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Old 08-22-2018, 12:30 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by cariboo camper View Post
I call BS. I put steering stabilizer, Beefed up front sway bar and additional sway bar on rear of my 2017 FR3. Made the ride 100% better, much safer and relaxing to drive. Looking forward to sumo shocks this year as I had the opportunity to drive FR3 very similar to my own and I noticed the difference right away.
Yeah, well, BS is a two way street. My point is that these type things are not upgrades but after market modifications and perhaps add on's but only construed as upgrades by the after market manufacturers. It's up to the consumer to decide and with a, sometimes substantial investment, what other justification can one take.
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Old 08-22-2018, 12:39 PM   #22
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You're absolutely right. But, how did you know I had 19.5 inch wheels? Right after we purchased the GT in 2015, we learned that FR had started installing 22.5" wheels sometime mid-year. As you stated, that might have been the reason. But, I did call Ford and FR about upgrading wheels (very costly) but they said they didn't think it would make any difference. But, despite it's shortfalls, we had many wonderful experiences touring this great country. So, we don't refer to buying a Berkshire as "upgrading" since the GT served us so well. We just bought a different coach to meet different needs.
We had a discussion about this early on when you were trying to "fix" your issues. I think at one point I had offered to let you drive mine (I live in Tipp city) to see if the difference was in the wheel/tire combination.
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:51 PM   #23
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F53 uses Conestoga Wagon era suspension technology. It was a marvel when new, now not so much.

A FR3 owner since 2014, our first trip to Maine to California and back gave plenty of opportunity to evaluate just how it must of been when the settlers crossed our huge country on the tops of buggy springs.

By Iowa, the desire to change sway bar link locations resulted in a noted improvement in the most egregious of handling/ride sins.

But not all of them.

What I know now, that I didn’t know then was to look at the manufacturers VIN plate with tire pressure recommendations. In my own misplaced decision making, I had all 6 tires set to MAX air pressure on the sidewall of the tire. This was near 30 pounds more than recommended by FORD, with a punishing ride reminiscent of a wooden wheeled Conestoga Wagon.

In Maine now, it was a revelation to discover the true tire pressure settings making for a magic carpet ride back to California.

At the end of the trip, I vowed to make changes based on the HUGE number of snake oil perveyors touting their suspension solutions. The costs of handling fixes on offer today can easily reach 5000.00.

Post after post after post on forums like this had owners touting their apparent joy at spending enough money to fund a bankrupt 3rd world country. Not all who posted were interested in proclaiming victory over Conestoga era suspension dynamics, it was more clear that owners who had walked the path of upgrades reporting the benefits to be less than impressive in the ride vs cost comparisons. Many were previous owners of the F53 chassis that had upgraded to diesel pushers with more modern independent suspension systems.

We have all read about high tech shocks, add on rubber elastic bolt-ins used in transit buses. These have price tags to fund a bankrupt first world country.

Really?

In the end, I have learned to love the quaint suspension/ ride/handling of my FR3 in totally stock configuration save the CHF.

It’s the lipstick on a pig saying.

My pig wears no lipstick.
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Old 08-24-2018, 09:16 AM   #24
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Did the front CHF yesterday. Can't say I noticed any difference on city streets.
I THINK there was a perceptible decrease in the impact of passing big rigs but I wasn't overwhelmed with any huge improvement.
Then installed a Roadmaster steering stabilizer and did notice steering required less constant input which I hope translates into less fatigue on longer trips.

Went to do the rear CHF and found the torsion bar bushings were not there.
Can anyone provide a part number and source for these bushings? Are the front bushings the same part number? (F53)
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Old 08-24-2018, 02:56 PM   #25
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Did the front CHF yesterday. Can't say I noticed any difference on city streets.
I THINK there was a perceptible decrease in the impact of passing big rigs but I wasn't overwhelmed with any huge improvement.
Then installed a Roadmaster steering stabilizer and did notice steering required less constant input which I hope translates into less fatigue on longer trips.

