Community Forums

pagosajoe · 05-24-2012, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfran304

Colonel,

There was a thread earlier about Tru-Center steering units having a problem with some kind of control box.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/truce...ics-79623.html

Good Luck,
Jon

Hi Jon!

Thanks for the reference. Very interesting write up about the Tru-Center. I noticed that the story is almost 2 years old, and involved a Tru-Center that was about 3 years old.

I'll do a lot more research before pulling out the credit card - thanks!

Joe

jfran304 · 05-24-2012, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagosajoe

Hi Jon!

Thanks for the reference. Very interesting write up about the Tru-Center. I noticed that the story is almost 2 years old, and involved a Tru-Center that was about 3 years old.

I'll do a lot more research before pulling out the credit card - thanks!

Joe

The story started 2 years ago but it was still ongoing in Jan of 2012.

I can't remember the exact dollar amount the Tru-Center costs but it was between $600 to $700 back in 2006. When we purchased our Allegro it was supposed to have one installed but it didn't. There is a marked switch on the dash for it but no unit attached to the steering. The dealer would only reimburse us their cost. I did get some free vent covers to make up a little bit of the difference. I took the money they reimbursed me and installed a Safe-T-Plus for safety reasons.

The Steering Control Specialists | Safe-T-Plus Blog | Helping motorists' vehicles steer safer, less, and with peace of mind.

RV Steering Stabilizer by Safe-T-Plus on Sale - PPL Motor Homes

Good Luck,
Jon

pagosajoe · 05-24-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfran304

The story started 2 years ago but it was still ongoing in Jan of 2012.

I can't remember the exact dollar amount the Tru-Center costs but it was between $600 to $700 back in 2006. When we purchased our Allegro it was supposed to have one installed but it didn't. There is a marked switch on the dash for it but no unit attached to the steering. The dealer would only reimburse us their cost. I did get some free vent covers to make up a little bit of the difference. I took the money they reimbursed me and installed a Safe-T-Plus for safety reasons.

The Steering Control Specialists | Safe-T-Plus Blog | Helping motorists' vehicles steer safer, less, and with peace of mind.

RV Steering Stabilizer by Safe-T-Plus on Sale - PPL Motor Homes

Good Luck,
Jon

Hey Jon, thanks! I'm still in the process of reading through all the write ups. Very interesting. I sent a link to the article to the Tru-Center folks, awaiting their reply...curious to hear from them, and what they have to say...there may be added value to a simpler system that has no solenoid to rely on. KISS rules?

Joe

pagosajoe · 05-24-2012, 04:27 PM

Here's the note from Blue Ox about the Tru-Center:

"Years ago we had some issues with them and pulled them off the market. The new ones are pretty much bullet proof."

Sure hope so!

jfran304 · 05-24-2012, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagosajoe

Here's the note from Blue Ox about the Tru-Center:

"Years ago we had some issues with them and pulled them off the market. The new ones are pretty much bullet proof."

Sure hope so!

Sounds good. Wonder if they will give you a money back guarantee with that.

pagosajoe · 05-24-2012, 06:57 PM

And that's an excellent question....still not sure the Tru-Center is for me.

jfran304 · 05-25-2012, 01:12 PM

Colonel,

You might find this interesting reading about the problems with Freighltliner's steering wander. In the posts there are references to other discussions on other forums.

A Part of the TiffinRVNetwork • Login

Hope you have a safe Memorial Day weekend and the fires in Colorado aren't close to you.

Good Luck,
Jon

pagosajoe · 05-25-2012, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfran304

Colonel,

You might find this interesting reading about the problems with Freighltliner's steering wander. In the posts there are references to other discussions on other forums.

A Part of the TiffinRVNetwork • Login

Hope you have a safe Memorial Day weekend and the fires in Colorado aren't close to you.

Good Luck,
Jon

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the reference! Checked out the Tiffin posts - some good info there. I guess the frustrating part is that a brand new coach would be susceptible to these issues, and that Freightliner/Fleetwood wouldn't be taking action to ensure their products are the best. One of my USAF jobs was head of quality control. It isn't that hard to do, but it would cost a little more. Enhancing your reputation, caring for your customers and keeping them safe? Priceless.

We have an uncontrolled forest fire 14 miles away, currently at 440 acres, caused by lightning. We can see it from our home. Red Flag warnings are out for winds gusting to 60 through Saturday evening. Not fun.

We had a forest fire that swept around our home in Fritz Creek, Alaska, before we moved to CO in 2003, and only my cutting down dead trees around our house for the previous 2 years kept it from being a total loss. Ended up with "only"$60K damage.

Our hearts go out to those staring down the threat of a forest fire, and our total admiration to the heroes who fight them - extraordinary people!

Thanks for the Memorial Day wishes - and, thank you for your service!

