear sway bar addition made a huge difference. It tracks down the freeway so much more securely. Passing trucks was so much less drama. I did the install on the front myself, both were very easy. The rear was not so easy as on my chassis, the 16,000lb, you have to raise the rear of the coach and extend the suspension to access the bolts you have to remove then reinstall with the sway bar brackets. I decided to have a local shop do it, and for $170 installation it was well worth it.
The F53 chassis is very agricultural, it's an old design. You then add the current trend of high ceilings and wide cabins and especially a short class A like mine, 28ft, you can have a top heavy unit. The older motorhomes that were slightly narrower, and shorter in height, but longer in length, may not suffer quite so much.
The current V-10 and 6 speed trans are a big improvement from the older versions. The 3 valve engine has lower HP now but higher torque, combine this with the 6 speed trans and it works very well. I have driven the older combinations and there is a big difference. Again because mine is a shorter class A the rear axil gearing is higher. At 65 i am doing around 1,900 RPM. On grades it drops down a couple of gears into 4th, but i am still doing 60 at under 3,000 RPM. At cruise around 2,000 RPM the engine is almost silent. On the hills as RPM's increase so does the noise levels.
It amazes me that Ford have done so little to modernize this chassis. It's the only Gas chassis for motorhomes. Combine all its other uses and i would think there was enough volume to justify some work.

Chris

[Quickuc]

I agree with Twinboat, also consider the A class is taller and wind issues. A plus is the turning is better on better on an A class.

[Jimco]

I haven't looked to see if it's posted here elsewhere, but if you're planning to buy new I'd suggest you forget about anything V10 and wait for the new 7.3L gasser.


I'm a die hard Ford guy but somehow ended up with a Workhorse. I do have V10's under the hood of some Super Duty trucks because they work better for me than the diesel.


The 7.3L is going to change so many things soon. I wouldn't be surprised if Ford uses it as a vehicle to update their Class A chassis, though the whole motorhome sentiment will be behind the 2020 Super Duty release.

[m.elliott63]

Originally Posted by jharrell

Easily remedied as I did on my Winnie : https://www.amazon.com/Elkhart-LPT30...DQBR2REQS0MTC5

Some people do prefer the simplicity of no transfer switch though.

I did the same on my P37 Chevy 98 National Seabreeze. I also added an inverter so I had to install 2 of the exact same transfer switches. Works like a charm.