Went to do the rear CHF and found the torsion bar bushings were not there.
Can anyone provide a part number and source for these bushings? Are the front bushings the same part number? (F53)
Probably wore out and fell out. I have had good experiences with E-trailer, find their website and the parts should be there for you. Or Ford dealership but may cost way more.
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Old 08-24-2018, 04:59 PM   #26
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The rear sway bar bushing‘s on our 2014 FR3 failed within the first 10,000 miles, not the bushings per se but the bolts that they use to hold the bushing clamps on are too long from the manufacturer i.e. FORD.

These long bolts will not allow for the proper torque and then fall out causing the loss of the bracket and the bushings and causes general destruction in and around the loose sway bar as it gets hammered against the rear axle in other parts of the undercarriage.

Although my particular FR3 was labeled as a 2014, Ford manufactured it in 2012. That’s only important when youre trying to get it fixed, the warranty in-service date for a motorhome is the date you purchase it, not the day it was manufactured by Ford. Ford will try to tell you that your chassis is out of warranty, which is not true. The dealer we purchased our FR3 from did NOT register the chassis as being placed in service with Ford, so they naturally assumed that it had been placed into service in 2012 and not 2014.

There is a Ford NHTSA safety recall on 2012 FR3 or F 53 chassis for rear sway bar failure of this specific problem.

Fortunately, I was able to resolve all of the above issues resolved and was able to get the repairs completed by Ford at a Ford dealer under the NHTSA recall, and since the chassis had been put into service in 2014 was also covered under the three years and 36,000 mile warranty provided for the F 53 chassis by Ford.

Also be aware that 2012 was the first year that Ford used polyurethane bushings in the sway bar mounts on the rear, so any F 53 chassis after 2012 should be equipped with polyurethane sway bar bushing‘s. You can choose yourself whether you want rubber or polyurethane, it makes little difference other than noise or ride quality.

If you are not under warranty or cannot get it repaired under the NHTSA recall then you’re on your own to find the parts. Energy suspension makes quality replacement parts that are very reasonably priced that I would look into before going to a Ford dealer who will charge you four times as much for what may be the exact same thing.

Sorry for the long post, but this whole issue Caused me much grief for a very long time, mostly due to my dealers incompetence for not registering the F53 chassis as a 2014 with Ford.

Good luck!

You’re going to need it.
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Old 08-24-2018, 05:37 PM   #27
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Monthly payments on the Berkshire are a dream, i.e. $0, because we were able to save for what we wanted instead of borrowing. Paid off credit cards years ago, paid off the cars and finally paid off the house but kept making those payments to our savings. Entered retirement debt free and spent some of the money we had saved on this one big-ticket item. The interest we saved by avoiding all these loans amounts to tens of thousands. It makes the RV life a lot more relaxing. PTL! Not everyone can do this, but most can save at least something and take some of the bite out of the cost of an RV.

We need a "Like Button". This post is dead on.

Like Dave Ramsey likes to say "Debt is Dumb". Sometimes necessary but certainly not something you want a lot of when going into retirement.
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Old 11-03-2018, 09:30 AM   #28
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Well I replaced the rear stabilizer bar bushings and did the standard CHF front and rear just before our first long (4000 mile) RV trip.


My experience before this trip was one 300 mile drive bringing the RV home.
Really didn't pay much attention on that trip to rock and roll or sway. I was mostly concerned with just keeping it between the lines.

As such, for me, trying to compare handling before and after the CHF would be an exercise in guess work.


Over 4000 miles I did not find the ride uncomfortable or worrisome. Went through several areas of high winds and strong gusts and while I could feel them they weren't scary or difficult. Passing big rigs could be felt but not significantly.

