Community Forums

al2ride · 06-22-2014, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerichorick

My turn to report on the TruCenter. This sums it up

.

We are in Utah today. We left Prescott, AZ this morning on our first test of the TruCenter. Just south of Page, AZ we were hit with a heavy burst of wind that shook the coach like a toy. I had no trouble keeping control and staying within my lane.

I agree with al2ride about the first impression. Turning seemed a bit harder but became unnoticeable when I became used to it. We had heavy cross most of the trip and the direction would change without warning. The TruCenter could be readjusted by a tap of my foot on the switch. I felt the pull go away and ease of steering return at each adjustment. I didn't realize how strong the wind was until I stopped to check the tie downs of the car. The door was almost ripped out of my hand!

Couldn't feel this on the wheel. I am tired now, at the end of a 360+ mile day, but not near as bad as I would have felt without this steering aid.

all the way. Easy to install and use. (I just wish the price would come down for those who can't find a "deal" like I did.) I think it would be a good feature to have as standard equipment from the factory. (Are you Listing Winnebago?)

I now have an issue related to the steering wheel. For some reason it is not horizontal when steering straight. I need to correct this at the end of this trip.

Rick Y

Good to hear Rick. During one of the legs where the winds were buffeting the coach, I press the button and it became apparent that the stabilizer was a big help.

I developed an intermittent subtle crack that appears to be coming from suspension while driving at slow speed as the coach rocks. Kind of sounds like rusty leaf springs. I'm going to retorque everything when we get to FL.

al2ride · 06-22-2014, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumps

OK ... jerichorick and al2ride! You've sold me! I just ordered my TruCenter! \ken

jerichorick · 06-23-2014, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumps

OK ... jerichorick and al2ride! You've sold me! I just ordered my TruCenter! \ken

I hope Blue Ox appreciates this free advertizing and gives you a price break.

jerichorick · 06-23-2014, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by al2ride

Good to hear Rick. During one of the legs where the winds were buffeting the coach, I press the button and it became apparent that the stabilizer was a big help.

I developed an intermittent subtle crack that appears to be coming from suspension while driving at slow speed as the coach rocks. Kind of sounds like rusty leaf springs. I'm going to retorque everything when we get to FL.

Or, maybe, it is rusty leaf springs?

I have been using CRC Power Lube with PTFE (Teflon) on just about anything that moves on my coach. Never thought to try it on suspension parts. I doubt it would hurt bushings and springs. You might consider this stuff. Drives out water and breaks rust to boot!

al2ride · 06-23-2014, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerichorick

I hope Blue Ox appreciates this free advertizing and gives you a price break.

Are you listening Blue Ox? Sooner or later I'm going to need one of your towbars and baseplates!

I call it how it is. If it was junk, like my TST TPMS, I make sure the word gets out.

al2ride · 06-23-2014, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerichorick

Or, maybe, it is rusty leaf springs?

I have been using CRC Power Lube with PTFE (Teflon) on just about anything that moves on my coach. Never thought to try it on suspension parts. I doubt it would hurt bushings and springs. You might consider this stuff. Drives out water and breaks rust to boot!

Could be. I need to get under and look. The only thing that has changed is the added plate to the leaf spring ubolts. I torqued the two nuts to 260 lbs. The TruCenter installation instructions did not have the torque value for them. I ended up finding it on the internet...and you know if it's on internet it's ture.

jerichorick · 06-25-2014, 06:06 PM

We were on I-84 in Idaho today and hit some road that had a very weird slope in the passing lain that the TruCenter did not help with. Well, I could feel some adverse pulling but, all things considered, I am glad I had it. I would probably have Hulk biceps now if I didn't have whatever the TruCenter contributed.

The total trip today was from Snowville, UT, up I-15 to I-84 west for a total of around 400 miles. As you can imagine we encountered a variety of road conditions. Overall I am still pleased with this device. Yesterday we had a blowout on the tow dolly. Never felt it on the wheel. The sound telegraphed through the chassis and I responded to that dreaded sound of a door slamming. Not a good sound a 65 mph.

johnandcaren · 06-26-2014, 08:41 AM

We have a 39 ft on a 24,000 lb chassis. Its max actual weight is about 23,000 so its pushing the limits. And it gas so just old fashion springs, no upscale air bags.

The handling was so bad new it "felt" dangerous. Side to side roll on turns and wind effects was bad. Bounced quite a bit even though it had the "great" Bilstein shocks on it (I believe aftermarket Bilsteins must be better than factory ones as too many people like them). And wind pushed me around a lot that required steering wheel attention to keep it in the lane.

First: Installed hydraulic Koni FSD shocks. This was shocking improvement, but no help with wind or tracking. But felt much better control as it just "moved" around less. Less roll on turns, less "mushy".

