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Old 01-24-2015, 07:34 PM   #1
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Cross Wind Takeoffs Bounder 33W

I'm new to the RV scene with my archaic 89 Bounder. 454 purrs like a kitten, but the rig is terrible in crosswinds. I use to fly for a living, but still didn't have to deal with crosswinds for eight hours a day. smile. Anyway, I intend to do a little tightening up on the front suspension, but was wondering what other suggestions you might have on this subject?
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Old 01-25-2015, 07:13 AM   #2
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Blue ox true center will help. Sometimes the shorter units have a little more difficulty in cross winds.
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Old 01-25-2015, 07:22 AM   #3
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I had a Blue Ox True Center on my previous coach and it was just OK. I now have Safe T Plus steering damper with the optional Air Trim unit and it works great. Driving in a crosswind, I turn the wheel into the wind and then push the trim button. All the load is taken off the steering wheel and I'm now driving one handed. I labeled the switch "Yaw Damper" because that's pretty much what it does..
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Old 01-25-2015, 03:32 PM   #4
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Auto rudder off? Sorry,,, couldn't resist
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Old 01-25-2015, 04:07 PM   #5
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If you are describing side-to-side rear SWAY on a front engine gas RV, the most effective accessory is a Track Bar (Panhard bar). Leaf spring rear suspension and worn shackles are the root cause of rear sway on these rigs while add-on steering accessories are more like fine tuning. There is a lot of good discussion here about different handling issues. Use SEARCH to find and read these.

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Originally Posted by searchinferu View Post
I'm new to the RV scene with my archaic 89 Bounder. 454 purrs like a kitten, but the rig is terrible in crosswinds. I use to fly for a living, but still didn't have to deal with crosswinds for eight hours a day. smile. Anyway, I intend to do a little tightening up on the front suspension, but was wondering what other suggestions you might have on this subject?
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Old 01-26-2015, 01:46 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by searchinferu View Post
I'm new to the RV scene with my archaic 89 Bounder. 454 purrs like a kitten, but the rig is terrible in crosswinds. I use to fly for a living, but still didn't have to deal with crosswinds for eight hours a day. smile. Anyway, I intend to do a little tightening up on the front suspension, but was wondering what other suggestions you might have on this subject?
S'matter, Searchin, doancha like dancing on the controls?

Heck, cross-wind takeoffs are easy. The landings are a bit tougher. Especially in a motorhome.
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Old 01-26-2015, 02:39 PM   #7
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Robert Henderson, the owner of Henderson's Line-Up Brake & RV Inc. is the guru of the older P30/32 chassis. He still drives a 94 P chassis. Seek advice from Robert.

Richard
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Old 01-26-2015, 02:56 PM   #8
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When we first purchased our 1985 Airstream 345 it was almost undriveable in any cross wind. What I did was have the rear shocks replaced and it was like a miracle.

One shock mount was even broken from the frame.
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Old 01-27-2015, 01:21 PM   #9
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We bought our new to us '03 Bounder 35R last summer. We added the Safe-T-Plus and new shocks and she handled a lot better than before these additions. The shocks on our rig were the originals.
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Old 01-27-2015, 01:25 PM   #10
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Thanks George, I'll see if the springs can be rebushed, consider new shocks, and if all else fails, just drive at night. The wind tends to go down then and its also harder to see when you cross the white lines!
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Old 02-05-2015, 06:20 AM   #11
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On my 99 Georgie Boy P-32 chassis the trick was to add a Blue-Ox Tiger Trac to the rear, and Safe-T-Plus for the steering. I then added a Henderson Line-Up bell crank and replaced the front airbags with their coil springs. Lastly I installed Koni FSDs shocks all around.

It sounds like a lot I know, but if I had to to it again I would start with the Tiger Trac, and take it from there.

Good luck!
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Old 02-09-2015, 10:48 AM   #12
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Any of the steer dampener/trim products with driver adjustable setting will give you the "rudder trim" effect just don't forget there is no "heading hold" so the road and wind variations have to be watched. At least it's easier than needle/ball/airspeed.
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Old 02-09-2015, 02:26 PM   #13
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Thanks for all the input folks. I will have to wait for warmer weather to crawl underneath and see what is already there. I did find out it has air bags, so they probably haven't been aired up in some time. Not sure what the actual chassis height is suppose to be, but perhaps start out with 75 pounds and go from there....assuming they will hold air.


If I don't find a track bar installed, I think I will put one in. Not sure about those rudder trim devices. Will scratch my head about those a bit longer I think.
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