How to move weight towards front axle

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by MotorPro

The part I find unbelievable is that someone thinks it is ok to drive a motorhome down a highway one handed with a camera in their face and talk about safety .

and doing 70 without holding the wheel
and the laws says you have to have 2 hands on the wheel???
some of us are more experienced than others

that motor home drives it self... unbelievable how stable

man I miss that motorhome...

here hold my beer... watch this

[stik]

Originally Posted by Tricolor

Thanks for all the input.

To resume what's been said about MH in general AND about my 26HE in particular:

- It is futile to try to re-balance the rig by shifting weight to the front axel.
- The chassis is not stable as it is, even with the OEM front tracbar and swaybar
- Air spings / Sumo springs would increase stability (in my opinion, it adds firmess to the ride but most likely reduce seat comfort... unless shocks and springs are replaced by softer ones)

So here's my plan:

- It is imperative to find the best compromise for tire pressure, starting high and decreasing by 5psi steps down to where I find most confort without sacrifying stability and security
- I will do the McKinley Cheap Handling Fix, in front first
- I have to find the most suitable shocks for MY rig. Problem is, the more information I gather, the more confused I get

I just read through this entire thread, and I gotta admit, I don't think I have ever read/watched anything scarier!

I will not address all the things that are just plain wrong, but will say WEIGH IT! WEIGH IT! WEIGH IT! While technically your gathering "information" what you are really doing is gathering subjective OPINIONS, that don't appear to be based on sound principles or reasoning!

Adjusting tire pressure below manufacturer recommendations (based on actual weight) to alter/improve ride, is not only foolish beyond comprehension, it is reckless and totally irresponsible.

If, perhaps, I have misunderstood what some posters suggest, or didn't understand they were joking and not serious, well, then . . . I apologize! But at the very least, get the thing weighed and adjust tire pressures according to manufacturers guidelines before you do anything else!

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by stik

I just read through this entire thread, and I gotta admit, I don't think I have ever read/watched anything scarier!

I will not address all the things that are just plain wrong, but will say WEIGH IT! WEIGH IT! WEIGH IT! While technically your gathering "information" what you are really doing is gathering subjective OPINIONS, that don't appear to be based on sound principles or reasoning!

Adjusting tire pressure below manufacturer recommendations (based on actual weight) to alter/improve ride, is not only foolish beyond comprehension, it is reckless and totally irresponsible.

If, perhaps, I have misunderstood what some posters suggest, or didn't understand they were joking and not serious, well, then . . . I apologize! But at the very least, get the thing weighed and adjust tire pressures according to manufacturers guidelines before you do anything else!

thank you...

[Finally Time]

I have a Vista 27N, similar short wheel base. Weighed it loaded and set the tire pressure, which turned out to be the same 82 lbs as on the Winnebago placard. I had the same problem with a harsh ride and getting pushed around by passing semi's. Did the CHF which helped with the push-pull but made the ride even harsher. Changed the factory blue & yellow Bilsteins to Monroe RV Magnums. Really smoothed out the ride. It's a pleasure to drive now.

Side Note: I changed the valve stems to metal "dually valves and added tire pressure and temp sensors. The tire shop inflated the fronts to 90 lbs and rears to 100. Talk about a hard ride; it wandered all over the road, followed every rut and bump and bounced sideways on grooved pavement. That 20 miles to the storage yard was the worse I have ever driven. It's unbelievable what a difference tire pressure makes.

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by LVRVLUVR

I ve had your motor home... just putting the sumos on front will fix the problem...sumos work better than air bags because of the up travel resistance.. so they stop body roll...
I took the time to try different shocks... I even ran with out them ... with just the sumo's ... the sumos make a softer ride...lessen the fatigue of driving...

Very interesting... Can I PM you to have direct information about your 26HE?

[Tricolor]

[QUOTE=Finally Time;2440744]I have a Vista 27N, similar short wheel base. Weighed it loaded and set the tire pressure, which turned out to be the same 82 lbs as on the Winnebago placard. I had the same problem with a harsh ride and getting pushed around by passing semi's. Did the CHF which helped with the push-pull but mad the ride even harsher. Changed the factory blue & yellow Bilsteins to Monroe RV Magniums. Really smoothed out the ride.QUOTE]

Very pertinent comment, although your heavier MH with the 3 slide-out is mounted on a 20" longer chassis.... not a big deal!

So the smoother Monroe Magnum really helped? I figured it would, for the fact that Ford uses the same Bilstein all across from 16k chassis up to the 26k chassis, the 16k being at the low end.

Can you give me the precise model number of these Monroe?

[Finally Time]

My invoice just says "Monroe RV Magnum." I just left a phone message for the suspension shop asking for the model number. When/if they call back I'll post it.

[Finally Time]

Got a call back from the shop. He said there are many lengths, diameters and bolt patterns for the shocks; what fits one might not fit another. To get the right ones they took the numbers off the factory Bilsteins and cross referenced them to Monroe's models. He said if you are shopping around ask for "Monroe RV Magnum" and give them motor home model and chassis. Good luck.

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by Finally Time

they took the numbers off the factory Bilsteins and cross referenced them to Monroe's models. He said if you are shopping around ask for "Monroe RV Magnum" and give them motor home model and chassis. Good luck.

Thanks. Did you do any other modifications? Are you fully satisfied with comfort & handling ?

[Finally Time]

I am very satisfied with the ride and handling. The only things I did for the ride and handling were adjusting the tire pressure, the CHF, and the Monroe shocks. It was uncomfortable, but manageable, before I did those things, but I used to finish a day's driving feeling like I had been beaten. Now I'm pretty relaxed at the end of the day.

I made other modifications for comfort and convenience inside and added a built-in Progressive Surge protector.

[RodK]

Monroe part number for ford f53 front is 557001

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by Finally Time

Did the CHF which helped with the push-pull but made the ride even harsher.

I read the whole tread about the CHF and I don't recall anyone reporting that it consequently made the ride harder... although it's obvious that it would.

Thanks for confirming my suspicion. It makes sense that if you stiffen one the suspension component (such as the CHF), you have to equilibrate by softening another component in order to keep the ride bearable.

In the case of our rigs, softer shocks is an inexpensive solution after the CHF.

At a much higher cost, the Kilderman Air Ride does exactly that: They add air ballon but reduce spring rate and use softer shocks (Munroe Magnum, I beleive)

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by RodK

Monroe part number for ford f53 front is 557001

Super

Amazone has them for under $60 right now!

I might go that route. No rush, the rig is winterized. That leaves me more time to consider all avenues.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by Tricolor

Very interesting... Can I PM you to have direct information about your 26HE?

yes