Second: Installed front trac bar. This was easy and made giant improvement is steering control. Feel like I fixed the problem. I considered safety steer units but after the trac it just wasn't needed. And much less cost.

Lastly: Installed a rear trac bar and a rear sway bar. The trac bar took maybe 2 hours to install myself. The rear sway bar took at least 8 hours myself - perhaps just due to my particular coach. Others may be easier. Be SURE you have a great, strong air impact to do the sway bar. Not necessary for trac bars. Be patient. Be very safe under there. And check for gas / electrical lines BEFORE you drill.

Overall: Improvement is surprising. Went from "dangerous" to "comfortable". We drove on a very windy day over the bridge at the Mississippi at Memphis and if you've done that you know it feels like your a mile up in the air. Did just fine.

Good luck

Bumps · 07-03-2014, 07:39 PM

Quote:

OK ... jerichorick and al2ride! You've sold me! I just ordered my TruCenter! \ken

Bad news: <SIGH> My TruCenter arrived last week and it was pretty easy to determine that there was no way it would work on my motorhome. Turns out they can't fit one to my coach if it has the independent front suspension option. <SIGH>

I gotta tell you, though, the Blue Ox Customer Support Team was eager to help and even went out of their way to consult with their engineers to see if there could be a custom application designed for me. Alas, not. But I do appreciate the help.

\ken

al2ride · 07-04-2014, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumps

Bad news: <SIGH> My TruCenter arrived last week and it was pretty easy to determine that there was no way it would work on my motorhome. Turns out they can't fit one to my coach if it has the independent front suspension option. <SIGH>

I gotta tell you, though, the Blue Ox Customer Support Team was eager to help and even went out of their way to consult with their engineers to see if there could be a custom application designed for me. Alas, not. But I do appreciate the help.

\ken

Sorry to hear that. Have you considered something like the Steer Safe?

jerichorick · 07-04-2014, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by al2ride

Sorry to hear that. Have you considered something like the Steer Safe?

Sorry it didn't work out for you, Ken. The IFS is a problem to be certain. I am not certain if SteerSafe will work on it.

I had a front right tire blow on my '05 Vectra with IFS. Had no trouble controlling it to a safe stop. But the cross wind problem was a notable nuisance for all the years I had the coach. I hope you can find a product to fit your rig and as good as the TruCenter. Keep us posted. I am glad to hear that Blue-Ox was so willing to help.

Rick Y

Dutch Star Don · 07-04-2014, 12:25 PM

"NettieRegina"......at first glance, I would say that you are running your tires with too much air. You have a small light coach with 22.5 tires and they shouldn't require that much air to meet the weight per tire. My 36' Diplomat only took 105 psi in the front and my 40' Dutch Star only takes 110 psi. I know tires are different, but I suspect that you're running at least 10 psi too much in your tires. Your ride and handling will deteriorate substantially if you're running that much over on air pressure.

Your coach is also very short and will want to wander. It just doesn't have a long enough wheelbase. Sometimes the alignment has to be "toed in" a little to keep it tracking straight.

I added the Safe -T- Plus to my Diplomat and hated it. It required more steering input and really didn't do anything. It's human nature for people who spend a lot of money on a product to give it a good review. I sold it for half of what I paid and went with the TruCenter.

The TruCenter was a great product. It won't necessarily correct your wandering, but it's great if you USE your RV a lot and drive in windy areas. We live in Southern California and almost any direction that we head out of town takes us through the desert with lots of wind. It also corrects for road crown.

Winds and road crown can change frequently, but after a few miles of driving with the TruCenter, it becomes second nature to push the switch and make a correction. I didn't like the archaic, huge, old style push button that came with the TruCenter and just bout a momentary switch that matched my other dash switches and used that for controlling the unit. I never thought about using the push button supplied as a foot switch, but for me, that wouldn't be my first choice. I mounted my momentary switch in a position that I could reach and operate it without looking.

The TruCenter is in principal similar to the Newmar Comfort Drive. The object of both is to correct for wind and road crown. The big difference is the Comfort Drive does it automatically and lets you adjust steering resistance.

Lastly, the TruCenter is an expensive upgrade that you will love, but won't necessarily resolve your issue. I would look elsewhere for solutions, but if you have the extra cash, the TruCenter is nice.

Oraton8 · 07-04-2014, 12:36 PM

Can anyone advise this rookie RV person what a CHF is. I'm sorry if I'm not in the right area but I'm still trying to figure out this website... Thank you

chboone · 07-04-2014, 02:29 PM

Oraton8,
The CHF is for the Ford F53 chassis 1999 and later only. It is an easy modification to the sway bar links that is free if you do it yourself and improves the control of sway. If you have a couple of days your not doing anything with you can read about it here.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/cheap...fix-72335.html

Chuck