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06-24-2014, 09:25 PM
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#2325
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lowell, Arkansas
Posts: 7,301
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Which bushings??? If your unit is older than a 2012 chassis and you are talking about the sway bar bushing then YES. Change to the poly bushings. If your stock bushing are still OK they will sooner or later fail. The stock rubber is not as good as the POLY. If your unit is a 2012 or newer you already have poly sway bar bushings from the factory.
If you are talking about the bushing on the links they are already poly and will be good.
Making the links longer is not absolutely necessary. If if makes you feel better to have the sway bar close to level like I did then lengthen them. I simply had them extended by cutting the link rod in the middle and put 1/2" black pipe in the middle and extended them. The black pipe runs the entire length of the link. They look like stock. I paid a welder $45 to do the welding for me. The bushing can be pressed out then replaced after the welds cool off.
My extended links look as good as the lower one in post #2310.
TeJay
__________________
TeJay Auto Instructor/4-yrs USAF/ Liz: RN/ WBGO 2014 Vista 30T/ F-53/CHF/5-Star/Koni * Bella & Izzy * Golden /Cocker mix/ Louie The Cat* All Retired
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06-26-2014, 09:01 AM
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#2326
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Member
Newmar Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 34
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I have to "pile on" with my positive experience with the CHF. First let me thank all those who brought this idea to light and supported it for so long and for those who endorsed it. We bought our Itasca Sunova 35G coach new about a year ago. We've put almost 14000 miles on it and have enjoyed it, but the steering was always a challenge and a source of irritation and tension. I read this thread with guarded optimism and made the mod myself on the front only. We've just come back from a 400 mile trip after making the mod and wow; remember the Alka Selzer commercial "plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is!" That's how I feel. Will do the mod to the rear, or have it done, it looks more challenging. Thanks again to all those involved. Now this is "news you can use."
__________________
Jerry and Linda, retired June 2013, full timers
2017 DSDP 4369 with 2011 GMC Terrain toad
Blue Ox, Brake Buddy
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06-26-2014, 12:16 PM
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#2327
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Southern Ohio
Posts: 793
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Thanks for the input. Always good to hear from people pleased with my Genius Invention.
You will see that the improvement after you do the rear will not be as dramatic as the front. Still worth the effort though. Don't forget to check the rear bushings. Many CHFers have found them to be trashed.
John McKinley
Genius Inventor, Cheap Handling Fix
__________________
John McKinley
2007 Damon 3060-Ford 16k, Ford C-Max Toad, Ford Ranger Toad, Kawasaki VX300 Versys Motorcycle
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06-27-2014, 07:34 AM
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#2328
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Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TeJay
Which bushings??? If your unit is older than a 2012 chassis and you are talking about the sway bar bushing then YES. Change to the poly bushings. If your stock bushing are still OK they will sooner or later fail. The stock rubber is not as good as the POLY. If your unit is a 2012 or newer you already have poly sway bar bushings from the factory.
If you are talking about the bushing on the links they are already poly and will be good.
Making the links longer is not absolutely necessary. If if makes you feel better to have the sway bar close to level like I did then lengthen them. I simply had them extended by cutting the link rod in the middle and put 1/2" black pipe in the middle and extended them. The black pipe runs the entire length of the link. They look like stock. I paid a welder $45 to do the welding for me. The bushing can be pressed out then replaced after the welds cool off.
My extended links look as good as the lower one in post #2310.
TeJay
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TeJay,
My rig is 2015 the F53 VIN show it as a 2014 chassis. The links look like blue poly. The ones on the swaybar look like black rubber.
I did the CHF on both front and rear. I think I may just wait until the bushing wear out.
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06-27-2014, 08:14 AM
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#2329
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lowell, Arkansas
Posts: 7,301
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snoodledog,
Those sway bar bushing are black poly so they should last a lot longer than the previous rubber bushings. They only went to the black poly on the 2012 chassis.
TeJay
__________________
TeJay Auto Instructor/4-yrs USAF/ Liz: RN/ WBGO 2014 Vista 30T/ F-53/CHF/5-Star/Koni * Bella & Izzy * Golden /Cocker mix/ Louie The Cat* All Retired
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06-28-2014, 09:22 AM
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#2330
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Registered User
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 126
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2014 37f
Hello all and thanks in advance for your help. I recently traded a 2012 Georgetown 378 for a 2014 Adventurer 37F . I had read about the CHF after buying the Georgetown and made the mod with great results. I could easily drive 1 handed although it did have the 22K chassis. Made the change on the front end of my Adventurer when I had the unit aligned recently. I just got back this week from a 2000 mile trip to NH and it was a battle all the way with constant sawing of the steering wheel.
Unit has been recently aligned and tire pressures are spot on.
Here is my question(s)
The Adventurer is a 24K chassis. Does making the rear change have that much of an effect on swaying? I always thought that the front was much more responsible for sway.
What did other owners of the 24K F-53 do to stabilize their rigs?
Did any other 24K chassis owners only do the front change, then follow up with the rear and found a noticeable change?
