Community Forums

Bob RV · 12-01-2005, 02:28 PM

Does anyone have any opinion on different sway bars to help the handling on a w22 chassis, and is it worth the investment?

Bob RV · 12-01-2005, 02:28 PM

Does anyone have any opinion on different sway bars to help the handling on a w22 chassis, and is it worth the investment?

Ultra RV Products · 12-01-2005, 04:45 PM

Bob,

We use IPD/Roadmaster sway bars on the w-series.These mount solidly to the frame with heavy duty brackets,thus eliminating any extra deflection.Hellwig makes bars for this also but the mounts appear cheaper.They clamp to the frame as apposed to being bolted.

DriVer · 12-01-2005, 05:00 PM

Bob can you please describe the problems that you're having?

Bob RV · 12-03-2005, 04:24 AM

DriVer, Im not having any problem but the 35a is a heavy coach to begin with I was just looking for a way to eliminate some of the minor side to side sway.

TXiceman · 12-03-2005, 06:24 AM

Bob, while we have not had a Workhorse chassis, we did have a 31' class C which is a large heavy box on the Ford chassis. The coach did want to rock or sway from side to side. WHat it took to setle it down was IPD front and rear antiroll bars and Bilstein shocks. The antiroll bar is a torsion type bar attaching the frame to the axle. Any time the chassis tries to roll or lean, the antiroll bar opposes the roll and lessens the roll tendensy. The heavy duty shocks will dampen the oscillations so that it will not continue to roll back and forth.

You can get on IPD site HERE.

Ken

DriVer · 12-03-2005, 06:56 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob RV:
I was just looking for a way to eliminate some of the minor side to side sway. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Bob RV, OK just one more question before a solution can be recommended there's is a big difference between rocking and swaying. Once has to do with yaw (fish tailing) and the other with roll (rocking). Which of these two motions best describes your problem?

There's one more axis which is pitch and this is best described as porpoising. I don't believe this is the problem as you're describing it.

When exactly do you experience the minor side to side sway that you wrote about?

Bob RV · 12-03-2005, 12:43 PM

DriVer, the sway is a side to side motion and a push when going in to a turn, porpoising is not realy a problem unless the road conditions are bad then all i have to do is slow down till it stops.

DriVer · 12-03-2005, 04:00 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob RV:
DriVer, the sway is a side to side motion and a push when going in to a turn. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Bob, First of all I would rule out front end alignment and tire pressures as a possible source for the directional control.

FEA good to go, I can feel safe in recommending that you consider installing a device called a track bar. Several manufacturers make one and Henderson I believe is leading the pack with the number of track bars they have installed on motorhomes.

A set of dialed-in shock absorbers may also help but I would try one component at a time, evaluate it and then decide if additional control (expense) is required.

This past week I took a test drive in a 2005 38J on a W-24. This motorhome tracked very well and didn't present any problems that I would want to address with additional hardware.

IWLTRV2 · 12-04-2005, 03:24 AM

The IPD/roadmaster "sway" bars are actually tracking bars. To minimize side to side sway, you need to increase the "anti-roll" stiffness. I have seen a thicker sway bar with Bilstein shocks on the Workhorse aftermarket site, but this only helps for cases prior to the these being fitted in regular production. The other alternative is the Stabil-air suspension - this is expensive and it seems a lot of the cost is attributed to the horizon levelling. Maybe Workhorse Aftermarket can give us something without the horizon levelling, at a cheaper price?

Mr Near Purrrfic · 12-04-2005, 04:36 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Bob,

We use IPD/Roadmaster sway bars on the w-series.These mount solidly to the frame with heavy duty brackets,thus eliminating any extra deflection.Hellwig makes bars for this also but the mounts appear cheaper.They clamp to the frame as apposed to being bolted. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

This statement is not entirely true....Hellwig does make sway bars and trac bars for the W-22. I have mounted Hellwig sway bars front and rear along with the trac bar on the front....all componets are bolted on with the eception of the trac bar mount where it is attached to the frame. It is clamped at that point....at DriVer's suggestion i installed the monroe shocks front and rear and i am very happy with the results....all for just under eight hundred dollars....try JC Wittney for most of the componets.

Ultra RV Products · 12-04-2005, 11:46 AM

Ipd/Roadmaster anti sway bar are exactly that ANTI-SWAY bars.They also manufacture the Davis Tru-trac bars,but IPD anti sway bars is what I was reffering to.Workhorse does offer large bars that tie the leaf springs together,but we have seen you need to control sway by connecting the axle to the frome using an anti sway bar.This helps out Workhorses idea tremendously.They designed their bar to eliminate some spring deflection,in turns.IPd bars are installed by drilling holes & mounting them SOLIDLY to the frame & are made of high strenth heat treated steel.Now the original complaint was minor sway,for the I would install the 90 series Koni shocks.This would be the most VALUE for you dollar.Workhorse makes an awesome product,but everyone's tastes are different,that is why the Aftermarket is here.

Mike
D-max hot rod 455HP/902TQ

TXiceman · 12-04-2005, 01:47 PM

Actually the term I learned for them was anti-roll bars since they keep the body from rolling from side to side.

The shock will not add much value to stopping the sway or roll. Shocks will dampen a movement, but the anti-roll bars will provide the stiffness to resist the rolling tendency.

Ken

DriVer · 12-04-2005, 02:11 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BRAZELSRV:
Ipd/Roadmaster anti sway bar are exactly that ANTI-SWAY bars. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I saw this setup under a Winnebago Chieftain when I was recently in Orlando and I gotta say, I'm impressed! The IPD anti-sway bar is one heck of a piece of steel!

The Workhorse anti-roll bar reminds me most of a Dodge torsion bar suspension where one end of the bar becomes positively torqued up the opposite end of the bar becomes equally negative torqued and this moment wants to level the coach.

The anti roll bar is very quick to react to these forces given the short span of the bar. In 2004 all Workhorse W-Series chassis were fitted with a 2.5" front bar and this greatly improved the performance of the chassis.