Cheers!

henderson · 05-27-2012, 08:34 PM

Joe I was reading through the posts again and noticed you're towing a good sized toad. If you had to put a drop hitch to level up your tow bar the slop in the connections along with the short wheelbase of your coach will get things swaying. They have devices to take the slack out. Just another thing to look at.

pagosajoe · 05-28-2012, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by henderson

Joe I was reading through the posts again and noticed you're towing a good sized toad. If you had to put a drop hitch to level up your tow bar the slop in the connections along with the short wheelbase of your coach will get things swaying. They have devices to take the slack out. Just another thing to look at.

An excellent point! Another reason to acquire some sort of motion control gadget to impede those kinds of oscillations. The comparatively short wheel base on a 36' coach would certainly contribute to those problems of the tail wagging the dog. We don't have a drop hitch - the Blue Ox hitch between the coach and toad (weighs nearly 5000 pounds) is virtually level without having to use one.

Thanks for the thoughts!

Mojo13 · 05-28-2012, 04:57 PM

I had similar issues with my new 2011 Discovery. Took the rv to the local Freight liner shop to see if they could find a solution to my problem. They found that the front driver side tire was coming apart,this was with 3k miles on the unit. Fright liner covered the cost of a new tire, a few months later I installed a new set of Michelins on the front. Much better ride, but rv would still wander. Added the safe t steer device, weighed all four corners, and the rv is driving really nice. Also found that the alignment was off, 5\8 inch on the rear axle.

pagosajoe · 05-29-2012, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojo13

I had similar issues with my new 2011 Discovery. Took the rv to the local Freight liner shop to see if they could find a solution to my problem. They found that the front driver side tire was coming apart,this was with 3k miles on the unit. Fright liner covered the cost of a new tire, a few months later I installed a new set of Michelins on the front. Much better ride, but rv would still wander. Added the safe t steer device, weighed all four corners, and the rv is driving really nice. Also found that the alignment was off, 5\8 inch on the rear axle.

Sorry to hear you had similar problems, but encouraging to know that you found some relief. We leave tomorrow to pick up our coach from the dealer - and will see if there's been any change. If not, we will probably take it to a Freightliner dealer to see if they can find a solution. An after market gadget may still be in the future...thanks for the help!

Gadget Man · 06-17-2012, 05:36 PM

Pagosajoe,

I just came across this discussion. I have an '05 Providence built on the Freightliner XC chassis. I have had the same complaint as you for some time now. I've thrown money at it and the wandering is still there. I added the SteerSafe, the SuperSteer bell crank and Koni FSD shocks. The Koni's helped with the ride, but none of these add-on's did a single thing for the wandering. I considered the TruCenter, but all of the bad press made me rule it out. Perhaps they are better now, I'm just waiting to read more positive remarks about them.

One thing I did find that made matters worse, were a set of new tires. I replaced my factory Goodyear's with a set of Yokohama's. The GY's developed a bad wear pattern so I wanted someone else. I really wanted Michelin's, but I couldn't resist the lower priced Yoko's. Bad decision....the Yoko's made the wandering 10 times worse. I exchanged them for a set of Michelin's 2000 miles later. A costly experience to say the least. The Michelin's ride and handle better than the GY's even did.

Let me know if you find the magic solution!

Craig

pagosajoe · 06-18-2012, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig P.

Pagosajoe,

I just came across this discussion. I have an '05 Providence built on the Freightliner XC chassis. I have had the same complaint as you for some time now. I've thrown money at it and the wandering is still there. I added the SteerSafe, the SuperSteer bell crank and Koni FSD shocks. The Koni's helped with the ride, but none of these add-on's did a single thing for the wandering. I considered the TruCenter, but all of the bad press made me rule it out. Perhaps they are better now, I'm just waiting to read more positive remarks about them.

One thing I did find that made matters worse, were a set of new tires. I replaced my factory Goodyear's with a set of Yokohama's. The GY's developed a bad wear pattern so I wanted someone else. I really wanted Michelin's, but I couldn't resist the lower priced Yoko's. Bad decision....the Yoko's made the wandering 10 times worse. I exchanged them for a set of Michelin's 2000 miles later. A costly experience to say the least. The Michelin's ride and handle better than the GY's even did.

Let me know if you find the magic solution!

Craig

Hi Cragin,

Thanks for the information. Our GYs are new, so it will be awhile until we spring for replacements - and the Michelins are undoubtedly the way we'll go when we do. I've heard/read lots about them, and they do seem to improve handling. I've replaced GYs on my cars over the years with Michellin, Bridgestone and others, and found the ride improves considerably. Made a BIG difference replacing the GY run flats on our Corvette with Bridgestone Potenza run flats.

Still no magic solution - I'm considering the TruCenter....but haven't pulled the trigger - yet. I'll post a comment if/when I do.

Cheers,

oe