From my standpoint I see no reason to do anything further other than to maintain tire health and replace shocks as needed.
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Old 11-04-2018, 06:20 PM   #29
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I bought a 2012 Georgetown 329DS two weeks ago and drove it back about 1,000 miles from NY to MN right away. After reading many horror stories about stock F53 handling, I brought the necessary tools with me to the dealer to do the CHF before driving it back home. However, time got away from me and I didn't do the fix, and just drove it home in stock condition. I was actually surprised at how well it handled...I expected the worst. Weather conditions were terrible two weekends ago including both 20+ mph headwinds and crosswinds plus rain, and yet the handling was fine for a truck. Heck, my 17-year old daughter drove it across Mackinaw Bridge under a high wind warning, albeit very slowly below 25 mph. Maybe the handling didn't seem so bad because I've driven large vehicles in the past with even older technology. Maybe it was because the dealer installed brand new Cooper tires that were inflated to 80+ psi as recommended. Maybe it's because we kept the speed to about 67 mph and below. Maybe it's because the rig was unloaded and winterized with no water in the tanks. I don't know. I'll probably eventually get a steering stabilizer for sure, and probably get it aligned (it pulled to the right a little), but I'm not so sure now that I'll do the CHF.
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Old 11-09-2018, 08:58 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by cariboo camper View Post
I call BS. I put steering stabilizer, Beefed up front sway bar and additional sway bar on rear of my 2017 FR3. Made the ride 100% better, much safer and relaxing to drive. Looking forward to sumo shocks this year as I had the opportunity to drive FR3 very similar to my own and I noticed the difference right away.
Not driving quite the same model as yours but the "mods" "upgrades" etc, etc that you made pretty much parallels the "mods" "upgrades" etc. that I've done to my Georgetown. The handling improvements you described also parallels what I have experienced, I now look forward to and enjoy a relaxed drive down the road in my Georgetown which does justify the cost for me and my family.
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Old 12-06-2018, 07:51 AM   #31
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Has anyone experienced a broken sway bar strut? It is a clean break, like it snapped. Yes I did the CHF about 20,000 miles ago and added a Safe-T-Steer about 10,000 ago. Thoughts? Both made significant difference in the handling. Why would this break?

Note it is not the sway bar itself that broke, rather the strut from the sway bar to the body.
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Old 12-09-2018, 09:44 PM   #32
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I've read posts on several forums concerning broken mounts and links on the Ford F53 chassis, mostly on the rear. I've also seen mention of aftermarket links and bars. I haven't installed these parts and just have the stock items on my unit. I examine mine after each trip trying to keep ahead of possible trouble. I also don't let the leveling jacks lift the coach excessively at either end to minimize any strain that lifting the axle off the ground would cause. If the links break, I'll entertain getting the stronger aftermarket parts as I appreciate the difference the CHF makes for the handling of my coach.
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Old 12-13-2018, 07:02 PM   #33
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Replaced the broken link. Took three days for Ford dealership to get part $35. Easy peasy.
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Old 12-14-2018, 04:47 PM   #34
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Sway Bar Link

Hello, was it your front or back link that broke? I'm guessing it must of had a bad weld.
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Old 12-14-2018, 11:19 PM   #35
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Front link. Cast iron. Didn't break at a weld spot.
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Old 12-15-2018, 10:35 AM   #36
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Aftermarket links...

Here's an example of aftermarket adjustable links made by Hellwig. (This URL is to an Amazon listing.) There are several others on the market and reviews are available on various sites. I don't have experience with them but they are an option.

https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-7962-...ct_top?ie=UTF8
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Old 12-15-2018, 01:58 PM   #37
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CHF

I installed the longer links on the front, because I was also worried about the strain on the links. The shorter stock ones seem to put the sway bar in a bad angle. I went with the BDS links - example in this link: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...lp-154584.html . The lower mounting eyelets are a little different angle from stock, but I haven't had any problems.

Hope this info helps,
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Old 12-15-2018, 04:21 PM   #38
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Here's an example of aftermarket adjustable links made by Hellwig. (This URL is to an Amazon listing.) There are several others on the market and reviews are available on various sites. I don't have experience with them but they are an option.

https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-7962-...ct_top?ie=UTF8
Having adjustable links is a great find. Would be handy if you want to just tweak the length or if the fittings don't seem to line up. Thanks!
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