Community Forums

Lexi2007 · 06-13-2014, 07:12 AM

I was thrilled to see this site. We took delivery of our 2007 Forest River Lexington yesterday and cannot wait to give her a try. The person who did our walk-around was awesome and we began adding a whole new classification of words to our vocabulary, such as dry camping, shore power and so on.

I drove the vehicle the 60 miles from the dealership home and noticed only one thing that concerned me. The truck has new-looking tires and only 26,000 miles but has about 2" play in the steering wheel. Does this sound normal or something we need to have looked at.

Admin,If this isn't the correct forum for this question, please feel free to move it.

Regards,
Lexi's Mom

Pepper2 · 06-13-2014, 07:49 AM

Welcome! I would check it out. There should be no play.

wincrasher · 06-13-2014, 09:01 PM

Welcome. Your Lexington is considered a C by most forum people - so please post your questions in there you might get some good responses.

As a 2007 model, you may be due for new tires. 8 years old is the max recommended, some say 6 years, regardless of mileage. Check the date codes on your tires, as sometimes the chassis can sit around a couple years before someone actually builds a motorhome on it.

As far as the play, no excessive play is not normal. But searching on the forums, you'll find plenty of references to handling fixes and other steering and front suspension issues on the Ford chassis. None of it is something to worry about, but there is a lot of info out there.

Good luck!

Lexi2007 · 06-14-2014, 08:05 AM

Thanks, all. Yes we plan to check the age of the tires as we are aware of the aging issues.

Oddly this was categorized as a Class B but I thought it was a Class C. I will definitely review that group to see what I can learn.

Also will take the truck into an RV service center and have them take a look at it. I understood that it would not drive as tightly as my 2012 F-150 but was surprised at the amount of play in the wheel.

Again, thanks.

Lexi's Mom

Lexi2007 · 06-15-2014, 08:33 AM

My hunny and I spent a lot of time exploring the MH and one thing we discovered was the dealership had topped off the fresh water tank. In reading other forums, a lot of folks suggested traveling nearly empty and filling with fresh water at the destination.

It occurred to me that perhaps all that additional weight in the fresh water tank might have contributed to what I considered excessive play in steering and sway in general?

BTW, Happy Father's Day to all.

Regards,
Lexi's Mom

Pepper2 · 06-15-2014, 12:12 PM

Having a full tank would not cause a 2" play in the steering wheel. You should have that checked. The swaying can be from road surface,tire pressure, worn bushings, shocks or a combination of all. But MH's do not handle like cars, they are affected by winds and other vehicles around you. And thank you for the Fathers Day wish!

wincrasher · 06-16-2014, 04:30 PM

You can read up plenty about sway in motorhomes on this forum.

Most likely, it's because your Lexington has a large rear overhang - that is, a good portion of the length of the motorhome is behind the rear axle.

Actually, if your water tank is in the center of the coach, near the front, filling it and adding all that weight (around 8 pounds per gallon) will make your coach MORE stable and reduce the sway a bit. Keep that in mind when you are loading all your stuff - more weight in the rear of the coach (behind the rear axle) will add to the poor handling characteristics.

There are also things that can be done to stabilize the front end - search on "cheap handling fix" and read up. But first, have a shop inspect the front end for any damage to the steering or front suspension. If high mileage, check for worn bushings.

Another thing that adds to stability is the ratio of length to wheelbase. Anything over 52% is probably decent handling - provided the rear overhang is not excessive. So take wheelbase/total length to get this ratio. Nothing you can really do about this at this point, but if you are below 52%, there is not a lot that can be done to improve the handling, except for fixing any broken or worn parts.

Good luck!

ZOOKER · 06-16-2014, 04:52 PM

Check the sidewall of the tire near the rim and look for an elongated oval that has d.o.t . (Dept of transportation)and the numbers that follow. It is dated by week and year. As in 0214 would be 2nd week of 2014 Don't count on tread or what the sellers says at about 6 years you need new tires.