Ray
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06-28-2014, 09:55 AM
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#2331
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: The Land Of Oz RVM17
Posts: 1,592
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raycyn778
Hello all and thanks in advance for your help. I recently traded a 2012 Georgetown 378 for a 2014 Adventurer 37F . I had read about the CHF after buying the Georgetown and made the mod with great results. I could easily drive 1 handed although it did have the 22K chassis. Made the change on the front end of my Adventurer when I had the unit aligned recently. I just got back this week from a 2000 mile trip to NH and it was a battle all the way with constant sawing of the steering wheel.
Unit has been recently aligned and tire pressures are spot on.
Here is my question(s)
The Adventurer is a 24K chassis. Does making the rear change have that much of an effect on swaying? I always thought that the front was much more responsible for sway.
What did other owners of the 24K F-53 do to stabilize their rigs?
Did any other 24K chassis owners only do the front change, then follow up with the rear and found a noticeable change?
Ray
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I think doing the rear is just as beneficial as the front. More weight on the rear axle and actually more sway to control. I did mine both at the same time. Rear is actually easier then the front. To control the tail waggin the dog syndrome, which is what you are fighting, you need a rear trac bar. Put one on ours and it fixed that problem. It is not related to sway. I don't even need a safety steer or anything on the steering components now. You rig must ride like a lumber wagon, if you still have the junk factory Bilstein shocks. Put on a set of Koni FSDs and you should be good to go. Along with the rear CHF and a rear trac bar. FYI ours is the 20,500 chassis. Don't forget the five star tune, for much better shifting, more power, and eliminates the 5,000 rpm downshifts. Worth every penny and then some.
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06-28-2014, 12:02 PM
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#2332
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Registered User
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 126
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KSCRUDE
I think doing the rear is just as beneficial as the front. More weight on the rear axle and actually more sway to control. I did mine both at the same time. Rear is actually easier then the front. To control the tail waggin the dog syndrome, which is what you are fighting, you need a rear trac bar. Put one on ours and it fixed that problem. It is not related to sway. I don't even need a safety steer or anything on the steering components now. You rig must ride like a lumber wagon, if you still have the junk factory Bilstein shocks. Put on a set of Koni FSDs and you should be good to go. Along with the rear CHF and a rear trac bar. FYI ours is the 20,500 chassis. Don't forget the five star tune, for much better shifting, more power, and eliminates the 5,000 rpm downshifts. Worth every penny and then some.
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Don, thanks, please tell me more about the five star tune. That phrase is new to me. You are right about the rear weight..not only that but it overhangs about 11 feet as well. You really think it is a tracking problem?? Also, first that I hear about the original shocks being junk..would a change make that much difference to the sway issue I have??
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06-28-2014, 04:51 PM
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#2333
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: The Land Of Oz RVM17
Posts: 1,592
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raycyn778
Don, thanks, please tell me more about the five star tune. That phrase is new to me. You are right about the rear weight..not only that but it overhangs about 11 feet as well. You really think it is a tracking problem?? Also, first that I hear about the original shocks being junk..would a change make that much difference to the sway issue I have??
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The Koni shocks will do wonders for you ride. Ours rode terrible when new. I read about Koni shocks on irv2 so I put a set on at 700 miles. Like night and day. Everybody seems to love them on the F53. Go to the ford chassis site on here and look up the thread, Five Star Tune, should I just do it and get it over with. You can read all about it. Very popular item for the V10 crowd. You coach came with a front trac bar, thank god. But with the long overhang on these rigs you get a lot of wiggle from the rear. Called tail waggin the dog syndrome. I think if you put on a rear trac bar, your handling problems will be over. Mine were. And for the 30 minutes it takes to do the rear CHF, might as well get it over with also. I just made a post on the 5 Star Tune thread to put it back to the top of the page here on the Ford chassis site.
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06-29-2014, 09:04 AM
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#2334
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Registered User
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 126
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Thanks, read up on the 5-star tuning. very interesting but after having done over 2000 miles last week, I did not have the issues that people say they resolved with the tuning. I will keep it in mind for the future though... Tell me about installing a rear trac bar. What problems were you trying to resolve with it? I just completed the rear CHF this morning and will be testing it out on a camping trip this weekend. I am still anticipating serious sway. Funny, when I did the CHF on my 2012 Georgetown, the improvement was dramatic..not so much with the Adventurer..really did not notice any change. The Georgetown had a 22K chassis though, not the 24K like the Adventurer but the wheelbase was the same.
Ray
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06-29-2014, 06:17 PM
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#2335
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Upper Michigan
Posts: 30
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I finished the CHF on my 2013 32ca Tiffin Allegro today. Did the front fix a couple of days ago but didn't have the proper metric sockets so went to Sears and bought a set. The front fix went without a hitch other than having to use the bottle jack,to raise the bar enough so the rear holes would line up. Had to do very little adjustment to make this happen. Finished the rear ones today. Went so much smoother having the correct metric sockets. The rear in my opinion was easier than the front. I had to move the sway bar up an inch or so to realign the bolts in the new position of the brackets. I did have to unloosen the top nut on the arm so it would swing back enough to realign with the new position on the brackets. Other than that, I used the bottle jack again to position the drivers side. Once the passenger side was in place the sway bar was a little stiff with the bolt in that bracket. The drivers side took very little adjustment to get the bolt back in the repositioned bracket. On a difficulty scale of 1-10 I'd give this project a 3 and that is with my very limited mechanical skills. I did study the forum and pictures very throughly before I attempted this fix. I have to drive it now to see if I can tell any difference. The only previous driving experience I've had with this motorhome was from Florida (where I purchased it) to the trip to Michigan (where I live.) so my previous experience with before the fix was 1650 miles of driving. Hope I can tell the difference. Thanks Irv2 forum for this info.
__________________
2013 Tiffin Allegro Open Road 32CA
Tow-2014 Chev Sonic
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06-30-2014, 07:29 AM
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#2336
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lowell, Arkansas
Posts: 7,301
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Ray,
I approached these suspension/steering upgrades this way. Coaches vary so much in length,weight, overhang, tires, shocks, loading, aerodynamics, age, chassis, anti sway bars (& bushings) and leaf springs condition. Perhaps the most important is the drivers experience and impression of how the coach handles/rides.
Each change, improvement or added gizmo will most likely make some handling/ride improvements but how much will vary from coach to coach. I look at it this way. If I perform the CHF and see a 30% improvement in sway control and the next guy only sees a 20% improvement so what? We both realized some positive results. If I install Koni shocks and the next uses Bilsteins and we both say, "WOW that's great". So what. We both noticed an improvement. Because of all the variables that's the only common sense way (IMHO) to approach these changes.
My words of caution are simply this. It's unwise to expect the same results with an improvement somebody else reported. Your results could be the same maybe better or maybe not.
TeJay
__________________
TeJay Auto Instructor/4-yrs USAF/ Liz: RN/ WBGO 2014 Vista 30T/ F-53/CHF/5-Star/Koni * Bella & Izzy * Golden /Cocker mix/ Louie The Cat* All Retired
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07-01-2014, 05:37 PM
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#2337
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Registered User
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 126
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TeJay
Ray,
I approached these suspension/steering upgrades this way. Coaches vary so much in length,weight, overhang, tires, shocks, loading, aerodynamics, age, chassis, anti sway bars (& bushings) and leaf springs condition. Perhaps the most important is the drivers experience and impression of how the coach handles/rides.
Each change, improvement or added gizmo will most likely make some handling/ride improvements but how much will vary from coach to coach. I look at it this way. If I perform the CHF and see a 30% improvement in sway control and the next guy only sees a 20% improvement so what? We both realized some positive results. If I install Koni shocks and the next uses Bilsteins and we both say, "WOW that's great". So what. We both noticed an improvement. Because of all the variables that's the only common sense way (IMHO) to approach these changes.
y words of caution are simply this. It's unwise to expect the same results with an improvement somebody else reported. Your results could be the same maybe better or maybe not.
Jay
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46 AM
TeJay, I absolutely agree but in my case I had a previous F-53 and made the CHF mod and had great results, not so much with the Adventurer..in fact it made no noticeable change really. Going to add a rear trac bar next and then, as you suggested, re-evaluate it again. I have 17 years experience as a class 1 CDL driver so I have a good feel for truck chassis. One thing I did notice on the forums was that the caster on my unit is 3 degrees left side and 4 degrees right side. I am told that Ford factory settings are 4.5 - 5 degress and that even a small change makes a difference. Can you confirm the ford spec and do you agree with that comment about small changes??
Ray
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07-01-2014, 08:18 PM
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#2338
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lowell, Arkansas
Posts: 7,301
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Ray,
Funny that you should mention the caster angles. I stopped in the alignment shop a few days ago and spoke to the tech that did mine. When I talked to Mike I asked him if we could add 1 degree more to each side and he said yes. It would provide more weight pushing down which will provide better tracking and returnability of the steering wheel. We will do that on the 10th of July.
I have a Ford service disc for the chassis and will check the specs but I believe you are correct on what Ford recommends. There's usually a 1/2 to 1 degree difference in left to right to compensate for road crown. Just as with the CHF which we all know what a difference it makes and we ask then why don't they do that at the factory. They always error on the side of caution. If the caster is increased to much it's harder to steer because of all the weight pushing down. With power steering it shouldn't matter. I don't profess to be a heavy truck specialist but I have common sense. If my alignment angles, and tire pressures are correct it should track straight down the road. Adding that extra 1 degree will also reduce the effect of the wind and trucks as well. We'll see.
I'll check those angles again and if they are different I'll let you know. I'll also report the results on the caster change after it's done.
TeJay
__________________
TeJay Auto Instructor/4-yrs USAF/ Liz: RN/ WBGO 2014 Vista 30T/ F-53/CHF/5-Star/Koni * Bella & Izzy * Golden /Cocker mix/ Louie The Cat* All Retired
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